Beatitudes

Yesterday in my sermon on the Beatitudes from the Sermon on the Mount, I said I would post on my blog a couple of things that I used. This comes from a website called Empire Remixed.com and has this introduction.

In a recent sermon at Wine Before Breakfast, Joe AC, pastoral director of Parkdale Neighbourhood Church in Toronto concluded with these modern day Beatitudes from the perspective of our contemporary, self-satisfied church culture.

The Beatitudes of Our Current Church Culture
By Joe Abby-Colborne

Blessed are the well off and those
with ready answers for every spiritual question;
they have it all.

Blessed are the comfortable;
they shall avoid grief.

Blessed are the self-sufficient;
they wait for nothing, they have everything they want,
and they have it now.

Blessed are those who are not troubled by
the injustice experienced by others;
they are content with realistic expectations.

Blessed are the ones who gain the upper hand;
they take full advantage of their advantages.

Blessed are those with a solid public image
and a well hidden agenda;
they are never exposed and see people
in a way that suits their purposes.

Blessed are those who can bully others into agreement;
they shall be called empire builders.

Blessed are those who can point to someone else
who is a worse person than they are,
they will always look good by comparison.

 Blessed are you when people praise you,
give you preferential treatment,
and flatter you because they think you’re so great.

Rejoice and be exceedingly glad,
because it doesn’t get any better than this.

This is the way our culture has always made celebrities of the best and brightest.
I concluded my sermon with a reflection I got from the Sojourner’s website that has preaching resources for using the Lectionary. On the website, it had the following introduction:
What follows is an examination of conscience and consciousness based on the beatitudes. It makes sense only if we truly believe that the teachings of Jesus have practical applicability in the world in which each of us lives and breathes. If we admit that relevance, we will find enough power in our fidelity to these counsels to renew the face of the earth.

The following is part of a larger article entitled Places Of Repentance. by Doris Donnelly. Sojourners Magazine, March 1984

1. "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Do I fear being poor, in spirit or otherwise, and prefer to be rich in brains, money, or influence? Do I use the word of God to rationalize my lifestyle, or am I willing to have God's word criticize it? Do I cling to my own ideas, opinions, and judgments sometimes to the point of idolatry?

2. "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." Do I grieve over loneliness, despair, guilt, and rejection in the lives of others? Do I minister consolation and healing, or do I encourage people to have courage, thereby avoiding the opportunity to mourn with another?

3. "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." Do I understand meekness as the way to fight evil with good, and do I choose to live that way? How much are intimidation and force part of my lifestyle and of those around me?

4. "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall he satisfied." Have I kept myself ignorant of important current events that impinge on the misuse of justice? Are my energies and passions focused on Christ, or are they scattered, disordered, divided? Have I decided that I will not be satisfied until justice is fulfilled in my own life, within my family, my church, my community, my world?

5. "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy." Do I operate on a double standard of expecting mercy but not wanting to grant it? Do I prefer the strict law and order approach, or that of mercy, tenderness, and compassion? Are there places in my life where people are suffering because of me and my unforgiving attitude?

6. "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." Am I trusting and trustful? Do I value living without pretense, or am I constantly fearful that someone will take advantage of me?

7. "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God." Am I eager for reconciliation, or do I antagonize and yearn for revenge? Do I think apologizing is a sign of weakness? Am I willing to be a bridge in family and community arguments? Do I support violence in films, television, or sports?

8. "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." Who are my heroes? Are there any among them who gave their lives without vengeance for what is true? Would I be willing to do the same? Do I worship security and fear costly discipleship?

9. "Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven." Do I live confident of the promises of Jesus? Do I surrender to pessimism and anxiety or do I perceive that there is a paradoxical victory in the cross of Jesus that breaks through power structures and conquers in peace and love?

Snow & Epiphany

I look out of my office window this late January day and see a gray sky with more snow falling on a blanket of snow that has been here over three weeks. We haven’t been pummeled with a major snow storm but it seems like we have had snow on the ground an abnormally long time. It also seems like each day has a little bit of new snow that needs to be cleared off from the drive ways and walk ways. I certainly enjoyed the beauty of the snow in the mountains of Colorado but I admit that I am getting a bit weary of the ever present snow this winter in Pandora. The present temperatures are not all that cold but it would be nice to have just a couple of days in the 50’s or even 60’s. I missed those temperatures at the beginning of this month. When growing up in Kansas, it always seemed that we would get a few breaks from the frigid weather. I remember even having a picnic in January one year. Ohio winters seem to seldom have warm weather breaks like that.

In the darkness and dreariness of winter we need a reminder of the Light that has come to our world in the person of Jesus Christ. Epiphany is the liturgical season of the church that is known as the season of light and revelation. Epiphany begins on January 6 when the magi following the light of the star are celebrated and continues until Lent begins on Ash Wednesday (March 9 in 2011).

A key passage for Epiphany is Isaiah 60:1-3

Arise, shine, for your light has come,

and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.

See, darkness covers the earth

and thick darkness is over the peoples,

but the LORD rises upon you

and his glory appears over you.

Nations will come to your light,

and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

Jesus is the light of the world! In this season of cold darkness, we need to remind ourselves of that fact. Even though it is dark and cold outside and it seems as if winter will never end we can walk in the light of Jesus Christ. We also can bring the light of Christ to others who are walking in darkness.

The first part of the Sermon of the Mount will be the focus of our worship services during February. After the call of the first disciples in Matthew 4, Jesus explains what his kingdom is all about in this great teaching section of Matthew 5, 6 and 7.

May the Light of Jesus Christ and his Kingdom show us the way in the darkness and gloom of this winter. May each one of us share the Light of Christ to those who for some reason or another find themselves in darkness.