Drawing on stories from the lives of the saints, scripture, and everyday life, Jim Forest opens up the mysteries of the Beatitudes. These ancient blessings, with which Christ began his Sermon on the Mount, are all aspects of communion with God. As Forest shows, they are like rungs on a ladder, each one leading to the next. They appear at the doorway of the New Testament to provide an easily memorized summary of everything that follows, right down to the crucifixion ("Blessed are you who are persecuted") and the resurrection ("Rejoice and be glad").
The Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes are often considered significant texts for the Christian moral life. However, most interpretations of these passages either focus on the original meaning of the text or how the texts should impact ordinary living today. In The Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes Yiu Sing Lúcás Chan brings together biblical studies and Christian ethics to look at these foundational texts in a new way. For each passage Chan asks both what the texts meant and what they mean today. He helps readers to carefully study the text’s original meaning, then interpret the text within a sound ethical framework. The Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes is an excellent introduction to key concepts in biblical studies and Christian ethics that combines sound study with warmth and wisdom.
What does it mean to be meek? To hunger and thirst after righteousness? The author draws on stories from years of experience in Latin America to invite readers to glean insights regarding the Beatitudes' meaning. Writing in the Foreword, Leanne Eshleman Benner, who works at Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community as a Resident Services Manager, says that "I'm always taken aback when something like Don Clymer's book jolts me into realizing just how enmeshed I have become in a culture which barely needs the Beatitudes. Our pockets and our minds are full to overflowing. Reading the Beatitudes then becomes a sort of academic exercise and/or a checklist for making us feel better about ourselves. Clymer vividly defines the Beatitudes in a way that opens a new circuit of thought. Because of the way he interweaves other cultures into the picture, he helps us recognize our cultural blinders and encourages us to take them off." Dorothy Jean Weaver, Professor of New Testament, Eastern Mennonite Seminary, observes that "Don Clymer's Meditations are creative, thoughtful, and substantive. Clymer does a beautiful job of setting up a personal story for each meditation and then reflecting on the beatitude in question and the conflicting cultural value associated with it. This is excellent material for study groups." And Orval Gingerich, Assistant Vice President, International Programs; and Director, Center for Global Education, Augsburg College, thinks that "Each meditation brings life to the words of Jesus by confronting the comfortable assumptions middle-class North Americans hold about life, happiness, and the gospel."
Explore What Jesus Shared in the Sermon on the Mount!Jesus left no doubt that being a Christian can be hard; but because of Gods promises, each of us can experience his blessings. These 13 Sunday school lessons help kids discover a wealth of wisdom about how to live a life full of blessingseven when things get tough. And theyll learn firsthand about all the wonderful ways God shows his love in their lives, no matter the circumstances.All of the hands-on sessions include loads of Scripture, activities, and mementos to help kids learn for a lifetime. Plus, you get heaps of easy teacher tips and extra creative options to make the most of your sessions. Pack your bags and buckle up for an adventure full of surprises with Jesus!
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Jesus' first recorded sermon in the Bible is a blueprint for being happy here on earth. And though His definition contains no prescriptions for acquiring cars, homes, or savings, it does require transformation and obedience. MacArthur examines Jesus' timeless definition of happiness, and explains that our reward for following Jesus' plan is citizenship in the kingdom of God- and an abiding joy that can never be taken away. Study guide and review included for individual or group study.
A disruptive and surprising journey through the Beatitudes. Most of the time, life doesn’t work out like we expect it will. We spend time and energy trying to climb some sort of spiritual ladder, oblivious to the fact that it is God who is moving toward us. We want answers to our problems, yet what is offered is presence. What if we were to become united with our brokenness rather than our victories? What if God moves closest to us in the absence, the ache, and the longing? Words from the Hill turns each beatitude on its head to see the unexpected beneath the understood—diving into the story of a woman on death row to speak about mercy, personal stories from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to talk about peace, and much more. Stu Garrard has walked with these people in their stories, and he vulnerably offers his own as he unpacks the Good News of the Beatitudes. God is on your side, and He is closer than you think.
