Simplicity (2018.03.18 Sermon)

March 19th, 2018 | John Chandler

Shane Blackshear finishes our Lenten series on Patterns: Five Habits for Weaving a Life Like Jesus with a sermon on Simplicity.
Resources/Quotes:

• “But what does this mean? What am I to do? What kind of striving is it of which it can be said that it seeks or desires the kingdom of God? Ought I to get a position corresponding to my abilities and powers in order to bring this about? No, you are first to seek the kingdom of God. Ought I, then, to give all my fortune to the poor? No, you are first to seek the kingdom of God. But does this, then, mean that, in a sense, there is nothing for me to do? Quite right—there is, in a sense, nothing. In the very deepest sense, you are to make yourself nothing, to become nothing before God, and learn to keep silent—and it is in this silence that you begin to seek what must come first: the kingdom of God.” — Soren Kierkegaard
• “Paul taught enrichment through Christian simplicity, not accumulation.
It is trendy, in both the Christian and secular world, to buy, buy buy! We think, more is the answer, we just have to decide what the right product is. It is trendy to have the “stuff” that other people want. But, yes, Paul was untrendy in this too. He knew what it was like to have plenty, but he knew there was no end to wanting. He learned the secret of contentment and simplicity, recognizing the presence and abundance of Christ.” — Nijay Gupta
• “Practice giving no excuses, and no spontaneous yeses. When you are tempted to apologize for something like a messy house, don’t. An apology can give the impression that your house is always neat and clean. Perhaps people need to see that you do live with a certain amount of clutter that it’s OK.” — Adele Ahlberg Calhoun

To share in the learning of these habits with each other, we have created this reflection guide. This offers all of us space to reflect on each of these habits, as well as guide our Community Group discussions during the season of Lent. Printed versions are also available in liturgy.
Join a Community Group to continue the discussion.
Subscribe to the podcast via iTunes

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

Podcast