Previous Post – What Jesus Said About Homosexuality

If ever there was a time when we needed something stable to count on, it is today.  The economy is in the tank and politics increasingly feels like an exercise in choosing the lesser of evils.  We want something that we can count on and trust.  And who could be more stable than the lovable, bird-bath inspiring St. Francis of Assisi.  He is the epitome of all things reliable and true.

Or is he?  What if I told you that meek and mild St. Francis is not all we thought he is?  In truth, there are a few things no one should know about him.  At least, unless you willing for just a little more instability.  You’ve been warned.

St. Francis was not an environmentalist.

When Pope John Paul II named St. Francis Patron Saint of Ecology, it was a well-deserved honor.  Yet it would be a mistake to romantically reinterpret him as a modern environmentalist.  When Francis looked at creation he saw something deeply mystical. After all, it is from the earth that the elements of communion are produced, the source and symbol of our unity in Christ.  To that end, his sense of fraternity extended even to creation, calling the sun as his brother, the moon his sister.

Now more than ever we need to regain a sense of our sacred connection to creation.  It is not enough for us to see the earth as a source of material resource, regardless of how responsibly we manage it.  Neither is it adequate to settle for environmental advocacy.  Francis’s love for creation is inseparably linked to his commitment to peace, and his radical generosity to and fraternity with the poor.  In the same way, how we relate to creation will impact the authority of our witness.

St. Francis was not a pacifist.

In his youth, Francis enlisted as a soldier to win himself glory only to find himself a prisoner of war, changing him for life.  Once in ministry, he even went so far as to walk to Egypt in order to put an end to the Crusade.  When his fellow Christians refused to listen, he walked into the enemy camp, facing sure death, to make his plea for peace.  His humility and passion were so moving, the Sultan released him, praising his faith.

Yet to define this commitment as pacifism falls short of the truth. He was not merely opposed to violence and war, but instead, when he read Jesus’s words that said, “blessed are the peacemakers”, he dedicated himself, not simply to ending war, but to bringing shalom.  Shalom, that all-encompassing salvation and wholeness of both the spiritual and material.  For Francis there was no distinction between the gospel and the so-called “social gospel”.

St. Francis was not an activist.

Francis was, perhaps, best known for his commitment to the poor. Unlike those who were called to the cloistered life of a monastery, Francis disdained property to live like the common people, sharing in their demanding labors and simple joys.  He took for his religious garb the same tunic worn by the peasants. He chose a radical simplicity that stood as a living rebuke to the decadence so often associated with the medieval church.

Yet this commitment wasn’t an early example of social justice.  While he stood firmly against any injustice suffered by the poor, he was drawn to their company because he was convinced that, in the least of these he found Jesus.  What appears to be solidarity with the poor is in fact devotion to the Jesus.  Christ is with the least of these and if we are with them, He is with us.

St. Francis was no saint.

While Francis canonized as a saint in 1228, he was was no stranger to sin.  The son of a wealthy merchant, Francis lived a playboys life, carousing through the streets of Assisi with the wealthy sons of the city.  Inspired by the minstrels tales of gallant knights, he was devoted to wooing the young maidens of his city, earning him a less than flattering reputation.

Even when serving God Francis was prone to such literal obedience to Christ, that he drove himself into an early grave.  Whether throwing himself into an icy ditch to quench impure thoughts or when he scattered ashes in his food so not to take too much pleasure in the flavors, he later repented to “Brother Body” for treating it so poorly.

Yet, it is in his imperfections that St. Francis holds his greatest appeal.  Apart from his failings, we might be tempted to venerate him so fully that we would never look to him as an example to follow.  However, if he was as prone to failure as any of us, then his life stands as a challenge, pointing to the potential of what our own lives might become.

The more we discover about this St. Francis of Assisi, the more we see how important he is for Christians- for all people- today.  Some might balk at such high praise, saying instead that we should be looking to Jesus. Francis would agree. And yet, when we discover who this simple man is, we realize that as we follow in his footsteps that they lie within the deeper prints of Christ Himself.

(For more about the life & example of St. Francis, check out my book, “The Cost of Community: Jesus, St. Francis & Life in the Kingdom”)

Previous Post -A People of Suffering

Spoken word poet Jefferson Bethke is no stranger to viral video success, with several of his YouTube videos drawing hundreds of thousands of views. However, there was no way he could have anticipated that more than 15 million viewers would tune in for his newest piece, “Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus”. Neither could he have guessed the level of controversy it would sparked. From people deeply inspired by his honest passion to others upset with what they felt was a reckless use of the term “religion”, few people are without opinion

In response to the popularity (and notoriety) of the piece, Bethke explained that at his church, “the word ‘religion’ is pretty much synonymous with hypocrisy, legalism, self-righteousness, and self-justification”. Criticism not withstanding, the vast majority of viewers seemed to approve of the poem, resonating with his cutting critique of Christianity’s failures. And frankly, fair enough.

Few of us would be hard pressed to think of examples, whether through historical events or personal experience, where Christians represented themselves poorly, even atrociously, in the name of God. It’s an all too common sentiment to hear today that people “love Jesus, but not the church”, considering themselves “spiritual, but not religious”. And so, Bethke struck a nerve with millions who indeed love Jesus but hate “religion”.

St. Francis of Assisi was no stranger to such attitudes. The church of his day was so often characterized by corruption that the common people saw it as being little different from their abusive lords and kings. It was this very corruption that, at least in part, led Francis to the radical life of devotion to Jesus that has made him one of the most loved Christian figures throughout history. His unrelenting commitment to follow Jesus stands in sharp contrast against a culture of religious despotism and debauchery.

And yet, Francis was unabashedly a true son of Rome, fully submitted to papal authority. His devotion to the church even extended even to the basest compromises of simple priests. It’s said that Francis would kneel in the mud before even the fattest, most compromised priests. And while he held communion as the holiest of sacraments, he would willingly receive Eucharist from sinful priests for their indiscretions. How could such an uncompromising follower of Jesus make such seemingly compromising choices?

It is in this very dissonance that St. Francis has so much to teach us today.  What first appears to be fawning obedience to the institutional authorities of Rome was, in fact, motivated a far more powerful obedience to Christ. Whether he faced a parish priest or Pope himself, he knew he was looking at men created in the image of God- more so, brothers resurrected into the same Body of Christ. His reverence for the holiness of God far outstripped the sins of a corrupt clergy. All he could see was Christ.

This is not to say that Francis was indifferent to their failings. His pursuit of holiness often drove him to extremes, meaning he turned his critique inward for he know that the best rebuke of the bad was the embodiment of the better. Aware of the brokenness of his own heart, he was too dependent on the grace of God to stand in judgment of others.

Many people who are part of Little Flowers Community, the small church that I pastor in my impoverished, inner city neighborhood, have very good reason to hate religion, especially Christianity. They are the addicts, the mentally ill and the homeless- people who experienced more alienation at the hands of the church than most. Yet everyday we seek to follow the example of St. Francis, by seeking to see in others- beyond their “hypocrisy, legalism, self-righteousness, and self-justification”, beyond our own- the Jesus we love.

Bethke’s poem confronts us with the uncomfortable reality that our treasured religion is not exempt from being twisted by sin. And yet, when we see Jesus in people who use and abuse religion, we realize that it is not so easy to simply love Jesus and hate religion.  Instead we discover that God’s grace is all encompassing, calling us to a humility and embrace that will be offensive to many. Yet we hold on to the hope that when a waiting and watching world sees such love, they will look past our flawed religion and see Jesus.

Previous Post – Courting Satan

After waiting so long, I am excited to announce that my new book, “The Cost of Community: Jesus, St. Francis & Life in the Kingdom”, is now shipping!  As if that was not exciting enough, today I received an email from the amazing folks at InterVarsity Press informing me that they want to do something special for you all.  Between now and October 28th, they are offering the book to you at 40% off retail price.  Further, if you buy 3 or more copies, shipping is free in Canada & the US.

For more information, click here and place your order.  Please help get the word out.

Peace & all good!

P.S. For all those who already ordered the book, but didn’t get this kind of deal, all I can say is thank you for your early support.  It went a LONG way in helping the book off to a great start.

Previous Post – Stories from the Neighbourhood

With new fatherhood & our Justice DTS upon on, I failed to write several St. Francis posts this past week, including yesterday, the Feast of St. Francis.  So, while delayed, I wanted to point you towards one of my favorite Franciscans, Dan Horan OFM over at DatingGod.com.  His Feast Day post was entitled Following Francis of Assisi Today: Who Are Our Lepers? Here’s an excerpt:

I think that these two constitutive elements of the Franciscan life — humility and poverty — are really important aspects of the Christian life upon which we all can reflect today. That Francis desired the brothers all serve the lepers signifies that they were to transcend the boundaries of social and class distinctions, to risk meeting the stranger and the unknown, to “get dirty” in the messiness of human living, and bring peace, understanding and love all the while. The lepers were the voiceless, the marginalized, the ignored, despised and forgotten. Who are our lepers today? Who are the ones that the rest of the Church, society and world wishes to push off outside of our everyday experience so that we never have to encounter them? They are out there and we are called to be among them.

Previous Post – Should We Follow The Sermon on the Mount?

This coming week marks my return to pastoring at Little Flowers Community after a brief time off to help Micah get adjusted to being home.  The timing as great, as the coming week is when we celebrate the Feast of St. Francis.  In honour of that, I will be doing a few Franciscan posts.  Here is a repost of my most popular St. Francis post ever, from June 2009.  Enjoy!

“Preach the Gospel at all times.  When necessary, use words.”

While this well known quote is almost always attributed to St. Francis of Assisi, most of us already know that it is very unlikely that he ever said those words.  However, they can still elicit powerful responses, both from those who embrace it as great wisdom and those who reject it as compromise.  A recent online article by Mark Galli at Christianity Today’s website (and some of the responses it has drawn) demonstrates this quite well.  And yet, after spending the last several years immersed in all things Francis, I think many are still missing the mark.

Though Francis never made this statement, it is in many ways a very Franciscan sentiment.  In fact, it was likely inspired by these other quotes from Francis:

“It is no use walking anywhere to preach unless our walking is our preaching.”

“…As for me, I desire this privilege from the Lord, that never may I have any privilege from man, except to do reverence to all, and to convert the world by obedience to the Holy Rule rather by example than by word.”

While the nature of hagiographic records makes it difficult to know if Francis truly said anything attributed to him, we can be assured that all three quotes are reflective of the example and tradition he left behind.  They demonstrate the Francis was deeply committed to both the proclamation and embodiment of the Gospel.  Mark Galli makes an important point when we notes how the quote can be too easily co-opted by the postmodern tendency to mistrust of words.  If this quote is used to diminish the importance of verbal preaching/proclamation, then it is a betrayal of the spirit of St. Francis.

Perhaps to better understand this quote and it’s underlying message we must better understand St. Francis himself.  First, it must be noted that Francis lived in a largely pre-literate society- that is, most of the population could not read or write.  Therefore the role of public preaching played an essential role in spiritual formation.  This does not diminish the importance of proclamation today, but we must acknowledge the elevated importance of verbal communication as a means passing on knowledge and information.  And those who heard the majority of his preaching were the nominal Christians of his era, already passingly familiar with the faith.

Knowing this, then, we can read this quote in a new light.  It is not spoken as a universal truth where words should always be of secondary in importance to actions.  Rather it is a context specific corrective to an age and culture that gave lip service, verbal allegiance to the faith, but whose actions betrayed entirely different beliefs and values.  In the same way, the church today is at risk of making the same mistake.  Again, acknowledging the risk of undervaluing preaching, the church in the West has lost much authority in its failure to live the Gospel it preaches.

Francis was given authority by the Roman Catholic Church to preach in churches, which he did often.  However, he was far better known for his extra-liturgical preaching, sermons given in the open air of piazzas and pastures.  He used styles and tactics borrowed from the troubadours of his day, both through romantic prose and foolish frolicking.  Without rejecting the traditional liturgies of the Church, he broke past the norms and conventions of both the church and the culture to preach in ways that caught peoples attention.  He was attractional at its very vest!

Even when he did preach in churches, he would use living examples and props to bring life to the message.  One of the most well known traditions popularized by St. Francis was the live nativity.  While we might see this as a creative and sentimental example, it was, in fact, a powerfully prophetic gesture.  He brought into the heart of the church and the Scriptures the messy reality of the nature of the incarnation (cow manure and all).  He saw the story of Scripture to be something to be lived and experience, not merely commemorated.  So, while we can defend preaching is central to Francis’s example, we cannot do so without recognizing that he preached in ways that were intentionally disruptive to nominal faith, pointing instead to active participation in the Communion of Christ as His Body.

St. Francis never sought to elevate action over speaking in the task of bringing the Gospel, but neither did he believe that Gospel was only a message to be communicated.  Francis recognized that the Gospel was all consuming, the work of God to restore all of Creation unto Himself for His glory.  He embraced the truth that the authority of the Gospel he proclaimed with his mouth was given authority by the Spirit-empowered life that reflected the reality of its transformation.  And in the same way, he knew that, even in the imperfect, clumsy and often sinful lives that we lead, the inherent authority of the Gospel message would still touch the hearts of those who needed to hear it and therefore must be preached.

Inevitably, out of the diversity of our giftings and experiences, out of the brokenness and strengths of our culture and understanding, each of us will find ourselves at different places of emphasis on this issue.  This should not be seen as disunity or division, but necessary dynamics in a Body with many parts, held together out of mutual submission and love and accountability.

Therefore, preach the Gospel at all times, in both word and deed.

Previous Post – Jesus & the Costly Kingdom

Recently I have been engaging in conversations about whether or not the Sermon on the Mount was ever intended to be followed today by Christians.  As my book, “The Cost of Community”, is entirely about doing just that, clearly I believe we are meant to.   Yet I am not unfamiliar with ideas to the contrary, having cropped up in teachings I heard as a teenager.  It was only when I heard my father question that thinking that I began to explore the idea that perhaps we are meant to follow the Sermon on the Mount.  While this space is inadequate to fully explore why, I wanted to give a basic response.

It is important that I note up front that, while many sources helped me come to this position, it was a paper by German theologian, Joachim Jeremias, whose expertise in Hebrew Scriptures and Rabbinic texts bring stunning insight into New Testament writings, especially with respect to the person and teaching of Jesus.

The most common response I hear from those who suggest that we should not seek to live the Sermon on the Mount is that it was an unattainable ideal, expressed intentionally so by Jesus to demonstrate our need for Him.  In fact, some suggest that the Sermon on the Mount is merely the Law on steroids, pushing us towards the despair in the face of the impossibility of the task, thus falling on our only hope- the grace of God that no person can hope to earn through obedience or good works.  To be sure, my convictions about how we are to live out the Sermon on the Mount do not deny that no works, no adherence to law can earn us salvation.

One of the strongest indicators for me that Jesus intended (and intends) for His followers to obey the teachings of the Sermon on the Mount lie in the fact that there is no indication in the text that this is His intention.  Some argue that the context- the people to whom He was speaking- makes that fact obvious.  If this were the case, then the Sermon on the Mount would in no way point to Jesus.  After all, if the point was to demonstrate that He was the only way to salvation through the despair of the impossible ideal, then you would either expect that Jesus would make no mention of salvation through Him alone, or if He did, that it would explicitly contrast with the surrounding “Law” texts.  Looking at the text, however, you will find neither evidence.

Further, if His teachings were for those of that time in history who were still under the Law, then much of Matthew 7 is baffling.  Jesus sums up the entirety of His teaching with the eschatological warning that, for those who hear what He is teaching, but do not do what He says, are fools who will not survive the final judgment before God- a judgment we all will face.  In truth, few Christians who embrace the “Sermon as Law” idea are consistent with this idea.  After all, which Christian does not look to the beauty and authority of the Lord’s Prayer; which Christians doesn’t teach the Golden Rule; which of us will shout to silence the children who sing about the man who builds his house on a rock?  In fairness, not seeking to live the Sermon does not mean it has not value, but it is still an inconsistency to read it in whole as a means of producing despair, yet embracing bits and pieces are truth to be embraced.

Most often, I find that people cite the writings of the Apostle Paul, with his emphasis on our salvation by grace, through faith in Christ alone.  However, as I suggested earlier, believing that we are to live the Sermon on the Mount in no way contradicts this truth.  Again, this space is inadequate to fully explore the nuances, but I see this as an example of people reading Jesus through the lens of Paul, rather than Paul through the lens of Jesus.  Doing the former wrongs both Jesus and Paul, muddying the waters of the truths they expressed and lived.

Finally, strongly supporting Jesus’ intention that we live His teachings in the Sermon is the fact that, from the very beginning of the life of the early Church, such an emphasis was explicit.  The Epistle of James is in many ways the Sermon on the Mount set forward as community spiritual formation in a specific context.  Throughout much of Paul’s writings, the themes of the Sermon are foundationally present- assumed practice.  His emphasis against those seeking to live under the Law is important, but never explicitly or implicitly argue against the Sermon.  Finally, the early Church explicitly practiced the teachings of the Sermon on the Mount, evidenced in their earliest writings, such as the Didache.  While not an explicit evidence, I am further convinced by the powerful impact made by people and groups throughout history who have practiced such a commitment- the Franciscans, the Anabaptists, Bonhoeffer, Tolstoy, Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr. and many more.

The best evidences that the Sermon on the Mount is meant to be lived out by Christians together are found in the text itself, something I do in much greater depth in my book.  In the book, I make it very clear that I am not setting up the Sermon on the Mount as another set of rules to be followed.  Rather, the Sermon on the Mount paints the picture of a people transformed by the work of Christ, united in His Spirit to build His kingdom for the glory of the Father.  As Stanley Hauerwas puts it:

“The Sermon on the Mount is not Jesus’ ethics; the Sermon on the Mount is Jesus.”

Previous Post – Some Weekend Reading

In many ways, St. Clare of Assisi was a partner with St. Francis in the formation of Franciscan spirituality.  One of the key ways of doing this was articulating in words many of the disciplines and truths that Francis lived out in his life and ministry.  Perhaps the best example of this is the Franciscan pattern of prayer, a four-fold pattern that, while similar to other monastic disciplines, was also very unique.  The four steps are referred to as: gazing, considering, contemplating, and imitating.

• To Gaze: Similar to the discipline of reading the Scripture, St. Clare intentionally used the visually influenced term because she understood that many people of her time were illiterate, glean a great deal of the Gospel story through icons, fresco and other visual displays.  Francis practiced this a great deal, starting the first live nativity, barn animals and all.  Beyond literacy, though, the intent was to center us on the reality of the texts, reinforcing the deeply incarnational convictions of the Franciscans.
• To Consider: Again paralleling the monastic discipline of meditation, Clare framed it is terms that the common people could understand.  Here she appealed to the imagination, to invite us into the text as though we were physically present.  Again, the incarnational emphasis is central to the process, as it was for Francis too.
• To Contemplate: Explicitly using the term common to other monastics.  Not to be confused with consideration/meditation, this was the mystical discipline in which we seek to be present with the God who is eternally present with us.  It was a prayer of silence, of emptying oneself to all but the Spirit of Christ within us.  Clare knew that if we truly entered into the Gospels through gazing and consideration, begin to encounter the intimate presence of God in and around us.
• To Imitate: This fourth step is what sets the Franciscan pattern of prayer apart.  While many others have emphasized imitation of Christ, most believed that such behaviour was the fruit of prayer.  Francis and Clare knew that the imitation of Christ was, itself, the culmination of prayer.  For many, prayer was meant to bring them into a state of spiritual ecstasy or peace or love in God’s presence.  However, the Franciscan tradition understood that we encounter the presence of Christ most genuinely when we live His truth with our own lives.  After all, we are the Body of Christ, the incarnate presence, united and empowered by the very present Spirit of God within us.

I have found this pattern of prayer helpful.  What do you think?  What stands out to you?  Try it a few times, then let us know what you think.

Previous Post – Little Flowers of Faith

In the coming month or so, my new book “The Cost of Community: Jesus, St. Francis & Life in the Kingdom” will be released.  The book chronicles the journey our missional community took through Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, allowing St. Francis of Assisi to be our likely guide.  The result is an exploration of what it means to take seriously the words of Jesus, seeking to live them out together for relationship with God, each other & service to His kingdom.  You can get a sneak peek at the the first few chapters, compliments of Google Books here.

While the book delves deeply into Scripture, it is the embedded story of Jesus’ words in our inner city community that make it so compelling.  Many have asked how they can get involved.  There are many ways, but I want to highlight one.  While we are very light on programing as an aspect of our ministry here, one core program we strongly endorse is the Justice Discipleship Training School (JDTS).  We have spent years developing this intensive spiritual & missional formation experience to maximize impact of the participant while responsibly including them in our local & international missions projects.  Check out this video about the JDTS:

Winnipeg YWAM Justice Discipleship Training School

Our next program begins on Sept. 26- that’s right, only 10 days left!  We are still looking for a couple of participants.  As my book will be part of the curriculum and I will be teaching a week on The Gospel & Community, I wanted to offer a special promotion.  The first two applicants to apply & be accepted to our upcoming JDTS will receive a $500 tuition reduction.  Further, if you can’t come, but know someone who will, if you recommend them, they will receive the discount and you will receive a free copy of my book when it releases.

We believe in this program and its ability to transform lives.  Please help us get the word out.  Tell friends.  Post the video.  Apply yourself!  10 days is plenty of time, so let’s make this happen!

I can be contacted in the comment section or at jamiearpinricci@gmail.com for more information.

When we began our work in Winnipeg nearly 10 years ago, all but one of my four immediate neighbours were drug dealers and pimps.  Immediately I found my impulse to be to find ways to continue to serve God, yet avoid this more uncomfortable and risky context.  Given that we live on the financial sponsorship of family and friends, where we often only just made ends meet, the thought of pursuing a paid pastoral position became very appealing (and readily available). Ways that we could accomplish the task while reducing the difficulties and costs repeatedly came to mind- most options that were completely legitimate in and of themselves.  And yet, I knew that any such choice would be a compromise.  The means was as important as the end. And so we made the choice to move into an old, abandoned gang house and become neighbours with the inner city residents.  Looking back, I am deeply grateful we made that choice.

St. Francis of Assisi knew that such choices impacted the quality of the Gospel we brought to our neighbours.  He never elevated action over proclamation in sharing the gospel, but neither did he believe that the gospel message was fully communicated only in words. Francis recognized that the gospel was the all-consuming work of God to restore all of creation to Himself, for His glory. He embraced the truth that the power of the gospel proclaimed with his mouth was given authority by a Spirit-empowered life that reflected the reality of its transformation.  It still needed to be proclaimed, for we would continually fail and compromise.  However, he never allowed that truth to be an excuse for not living out the gospel every day.

People were drawn to Jesus because they saw in him an authority that was both unfamiliar and deeply compelling. Here was a man who lived the truths he spoke, a man who proclaimed a new kingdom with his words and then made it possible, tangible and immediate with his actions. It is little wonder that Jesus and his disciples founds themselves surrounded by crowds eagerly waiting to hear what he had to say. Leading them to the mountainside, Jesus sat in the posture of a teacher and began to teach them.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.
Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. “

What could He mean by such words?  If “blessed” was being used as an entreaty for good favour, then the Beatitudes could be understood as saying something like: “You’ve done well in your mourning; as a reward, you’ll be comforted. Excellent job at being meek; as a gesture of my gratitude, you’ll inherit the earth. You’ve got being poor in spirit down pat; therefore, this kingdom will be yours.” While inevitably we are called to live in ways consistent with the Beatitudes, Jesus is not offering a transaction of his favour in exchange for certain behaviours. Rather, he is describing a present reality of happiness in the midst of these various circumstances, be it poverty of spirit, mourning or meekness. In other words, the people described in the Beatitudes are fortunate in the here-and-now because they live in the assurance that God´s promises are being fulfilled, in part in the present and in fullness in the future. God is not cutting deals with us or even making promises. Rather, he is describing the transformed reality of his kingdom as it breaks forth into the hearts and lives of his faithful people.

These are among the themes I explore, alongside our small inner city faith community, in the book.  “The Cost of Community: Jesus, St. Francis & Life in the Kingdom” poses the question: Did Jesus really mean for us to live out His teachings in the Sermon on the Mount?  The answer is emphatically yes.  Following the entire Sermon on the Mount text (Matt. 5-7), accompanied by a helpful study guide, this book is ideal for both personal and group study.  Intentionally engaging the mind, the heart and the hands, it is an invitation into the costly, but rewarding journey of following Christ.

Pre-order you copy today:

Previous Post – Our First Family Photo

I wrote the following prayer for Little Flowers Community after our shared exploration of the Sermon on the Mount (which in turn led to my upcoming book, The Cost of Community: Jesus, St. Francis & Life in the Kingdom).  I’ve posted it here before, but was reminded of again yesterday will chatting with the great folks at my publisher, InterVarsity Press.

The prayer is a summation of the entire Sermon on the Mount, prayed as a communal commitment to follow Christ in living our His words & example together.  I hope it is as meaningful to you as it has been for us:

The Prayer of Little Flowers Community

Lord and Creator, let us embrace the costly blessings which you desire for us,
blessings that confound the wisdom and strength of this world.
Teach us to be your agents of preservation in a world touched by death,
and beacons of hope in a world shrouded in darkness.

Transform us into your image through the crucible of the cross, writing your mandates upon our hearts, made pure by you perfect love.  Embolden us to be your ambassadors, living as representatives of your holy kingdom, stirring in us your love for others,especially for those who would seek to destroy us because of you.

Make us decrease so that you might increase, as a watching world sees you, not us.
Daily we declare that your priorities are ours, even before our own needs and desires.
Every moment we live, we live for your glory—the glory of a loving Father and a just King.
Free us of any distraction, craving or anxiety that would keep us from fully following you.

For we acknowledge that everything we could possibly need is yours to give us.

Remind us of our sinful brokenness and your gift of grace as we encounter brokenness in others. You are the answer to our every question. you are the treasure that we desperately seek, and it is you who invite us into your salvation, as prodigals returning to the Father’s embrace.

Keep us upon your path of righteousness and justice, bearing the good fruit of your Spirit,
for it is on you, Lord Jesus, that all hope is built, for all of creation, now and forever more.

Amen