Watch the teaching related to the post below on our YouTube channel (YouTube.com/CrossWalkNapa). Or listen via your preferred podcast provider ( search CrossWalkNapa).  This post is informed by, and references noted are sourced from (unless otherwise noted) Following the Call: Living the Sermon on the Mount Together, which will provide guidance to CrossWalkNapa teachings throughout 2025.

Have you ever been told, “You can’t see the forest for the trees?” Or the opposite, “You can’t see the trees for the forest?”  They allude to the same idea.  In the first, a person might be so focused on the detail (the trees) to miss the fuller picture (the forest). Or, people may be so focused on the general view (forest) that they don’t recognize the details (trees) that together make up the whole. 

     In our Western culture, we can easily get hung up on the details of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), dissecting what each verse or section means, and lose sight of the broader vision Jesus was communicating.  It would be like watching a documentary on last year’s Kansas City Chiefs progression toward their Super Bowl win, focusing so much on the romance between Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce as to forget that the story is actually about football. Before we get into the woods, let’s remember what the larger mission (the forest) in which the sermon (some trees) resides.

     In the paragraph preceding the beginning of the sermon, Matthew provides a Bob Ross forest-portrait of what Jesus was already known for doing.  “Jesus traveled throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues. He announced the good news of the kingdom and healed every disease and sickness among the people” (Matthew 4:23 CEB).  He was proclaiming good news (also referred to as the Gospel) to people about God’s love for all and its implications for everyone and everything. And he lived it out – he was good news – bringing myriad forms of healing wherever he went. The healing presence of God was flowing through him. He walked the talk.

     Decades later, an unlikely Apostle, Paul, would write to a messy-yet-thriving church in ancient Corinth.  In a time when people felt very small and powerless under the rule of the Roman Empire, Paul wrote that “God’s Way is not a matter of mere talk; it’s an empowered life” (1 Corinthians 4:20 MSG).  Jesus and Paul may not seem likes rebels in these two scenes, but they were.  The “Gospel” was a word ripped off by Jesus from the Roman Empire, which declared itself to be the genesis of life at its best.  Jesus was directly challenging the Empire when he taught that God was the origin, not the cheap imitation, Caesar.  This kind of talk could get a person killed.  Literally.  And it did, for both Jesus and Paul.

     We will always feel a tension as people of faith wherever we live.  The culture we live in operates with values and behavior that works on some level to maintain itself.  The dominant culture in the United States, regardless of whatever aspirational words may be in its founding documents, is served to all as a cocktail with consumerism, radical independence, and the assumption that we are God’s favorite chosen nation in the world.  We pursue success based on these foundations and elevate and celebrate wild wealth as a clear sign of God’s good news realized.  Financial success isn’t antithetical to Christianity, but that American vision is not the Gospel of Jesus. Thus, tension.

     Christopher Friedrich Blumhardt (1842-1919), a Lutheran theologian in Germany, became famous for his writing and what we might call revival gatherings where he would preach the Gospel and offer prayer for healing.  At that time in history, such gatherings were happening in various parts of the world, including the United States. Healing prayer – which had been abandoned by intellectualism and deism which dominated Christian thought for centuries – was making a comeback.

     Blumhardt did not preach the Prosperity Gospel that has grown wildly popular in the United States and globally, associated with healing and wealth.  He was much more aligned with Jesus, noting that “when the Kingdom of heaven comes close to us we experience something totally new. Into the life of each individual something amazingly alive comes. God’s will is for life, for what is good, free, genuine, eternal.”

     Even at that time, however, dominate Lutheran teaching did not seem particularly informed (let alone passionate) about Jesus’ Gospel, which communicated God’s love for all, with equal access to God’s grace regardless of any limits imposed by society.  Women, children, refugees, immigrants, and high profile “sinners” (tax collectors and prostitutes) we equally loved and should be treated thusly.  Further, if this is how God feels about everyone, then wherever injustice exists, followers of God must act. The goal? Shalom – “well-being of mind, heart, and body, individually, communally [and environmentally]”  (Henri Nouwen).

     So frustrated and disillusioned with the lack of passion for the poor and mistreated from the Lutheran Church, Blumhardt helped found the Christian Socialists organization,  and announced support for the Social Democratic Party in Germany, which resulted in his getting stripped of his ecclesiastical credentials (no more “Reverend” in front of his name). 

     He would eventually run for public office, hoping that through political action he might bring about greater justice for those who were refused it.  At first, as was the case within his work in the Church, he saw signs of success as a politician.  Over time, however, he grew weary in his pursuit of realizing the Gospel of Jesus, meeting resistance on many fronts.

     Germany was filled with good Lutheran folk. How could it be that such resistance to the obvious vision of Jesus would exist so powerfully?  I think we might ask the same today in our own country.

     The United States is dominated by Christianity even though every religion is legally welcome to practice their own faith tradition.  Even people who don’t attend church align themselves with Christianity more than any other tradition, simply based on their held and stated theological suppositions.  Yet we struggle to provide basic equality on many fronts. 

     Even more striking, how is it possible that the loudest and largest voices proclaiming themselves as representing Christianity seem diametrically opposed to the vision of Jesus?  Women are still not granted the same freedoms as men, people of color are not afforded the same level of equity, inclusion, or belonging, immigrants are viewed as a pariah to our country’s wellbeing instead of brothers and sisters, the LGBTQ+ community is treated as an abomination to God, foreign policy attitudes favor violence over peaceful resolution, and growing income disparity between the wealthiest and the rest is responded to with a disheartening “meh”.  Am I wrong?

     Richard Rohr suggests that the problem in Blumhardt’s Germany and in our beloved United States today has to do with how we engage Jesus.  He notes that “even today many Christians keep Jesus on a seeming pedestal, worshiping a caricature on a cross or a bumper-sticker slogan while avoiding what Jesus said and did. We keep saying, ‘We love Jesus,’ but more as a God-figure than as someone to imitate. It seems the more we talk about Jesus, the less time we have to do what he said.” 

     More than a century before, Blumhardt wholeheartedly agreed with Rohr.  Realizing that the vision of Jesus’ Gospel could not rely on elites alone, he challenged the very people Jesus mixed with to live into the vision themselves:

We should love nothing more than to fulfill the justice of God, not in church services (which often attract people as honey attract flies) but rather in our daily lives, wherever we are. That is when we have to work zealously for the commandments of God and God’s truth, yes, God’s rights; there we must show our hunger and thirst for righteousness; there we must prove whether or not we want God. We cannot prove that in our churches alone but must do it outside, in the fields, in business, in daily life, in your family – you husband, you wife, and you children. Together, we have to look out for the rights of God... We must gather together again. Who will come under God’s rulership – who? – Christoph Friedrich Blumhardt

     Can you imagine how Blumhardt felt as The Great War began in 1914? I wonder if the stress and pain of the war’s development contributed to his stroke, which eventually led to his death.

     What can we do to heed his call, which is really to heed Jesus’ call to follow?

     In my experience, we humans need to keep the vision before us constantly, and incorporate practices into our daily rhythms that support and promote its mission.  If shalom is what we are truly about, how might we live it and not just agree with it’s principles?  What does it look like on the daily?

     What follows is an approach I developed that builds on five core practices evidenced by Jesus’s life that I think anybody and everybody can adopt on some level.  In his pursuit of shalom, Jesus chose to Stretch, Kneel, Stand, Commune, and Connect.  He stretched his mind as a lifelong learner.  He knelt in service to anyone who needed help without discrimination. He stood with and up for those experiencing injustice, leaning into a Micah 6:8 ethos.  He was intentional about communing with God incorporating solitude, stillness, and silence into his life’s rhythm. And he never did it alone – he connected genuinely and deeply with his community that he shaped and was shaped by in return.  Below is a daily recommended practice to help foster Jesus’ rhythm becoming our own (see “The Daily Guide Toward Shalom”).

     Finally, how you respond matters.  A recent article in The Atlantic tells a true story about a series of events in January 1933 Germany that could have changed world history.  Pre-Chancellor Hitler and his political adversary, Hugenburg, were arguing outside of German President Hindenberg’s office about calling for new Reichstag elections that would change the balance of power.  Hitler wanted to seize authoritarian power to deliver on his campaign promises to revive the economy, reduce unemployment, increase military spending, withdraw from international treaty obligations, purge the country of foreigners he claimed were “poisoning” the blood of the nation, and exact revenge on political opponents.   Had the argumented lasted just a little longer, President Hindenberg would have left his office, the elections would not have been held, and Hitler never would have become Chancellor.  I wonder if there was a still, small voice in Hugenburg’s consciousness that was pleading, “Stay!  Stay! Stay!” as his words to Hitler shouted “Nein! Nein! Nein!”  According to world-renowned Hitler historian Timothy W. Ryback, had Hugenburger stood his ground longer, there would have been no Hitler chancellorship, no Third Reich.  Imagine the consequences.

     Of course, there were many players who failed to listen to Shalom’s call with devastating effects.  Democracy and its constitutions assume good will, not immoral leaders like Hitler who seek to exploit its loopholes for personal power.  Joseph Geobbels, a critical player in Hitler’s disinformation campaign, ridiculed democracy, saying,  “The big joke on democracy is that it gives its mortal enemies the means to its own destruction.” 

     Knowledge of history can provide appropriate fear than can act as a motivator when the stakes are high.  Yet we must remember that Jesus’ campaign was not one primarily of fear, but hope, founded on the Good News of God’s comprehensive love for all ensconced in the word Shalom.  Remember Paul: “God’s Way is not a matter of mere talk; it’s an empowered life” (1 Corinthians 4:20 MSG).  And remember Blumhardt: “When the Kingdom of heaven comes close to us we experience something totally new. Into the life of each individual something amazingly alive comes. God’s will is for life, for what is good, free, genuine, eternal.”  And remember Blumhardt’s haunting question:

We should love nothing more than to fulfill the justice of God, not in church services (which often attract people as honey attract flies) but rather in our daily lives, wherever we are. That is when we have to work zealously for the commandments of God and God’s truth, yes, God’s rights; there we must show our hunger and thirst for righteousness; there we must prove whether or not we want God. We cannot prove that in our churches alone but must do it outside, in the fields, in business, in daily life, in your family – you husband, you wife, and you children. Together, we have to look out for the rights of God... We must gather together again. Who will come under God’s rulership – who?

May you find yourself impelled by love to join in the everlasting song that ushers in  exquisite, elegant harmony, beauty, and healing for all .

The Daily Guide Toward Shalom

     The purpose of the following guide is simply to aid a person in staying in shalom and promoting shalom each day.  There are check-in features to help begin and end the day.  There are also reminders of shalom-promoting activities that you are or want to be involved with.  Reminding ourselves that we support organizations that are promoting shalom for the creation, for instance, not only encourages us to be mindful of the same, but provides a boost in spirit knowing you are helping where you can.  Remembering the titles of books, articles, videos or podcasts helps us keep it prioritized and is a pride point regarding our intentional learning.  Let the tool do its work for you, let it serve you (and not the other way around).

The Daily Guide Toward Shalom

Review this at the beginning and end of your day.

Check In With Yourself

How are you feeling as you start your day?

() Anxious () Joyful () Angry () Sad () Excited () Disgusted

() Fearful () Happy () Bored () Dejected () Content

() Confused () Relaxed () Overwhelmed () Elated

What are you grateful for today?

Intentions

How will I choose shalom today? 

·      For myself? For the people I love? For the people I don’t?

For the planet? For the vulnerable?

Remembering the Way of Shalom

How am I Stretching my mind?

·      What books, podcasts, magazines, talks are you chewing up?

How am I Kneeling in service?

·      How am I using my skills to help others?

How am I Standing for Grace and Justice?

·      How am I using my voice, attitude, presence to help the vulnerable?

·      What organizations are you supporting?

o   Environment, Global Poverty, LGBTQ+,   Anti-Racism, Immigration Reform, Gun Violence, Human Trafficking, Food Insecurity, Women’s Rights, SmartVote.org

How am I Communing with God?

·      When am I breaking away to meditate, reflect, be still, be alone?

How am I Connecting with others?

·      Who am I connecting with for deeper friendship?

Daily Review

How did you experience shalom today?

What helped you experience shalom?

What got in the way of shalom today?