"
We know what we are, but know not what we may be."
-William Shakespeare
The human life is miraculous. The very idea of existence is mind blowing. René Descartes said, "I think therefore I am", but the very idea of thinking and the idea of being is grand to a point it can make your head spin. Most of the time we spend this miracle on very mundane things and often things very profane. We reduce ourselves to feelings, emotions, and drives. Yet, are we not more than beings searching for a temporary joy. The Psalmist looked at the stars and the moon and cried out "my God, who am I that you would think of me?" God, however, does answer and claims you and me as his and says, "You are mine".
To Be human is to belong to God. That belonging makes us divine, which should cause us to question am I truly living into the potential God has created me to be?
We live in a world that is kill or be killed, it is one of greed, one of power, one of dominance. Is there another way?
"When he called his society together, Jesus gave its members a new way of life to live.
He gave them a new way to deal with offenders - by forgiving them;
He gave them a new way to deal with violence - by suffering;
He gave them a new way to deal with money - by sharing it;
He gave them a new way to deal with problems of leadership -by drawing upon the gift of every member, even the most humble;
He gave them a new way to deal with a corrupt society - by building a new order, not smashing the old;
He gave them a new pattern of relationship between man and woman, between parent and child, between master and slave, in which was made concrete a radical new vision of what it means to be a human person." -Stanley Hauerwas
Jesus invites us into his Kingdom, his way of living, his call to be human. We have already spent a few weeks looking at this new way of life, we have a few more to go. We will be looking at what it means to turn the other cheek, living without anxiety, forgiveness, and seeking God's kingdom.
We are using the Gospel of Matthew as our foundational reading. I encourage you to read along and I hope to see you Sunday.
Peace!