Let’s talk about the news. What weighs on your hearts as you read, watch, or listen to the news lately?
Notice how much of our concern and frustration over the news has to do with our care for others, our sense of empathy, and our desire to transform injustice. These are ideals that are deeply rooted in our faith because they are part of the way we have heard and understood the story of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. We hear this again in a powerful way in our Gospel story today.
We tend to refer to the themes of today’s story as the BeAttitudes, the ideals which are supposed to drive our relationships with the world. Let’s look at each of these again. Who does each of these ideals make us think of and how does this impact how we see these individuals?
- Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
- Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
- Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
- Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
- Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
- Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
- Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
- Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
- Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Notice how these ideals include so many of those for whom we are concerned about in the news right now. These also can include us. In this message Jesus reminds us that blessings are abundant. God’s gifts are more than we can ask or imagine. May we be generous in sharing our gifts so that we may be a blessing to those in need as we are continually blessed. This we pray as we sing: (VT) 712 Beauty for Brokenness