![]() I think it's true to say that the backdrop to most peoples' lives in the Western world is anxiety, worry. Won't He all the more provide for you? All you need do is not to worry about these things but put Him first. Look at how God provides for all of His creation. It's another way, a rather gentle way of telling us to have faith in, to trust in, God. Well in these few sentences we read today, Jesus is telling us to have faith. But why should Jesus put it this way? Who doesn't have cause to worry in this day and age? And maybe we are so busy worrying that we don't hear Him. And He'll say this again and again to His disciples in actual fact. And I think it takes us by surprise because he sums it up in three words 'do not worry'. And Jesus, conscious of this, part way through this Sermon tells us the frame of mind, the spirit in which we should live in this coming Kingdom. Being a Christian, caught up in all of God's activity as we are is hard work. God is bringing in His Kingdom and it's tough going. Being and living in the world isn't easy. Paul's theological reflection on the work of God's creating Spirit as the Spirit brings things to completion in Jesus Christ when the Kingdom of God will at last become fully real and Christ as it's said will become 'all in all'.īut we ourselves are caught up in this great creative work of God and it's a difficult business. The other two readings set for this Sunday are the first creation account in the book of Genesis, and St. Towards the end of the first couple of chapters of this Sermon Jesus reminds us of the sort of background to which we ought to live our Christian life. It tells us exactly how we are to be and what we are to do to be like Him, to be Christ-like. ![]() And this teaching that the Lord gives us in His Sermon on the Mount shows the way. We are to 'abide in Him as He abides in the Father' as He tells us in St. So it's for each of us as far as it lies in us, to become like Him. ![]() I've tried to remind people many times that every Christian is part of Christ's body we are very much His living presence in the world now. It goes right to the heart of our discipleship and what it really means to be a follower of Christ, to be a Christian. And we are taking it as a preparation for Lent because this teaching is directed at each and every one of us. As Easter is late this year, we've got an opportunity to listen to this wonderful and important teaching of Jesus in a way that doesn't happen in most years. We've been working our way through the Sermon on the Mount in these weeks leading up to the start of Lent.
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