1. Jesus: Model of Morality

2. Jesus confronted people about injustices and called people to repentance. The central theme of Jesus preaching was the Kingdom of God. Representations of the Kingdom include the Heavenly Banquet, the Pearl of Great Price and Yeast. We share in the work of building up the Kingdom of God through our call to service in the model of Jesus.

3. We see examples of the hard sayings of Jesus in the Beatitudes, the re-interpretation of the Law and Jesus views on the Last Judgment. What makes these examples of other hard sayings difficult for todays times? Matthew 5:14-16 Mark 8:34 Luke 6:36 Luke 21:12 John 15:12 Who are the hard sayings meant for today?

4. How the Beatitudes Affect our Moral Decisions

5. We need to trust that God will provide for all our needs. Material things should not and cannot rule our lives. It is not a bad thing to have money and possessions… It is only bad to want possessions more than the important things in life.

6. Anyone who suffers will find consolation. Hardships handled with patience will be blessed.

7. In all that we do God asks for us to be humble. Never allow your pride to get you caught up in a meaningless argument We should always fight for peace and nonviolence

8. We should involve ourselves in actions and organizations that try to help others. We should always try to help the poor. We should always try to promote the equality of all human beings. We should always try to let faith be the guiding light in our lives.

9. We are called to be a forgiving people… No matter how many times we are asked for forgiveness. We should humbly ask for the forgiveness of others when we hurt them. We should show mercy to all those in need.

10. We are called to love God with our whole heart, soul, mind and body. We are called to love our neighbor as ourselves and become an icon of Gods love to them. We are called to live our lives as temples of God. We are called to remember that our body, mind and soul have been given to us by God. We are called to live our lives as moral creatures.

11. We should promote peace in our families, communities and world. We should be loving and accepting to all people regardless of their race, creed, nationality, gender or religion. We should practice a non-violent and non- abusive lifestyle.

12. We are called to be willing to suffer for doing the right thing. We are called to sometimes accept even verbal, mental, emotional and physical abuse as a consequence of living a holy and righteous life. We are promised heaven for a life lived in service to Gods will.