[amc] a note from the pastor
- From: "garland robertson" <pastor@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "Austin Mennonite Church" <amc@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 1 Feb 2007 09:40:56 -0600
Members and Friends of Austin Mennonite Church
I pray you are finding confidence and courage as you anticipate adventures
and discoveries that await us in the coming new year.
We will begin our extended study of the Sermon of the Mount this next
Sunday. We are at the same time inspired and shamed by the teachings of
Jesus contained in chapters 5, 6, and 7 of Mathew's gospel. As D. A. Carson
observes, we are drawn to the wisdom and compassion embodied in these
sayings much like a moth is attracted to a spotlight; yet the light we see
in these passages is so bright that it sears and burns. The lessons
contained here are not content to rest on the surface of faith. These
axioms penetrate to the core of our being, disclosing a basis for living
that engages all that we are - everything we think and do. We are inscribed
in our cradles by the customs and beliefs that dominate our environment at
birth. Thus, the principles from another world - 'the kingdom of heaven' -
appear to be irrational, even foolish for effecting our survival. Yet,
Jesus insists that if we are to experience the fullness of life as the
creator God has ordained for us, then the world of our initial awareness
must be transcended by an intentional reordering of our life principles.
Because of our history, we believe we know what kinds of attitudes and
ambitions work here. Jesus asks, even pleads with us to trust in this
'foolish' pattern of living so that we will be saved from the emptiness that
is the product of mediocrity. We will begin by contemplating the
implications of Matthew 5:1-12, 'The norms of God's kingdom.'
May it go well with you. Sincerely,
Garland Robertson
...always hold firmly to the thought that each one of us can do something to
bring some portion of misery to an end
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