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1 When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying: 3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 "Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 6 "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 7 "Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. 8 "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 9 "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. 10 "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 "Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matthew 5:1-12 NRSV)
Happy Monday, Friend. I pray the blessings of the weekend were great in your spirit. Nellie and I enjoyed our time with the fine people of St. Luke's UMC in Corpus Christi. They are very welcoming people, and we rejoiced being with them for the two Sunday morning services. And I was late! In my aging mind I was sure the worship service started at 9:30, but as we cooly entered the church at 9:10 we find Lisa, the pastor's wife, with a relieved face. She joked about the praise band being worried they would have to vamp for unknown minutes. She also said, "Well, if you didn't have a way to start the sermon you have one now." And I did. I said, "This was a test of faith. I know most of you were worried that one of you might get called on to preach!" And several nodded in agreement. As we pray in our time this morning, please remember Mr. Bud DeHaven, father of The Rev. Brad DeHaven, the senior pastor of St. Luke's UMC, who undergoes his second chemo treatment in San Antonio.
At the very beginning of His ministry, Jesus lays out a plan for life that was at that point never heard of before. Truth be told, all of His ministry covered areas and experiences that the world did not expect and sadly, still does not completely understand. The reality of life addressed by the new way as Jesus knew it could and would be. Let's look at these step by step, with faith eyes and trust in Jesus.
The first reality was a spiritual one. The way the Church in Jesus' day was addressing hope; okay it wasn't. People were living in hopelessness and the church was not addressing it at all. The Church, quite frankly was a judgmental institution insisting on condemning the sins of people rather than offering hope and forgiveness. So Jesus says, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Think on that for a minute. It's as if having stood outside the huge entrance into the holy of holies. All your life you have been told to stand right where you have stood, which is outside and quite forbidden from entering and now you are one of the owners with an all access pass. The shame and heaviness you've carried for all these years are no longer on your heart or mind; they've been erased, forgiven and forgotten.
Death was very common in Jesus' day; no medical care like today and you can only imagine that any little curable thing for us today would certainly bring about death quickly and unexpectedly. Mourning was common. And words of comfort were rare. Hope was not shared by the Church. It would be Jesus who would talk about what happened after death. Jesus is able to say, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted."
The Jews lived under Roman control during Jesus' day. They were in all reality, prisoners of war. They were not kept in confinement, but they were not as free as the Roman citizens. There were uprisings and rebellions, but for the most part, the safest way to live was a meek person. The definition of meek is not what we commonly hold it to be. We believe a meek person is usually a doormat for others to walk on. The true meaning of a meek person is one who knows when to get angry, and when to keep calm. The meek, Jesus says, will inherit the earth. No one will walk on those who own the earth.
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled." The people did not find nor hear about righteousness from the religious people, who knew about those things from the prophets in their Bible; but soon they would hear and see Jesus living out the prophetic things shared hundreds years ago.
The merciful would receive mercy.
The pure in heart would see God.
The peacemakers will be called children of God.
The persecuted for the sake of righteousness would also be owners of heaven.
The people reviled and persecuted who heard evil things hurled against them would be blessed.
And Jesus closed out this first part of His sermon with a message of hope; "Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."
Those who felt and truly were, left out and ignored, now heard a message of a new hope that included full inclusion and full participation in all things God. This invitation is still valid and includes you!
PRAYER: Loving God, thank You for letting Jesus speak to our needs. The times may be a bit different but our needs are still the same. We want to be a part of the kingdom of God and all that includes. Spark in us a new hope; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Spread the good news; God cares for you.
Receive my blessings of peace and love,
Pastor Eradio Valverde
