Over the next few months our church family will spend time reading, reflecting, and responding to what is commonly known as the Sermon on the Mount, found in Matthew 5-7. In his paramount preaching on the "kingdom of heaven," Jesus paints a portrait of how we can experience the fullness of life within God's intimate and personal rule here and now. We'll be contemplating this livable depiction together for the next couple of months. To help keep the whole picture in perspective as we focus on the details, commit to reading the Sermon on the Mount three times a week throughout the series.
MAKE A PLAN
First things first, mark out your "three-day cycle." Whether you choose to read Mon-Wed-Fri, Sun-Tue-Thur, or some other combination, mark it down! If you don't mark the days in your calendar--and set a reminder--you'll find the series past, and due to lack of intentionality, that you've missed out more often than made it through.
Second, dedicate the first "three-day cycle" to getting to know the text. Simply read the sermon in its entirety each sitting. Start by asking the Holy Spirit to open your heart and mind to the portrait Jesus paints, and end by giving thanks to the Father for wisdom through the Son.
Third, begin alternating through the objectives of each "three-day cycle" detailed below. With each reading revolution, pick a different goal to shape the way you read through the Sermon on the Mount that week.
ALTERNATE OBJECTIVES
One of the best ways to keep repetitive reading fresh is to alternate your weekly goals. Having determined your "three-day cycle" for each week of the series, you can now outline the objective or intention for each week's revolution. Below are some suggested goals for each week. Feel free to mix and match for yourself.
Week 1 (Sept 7th-13th) | Familiarizing Yourself
Read the sermon in its entirety, each sitting. Start by asking the Holy Spirit to open your heart and mind to the portrait Jesus paints. End by giving thanks to the Father for wisdom through the Son.
Week 2 (Sept 14th-21st) | Spiritual Listening
Day one of the cycle, read chapter 5; on day two, read chapter 6, and on day three, read chapter 7. Each day, go through the rhythms of Lectio for that chapter. Read first for the words to be familiar. Read second to listen for a particular word or phrase from the Spirit. Read again, asking for clarity on that word or phrase. And read one final time asking how the word of the Lord applies in your life today.
Week 3 (Sept 22nd-28th) | Seeing Connections
On day one of the cycle read through the entire sermon marking every word that gets repeated. You may want to use different color highlighters or pens to keep the words separate. On day two of the cycle, focus on chapter 5 and the repeated words. Consider how they connect (within this chapter and to the others) and what point Jesus is trying to emphasize through repetition. Do the same on day three for chapters 6 and 7.
Week 4 (Sept 29th - Oct 4th) | Noting Discontinuities
On day one of the cycle, read the entire sermon, marking where you think Jesus is changing subjects. Try to ignore the subject breaks noted in the Bible translation you are using or read through this translation. On day two, consider the discontinuities in chapter 5. You've already thought through what is the same in this chapter and its relation to the others. Now consider what is different. Why does that matter? How does that add to the whole portrait? Consider the same questions for chapters 6 and 7 on day three of the cycle.
Week 5 (Oct 5th-11th) | Spiritual Listening
Repeat the instructions from Week 2.
Week 6 (Oct 12th-18th) | Hiding It In Your Heart
Day one of the cycle, slowly and prayerfully copy chapter 5 down on paper, paying attention to each word you write, imagining yourself putting it in the vault of your heart like a precious treasure. Repeat the process for chapter 6 on day two and chapter 7 on day three.
Week 7 (Oct 19th-25th) | Picturing Your Life
Each day of this final cycle, read the sermon in its entirety. As you do, consider how your life over the last six weeks has looked more, or less, like the picture Jesus paints. What has changed? What still needs to change? End each day asking the Father for continued strength in the Spirit to experience the "blessed" life in Jesus' kingdom more fully, for your sake and for others.