Following the Call: Living the Sermon on the Mount Together (edizione 2021)

Following the Call can be summed up nicely by its subtitle: Living the Sermon on the Mount Together. The Sermon on the Mount contains Jesus’ teaching on the Beatitudes. The book is a collection of reflections by well- and lesser-known writers on what the Beatitudes mean to us today and how to put them into practice. Most of the reflections include inspiring stories of how others have done so. The book emphasizes that it is meant to be read in community but for those who prefer to read it alone it works quite well as a devotional. There are group discussion questions in the back that can also be used for personal reflection.

Summary: A collection of 52 weeks of readings working through the Sermon on the Mount, meant to be discussed and lived out in community.

Back in 2016, I reviewed a collection of 52 readings from the same editor and publishing house, titled Called to Community. This book, similar in format, builds on that earlier collection.

Charles E. Moore has edited a collection of readings organized into 52 weeks of readings with contributions from a wide range of Christians throughout history, from Augustine to Tim Keller, from Martin Luther to Martin Luther King, Jr. The readings follow the Sermon on the Mount, section by section, portraying how a wide range of believers have understood and sought to live under this challenging message of Jesus.

A reading at the end of this collection of readings articulates the intent in creating this set of readings. Dietrich Bonhoeffer writes:

“This word, whose claim we recognize, this word, which issues from his saying ‘I have known thee,‘ this word which sets us at once to work and obedience, is the rock on which to build our house. The only proper response to this word which Jesus brings with him from eternity is simply to do it. Jesus has spoken: his is the word, ours the obedience. Only in the doing of it does the word of Jesus retain its honor, might, and power among us. Now the storm can rage over the house, but it cannot shatter that union with him, which his word has created” (p. 332).

The assumption throughout is that this is a kingdom manifesto, describing the way Jesus’s followers will actually live, rather than some unrealistic ideal. Furthermore, and this is emphasized in the subtitle, the Sermon on the Mount is meant to be lived together and the book is written to be discussed together. Each weeks readings, from one to four writers and covering five to eight pages, are meant to be read, along with the pertinent portion of the Sermon, in a small group. A study guide at the conclusion of the text offer several probing questions and additional scripture passages to aid discussion. The aim is that a group would help one another take steps to live out the Sermon week by week.

The readings are offered in four sections with an introductory article to each section by Moore. They are:

Kingdom Character (Matthew 5:1-16). A highlight in this section was the short reading from Oscar Romero on persecution. He observes: “It is very easy to be servants of the word without disturbing the world in any way” (p. 71).

Kingdom Commands (Matthew 5:17-48) Jen Wilkin writes on law and the place of obedience and offers this example: “We don’t train our children to obey us so that they can gain our favor. They already have our favor. We, being evil, train and equip them to obey because it is good and right and safe. And how much more does our heavenly Father love us?” (p. 87).

Kingdom Devotion (Matthew 6:1-18) William H. Willimon and Stanley Hauerwas offer these convicting words: “Those who are being formed by praying, ‘Our Father who art in heaven, holy be your name’ are not permitted to about the holiness of God by attempting to put a leash on God, then dragging God into our crusades and cruelties” (p. 195).

Kingdom Priorities (Matthew 6:19-7:28) Dallas Willard challenged my own understanding of the teaching about pearls before pigs: “Pigs cannot digest pearls, cannot nourish themselves upon them….The reason these animals will finally ‘turn and rend you’ when you one day step up to them with another load of Bibles or pearls, is that you at least are edible” (p. 287).

This is but a tiny sampling of the rich fare offered in these readings. You may wonder if you will find enough to discuss in the few pages and short passage for each week. I suspect once you get going, if there is good trust and spiritual openness among you, that you will find there isn’t enough time.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher via LibraryThing’s Early Reviewer program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. ( )

I enjoyed this collection of writings. Its focal point is from Matthew 5-7 and had a variety of writers and time periods. There's an index that tells a bit about each author which is a nice touch as all readers may not be familiar with them.

The writings vary in length and some are rather short but still useful fodder for discussion and thought. I liked the variety and the way the editor selected and edited the readings.

There's a discussion guide as well in case this is used in a study/discussion group. ( )

"Following the Call: Living the Sermon on the Mount Together," edited by Charles Moore, is a collection of writings centering around various aspects of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). The authors included in the book form a wide array of writers and span the period of time from the present all the way back to the first century AD. Some of the authors are widely known, and some less so, but the editor chose wisely when he included an index of the authors which tells when each lived and a bit about the person.

If one were to narrow down the gist of the book to just one them, I think it would be that of how do we live the type of life that Jesus called us to live. More than once the authors bring up the questions, "But how can I live like that? How can I live to such an expectation?" The answer is approached by each author in a different way, with the cumulative result being that the answer lies not in what we believe or in what we say, but rather the answer is in what we do.

The included writings really provide a tremendous volume of food for thought. Almost any one of the included writings, which range in length from a single paragraph to a few pages, could be the basis for a lengthy analysis. That could be in the form of personal reflection, or a group discussion. Again the editor has added value to the collection, by including a thorough discussion guide.

Whether for personal questioning or for a group, I recommend "Following the Call."

Disclosure: The reviewer received a free copy of the book via LibraryThing, but this was not contingent on writing a review. ( )