“This class is about the moral teaching of Jesus,” said the Rev. Dana Horell as he opened the first session of a seven-week series to discuss the book, “The Moral Teachings of Jesus,” by Mary Foskett. The topic is based on the Sermon on the Mount.
Jill Connor / The Citizen
Dana Harrell, the teacher for “The Moral Teachings of Jesus,” a class focusing on the Sermon on the Mount portion on the Bible, at the First United Methodist Church in Auburn, discusses with his class the attributes of a person who lives in a “Godly” way.
Dana Harrell, the teacher for “The Moral Teachings of Jesus,” a class focusing on the Sermon on the Mount portion on the Bible, at the First United Methodist Church in Auburn, discusses with his class the attributes of a person who lives in a “Godly” way.
“The Sermon on the Mount is only three chapters of the Gospel of Matthew, but it has been very resonant throughout history,” Horrell said that some of the most well-known religious and peace-minded scholars wrote about or were influenced by the sermon of Jesus, including Ghandi, Tolstoy and Martin Luther.
Horrell asked for examples of what being “Christ-like” means. The answers included loving, giving, forgiving and living rather than talking the commandments of God. When someone said this sounds like the definition of a loving person, Horrell agreed but added, “This is a description of ethics. Ethics includes everything we do.”
He elaborated and said that ethics does not just mean business, social, political or sexual ethics. “It means the whole of our life, and how we order society. Jesus wants us to look at our own lives and he gave us some principles to follow. He wants us to be the best that we can.”
Horrell, a man with a warm, friendly smile, is the pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church, whose congregation has been sharing the church building of the First United Methodist Church in Auburn since their church on Genesee Street was closed. He has been a pastor for the past 20 years.
He earned a master of divinity degree from Drew University and a doctor of philosophy from the University of Chicago. He served in the Ithaca area and also at Cornell University as part of the Eco-Justice Project.
The February 2008 church newsletter features a profile of Horrell, affectionately referred to as “Pastor Dana.” One of his favorite sayings is a parody of one of the lines from the Beatitudes, which are part of the larger Sermon on the Mount. “Blessed are the flexible, for they will never get bent out of shape.”
Horrell said he became a pastor because “I was on a search for meaning to study the humanities in college, theology at seminary and then to leadership in the parish. Like the wise men, my search goes on to this day.”
According to Horrell, Trinity and First United Methodist Churches have been growing close as a religious community.
“We're using the same building, we're worshipping together, and we're talking about merging,” he said.
Not making any distinction between the two congregations, Sharon Fehlman, a participant in the Moral Teachings class and the church's webmaster, said, “I'm very happy with this church. We want to reach out more into the community than we have in the past.” She invited anyone interested to visit the church Web site at www.fumcauburn.org.
The class on the Moral Teachings of Jesus will likely be followed by other topics. But Horrell wanted people to think beyond the familiar lines that many of them have learned since they were children. “The Sermon on the Mount gives us a vision about how to lead a Christian life, but there is a problem. It makes some very serious demands of us.” Quoting from the Gospel text, he said, “Jesus said our faith has to be greater than that of the scribes and Pharisees, and Jesus wants us to be perfect as he is perfect.”
Coming back to his starting point on ethics, Horrell said, “Ethics does not only cover conflicts between people, but conflicts within individuals. We are always making choices and decisions.”
The next class will take a close look at Matthew's account of the Sermon on the Mount.
If you go
What: “Moral Teachings of Jesus” class
When: 10:10 a.m. Sundays through March 9
Where: First United Methodist Church, 99 South St., Auburn
Cost: Free
For details: Call 253-6295
Horrell asked for examples of what being “Christ-like” means. The answers included loving, giving, forgiving and living rather than talking the commandments of God. When someone said this sounds like the definition of a loving person, Horrell agreed but added, “This is a description of ethics. Ethics includes everything we do.”
He elaborated and said that ethics does not just mean business, social, political or sexual ethics. “It means the whole of our life, and how we order society. Jesus wants us to look at our own lives and he gave us some principles to follow. He wants us to be the best that we can.”
Horrell, a man with a warm, friendly smile, is the pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church, whose congregation has been sharing the church building of the First United Methodist Church in Auburn since their church on Genesee Street was closed. He has been a pastor for the past 20 years.
He earned a master of divinity degree from Drew University and a doctor of philosophy from the University of Chicago. He served in the Ithaca area and also at Cornell University as part of the Eco-Justice Project.
The February 2008 church newsletter features a profile of Horrell, affectionately referred to as “Pastor Dana.” One of his favorite sayings is a parody of one of the lines from the Beatitudes, which are part of the larger Sermon on the Mount. “Blessed are the flexible, for they will never get bent out of shape.”
Horrell said he became a pastor because “I was on a search for meaning to study the humanities in college, theology at seminary and then to leadership in the parish. Like the wise men, my search goes on to this day.”
According to Horrell, Trinity and First United Methodist Churches have been growing close as a religious community.
“We're using the same building, we're worshipping together, and we're talking about merging,” he said.
Not making any distinction between the two congregations, Sharon Fehlman, a participant in the Moral Teachings class and the church's webmaster, said, “I'm very happy with this church. We want to reach out more into the community than we have in the past.” She invited anyone interested to visit the church Web site at www.fumcauburn.org.
The class on the Moral Teachings of Jesus will likely be followed by other topics. But Horrell wanted people to think beyond the familiar lines that many of them have learned since they were children. “The Sermon on the Mount gives us a vision about how to lead a Christian life, but there is a problem. It makes some very serious demands of us.” Quoting from the Gospel text, he said, “Jesus said our faith has to be greater than that of the scribes and Pharisees, and Jesus wants us to be perfect as he is perfect.”
Coming back to his starting point on ethics, Horrell said, “Ethics does not only cover conflicts between people, but conflicts within individuals. We are always making choices and decisions.”
The next class will take a close look at Matthew's account of the Sermon on the Mount.
If you go
What: “Moral Teachings of Jesus” class
When: 10:10 a.m. Sundays through March 9
Where: First United Methodist Church, 99 South St., Auburn
Cost: Free
For details: Call 253-6295
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