©2010 by Morehouse education resources • all rights reserved • www.
livingthegoodnews.
coM • 1-800-242-1918
Winter A • 2010-2011
Christians have long used Jesus’ sermons on living in
the reign of God as recorded in Matthew 5 and Luke 6
to inform them of their responsibilities for the underprivileged.
The Christians who...
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©2010 by Morehouse education resources • all rights reserved • www. livingthegoodnews. coM • 1-800-242-1918 Winter A • 2010-2011 Christians have long used Jesus’ sermons on living in the reign of God as recorded in Matthew 5 and Luke 6 to inform them of their responsibilities for the underprivileged. The Christians who gathered for the 219th General Assembly of the PCUSA held in July of 2010 in Minneapolis, Minnesota were no exception. According to the Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy, social justice issues were at the center of much of the decision making. Peacemaking In Matthew 5:9, Jesus blesses peacemakers and exclaims they will be called “children of God. ” 2010 marks the 30th anniversary of the “Peacemaking the Believer’s Calling” initiative in the life of the church. Presbyterians have supported peace initiatives since 1946. Through the 50’s and 60’s we supported peace seeking activities of international organizations while calling upon the U. S. government to w
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From Delinda collier
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livingthegoodnews.
coM • 1-800-242-1918
Winter A • 2010-2011
[The following is an excerpt from The Richest of Fare by Phyllis
Strupp (Sonoran Cross Press, 2004).
For more information and
to order visit www.
amazon....
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©2010 by Morehouse education resources • all rights reserved • www. livingthegoodnews. coM • 1-800-242-1918 Winter A • 2010-2011 [The following is an excerpt from The Richest of Fare by Phyllis Strupp (Sonoran Cross Press, 2004). For more information and to order visit www. amazon. com/Richest-Fare-Seeking-SpiritualSecurity/dp/097467270X. Or contact the publisher directly at info@sonorancross. org to receive a 25% discount from list price for 5 copies or more. ] Although the infamous “brown cloud” of Phoenix is noxious to life, at least it reminds us that there is something that surrounds the Earth—the atmosphere. What’s in that brown cloud anyway? Will it turn black some day? Although it’s easy to forget about the atmosphere, it’s not a good idea. It is Mother Earth’s most important sous-chef, in charge of preparing two necessary parts of her banquet for life: air and water. Wielding the tools of ocean and weather, the atmosphere is the one who really takes care of business here
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From Delinda collier
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©2010 by Morehouse education resources • all rights reserved • www.
livingthegoodnews.
coM • 1-800-242-1918
Winter A • 2010-2011
Restoring Creation for Ecology
and Justice
In 1990, the 202th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.
S.
A.
) adopted the resolution Restoring
Creation for Ecology and Justice.
This document...
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©2010 by Morehouse education resources • all rights reserved • www. livingthegoodnews. coM • 1-800-242-1918 Winter A • 2010-2011 Restoring Creation for Ecology and Justice In 1990, the 202th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U. S. A. ) adopted the resolution Restoring Creation for Ecology and Justice. This document calls upon churches in our denomination to engage in the restoration of creation. The “Call to Restore the Creation” is a resolution stating that the General Assembly: 1. Recognizes and accepts restoring creation as a central concern of the church, to be incorporated into its life and mission at every level 2. Understands this to be a new focus for initiative in mission program and a concern with major implications for infusion into theological work, evangelism, education, justice and peacemaking, worship and liturgy, public witness, global mission, and congregational service and action at the local community level 3. Recognizes that restoring creation is not
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livingthegoodnews.
coM • 1-800-242-1918
Winter A • 2010-2011
United Methodists take seriously their responsibility to
serve the poor in spirit, the meek, the merciful, those
who mourn, those who are persecuted, those who hunger
for righteousness, the...
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©2010 by Morehouse education resources • all rights reserved • www. livingthegoodnews. coM • 1-800-242-1918 Winter A • 2010-2011 United Methodists take seriously their responsibility to serve the poor in spirit, the meek, the merciful, those who mourn, those who are persecuted, those who hunger for righteousness, the peacemakers. These, of course, are the very groups Jesus calls “blessed,” in the beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-12). Ever since John Wesley first exhorted followers to practice both personal and social piety, Methodists––as individuals and as a denomination––have been involving themselves in efforts to bring about peace and social justice. This fundamental tenet of Methodism is spelled out explicitly in the “Social Principles,” a statement found in the Book of Discipline that guides both official church action as well as individuals’ actions. These principles set forth official Methodist teaching on what constitutes just action in the social community, the economic community,
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From Delinda collier
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©2010 by Morehouse education resources • all rights reserved • www.
livingthegoodnews.
coM • 1-800-242-1918
Winter A • 2010-2011
Jesus’ Beatitudes are statements of blessing upon persons
who struggle.
Matthew and Luke differ in the way these
statements were remembered and passed along to Jesus’
followers.
Luke’s...
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©2010 by Morehouse education resources • all rights reserved • www. livingthegoodnews. coM • 1-800-242-1918 Winter A • 2010-2011 Jesus’ Beatitudes are statements of blessing upon persons who struggle. Matthew and Luke differ in the way these statements were remembered and passed along to Jesus’ followers. Luke’s conditions are objective and external (the poor), where Matthew’s conditions are essentially internal (the poor in spirit). For this discussion, we’re using Matthew’s version. Since each person struggles with something, we claim that these statements are relevant to all human beings. The Poor in Spirit There are many ways to be poor and the gospel urges us to minister to all of them. Matthew’s ‘poor in spirit’ isn’t just about financial need; it’s about lacking the vital principle (spirit) that gives life. But he doesn’t mean dead people! How would we describe someone whose energy and optimism is gone? These are the poor in spirit. That poverty can be found many situati
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From Delinda collier
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©2010 by Morehouse education resources • all rights reserved • www.
livingthegoodnews.
coM • 1-800-242-1918
Winter A • 2010-2011
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice,
for they will be satisfied (Matthew 5:6).
The Hebrew prophets spoke of the coming of the Just
One: “I will raise up for David a just shoot; he...
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©2010 by Morehouse education resources • all rights reserved • www. livingthegoodnews. coM • 1-800-242-1918 Winter A • 2010-2011 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied (Matthew 5:6). The Hebrew prophets spoke of the coming of the Just One: “I will raise up for David a just shoot; he shall do what is right and just in the land” (Jeremiah 33:15). Christ comes to establish the reign of God, a turnabout that will be fair play. In God’s kingdom, the last shall be first, the outcasts shall be gathered, and the poor shall have their fill. This way of life begins to take root immediately in the early Christian community where the principal of “the common good”—a centerpiece of Catholic social teaching—takes precedence over individual gain: “All who believed had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need” (Acts 2:44-45). Catholic Teaching and Action To evangelize the world with the pro
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©2010 by Morehouse education resources • all rights reserved • www.
livingthegoodnews.
coM • 1-800-242-1918
Winter A • 2010-2011
We are stewards of God’s creation.
The United Church
of Christ takes that responsibility seriously by raising
awareness of environmental justice.
When a natural disaster occurs, the UCC responds...
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©2010 by Morehouse education resources • all rights reserved • www. livingthegoodnews. coM • 1-800-242-1918 Winter A • 2010-2011 We are stewards of God’s creation. The United Church of Christ takes that responsibility seriously by raising awareness of environmental justice. When a natural disaster occurs, the UCC responds with help for those whose lives are impacted by drought or flood or earthquake or landslide. Most recently, the United Church of Christ has provided assistance to those affected by the oil spill in the US Gulf and to those suffering the devastating floods in Pakistan. Those aid efforts are supported by the UCC’s One Great Hour of Sharing and through direct donations from individuals and churches designated for those purposes, including a $300,000 appeal for Pakistan relief. But the UCC also recognizes that the world is responding to the ways that humanity has neglected our air, waters, forests, and wildlife. We are called to care for these things as well as for
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©2010 by Morehouse education resources • all rights reserved • www.
livingthegoodnews.
coM • 1-800-242-1918
Winter A • 2010-2011
Scriptural Foundation
The Catholic Church’s commission to care for the earth
is rooted in the book of Genesis where God creates the
world and finds favor with it:
“God looked at everything he had...
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©2010 by Morehouse education resources • all rights reserved • www. livingthegoodnews. coM • 1-800-242-1918 Winter A • 2010-2011 Scriptural Foundation The Catholic Church’s commission to care for the earth is rooted in the book of Genesis where God creates the world and finds favor with it: “God looked at everything he had made and found it very good” (Genesis 1:31). The first humans were also appointed as stewards of creation by the divine Maker: “The Lord God then took the man and settled him in the Garden of Eden, to cultivate and care for it” (Genesis 2:15). The creation-centered faith of God’s people is reflected in the words of the psalmist who views the world as a metaphor for humanity’s relationship with God: “As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God” (Psalm 42:1); “As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people” (Psalm 125:2). Jesus also used creation imagery to teach the disciples about faith and discipleship: “Consider th
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© 2010 by Beth Bojarski.
Published by Morehouse Education Resources, www.
morehouseeducation.
org.
All rights reserved.
Permission is hereby granted to reproduce this page for use in the purchasing congregation only.
A Note to the ReAdeR
To Serve and Guard the Earth:
God’s Creation Story
and Our Environmental Concerns
By Beth...
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© 2010 by Beth Bojarski. Published by Morehouse Education Resources, www. morehouseeducation. org. All rights reserved. Permission is hereby granted to reproduce this page for use in the purchasing congregation only. A Note to the ReAdeR To Serve and Guard the Earth: God’s Creation Story and Our Environmental Concerns By Beth Bojarski To Serve and Guard the Earth is a practical parish or smallgroup resource suitable for High School groups and Adults (its 6 sessions make it also suitable for Lenten use) that connects the growing Christian environmental concern with the theology of creation in Genesis. It not only provides the participants with a greater understanding of the scriptural accounts of creation and the environmental problems facing us today, but also encourages the participants to make practical applications to change their everyday lives and enhance important environmental values. The resource is divided into six sessions related to the 7 days of creation (session 2 co
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From Delinda collier
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Pub. on Feb. 12th 2011
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©2010 by Morehouse education resources • all rights reserved • www.
livingthegoodnews.
coM • 1-800-242-1918
Winter A • 2010-2011
The meek, those who grieve, those disenfranchised by
war, the poor in spirit…these are the faces of the people
the ELCA sees when it defines social justice.
Social justice
applies to single people...
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©2010 by Morehouse education resources • all rights reserved • www. livingthegoodnews. coM • 1-800-242-1918 Winter A • 2010-2011 The meek, those who grieve, those disenfranchised by war, the poor in spirit…these are the faces of the people the ELCA sees when it defines social justice. Social justice applies to single people and to entire nations. Social justice in the ELCA is not checked off a “to do” list, it is an attitude and a perspective. The ELCA is a young church. Beginning in 1988 by the combination of three previous Lutheran denominations, the ELCA is a young adult trying to clarify values. The denomination does this through writing and implementing social statements. These social statements go through editing and conversations in local congregations. Add several layers of approval by Churchwide Assemblies so that when completed, the Social Statements become the best representation of the denomination as a whole. Not surprisingly, one of the first social statements the
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