Week 4: The Realm of God - Take Home Sheet

TO DO THIS WEEK:
Read Matthew chapters 5-7. Then take one of the parables of the kingdom and rewrite it in your own words, possibly using more modern metaphors.
The Kingdom of God is like….
Pray for God to begin to help you discern how you can help usher in God’s rule on earth.


FURTHER THOUGHTS:

The woman has mixed the flour with the yeast which makes it rise, covers the dough with flour and a cloth, and leaves it to stand in a warm place. Kneading such a great mass of dough is hard work. The poor find it painful. Now they can let their hands drop after work. Here you see how God works and rests, how the kingdom of God is already there in dynamic and rest. Soon its all-embracing power will transform the earth. It is not a matter of elaborating the details of the parable but of making God’s nearness visible; God can be seen in everyday life, beside the bread trough. Jesus wants to open people’s eyes to this. The work of women and men, work for life, is transparent to God’s work and God’s patience. – Dorothee Soelle & Luise Schottroff in Jesus of Nazareth (p. 100)

The kingdom of God calls you to a higher way of living. It’s not just about loving friends and hating enemies. It’s about loving your enemies. This is what the King does, so this is the way of the Kingdom. God is good to all – including evil people. God’s perfection is a compassionate perfection. That’s the kind of love you need to have in God’s kingdom - a compassionate perfection that transcends old divisions of us/them and neighbor/enemy, that loves those who do not yet love you. We will never reach universal reconciliation in the kingdom of God until we move beyond conventional religious morality and believe in and practice this radical, higher plan. – Brian McLaren in The Secret Message of Jesus (p. 127)

The kingdom of God, then, is a revolutionary, counter-cultural movement – proclaiming a ceaseless rebellion against the tyrannical trinity of money, sex, and power. It’s citizens resist the occupation of this invisible Caesar through three categories of spiritual practice. First they practice a liberating generosity toward the poor to dethrone greed and topple the regime of money. Second, the practice a kind of prayer that is a defiant act of resistance against the prideful pursuit of power, pursuing forgiveness and reconciliation, not retaliation and revenge. Finally, they practice fasting to revolt against the dominating impulses of physical gratification – so that the sex drive and other physical appetites will not become our slave drivers. – Brian McLaren in The Secret Message of Jesus (p. 134)

Week 4: Entering into the Realm of God

Week 4: Entering into the Realm of God
FOCUS: WHAT DOES THE KINGDOM OF GOD LOOK LIKE?

Matthew 6: 9-15

‘Pray then in this way:
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
10 Your kingdom come.
Your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.*
12 And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And do not bring us to the time of trial,*
but rescue us from the evil one.*
14For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; 15but if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

OPENING MEDITATION: Lectio Divinia

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION:
1. What is your vision of the Kingdom of God? What do you think Jesus means when he uses this phrase?
2. Is the kingdom something we are waiting for or something we are actively seeking?
3. Do you struggle with the language of “kingdom”? Do you prefer “Realm of God” or another way of describing this concept?
4. What does it mean for you personally to get ready for this kingdom? What does it mean for the Body of Christ that is the church?
5. How would life be different if we lived in the kingdom right now?
6. What does the kingdom have to do with Jesus’ death and resurrection?

EXPLORING THE KINGDOM:
Break into groups of two and read the following verses about the kingdom. Discuss for a minute what you think these verses mean. Be ready to share your discussion with the group.
Group 1: Mark 4: 30-32
Group 2: Mark 1: 14-15
Group 3: Matthew 18: 44-50
Group 4: Matthew 11: 2-6 (see also Isaiah 29:18-21)
Group 5: Luke 18: 18-30
Group 6: John 3:1-8

Week 3: Scripture - Take Home Sheet

Week 3: Scripture
Additional Thoughts/Information/Suggestions

Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen. – The Book of Common Prayer

Spiritual reading is a meditative approach to the written word. It requires unhurried time and an open heart. If the purpose of our reading is to be addressed by God, we will need to practice attentive listening and a willingness to respond to what we hear. Many kinds of literature can be read in this manner (even newspapers, if we are willing to hear to what God may be saying to us through current events). But the primary focus of spiritual reading for Christians has always been scripture, with good reason. The purpose for which the scriptures were written - presenting hearers with God’s Word – and the purpose of spiritual reading – allowing ourselves to be addressed by God’s Word – are completely consonant. They are suited to each other as a hand and a glove. – Marjorie J. Thompson


More resources for spiritual reading:

Meditations on the Book of Psalms by Barbara Cawthorne Crafton
Short daily devotions on various Psalms

A Guide to Prayer for All God’s People by Reuben P. Job and Norman Shawchuck
Lectionary based resource combining prayer, scripture, and spiritual quotations

Wisdom’s Daughters: Stories of Women Around Jesus by Elizabeth G. Watson
Stories that lend flesh and meaning to the women who were part of the Jesus movement.

In the Name of Jesus: Reflections on Christian Leadership by Henri Nouwen
Read anything by Henri Nouwen, but especially read this short gem on being a humble leader.

White China: Finding the Divine in the Everyday by Molly Wolf
An incredible book broken up into smaller devotional readings from a woman who has amazing wisdom about life, divorce, loss, nature, and just about anything else.

Walking a Sacred Path: Rediscovering the Labyrinth as a Spiritual Tool by Dr. Lauren Artress
If you have never walked a labyrinth read this and re-discover an ancient practice that is incredibly spiritual.

Amazing Grace: A Vocabulary of Faith by Kathleen Norris
A classic book struggling with what what we name things and why it matters.

A New Kind of Christian by Brian McLaren
One of the evangelical emerging church leaders that I greatly admire. Read this book.

Reading the Bible Again for the First Time by Marcus Borg
Struggling with scripture? Read this and learn how scripture is central to our faith and yet can be read in new ways.

Reflecting the Glory: Meditations for Living Christ’s Life in the World by N.T. Wright
Daily meditations that challenge you to live as Christ to a broken world. Not an easy read, but one that will make you think.

Please share books or other resources that have been sources of spiritual nurture for you.

Week 3: Scripture - Class Outline

Week 3: Developing a discipline of scripture
FOCUS: HOW DO WE BECOME GOOD SOIL?

Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the lake. 2Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. 3And he told them many things in parables, saying: ‘Listen! A sower went out to sow. 4And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. 5Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. 6But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. 7Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9Let anyone with ears* listen!’
18"Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: 19When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path. 20The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. 22The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. 23But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown."

OPENING MEDITATION: Lectio divina on the above passage.

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION:
1. What do you believe about the authority of scripture?
2. Where do you struggle with the text? Are there particular sticking points for you?
3. What kind of learner are you? How can the word be sown in you? How do you best receive the word?
4. What are some other sources that help you hear God still speaking?

PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Sharing our favorite bible verses.

TO DO THIS WEEK: Explore some of the Bible readings or inspirational passages as found on the take home sheet or from another source. Share any insights or struggles on the ESMHE blog.

CLOSE: LORD’S prayer

Week 2: Take Up Your Cross - Take Home Page

Week 2: Taking Up Our Crosses
Additional thoughts/Suggestions/Ideas

“Taking up the cross is not a merely passive operation. It comes about as the Church attempts, in the power of the Spirit, to be for the world what Jesus was for the world – announcing the kingdom, healing the wounds of the world, challenging the power structures that keep anger and pain in circulation. We need to pray that we will have the courage, as a Church, and as Christian persons, to follow the Servant King wherever he leads. That, after all, is why we come to his table. We have seen in our century what happens when people dream wild dreams of world domination, and use the normal methods of force and power to implement them. We have not yet seen what might happen if those who worship the Servant King, now enthroned as Lord of the world, were to take him seriously enough to take up our cross and follow him. But that, as Mark reminds us, is precisely what the Servant king calls us to do.” – N.T. Wright in Following Jesus: Biblical Reflections on Discipleship p. 51

“The Pax Romana was a peace made possible by the cross: people so feared crucifixion that they would think long and hard before rising up against the emperor. It’s stunning in this light that the church chose the cross as one of its primary symbols. What could choosing such an instrument of torture, domination, fear, intimidation, and death possibly mean? For the early church, it apparently meant that the kingdom of God would triumph not by inflicting violence but by enduring it – not by making others suffer but by willingly enduring suffering for the sake of justice – not by coercing or humiliating others but by enduring their humiliation with gentle dignity. Jesus, they felt, took the empire’s instrument of torture and transformed it into God’s symbol of the repudiation of violence – encoding a creed that love, not violence, is the most powerful force in the universe.” – Brian McLaren in The Secret Message of Jesus p. 152-153

“I’m part of the fellowship of the unashamed. I have the Holy Spirit’s power. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made- I’m a disciple of his. I won’t look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, my future is secure. I’m finished and done with low living, sight walking, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, worldly talking, cheap giving, and dwarfed goals. I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don’t have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now live by faith, lean in his presence, walk by patience, am uplifted by prayer, and I labor with power. My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way rough, my companions are few, my Guide reliable, my mission clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded, or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesititate in the presence of the enemy, pander at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity. I won’t give up, shut up, let up, until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, preached up for the cause of Christ. I am a disciple of Jesus. I must go until he comes, give till I drop, preach till all know, and work till he stops me. And, when he comes for his own, he will have no problem recognizing me…my banner will be clear!” – Note from a young pastor in Zimbabwe found in his office following his martyrdom as found on page 31-21 in Brennan Manning’s The Signature of Jesus


Nurture for your own walk:

Struggling with doubt - John 20:24-29
Being impatient - Matt 25:1-13, Acts 1:7-8
Being afraid - Isaiah 41:10, Matt 10:26-31
Pride - Matt 19:27-30
Feeling Inadequate - Matt 9:13


Prayer:
Lord Jesus, I give You my hands to do Your work
I give You my feet to go Your way.
I give You my eyes to see as You do.
I give You my tongue to speak Your words.
I give You my mind that You may think in me.
I give You my spirit that You may pray in me.
Above all, I give You my heart that Your love may be my own.
I give You my whole self that You may grow in me,
so that it is You, Lord Jesus, who live and work and pray in me. Amen.

Week 2: Take Up Your Cross - Class Outline

Week 2: Overcoming road blocks in our relationship with Jesus
FOCUS: LEARNING TO TAKE UP OUR CROSSES

Mark 8:34-38

34Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35For whoever wants to save his life[a] will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. 36What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? 37Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? 38If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels."

WEEK IN REVIEW: Did you pray 10 minutes a day this week? What effect, if any, did it have on your life? Will you continue to pray daily?

MEDITATION: Use Lectio Divina to listen to what God has to say to you in the passage above. Discuss your experience with the group.

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION:
1. What does it mean to take up your cross?
2. Do you see this as an important part of your faith journey? Why or why not?
3. What fears do you have around this idea?
4. What does Jesus mean when He says, “let them deny themselves?”
5. Have you ever felt that you had to lose something in order to free yourself up for something else?
6. What would it mean for the church as a whole to take up the cross?

EXPLORING THE COSTS AND JOYS OF DISCIPLESHIP:
What would be the costs and/or results of taking up the cross in the following areas?
Home, Work, Church, World

TO DO THIS WEEK: Continue praying. Pick out your favorite scripture verse and be prepared to share it with the group next week.

CLOSE: The Lord’s Prayer

Mid-Week Check In

Our task this week is to pray at least 10 minutes a day in whatever way appeals to you. That can be for two minutes at a time 5 times a day, or 10 minutes all at once, or however works best for you. You can pray for longer, obviously, but to truly try this at least be deliberate about it 10 minutes a day.

What has this experience been like for you so far this week? What types of prayer have you used? What responses, if any, have you received?

Week 1:Prayer - Take Home Sheet

Week 1: Prayer
Additional Thoughts/Information/Suggestions

“Perhaps our real task in prayer is to attune ourselves to the conversation already going on deep in our hearts. Then we may align our conscious intentions with the desire of God being expressed at our core.” - Marjorie J. Thompson

“Moses prayed boldly because he believed his prayers could change things, even God’s mind. In fact, the Bible stresses so forcefully the openness of our universe that, in an anthropomorphism hard for modern ears, it speaks of God constantly changing his mind in accord with his unchanging love (Exod. 32:14, John 3:10)…We are working with God to determine the future! Certain things will happen in history if we pray rightly. We are to change the world by prayer.”–Richard Foster

“Prayer is not a substitute for action. It is an action for which there is no substitute.” – Douglas Steere

“Praying continually is a way of life. It’s like breathing: we don’t concentrate on every breath we take. Once we learn to respond with prayer to all that happens around us, we can pray automatically – all of the time.” - Walt Kallestad

Some suggestions for entering into prayer:
Create a regular time and space for prayer in your day. Set aside a room, or closet, or corner where you regularly go to pray. Place images in that space that help you pray or books that inspire your prayers. Light a candle when you begin. Use incense if that appeals to you. Play soft music in the background if that helps you focus.

Write a list of daily prayer triggers – places or times that remind you to pray.
For example:
Hearing a fire engine siren or ambulance - Lord be with those in crisis and bless and keep safe those on their way to help.
Watching the news – Lord, bring peace to the world and guide our leaders to work for justice.
While doing laundry – Thank you God for clothes to wear and bless those who have no clothes.

Use a prayer journal to keep track of your prayers and be attentive to the world around you for answers to those prayers. Write down the answer you think you have received.

Pray the Psalms or rewrite or paraphrase a psalm in your payer journal.

When you become distracted in prayer note the distraction, if needed pray for the thing that is distracting you, and return to your prayer. It is NORMAL for this to happen and does not mean you cannot pray or have failed in prayer.

Sing, chant, or breathe a prayer letting a familiar tune or set of words and the rhythms of your body and breath pave the way for communion with God.

Pray with your children, spouse, or family and pray for your children, spouse or family. Pray as a way to begin and end the day. Pray over meals. Pray when you are thankful for them. Pray when you are angry with them.

Pray a variety of different prayers at different times throughout the day – asking for help, praising God, gratefulness for abundance, asking for something for others, just resting in the presence of God, prayers for the world, for our community, and for justice for all, etc.

Suggestions for breath or chanting prayers:
Spirit, fill me
Christ, strengthen me
Creator, love me

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, Have mercy on me, a sinner.

Introduction to Lectio Divina

How to explore Lectio Divina

From the book Soul Feast by Marjorie J. Thompson (p. 28-29)

Begin by reaffirming that the purpose of this reading is to let yourself be addressed by the living God. Settle yourself quietly, remembering to include your body; find a position or posture that will help you to stay relaxed but alert. Be aware of your intention to listen as openly as possible to the words before you. Release your own “agenda” so you will be ready to receive whatever word God desires to offer you.

Remind yourself of God’s presence with you, here and now. You may or may not sense this presence, but you can affirm it through faith and trust that the Holy One is attending to you. Offer your gratitude, and ask for the guidance and illumination of the Holy Spirit in your reading.

Turn to the passage and begin to read slowly, pausing between phrases and sentences. For some, silent reading allows the mind to wander, so reading aloud or whispering is preferable. Let the words echo and resonate in your mind; allow meanings to sink in, associations to arise, images to surface. If a word or phrase seems especially significant to you, remain with it, turning it over in your mind and heart. When the sense of immediacy fades, move on to another verse. If it remains meaningful for you, stay with it. Here is a word meant for your ears. Be content to listen simply and openly, like a child listening to a story.

Once you have heard a “word” that seems meant for you, start ruminating on it. Why is this a word for you? What is it about your life right now that needs to hear this word? How is God catching your attention? If the passage is a narrative with people, it may help to imagine the setting of the story, and to envision yourself within it. Who can you identify with? Why? Who do you have trouble identifying with, and why? Imagine how the characters interact, how they feel about themselves and each other. How do the dynamics of the story connect with your own life experience? Is there anything you discover about yourself in this process? What does God seem to be saying to you through this word?

Week 1: Prayer - Class outline

Week 1: Deepening the discipline of prayer
FOCUS: HOW TO MAKE PRAYER A PART OF DAILY LIFE.

Luke 11:5-13

And he said to them, ‘Suppose one of you has a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say to him, “Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; 6for a friend of mine has arrived, and I have nothing to set before him.” 7And he answers from within, “Do not bother me; the door has already been locked, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.” 8I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, at least because of his persistence he will get up and give him whatever he needs. ‘So I say to you, Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. 10For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. 11Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for* a fish, will give a snake instead of a fish? 12Or if the child asks for an egg, will give a scorpion? 13If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit* to those who ask him!’

INTRODUCTIONS

OPENING MEDITATION: Experiment with Lectio Divinia using the scripture above. (see post on Lectio Divina)

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION:
1. What part does prayer play in your life right now?
2. What kinds of prayer are you familiar with or have you experienced?
3. What do you pray about?
4. Is it okay to ask God for things? For things for others? For things for yourself?
5. Does God change things in answer to our prayers?
6. What kind of response to prayer do you expect or have you experienced?
7. What happens if you feel God doesn’t answer your prayers or the answer is not what you wanted? (see v 9-10)
8. Are there things you are afraid to bring to God in prayer?

PRACITICING PRAYER:
Breath Prayer/Presence Prayer
Writing a conversation prayer
Imagining Intercession

TO DO THIS WEEK: Pray 10 minutes everyday this coming week in whatever way feels comfortable to you.

CLOSE: The Lord’s Prayer

If you are reading this online please feel free to, using the comment section, tell us what you experienced during Lectio Divina and/or answer the discussion questions.

A Small Group Class Online?

I think it is a fair question to ask: How can we build up the Body of Christ and participate in meaningful dialogue without even being able to look each other in the face? It is a legitimate concern. However, having participated in several online communities over time, I also know it is possible to be connected to people even if all you do is type in response to each other's comments. In a perfect world we would be able to sit around the table breaking bread together, holding hands during prayer, and looking at one another as the face of God. We don't live in that perfect world, and so we must find ways to connect, love, and serve one another despite miles of distance, or the constant call of other work or activities.

Will this course lose something if you simply do it online? Yes, there is no way to replicate facial expressions or voice inflections, or even explain in words all that may happen in a face to face small group. But I do believe God works through what ever ways God has available. And who knows what new experiences, transformations, and connections may result from this blog. I am willing to leave it in God's hands. I hope you can join me in that.

Developing a Spiritual "Blue Print"

Discovering a “Blue Print” for living in the Body of Christ

We are developing a blueprint for our spiritual journey. We will begin to work to do our part in cooperation with the Holy Trinity to accomplish the task set before us in Ephesians 4:12-13, “To prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”

In the next six weeks we will begin to decipher where we each fit in the Body of Christ. For the first three weeks we will continue to prepare ourselves by developing spiritual practices that bring us closer to God and transform how we look at ourselves and the world. Then we will search for a vision of what it would mean to truly live into the Kingdom of God and how we individually and collectively fit into that vision.

Take a moment now and visualize where your house is. Next, draw a map from there to here. Did you draw the fastest route, the easiest to explain, or the one that passes your favorite coffee shop? All our maps may be different and yet still correct. Where we arrive at the end of this six weeks together we may be at a similar place, but we may each discover that we have traveled a different route and may be called by God to perform a different task. Both the destination and the journey are equally important.

The purpose of this group is to help you transform your relationship with God, and also to build community with each other so that we can support each other, witness to each other, and be accountable to each other. We are the Body of Christ together. May God give us what we need to become that more and more each day.

Structure of the Program

Explanation of the Structure

ESMHE is broken into three main categories. The foundation of the program are two small groups, one designed for Christians new to the faith, and the other for those who have gone through the first small group and/or have determined that they are farther along on their spiritual journey. The small group called Developing a Spiritual Design is for those new to the faith. Meetings will begin focusing on learning to identify the movement of the Holy Spirit in your life and identifying daily spiritual practices to help keep you connected to God. We will then move into the basis for our faith, Scripture. The Bible is an incredibly rich collection of stories, poems, and deep truths that form the foundation of our faith and helps us discover how we understand God and Jesus Christ. After briefly exploring the story of the Bible we will move to focusing on the story of Jesus. Why do we follow this teacher, prophet, healer, and call him Son of God? What exactly is the "Kingdom of God"? Finally, we discover that Christianity is a call to transform our lives—to repent, to literally turn our lives around towards God. How do we live that out individually and as a community of faith?

Our second small group, Discovering a "Blue-Print" for living in the Body of Christ, for those who are further along on the journey, will go deeper and help you transform your life and the life of the community. Meetings begin with the spiritual practice of prayer and identifying those things that separate us from the love of God in Jesus Christ. Then we delve deeper into the scripture more fully exploring what Jesus said about the Kingdom of God and how we should live it out. Kingdom theology has huge implications for our community, and for the way we live our lives in the greater world. What is God calling you to do in this world? How are you being Christ to others?

When you have completed the "Blueprint" small group the next step is to continue this growth and the rest of the small groups of the ESMHE is designed to further nurture, equip, and empower you to live effectively in the Body of Christ. Small group meetings will focus on topics like learning your spiritual gifts and finding God's call for your life, Christian leadership within the church, further exploring spiritual practices that bring you closer to God, Christian parenting, and exploring injustice and Jesus' call to love your neighbor.

The first session of ESMHE was held in Winter 2007. At present the kinks are still being worked out of those group notes and they will be available at a later date. The second session of ESMHE began to meet in late September 2007. This group is also being conducted online to provide a place for those who cannot physically come to Hope Church on Tuesday nights, and also to enrich the participation and experience of all who seek to go through this program with us.

What is the Body of Christ and Why Renew it?

What is the Body of Christ ?
As Christians we are all members of the Body of Christ. We are the community of believers who come together to do God's work in the world. We seek to live into the ideals of the Kingdom of God, both in our church community and in the larger world. It is our task as "Kingdom people" to grow into deeper relationship with God and with each other. It is our work as Christians to follow the teachings and walk "The Way" of Jesus Christ. We are guided in this work by the Holy Spirit. We are the Body of Christ. We are Christ's face, arms, hands, heart, and feet to a broken world that longs for peace but is locked in struggle. We are the seekers, a light burning brightly that confesses Jesus' love and hope for humanity. Charged with bringing light to injustice, and love and kindness to all with the help of God, we proudly proclaim a new way of life is possible.

Why Renew it ?
However, though we are the Body, and God has given us everything we need for this journey of faith, it is often difficult to live this out, inside and outside the church community. Our own lives develop "wrinkles" - disappointments and tragedies, pain and confusion, times when we feel separated from the Divine Presence. Our church family starts to have "fine lines' - we experience breaks in our relationships, anger that is not dealt with, and frustration we can't let go of. We may find that over time we need a "makeover", a chance to look at the places in our lives and faith that may need repair or rebuilding. Jesus spoke of a "Way" not an "Arrival". When we become Christians we do not arrive at the end point of our spiritual journey. Rather we begin a long walk of faith. Long walks require sustenance for the journey. ESMHE is designed to help people identify areas of spiritual needs and to assist in developing practices and beliefs, a plan or blueprint if you will, that will help address those needs. For each believer this may require a different plan, but the true joy of being a Christian is being able to work within a church community that supports each person's walk with Christ. While we walk together we truly become the Body of Christ to a world in desperate need of our vision of hope.

Theological Underpinnings

Renewing the Body of Christ
Built on Ephesians 4:1-16

1 I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called,
The members in the Body of Christ are called to a purpose.
We in the Body of Christ are the community of God's people and are drawn together in the name of Jesus Christ. Living in the Body of Christ begins with an awareness that God is moving in our life and calling us into the brokenness of the world. This awareness and calling challenges the cultural assumptions of individuality that keep us separated from one another. While it is not easy to lead a life "worthy of this calling", together we help each other discern the calling and presence of God in our lives.

2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Living in the body of Christ is the call of building relationships of love
The Church, which is the body of Christ, is called to live together in such a way that Christ's way is lifted up. Paul describes this way as the "way of love" (I Cor 12:31- 13:13). This love that draws people together into small groups, teams of ministry, and mission opportunities demands a love that is patient, gentle, and bearing of one another.

The community of God's people is also diverse because we know our God lives in the world through many different kinds of people. Love that moves beyond tolerance to one of living in deep relationship with others is one that necessarily requires humility. Only in the discipline of humility can hospitality of welcoming the other be born. It is because of this diversity that the love of the body of Christ must seek to maintain a unity that can only come in and through the Spirit of God.

4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all. 7 But each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ's gift.
The goal of the body of Christ is to find unity while respecting diversity.
The Spirit of God that lives above, through, and in all of humanity is the same one that desires that all people, with their differences, come together in harmony. It was in Jesus' prayer that all in the community of God's people came to see the unity that connects and unites us all (John 17:20-21). Allowing diversity to exist in the body of Christ, and yet finding that in all diversity is the same Spirit of God, shakes the foundations of a church that believes only certain people embody the Spirit of God. Through the Holy Spirit we are able to embrace the body of Christ as one diverse, but united and whole body.

8 Therefore it is said, "When he ascended on high he made captivity itself a captive; he gave gifts to his people." 9 (When it says, "He ascended," what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He who descended is the same one who ascended far above all the heavens, so that he might fill all things.)
Ascending and Descending in the Body of Christ The body of Christ holds together both internal spiritual transformation and external works of service and justice. To ascend high into the love of God where we are transformed by love means that we will descend out into all parts of the world that God has calls us to heal and love. Jesus shows us this in his life. What enabled Jesus to go out into the broken world and give himself away was his deep love and closeness he felt with God. Jesus ascended into the heart of God and descended out into the hearts of the world. 11 The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, God gives to all members in the body of Christ different spiritual gifts

Spiritual gifts are different from talents. A talent is something that we develop based on upon personal preference. Spiritual gifts are abilities given to us by God that speak to the very identity of who we are, as one of God's children. Our spiritual gifts speak to where we are helping to build the body of Christ with our own uniqueness. To live in the Body of Christ the church helps one another become aware of God's presence and calling, and also gives them tools to act on those callings. Collectively we have a responsibility within the Body of Christ to help everyone discover his or her spiritual gifts.

12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ.
The work of the body of Christ is to build community.
The community of God's people is a place where healing, compassion, peace, and justice are valued. There can be no community when brokenness, prejudice, or division occurs. The spiritual gifts that the Spirit gives to us helps to build community where healing, forgiveness, peace, and justice can occur. This is the vocation of all members in the body of Christ and the vocation of the body of Christ as it works collectively in the world. To come to know Jesus means desiring this type of community. To use your spiritual gifts to grow into maturity in this vision of Jesus is to deepen our awareness of God's purpose for our life and the world.

14 We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people's trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming.
The Body of Christ must confront false truth
The world would have us believe that ideas such as individualization, privatization, and consumerism can lead us to the salvation we seek. However, these ideas leave humanity broken, isolated, and living in fear, doubt, and dismay. The body of Christ speaks the truth of love in the face of these false doctrines and provides a vision of life that holds up love and community. Choosing to live into the central vocation of love in Body of Christ means choosing not to live by the doctrine of other choices around us. In doing so, those that following the Spirit of Jesus end up shaking the foundations of people's fear of love, compassion, and justice.

15 But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body's growth in building itself up in love.
The body of Christ requires transformation
To grow up and mature in the vision of Christ requires an internal transformation of our values and worldview. This transformation leads to a justice where by people choose to live in a different way in life. The justice of the Body of Christ comes in the body's willingness to live by the path of love. To live in love means overcoming our fears that separate humanity, and passing over into a new world where we intentionally and willfully give ourselves for the sake of others. To live in love means choosing a path of humility, gentleness, compassion, and peace. The good news is that this transformation of our selves, of the church, and of our world is never done alone, but always with others.