After Peter’s talk last week about “Seeking first the kingdom,” Walter explored another of the simple, foundational understandings of our faith in affirming the “fruit of the Spirit.” He talked about how slowing down and being reminded of our human mortality can help us make room for the Spirit.
Today Peter Fitch reminded people of some of Jesus’ most famous words from the Sermon on the Mount. He focused on “Seek first the Kingdom of God, and God’s righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:33). Then, as he has done with other passages this summer, he asked people what this meant to them when they first began to explore faith, and what it has come to mean to them now. Some beautiful answers were given and Peter shared some of his ideas as well. In the end, he suggested that all of the answers hold meaning, from individual piety to societal transformation, to seeking the treasured atmosphere of the “already, but not yet” or the fruit of contemplation, or the creative ideas from the right hemisphere of the brain. Each of these, and others that were mentioned, can add to our understanding of what it means to “Seek first the Kingdom of God.”
Walter Thiessen explores the role that the church has played in
helping people to make a new start and hit a re-set button, including
the need to let go of things that can be like a death.
