In last week’s Gospel Peter got it so right to the point where Jesus will use Peter as the foundation of his Church and then in the next moment, we hear this week, Peter gets it so wrong as to be called Satan? Peter goes from a foundational rock – to a stumbling block.
So why the big swing with Peter? There seems to be competing voices going on in Peter’s head. So what does this mean to us and the voice we need to be listening to each and every day? Check it out…
This is a study of Jesus issuing a host of commands. He said that if people loved Him they would keep His commands. He gave many for us to obey to show our love for Him.
This is a study of Jesus as compelling love. His love is what motivates us to do Christian service. We desire to do what pleases God because of the love of Jesus.
In today's class (March 22) we are beginning in our study of the DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY.
When is the last time most Christians have studied the Trinity and understand why it is so essential to our Christian faith? The goal in the next few weeks is to better understand and be able as a group to articulate this which comes under our study of the Doctrine of God.
This is a study of Jesus issuing a host of commands. He said that if people loved Him they would keep His commands. He gave many for us to obey to show our love for Him.
This is a study of Jesus as compelling love. His love is what motivates us to do Christian service. We desire to do what pleases God because of the love of Jesus.
In today's class (March 22) we are beginning in our study of the DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY.
When is the last time most Christians have studied the Trinity and understand why it is so essential to our Christian faith? The goal in the next few weeks is to better understand and be able as a group to articulate this which comes under our study of the Doctrine of God.
Homily: 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2017James Knipper
This weekend our Sunday readings may have provided some confusion. For Jesus tells us to carry his yoke in order to find rest and Paul talks about not loving our flesh and yet it really has nothing to do with our bodies. This is the challenge when we put 21st Century connotations on first century scripture.
So what is the real meaning behind these readings? And what impact does it have on the way you live your life? Check it out!
What is Union with Christ? Where do we find it in the Bible? Join Pastor Bodie Quirk of Heritage Christian Fellowship as we explore this most essential topic.
The meaning of christmas is the gift of loveJulio Banks
Love, like breathing, sleeping and eating is a strange but necessary part of living. Jesus Christ is "The Prince of
Peace"; "No Jesus, no peace; Know Jesus, Know Peace"
No other religion promises "Eternal life" by a man who claimed
to be God, who is reported to have ben resurrected and no
other religious figure can give us what Jesus Christ, God
incarnate promised, can and shall deliver us to an eternal
life in have. "Absent from the body is presence with the Lord.
This is a study of Jesus being confusing to the Jews. They could not understand where He came from and where He was going. He spoke plain but they had no grasp of what He was saying.
This is a study of Jesus being always there. He is present at all times and places, and He can be called upon always. He never leaves us or forsakes us. He always was, is, and will be.
“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” (Romans 8:14)
Exactly how are we be led by the Holy Spirit?
Exactly how does the Holy Spirit communicate to all of us in this life?
If the Bible calls the Holy Spirit our Guide and Teacher in this life, then this means He will attempt to communicate to all of us from time to time.
Otherwise we will never be able to pick up from Him exactly what He is trying to teach us or tell us to do.
The very first thing we need to know if we want to learn how to be led by the Holy Spirit is that
We can develop a direct personal relationship with Him
Just like you already have with God and Jesus.
Here are two key verses from the apostle Paul telling us that we are allowed to have direct communication and direct fellowship with the Holy Spirit Himself:
“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” (2 Corinthians 13:14)
“Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit …” (Phillippians 2:1)
''Follow we/'— Matt. 4 : 19.
THE leadership of Jesus is an expression
that takes us back to the inmost thought
of the oldest Gospel. The calling of
Jesus, as He Himself saw it, was that of lead-
ing men to God. The appeal which He of ten-
est made to those about Him was that they
should follow Him.
This Sunday we heard the conclusion of the Gospel story that began last week when Jesus said he would build his Church upon the rock of Peter. But a few lines later Jesus calls Peter, ‘Satan’ and he is told to get behind Christ and follow him. So how did Peter get it so right to the point where Jesus will use Peter as the foundation of his Church and then in the next moment Peter gets it so wrong as to be called Satan? The answer and, indeed our lesson, is rooted in the two types of thinking that we face every day. What are they? How do we distinguish them? Check it out…
This weekend we hear the Gospel passage recounting Jesus’ journey with his disciples on a 25-mile hike to the region of Caesarea Philippi just so he could put forth one question to his disciples, “Who do you say I am?” And Peter gets it so right…and then gets it so wrong as Jesus calls him Satan. So why the hike to that area? And what is so telling about the dialogue between Jesus and Peter that it just may change the inner voice we currently listen to and therefore greatly alter how we act in the everyday situations of our lives. Check it out…
Homily: 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2017James Knipper
This weekend our Sunday readings may have provided some confusion. For Jesus tells us to carry his yoke in order to find rest and Paul talks about not loving our flesh and yet it really has nothing to do with our bodies. This is the challenge when we put 21st Century connotations on first century scripture.
So what is the real meaning behind these readings? And what impact does it have on the way you live your life? Check it out!
What is Union with Christ? Where do we find it in the Bible? Join Pastor Bodie Quirk of Heritage Christian Fellowship as we explore this most essential topic.
The meaning of christmas is the gift of loveJulio Banks
Love, like breathing, sleeping and eating is a strange but necessary part of living. Jesus Christ is "The Prince of
Peace"; "No Jesus, no peace; Know Jesus, Know Peace"
No other religion promises "Eternal life" by a man who claimed
to be God, who is reported to have ben resurrected and no
other religious figure can give us what Jesus Christ, God
incarnate promised, can and shall deliver us to an eternal
life in have. "Absent from the body is presence with the Lord.
This is a study of Jesus being confusing to the Jews. They could not understand where He came from and where He was going. He spoke plain but they had no grasp of what He was saying.
This is a study of Jesus being always there. He is present at all times and places, and He can be called upon always. He never leaves us or forsakes us. He always was, is, and will be.
“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” (Romans 8:14)
Exactly how are we be led by the Holy Spirit?
Exactly how does the Holy Spirit communicate to all of us in this life?
If the Bible calls the Holy Spirit our Guide and Teacher in this life, then this means He will attempt to communicate to all of us from time to time.
Otherwise we will never be able to pick up from Him exactly what He is trying to teach us or tell us to do.
The very first thing we need to know if we want to learn how to be led by the Holy Spirit is that
We can develop a direct personal relationship with Him
Just like you already have with God and Jesus.
Here are two key verses from the apostle Paul telling us that we are allowed to have direct communication and direct fellowship with the Holy Spirit Himself:
“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” (2 Corinthians 13:14)
“Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit …” (Phillippians 2:1)
''Follow we/'— Matt. 4 : 19.
THE leadership of Jesus is an expression
that takes us back to the inmost thought
of the oldest Gospel. The calling of
Jesus, as He Himself saw it, was that of lead-
ing men to God. The appeal which He of ten-
est made to those about Him was that they
should follow Him.
This Sunday we heard the conclusion of the Gospel story that began last week when Jesus said he would build his Church upon the rock of Peter. But a few lines later Jesus calls Peter, ‘Satan’ and he is told to get behind Christ and follow him. So how did Peter get it so right to the point where Jesus will use Peter as the foundation of his Church and then in the next moment Peter gets it so wrong as to be called Satan? The answer and, indeed our lesson, is rooted in the two types of thinking that we face every day. What are they? How do we distinguish them? Check it out…
This weekend we hear the Gospel passage recounting Jesus’ journey with his disciples on a 25-mile hike to the region of Caesarea Philippi just so he could put forth one question to his disciples, “Who do you say I am?” And Peter gets it so right…and then gets it so wrong as Jesus calls him Satan. So why the hike to that area? And what is so telling about the dialogue between Jesus and Peter that it just may change the inner voice we currently listen to and therefore greatly alter how we act in the everyday situations of our lives. Check it out…
Homily: 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time Cycle A 2017James Knipper
The Parable of the Ten Virgins is enriched with a number of metaphorical images designed to drive home the message of always being prepared. But was does that mean to you and me? What does that look like? And tapping into one of today’s Gospel metaphors, what is the oil that we need to be placing in our lamps?
Rather than focusing on End Time what would happen to our lives if we spent that energy living in Now Time, This Time, Present and Presence? See what I mean and check it out….
Homily: 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time A 2023.docxJames Knipper
Biblical scholars tell us that this Parable of the Ten Virgins was likely cobbled together from a few sources meant to drive home the message of always being prepared – a Gospel theme we will hear often between now and Christmas. But was does that mean to you and me? What does being prepared look like? And tapping into one of today’s Gospel metaphors, what is the oil that we need to be placing in our lamps? Check it out…
Introduction to the Trinity_March 15, 2009BertBrim
Our SS community is transitioning from 8 months of teaching on Bible reading, devotion and study to the Doctrine of God. Here are the notes from our class yesterday.
This is a study of Jesus as the light of all mankind. This was the case in His pre-incarnate state in eternity. He was already the life and light of the world.
Homily: 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2020James Knipper
This Sunday we return to "Ordinary Time" but for the past 3 months, clearly nothing has been ordinary - forcing us to revisit what discipleship needs to look like. So, taking scripture and current events - what may we be missing in our lives that prevents us from living the Gospel?
But why are we still celebrating Easter? Fifty days seems like a long time to be singing Alleluia - and we are only half way through the season. And so, it is at this midway point, that we celebrate Good Shepherd Sunday – a title taken from the today’s famous gospel passage.
So why do we call Christ the Good Shepherd? And how can insight from a New Mexico shepherd help us to use all of our senses in order to uncover the Gospel message and of how we can find Christ today? Check it out.
Homily: Third Sunday of Lent A 2023 .docxJames Knipper
This Sunday we heard the gospel that provides the longest dialogue recorded between Jesus and a woman. By breaking with social ‘norms’ Jesus reaches out with acceptance, self-worth and compassion to one who was socially outcast. For this is a Gospel story that teaches us, reminds us, encourages us that in the Kingdom of God there are no outcasts, there are no strangers, there are no us versus them, rather it is a kingdom of only repentant and welcomed sinners – people like you and me. But the core message of this gospel is hidden – and one that opens our eyes to what we already have. What is that? Check it out….
Homily: The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity Sunday 2024.docxJames Knipper
Countless volumes have been written trying to explain the mystery of three persons in one true God, leaving us to resort to metaphors such as the three-leaf clover to try to comprehend the Divinity. Many of us grew up with the quintessential pyramidal Trinity structure of God at the top and Son and Spirit in opposite corners. But what if we looked at this ‘mystery’ from a different perspective? What if we shifted our language of God as a being towards the concept of God as love? What if we focused more on the relationship within the Trinity versus the persons of the Trinity? What if stopped looking at God as a noun…and instead considered God as a verb? Check it out…
Homily: Second Sunday in Lent, Cycle B, 2024James Knipper
This weekend we heard the famous biblical story of Abraham and his son Isaac, and the angel who stopped Abraham at the last minute from sacrificing his son as God had ordered. While this passage demonstrates Abraham’s unbelievable faith in God – it is a story whose ending is often missed. An ending which turns this story upside down and changes how that culture – and we – need to see God so differently. What is this surprise twist? And how does it impact our spiritual journey? Check it out…
Homily: The Feast of the Epiphany for 2024James Knipper
For the past 12 days we have heard the stories of the birth of Jesus Christ as God incarnate indeed good news of great joy all people. So, on this Feast of the Epiphany of the Lord we celebrate Jesus revealed as the Christ Child to the magi, who arrive by the light of the star. Every year we listen to this well-known Gospel story of the journey of the magi who pay homage to the Christ Child. But today I invite you to just focus on two lines that appear in the Gospel. What are they? Check it out because…as you will you see, any interaction with this Jesus the Christ, no matter where or how it happens, will change your own journey.
Homily: Feast of the Holy Family 2023 - Cycle BJames Knipper
Today we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family…and tomorrow the Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. And I like the fact that this Feast comes hours before the Solemnity for it allows us to really look at how this God incarnate, born of the Blessed Virgin Mary…this Christ Child…this God who came into the world in a family that had its heart and its doors open to love – connects to our daily life and our families. It was Pope Francis who reminded us that, “The family is important, as it is necessary for the survival of humanity. Without the family, the cultural survival of the human race would be at risk. The family. Whether we like it or not, is the foundation.”
In a society where all too often we can easily fall prey to the notion of separating the secular and the sacred, and we close our eyes to what is sacramental, what does it take to build that foundation?
Check it out…
With the calendar only providing us 3 full weeks of Advent, how have you been spending your time? What, perhaps have you been seeing…or feeling or doing differently? For Advent calls us to be conscious, awake, alert. Advent calls us to be open to how Christ comes to us every day. Advent calls for our participation by opening our eyes to our own brokenness and that of humanity. For Christ is there…just waiting and wanting our active participation. This week’s Gospel provides us three points which may lead us to a better understanding of what we are called to do moving from this briefest 4th week of Advent into Christmas and the New Year. What are they? Check it out….
Homily: 2nd Sunday of Advent, Cycle B, 2023James Knipper
As we each walk through this season of Advent, we may just find ourselves in some form of wilderness, thirsting for peace, reconciliation and healing – and thus it’s a time we need to be alert, awake, watchful and vigilant to God’s presence. So, perhaps we take the lead from Isaiah where we spend time seeking how we can better “Prepare the way of the Lord”…of how we can look at the valleys, at the crookedness, and the rough places not just in the outside world, but also in our own hearts. What does that look like? Check it out…
Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe: to some degree I think the title of today’s feast day could miss the mark of its original purpose and design. For did you ever notice, nowhere in the Gospels does Jesus say to worship him, much less as a king – he simply said to follow him and to do as he does. The best description of all of this, across all the Gospels, appears in today’s reading of Matthew’s recording of Jesus’ last discourse which indicates kinship seems to be more important that kingship. What does that look like? Check it out…
Homily: 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time A 2023.docxJames Knipper
For the past few weeks, we have been listening to Jesus telling parables to the Chief Priests and Pharisees. For Jesus is attempting to get their attention to think differently, choose differently and to open their eyes to his teachings of the Kingdom of God. But they show no interest in listening to his teachings about love and compassion, much less inclusion. Thus, they look to corner Jesus into committing a crime of sedition and thus be crucified, by putting the question to Jesus if taxes should be paid to Caesar or not.
Perhaps a way to phrase this question in the present time would be: is our allegiance with the spiritual or the worldly? Where is our focus today? Since this story appears in all three Synoptic Gospels, this story carries a deeper and more significant message than a Gospel about just paying taxes. What is that hidden meaning? Check it out…
The Surgeon General of the US, Dr. Vivek Murthy, just announced the ending of COVID-19 as a global emergency. But at the same time declared a new number one epidemic in our country today – one that affects 50 % of our population, and even higher for our kids. What is it? And how does that tie into the Gospel reading from John this Sunday? Check it out…
During these past weeks of Lent, our Gospels have focused on the quintessential theme of life, death and rebirth – or what some call order, disorder, and reorder. However you look at this universal pattern, one thing is for sure – there is no skipping the process. So, on this Good Friday, instead of just focusing on the cross that Christ died on – a death that was for us…what if we spent some time on the deaths that happen to us…to focus on our crosses and on our dying that needs to occur each day? What does that look like? Check it out…
This weekend we hear in Matthew’s Gospel of John the Baptist sitting in a jail cell and wondering if he placed his bets on the wrong guy…questioning if the Lord is anywhere near to him. Then again, when we are faced with adversity, doubt, and loss how often have we questioned “Where is God?” and “Is the Lord anywhere near?” See how a street corner in Louisville and the wisdom of Thomas Merton may just open our eyes to see in a new way so that we can join in the chorus of Gaudete! Rejoice! on this 3rd Sunday of Advent.
Homily: 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time C 2022.docxJames Knipper
This weekend we hear the parable of the widow and the judge. The Gospel writer begins with a summation that the parable talks “about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary.” But if we just left it there, we would miss the secondary and deeper meaning behind the story. What is it? Check it out…
Homily for 21st Sunday in Ordinary TimeT .docxJames Knipper
The Gospel this weekend begins with the question that is asked a number of times across the gospels – and one that each of us may have asked in our own spiritual journey: “Lord, will only a few be saved? Or better said – who is going to heaven and who is going to hell?! To which Jesus answers: “Strive to enter through the narrow gate.” In those days the narrow gates were the side doors of the walled city where you could enter. They were less exposed and less visible allowing occupants to come and go inconspicuously.
So, what does the ‘narrow gate’ look like for you and me today? Once we figure that out, how does that begin to tell us who wins the ticket to heaven and who doesn’t? This complicated Gospel sounds more like a message of exclusion rather than inclusion. So, which is it and what does it mean for each of us? Check it out…
Luke speaks about prayer more than any of the other Evangelists…and in this weekend’s gospel we hear the disciples, asking Jesus to teach them how to pray and he responds with a simple version of the Lord’s Prayer. With prayer being so foundation to who we are, how do you pray? But the bigger question may have to do with how we view prayer. In other words, do we come to prayer as a transactional or a relational activity? Do we spend our time in prayer looking for something from God…or are we desiring a connection with God?
Leave it to my grandson Oliver to open my eyes to what prayer is really all about. Check it out and see what I mean…
Hindered by our language many have resorted to using metaphors to describe the Trinity such as a 3-leaf clover or a harmonic cord. But what if we stopped looking at God as a noun and considered God as a verb? Early Christians described the Trinity as a dance, where God is not the dancer – rather God is the dance itself. See what I mean…
As we gather on this Feast of Pentecost our Scripture focuses on the “what’s next” in our call to discipleship. What does “being sent” & discipleship look like for each of us? What are we called to do and not to do? So how can an African parable, a saintly doorkeeper, a foot massager, and college basketball player help point us to the way, the truth and the light? See what I mean…
If we look at the scripture that addresses the Ascension, it is no surprise that we find several conflicts across the Synoptic writers. But I believe it is John who gives us the line that opens up for us the best way to get to the deeper meaning of the Ascension, when Christ says, “it is good for you that I am going away. For unless I go away the Spirit cannot come to you.” In essence, Jesus seems to be making a connection between absence and presence - that it is necessary for absence to take place before we can be opened to presence. For this Feast Day really teaches us so much more about our life and about our loving God. What is it really all about? Check it out…
In this Sunday’s readings we heard that John saw a “new heaven and a new earth…for the old order has passed away…and He makes all things new.” This sense of ‘making all things’ new appears over twenty times throughout the Bible, with a reminder of our need to let go of our past, to allow room for the new – but what is this ‘’new thing”? And why is it so important that Jesus commands it?! Check it out and see how Ronald Rolheiser, Desmond Tutu and my grandchildren come at this from different angles to shed light on what we are called to do – which will allow us to transfigure the world!
I invite you to just focus on the God encounter that takes place in the Gospel story of the Transfiguration. It is when God appears in the form of a cloud which casts a shadow over those gathered – a cloud that, although frightens them, they still entered. What about the darkness and clouds that we face in our lives? For it these types of God encounters where lives are changed - encounters that break you open and rearrange what you think you knew and wanted.
So, take a few minutes to enjoy a few stories that have nothing to do with answers - but more so with encounters. Stories about hiker Trevor Thomas, Franciscan Richard Rohr and my recently departed brother-in-law Vincent – all which, like this Gospel, just may bring light into the darkness you face. Check it out…
If I go back some twenty or so years, I remember our family and friends gathering back in my wife’s hometown for many weddings, baptisms, and other sacraments. But as time has moved on and age begins to creep up on our generation, it seems that recently we have gathered all too often to mourn the death of one of our loved ones.
And so, this afternoon we remember the life and the love of Vincent. And while Vincent was physically and emotionally dis-abled – when it came to love he had the capacity to be very ‘able’ indeed. Being in the season of Lent while writing this homily gave me reason to pause and to believe that in some respect I think Vincent had an advantage over most, if not all of us.
What was that advantage…and how did he impact the lives around him? Check it out…
The Good News, newsletter for June 2024 is hereNoHo FUMC
Our monthly newsletter is available to read online. We hope you will join us each Sunday in person for our worship service. Make sure to subscribe and follow us on YouTube and social media.
The Book of Joshua is the sixth book in the Hebrew Bible and the Old Testament, and is the first book of the Deuteronomistic history, the story of Israel from the conquest of Canaan to the Babylonian exile.
Lesson 9 - Resisting Temptation Along the Way.pptxCelso Napoleon
Lesson 9 - Resisting Temptation Along the Way
SBs – Sunday Bible School
Adult Bible Lessons 2nd quarter 2024 CPAD
MAGAZINE: THE CAREER THAT IS PROPOSED TO US: The Path of Salvation, Holiness and Perseverance to Reach Heaven
Commentator: Pastor Osiel Gomes
Presentation: Missionary Celso Napoleon
Renewed in Grace
In Jude 17-23 Jude shifts from piling up examples of false teachers from the Old Testament to a series of practical exhortations that flow from apostolic instruction. He preserves for us what may well have been part of the apostolic catechism for the first generation of Christ-followers. In these instructions Jude exhorts the believer to deal with 3 different groups of people: scoffers who are "devoid of the Spirit", believers who have come under the influence of scoffers and believers who are so entrenched in false teaching that they need rescue and pose some real spiritual risk for the rescuer. In all of this Jude emphasizes Jesus' call to rescue straying sheep, leaving the 99 safely behind and pursuing the 1.
The Chakra System in our body - A Portal to Interdimensional Consciousness.pptxBharat Technology
each chakra is studied in greater detail, several steps have been included to
strengthen your personal intention to open each chakra more fully. These are designed
to draw forth the highest benefit for your spiritual growth.
What Should be the Christian View of Anime?Joe Muraguri
We will learn what Anime is and see what a Christian should consider before watching anime movies? We will also learn a little bit of Shintoism religion and hentai (the craze of internet pornography today).
HANUMAN STORIES: TIMELESS TEACHINGS FOR TODAY’S WORLDLearnyoga
Hanuman Stories: Timeless Teachings for Today’s World" delves into the inspiring tales of Hanuman, highlighting lessons of devotion, strength, and selfless service that resonate in modern life. These stories illustrate how Hanuman's unwavering faith and courage can guide us through challenges and foster resilience. Through these timeless narratives, readers can find profound wisdom to apply in their daily lives.
The PBHP DYC ~ Reflections on The Dhamma (English).pptxOH TEIK BIN
A PowerPoint Presentation based on the Dhamma Reflections for the PBHP DYC for the years 1993 – 2012. To motivate and inspire DYC members to keep on practicing the Dhamma and to do the meritorious deed of Dhammaduta work.
The texts are in English.
For the Video with audio narration, comments and texts in English, please check out the Link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zF2g_43NEa0
Exploring the Mindfulness Understanding Its Benefits.pptxMartaLoveguard
Slide 1: Title: Exploring the Mindfulness: Understanding Its Benefits
Slide 2: Introduction to Mindfulness
Mindfulness, defined as the conscious, non-judgmental observation of the present moment, has deep roots in Buddhist meditation practice but has gained significant popularity in the Western world in recent years. In today's society, filled with distractions and constant stimuli, mindfulness offers a valuable tool for regaining inner peace and reconnecting with our true selves. By cultivating mindfulness, we can develop a heightened awareness of our thoughts, feelings, and surroundings, leading to a greater sense of clarity and presence in our daily lives.
Slide 3: Benefits of Mindfulness for Mental Well-being
Practicing mindfulness can help reduce stress and anxiety levels, improving overall quality of life.
Mindfulness increases awareness of our emotions and teaches us to manage them better, leading to improved mood.
Regular mindfulness practice can improve our ability to concentrate and focus our attention on the present moment.
Slide 4: Benefits of Mindfulness for Physical Health
Research has shown that practicing mindfulness can contribute to lowering blood pressure, which is beneficial for heart health.
Regular meditation and mindfulness practice can strengthen the immune system, aiding the body in fighting infections.
Mindfulness may help reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and obesity by reducing stress and improving overall lifestyle habits.
Slide 5: Impact of Mindfulness on Relationships
Mindfulness can help us better understand others and improve communication, leading to healthier relationships.
By focusing on the present moment and being fully attentive, mindfulness helps build stronger and more authentic connections with others.
Mindfulness teaches us how to be present for others in difficult times, leading to increased compassion and understanding.
Slide 6: Mindfulness Techniques and Practices
Focusing on the breath and mindful breathing can be a simple way to enter a state of mindfulness.
Body scan meditation involves focusing on different parts of the body, paying attention to any sensations and feelings.
Practicing mindful walking and eating involves consciously focusing on each step or bite, with full attention to sensory experiences.
Slide 7: Incorporating Mindfulness into Daily Life
You can practice mindfulness in everyday activities such as washing dishes or taking a walk in the park.
Adding mindfulness practice to daily routines can help increase awareness and presence.
Mindfulness helps us become more aware of our needs and better manage our time, leading to balance and harmony in life.
Slide 8: Summary: Embracing Mindfulness for Full Living
Mindfulness can bring numerous benefits for physical and mental health.
Regular mindfulness practice can help achieve a fuller and more satisfying life.
Mindfulness has the power to change our perspective and way of perceiving the world, leading to deeper se
1. 1 Deacon Jim Knipper
30 August 2020 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time Princeton, NJ
Every so often our lectionary takes a setting and a story and will break it up into parts just as they have done
with the discourse that began last week between Jesus and his disciples and finishes up this week. So, in
order to get a better understanding of this week’s Gospel we need to begin by recalling the dialogue and
location of this story.
For Jesus brings his followers some 30 miles from the Sea of Galilee, into the region of Caesarea Philippi, to
the base of a 1,200 foot tall rock terrace upon which stands a temple to the Roman Emperor Augustus. And
into the side of this rock face are carved-out niches with statues and idols made to several other gods. With
this physical backdrop of false gods, Jesus then asks his disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” And it is
Peter who replies, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” To which Jesus replies, “You are Peter
and upon this rock I will build my Church.
The conversation picks right back up this week with Jesus then explaining to his disciples that he must head
to Jerusalem and will suffer greatly and will be killed and on the third day raised. This brings an immediate
response of protest by Peter that no such thing shall ever happen. And Jesus rebukes Peter, saying, “Get
behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me.”
Wow! So how did Peter get it so right to the point where Jesus will use Peter as the foundation of his
Church and then in the next moment Peter gets it so wrong as to be called Satan? The answer and, indeed
our lesson, is rooted in the source of Peter’s comments.
So remember, last week when Peter names Jesus as the Messiah, the Christ – Jesus says that that answer
did not come from flesh and blood – meaning it was not something that could have been derived from
human thought – but was revealed to Peter through the heavenly Father. On the reverse, when he protested
about Jesus having to suffer and die, Jesus told Peter that he was thinking not as God does, but as humans
do…and of the necessity to take up his cross and to follow Christ.
So why the big swing with Peter? First, we find him comfortable with grace and glory and filled with
heavenly insight and the next moment, faced with the suffering and death of his friend, his human thoughts
have the ‘rock’ of Peter being called out as a stumbling stone by Christ. Part of Peter’s challenge was his
own personal desire and expectation that the Messiah would go to battle and defeat the multitude of armies
and would reign from on high as King, wearing a crown of gold. But when Christ goes on to explain that as
Messiah he will suffer greatly and will die as a King wearing a crown of thorns…it fails what Peter expected,
and, filled with fear, Peter’s response comes from his human emotions and thoughts.
Can you imagine how much Peter’s head had to be spinning – at first he is called a foundational rock and
will receive the keys to heaven...and the next moment, when things point to a direction he does not want, he
is called a stumbling block and is told to get behind Christ and to follow him. And in following Christ they
were told of the necessity to take up and carry their crosses and that they will need to lose their lives in order
to save them. Seems clear why so many of us opt to focus on worshiping Christ than necessarily following
him!
So, looking at the full story, spread over the two weeks, we are given two different voices our spirit can be
influenced by. There is God’s voice – or what some call the inner voice, that feeling of sudden knowing, that
gut feeling – which leads us to a knowledge that has us acting with unconditional love towards ourselves
and others. And then we have our mental voice – the home of our ego - which is not necessarily governed
by love and often influences our spirit to be unloving, encouraging us to dismiss that competing inner voice
we each have. So how can we distinguish which voice we are hearing?
2. 2 Deacon Jim Knipper
Perhaps the easiest way to discern this is to look at how we approach the situations in our lives. For when
we find ourselves defending our truth, our world, deciding who is acceptable and who is not, centering on
self-referential thoughts – then we are thinking as humans do, with our mental voice which is most often
triggered by fear. Fear – which can be defined as the opposite of love – will often trigger the fight or flight
response and force our head-thinking to take over and, as we heard in today’s Gospel, lends to building
stumbling blocks on the road ahead of us. No wonder the most common phrase we hear Jesus repeat over
and over again is – Do not be afraid.
But when we find ourselves in a situation where we lead with love and care and honesty…where we are no
longer pushing others away from us to the edges where we feel they belong…when we stop projecting onto
others what we can’t forgive within ourselves, when we take the time to, using the words we hear today, “to
deny oneself,” which really just means give less priority to oneself, where we recognize every person,
without exception, as a child of God, where we love by loving and heal by healing and forgive by forgiving –
then we are listening to that internal voice of God – of the one who dwells within all of us. For this is the type
of knowledge that only comes from the Creator.
Perhaps Franciscan Richard Rohr summed it up best when he wrote:
“If you can trust and listen to your inner divine image, your whole-making instinct, or your True Self, you will
act from your best, largest, kindest, most inclusive self. Rather than consuming spiritual gifts for yourself
alone, you must receive all words of God so that you can speak them to others tenderly. If any thought feels
too harsh, shaming, or diminishing of yourself or others, it is not likely the voice of God but the ego. If
something comes toward you with grace and can pass through you and toward others with grace, you can
trust it as the voice of God. For we must listen to what is supporting us. We must listen to what is
encouraging us. We must listen to what is urging us. We must listen to what is alive in us.”
But make no mistake – listening and acting to this divine inner voice – where we give up control to God – to
where we genuinely care for others – it all comes with a price – often referred to as the crosses that we each
carry. But as followers of Christ, this is what we are called to do. For here we are in the middle of a
pandemic where the majority of our public worshiping has been derailed forcing us to refocus on our call to
“follow” Christ – where we can’t control where he leads us, where “thinking as humans do” doesn’t work
anymore, where our journeys are not void of pain and difficulty but… where we are drawn closer to Christ
who calls us to lay our burdens on his shoulders…without fear.
So, I invite you to take some time this week and examine where your thoughts are coming from when faced
with different situations. Is it coming from your inner loving voice that represents God’s help and guidance in
your life? Or it is your mental voice which competes with God’s voice and will routinely influence your spirit
to speak and act in an unloving way? What we spiritually sense a natural love for is a divine guidance which
we are all connected to; where we learn to give up sole control over our lives; where we are open to help
each other in a loving way with the crosses we each bear; and where we freely surrender ourselves to our
inner voice of God’s abundant love.