We’ve just completed the middle portion of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew Chapter 6), which compellingly portrays the central life of one who lives squarely in relationship with God – who is Himself the “blessing” and the “reward” that Jesus speaks of.

At the very center of this middle piece of Jesus’ great Sermon we find the chief activity of the people of God: Prayer (v9-18). If the blessing and reward of the Kingdom is God Himself, then there can be no activity that can replace prayer as the chief duty and delight of Kingdom people, for prayer is where we join with God through a conversation of the heart.

Read Matthew 6:25-34 and do the exercises below:

• Reflect on a time when you believe God sovereignty provided for your needs in an unexpected way. Write it down or share it here.
• Think about the chain of events that had to occur in the example you brought to mind. How many people were involved?
• Read Acts 2:44-45 and 4:32-35. How are these passages a fulfillment of Jesus’ teachings here in Matthew 6?
• What would it take for that kind of community to be cultivated today? Who would benefit from that kind of community? Who wouldn’t benefit?

Read Matthew 6:19-24 and do the following exercises:

• What are the recurring words or themes in the three images Jesus uses?
• What are the parallels between this section and the previous teaching from this chapter on giving, prayer, and fasting (v1-18)?
• The best way to find out what you really “treasure” is to ask yourself what you spend most of your thoughts and time on – because these are the most expensive decisions of the heart. Take some time to write down a list of the things you genuinely pursue with passion. So, what do you pursue most? What needs to change?
• What if these three lessons (v19-24: treasures in heaven, the eyes are the lamp of the body, and serving two masters) are teaching exactly the same lesson as the passages that came immediately before (v1-18: giving, prayer, and fasting). What would that lesson be?
  

Today is our day to practice worship together. If you’re not part of the Ikon Community, get together with a group of friends and practice the following exercises:

• Eat together
• Receive communion together (choose a reading from John 6:43-58, or 2 Cor 11:23-26, a liturgical book like the Book of Common Prayer)
• Read all, or some portion of the beatitudes from Matthew 5:1-12 or Luke 6:17-26, together and share your experiences from your exercises this week
• Pray for anyone in need

Reflection day. Take time today to consider what you’ve been reading and studying all week.

Read Matthew 6:16-18 and do the exercises below:

• What is your experience with fasting? Have you had positive or negative experiences with this spiritual practice?
• What things in your life tend to distract you most from giving time and attention to your relationship with God? Food, entertainment, shopping, alcohol, gossip? What things do you tend to reach for first when you’re looking for comfort?
• Take some time to prayerfully consider fasting from something other than food. Pick something that tends to be an idol, an obsession, or an unhealthy escape from reality. Then, pick a length of time to abstain from that thing (1 day, 5 days, 10 days, etc.) and replace it with prayer time, either alone or with someone else. 

Read The Lord’s Prayer again (Matt 6:9-13) and do the exercises below:

In The Cotton Patch Version, Clarence Jordan transalates the Lord’s prayer like this:

Father of us, O Spiritual One

Your name be truly honored.

Your kingdom spread, your will prevail

Through earth, as through the heavens.

Sustaining bread grant us each day.

Forgive our debts as we forgive

The debts of all who cannot pay.

And from confusion keep us clear;

Deliver us from evil’s sway.

Read Matthew 6:9-15 and do the exercises below:

• The first lines of the Lord’s prayer begin with “O father in heaven, we revere your name.” By doing this Jesus characterizes God as both more accessible (”O father”) and more holy (”we revere your name”) at the same time. What does the concept of fatherhood, at it’s very best, mean to you? Who do you know that embodies good fatherhood?
• What does it mean to revere or honor someone?
• Take time to pray through this first line of the Lord’s Prayer: pray to God, imagining him as a great and good father and bring him your honor, reverence, and praise in whatever way seems fitting. Consider reading Psalm 145 out loud as a prayer.

Read Matthew 6:5-8 and do the exercises below:

• How is your private prayer different from your public prayer?
• Jesus says “do not keep babbling” (v7). In Jesus’ day a common pagan belief was that the gods could be worn down or overcome by incessant words in prayer. At the heart of this belief is the idea that we can gain control over God by praying the right way. What other approaches to prayer have you heard that basically teach this same idea (that if we’ll only learn to pray the right way God will do what we want)?
• What do you think Jesus means by, “I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full” (v5)? What is the “reward” he’s referring to? What does this teach us about God and the spiritual life?

Read Matthew 6:1-4 and do the exercises below.

• Read through this passage several times and circle (or note) the words that are repeated. What are they?
• The NIV Disciple’s Study Bible contains the following comment on this passage: “God will ultimately reward those who meet the needs of others without thought of personal gain.” However, if Jesus wants us to give selflessly, why does he induce us to do so with the promise of a “reward?” Isn’t that, by definition, a motivation for personal gain?
• What is the reward? Is it selfish to pursue it or not?