Dock Resource Kit
Sunday sermon, 6 October 2024
Summary
This week, Brigid spoke to us about Jesus' vision for true holistic well-being as introduced in the Sermon on the Mount. She reminded us that while our culture is obsessed with wellness, we often feel less fulfilled. Jesus offers a radically different kind of wellness, one that blesses us in our brokenness and invites us into transformation. By building our lives on the firm foundation of his teachings, we can experience the fullness of life that God desires for us—not just on the surface, but deep within our hearts.
Dock Discussion Questions
In what areas of your life do you feel less "well" despite the world’s focus on wellness? How does Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount speak to that?
Jesus blesses those who are broken and vulnerable. Where in your life do you see God blessing you despite your weaknesses?
What does it look like for you to build your life on the "solid rock" of Jesus’ teachings rather than the "sand" of worldly values?
How might your neighborhood or workplace look different if everyone began living out the kind of well-being and blessing Jesus describes? What’s one practical step you can take to bring this vision closer to reality?
Long-form, editted transcript
Scripture Reading - Matthew 4:23 - 5:2
"Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness among the people. News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and he healed them. Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and the region across the Jordan followed him. Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them."
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Introduction to the New Series
Today, we are starting a new series that will take us all the way through to the end of November. This series will build on previous reflections about God’s design for us as human beings—God's good design that we would be well in every aspect of our lives, in our minds, bodies, spirits, souls, and relationships.
It is God's desire that we experience holistic well-being. The idea of wellness is everywhere in our culture today—fitness, nutrition, cosmetics, self-care—and the wellness industry in the UK is worth around $3 billion. That’s a staggering amount. We are constantly exposed to advertisements promising the next product or lifestyle choice that will lead to wholeness.
Despite this focus on wellness, more people report feeling lonely and less satisfied with life today than they did a few years ago. We live in this tension where our culture is more obsessed with wellness than ever, but many feel less fulfilled. Where do you find yourself on that spectrum? Do you feel well as you sit here today? What would you say when someone asks, 'Are you well?'
Jesus’ vision for well-being, which we will explore in the Sermon on the Mount, is a vision of the 'good life'—a life that leads to true wholeness. The chapters in Matthew that we’ll study over the next few weeks describe the 'good life' that Jesus offers, not just by learning his teachings but by applying them to our lives. This is about discipleship, both as individuals and as a community, because discipleship is personal and communal.
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Contextualising the Sermon on the Mount
The scripture reading today begins just before the Sermon on the Mount to give us some context. Matthew's account of Jesus’ life starts with a genealogy, followed by his baptism and temptation in the desert. In chapter 4, Jesus begins healing, preaching, and gathering followers with the core message: 'Repent, for the kingdom of God is near.'
Jesus' choice to go up a hillside to teach is more than a matter of positioning. Matthew includes this detail to remind us of another significant event—when Moses went up Mount Sinai to receive God's law. In Exodus, after God had rescued his people from Egypt, Moses climbed the mountain to receive the law that would set God’s people apart. These instructions provided a framework for living in relationship with God and with others, emphasizing justice, care for the vulnerable, and holiness.
The story of the Old Testament shows that, despite God's faithfulness, his people frequently strayed from this law, leading to periods of exile and rescue. This isn’t just ancient history; it’s our story as well. Like the people of Israel, our hearts have a tendency to wander from God. But throughout scripture, God promises to transform hearts so we can live faithfully in covenant relationship with him.
Fast forward to Jesus, and we see him climbing a mountainside, much like Moses. The crowd, familiar with the story of Moses, would have recognized this parallel. They would have wondered if this was the moment God would teach them anew how to live in relationship with him.
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God’s Desire to Bless Us in Our Brokenness
The crowds Jesus addressed were full of people who were sick, in pain, demon-possessed, or marginalized. These were not the religious elite or those who had it all together. The 'good life' that Jesus describes in the Sermon on the Mount is not for the perfect, wealthy, or powerful; it is for the broken, for those who know they are not well.
Jesus' blessings, as expressed through the Beatitudes, are directed to the poor in spirit, the meek, the merciful, and the persecuted—those often overlooked by society. God’s blessings are not reserved for the strong; he blesses the weak. He blesses the vulnerable, those who are honest about their flaws, and those who seek peace, show mercy, and pursue justice even when it costs them. Jesus gives blessings as if there is no shortage—because there isn’t.
God’s Promise to Transform Us
Jesus’ message does not stop with blessings in our brokenness. The Sermon reveals God’s promise to transform us. Jesus’ call to 'Repent, for the kingdom of God is near' invites us to a different way of life.
In Jesus’ time, various religious groups had their own ideas about how to bring about transformation: the Pharisees believed it required stricter adherence to the law, the Sadducees leaned on cooperation with Roman authorities, and the Zealots pursued rebellion. But Jesus offered something different—he taught that the kingdom of God comes through transformed hearts, not through external power or legalism.
The word 'righteousness' is used throughout the Sermon as a way to describe living in right relationship with God, with others, and with ourselves. Jesus promises that those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be filled. We’ll be encouraged to do good, care for the poor, pray with integrity, and treat others with dignity—not as a way of earning God’s love, but as the fruit of a heart transformed by God. This is what it means to live fully human, fully well, and fully whole.
Building Our Lives on the Rock
As we move through the Sermon on the Mount, we’re invited to reflect on the foundations of our lives. Jesus concludes his sermon with the parable of the wise and foolish builders. The wise builder builds on rock, while the foolish builder builds on sand. When the storms come, only the house built on rock stands firm.
The parable is clear: we are all building something with our lives, but we get to choose the foundation. Jesus invites us to build our lives on his teachings, the solid rock, rather than the unstable values of the world. And building on this foundation isn’t something we do alone; it’s a communal project. Let’s be a community that builds our lives together, side by side, using Jesus’ teachings as our blueprint for a blessed, whole, and well-lived life.
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Concluding Prayer
"God, we come before you as ordinary, broken people. Thank you for blessing us as we are, in our meekness and vulnerability. You invite us to bring all of ourselves to you, and you promise to transform us. We ask you to help us become people who live in right relationship with you, others, and ourselves. We are hungry for your kingdom to come.
Help us to live in deep peace, free from anxiety, burdens, sin, and shame. We ask that you bless us and transform us through your Spirit. And as we continue this series, may our lives be built on the solid rock of your word, reflecting the kind of well-being that goes far beyond surface wellness. Amen."