Shepherd's Heart 6/20/25
Beloved,
There's something stirring in me these days. Something restless and urgent and full of holy longing.
Maybe it's the way the world seems to be fracturing around us. The headlines that make our hearts heavy, the divisions that run through families and friendships, the way cynicism has become our default and kindness feels radical. Maybe it's the conversations I've been having with so many of you who are tired of surface-level faith, who are hungry for something deeper, something that actually transforms how we live Monday through Saturday.
Or maybe it's simply this: I've been spending time in the Sermon on the Mount again, and Jesus won't let me go.
When Jesus Went Up the Mountain
Picture this with me for a moment. Jesus sees the crowds. People desperate for hope, longing for direction, exhausted by religious systems that burden instead of bless. And what does he do? He goes up a mountain. Just like Moses did centuries before. And from that mountain, he begins to teach.
But this isn't just any teaching. This is revolution wrapped in blessing. This is the manifesto of an upside-down kingdom where the poor in spirit inherit everything, where peacemakers are called children of God, where enemies become neighbors and neighbors become family.
This is Jesus saying, "Everything you thought you knew about how life works? Let me show you a different way."
The Audacious Claim
Here's what takes my breath away every time I read it: Jesus doesn't just give good advice from that mountain. He positions himself as the ultimate authority. He says, "You have heard it said... but I say to you." Over and over again.
Do you realize how audacious that is? Moses came down from Mount Sinai saying, "Thus says the Lord." Jesus speaks from his mountain saying, "I say."
He's claiming something breathtaking: that he is the fulfillment of everything God has been doing since the beginning. That all the law and the prophets find their completion in him. That he—this carpenter from Nazareth—is the climax of God's rescue operation for the world.
And then he calls us to follow him. Not just to admire his teaching or appreciate his wisdom, but to actually live this way. To embody this kingdom culture in a world that operates by completely different rules.
What We're After
Starting this Sunday, we're diving deep into the Sermon on the Mount together. But this isn't going to be a gentle stroll through familiar passages. This is going to be an excavation of what it really means to live as citizens of God's kingdom in 2025.
We're going to wrestle with what it looks like to be people who:
We're going to explore how the Beatitudes aren't just beautiful poetry but a blueprint for human flourishing. How Jesus' teachings on anger and lust and worry aren't restrictive rules but invitations to freedom. How his words about prayer and fasting and giving aren't religious obligations but pathways to intimacy with God.
The Beautiful Difficulty
I won't lie to you. This is going to be challenging. Kingdom culture isn't natural to us. It cuts against every instinct of self-preservation and self-promotion that our world has trained into us.
It's difficult to bless those who curse you when your flesh wants to fight back. It's difficult to be generous when your bank account feels thin. It's difficult to trust God with your reputation when people misunderstand your motives. It's difficult to choose peace when everyone around you is choosing sides.
But here's what I'm learning: the difficulty is also the beauty. Because when we live this way, when we actually embody kingdom culture, something miraculous happens. We become living demonstrations of what God is really like. We become answers to prayers people didn't even know they were praying.
The Grace That Changes Everything
And here's the most beautiful part: we don't do this alone. The same Jesus who teaches from the mountain is the one who walks with us through the valley. The one who calls us to this radical way of life is also the one who empowers us to live it.
When we mess up (and we will), his grace is there. When we forget (and we will), his forgiveness is there. When we doubt (and we will), his patience is there.
This isn't about white-knuckling our way to righteousness. This is about learning to say yes to Jesus moment by moment, drawing from his strength, depending on his love, trusting in his presence.
My Confession
Can I be vulnerable with you for a moment? I need this series as much as anyone. Maybe more.
I find myself caught between kingdom values and cultural pressures more often than I'd like to admit. I struggle with anxiety when Jesus calls me to trust. I wrestle with forgiveness when my heart wants to hold grudges. I battle the temptation to measure my worth by the metrics of success instead of the heart of God.
I'm preaching to myself as much as I'm preaching to you. We're all learning together what it means to live as citizens of heaven while we're still residents of earth.
The Invitation
So here's my invitation to you: Come expecting to be changed. Come ready to have your assumptions challenged and your heart stirred. Come prepared to discover that following Jesus is more radical and more beautiful than you ever imagined.
Bring your skepticism and your questions. Bring your failures and your longings. Bring your fear of what it might cost to actually live this way. Jesus has room for all of it.
Because here's what I believe with everything in me: the world doesn't need more people who simply know about Jesus. The world needs people who look like Jesus. Who love like Jesus. Who live like Jesus.
The world needs kingdom culture.
And that starts with us. That starts with you. That starts right here, right now, in this little corner of Naperville where God has planted us.
From my heart,
Pastor Tara Beth
There's something stirring in me these days. Something restless and urgent and full of holy longing.
Maybe it's the way the world seems to be fracturing around us. The headlines that make our hearts heavy, the divisions that run through families and friendships, the way cynicism has become our default and kindness feels radical. Maybe it's the conversations I've been having with so many of you who are tired of surface-level faith, who are hungry for something deeper, something that actually transforms how we live Monday through Saturday.
Or maybe it's simply this: I've been spending time in the Sermon on the Mount again, and Jesus won't let me go.
When Jesus Went Up the Mountain
Picture this with me for a moment. Jesus sees the crowds. People desperate for hope, longing for direction, exhausted by religious systems that burden instead of bless. And what does he do? He goes up a mountain. Just like Moses did centuries before. And from that mountain, he begins to teach.
But this isn't just any teaching. This is revolution wrapped in blessing. This is the manifesto of an upside-down kingdom where the poor in spirit inherit everything, where peacemakers are called children of God, where enemies become neighbors and neighbors become family.
This is Jesus saying, "Everything you thought you knew about how life works? Let me show you a different way."
The Audacious Claim
Here's what takes my breath away every time I read it: Jesus doesn't just give good advice from that mountain. He positions himself as the ultimate authority. He says, "You have heard it said... but I say to you." Over and over again.
Do you realize how audacious that is? Moses came down from Mount Sinai saying, "Thus says the Lord." Jesus speaks from his mountain saying, "I say."
He's claiming something breathtaking: that he is the fulfillment of everything God has been doing since the beginning. That all the law and the prophets find their completion in him. That he—this carpenter from Nazareth—is the climax of God's rescue operation for the world.
And then he calls us to follow him. Not just to admire his teaching or appreciate his wisdom, but to actually live this way. To embody this kingdom culture in a world that operates by completely different rules.
What We're After
Starting this Sunday, we're diving deep into the Sermon on the Mount together. But this isn't going to be a gentle stroll through familiar passages. This is going to be an excavation of what it really means to live as citizens of God's kingdom in 2025.
We're going to wrestle with what it looks like to be people who:
- Actually turn the other cheek in a culture of retaliation
- Love our enemies in a time of increasing polarization
- Give generously in an economy of scarcity
- Tell the truth in an age of spin
- Seek God's kingdom first when everything else screams for our attention
We're going to explore how the Beatitudes aren't just beautiful poetry but a blueprint for human flourishing. How Jesus' teachings on anger and lust and worry aren't restrictive rules but invitations to freedom. How his words about prayer and fasting and giving aren't religious obligations but pathways to intimacy with God.
The Beautiful Difficulty
I won't lie to you. This is going to be challenging. Kingdom culture isn't natural to us. It cuts against every instinct of self-preservation and self-promotion that our world has trained into us.
It's difficult to bless those who curse you when your flesh wants to fight back. It's difficult to be generous when your bank account feels thin. It's difficult to trust God with your reputation when people misunderstand your motives. It's difficult to choose peace when everyone around you is choosing sides.
But here's what I'm learning: the difficulty is also the beauty. Because when we live this way, when we actually embody kingdom culture, something miraculous happens. We become living demonstrations of what God is really like. We become answers to prayers people didn't even know they were praying.
The Grace That Changes Everything
And here's the most beautiful part: we don't do this alone. The same Jesus who teaches from the mountain is the one who walks with us through the valley. The one who calls us to this radical way of life is also the one who empowers us to live it.
When we mess up (and we will), his grace is there. When we forget (and we will), his forgiveness is there. When we doubt (and we will), his patience is there.
This isn't about white-knuckling our way to righteousness. This is about learning to say yes to Jesus moment by moment, drawing from his strength, depending on his love, trusting in his presence.
My Confession
Can I be vulnerable with you for a moment? I need this series as much as anyone. Maybe more.
I find myself caught between kingdom values and cultural pressures more often than I'd like to admit. I struggle with anxiety when Jesus calls me to trust. I wrestle with forgiveness when my heart wants to hold grudges. I battle the temptation to measure my worth by the metrics of success instead of the heart of God.
I'm preaching to myself as much as I'm preaching to you. We're all learning together what it means to live as citizens of heaven while we're still residents of earth.
The Invitation
So here's my invitation to you: Come expecting to be changed. Come ready to have your assumptions challenged and your heart stirred. Come prepared to discover that following Jesus is more radical and more beautiful than you ever imagined.
Bring your skepticism and your questions. Bring your failures and your longings. Bring your fear of what it might cost to actually live this way. Jesus has room for all of it.
Because here's what I believe with everything in me: the world doesn't need more people who simply know about Jesus. The world needs people who look like Jesus. Who love like Jesus. Who live like Jesus.
The world needs kingdom culture.
And that starts with us. That starts with you. That starts right here, right now, in this little corner of Naperville where God has planted us.
From my heart,
Pastor Tara Beth
Posted in Shepherds Heart