Reflection

Have you ever heard someone speak whose moral vision is so beautiful that it is utterly compelling? Imagine yourself as a first-century Israelite trying to live Torah (the Jewish law). It must have been challenging to live its 613 commandments with all the qualifications, scruples, and stipulations advocated by the scribes.

And then Jesus came along and interpreted the Torah tradition with a simple and authoritative clarity. The heart of the law is about God’s care for the lowly. It’s about a radical love, even for the enemy. It’s about forming a people who reveal God’s beautiful will in the midst of a struggling world. No wonder the crowds were astounded.

Action (Engage)

Theologian Stanley Hauerwas has titled a book With the Grain of the Universe. Sometimes, as with the Sermon on the Mount, we recognize that a moral teaching beautifully “fits” and delightfully “goes with” the way humans were created to interact.

Similarly, there are ways that our lives can better fit with the created world. Is there something you still need to do this weekend to enact your love of creation?