Weak to Be Strong

Weak to be Strong
Finding God at the End of Your Rope - Part 7
Easter Sunday, March 31, 2024
Matthew 27:62-28:15, 2 Corinthians 1:3-11

The next day, which was the day after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate.  They said, “Sir, we remember that while that deceiver was still alive he said, ‘After three days I will arise.’  Therefore, order the grave to be sealed until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people, ‘He’s been raised from the dead.’ This last deception will be worse than the first.”

Matthew 27:62-64

If the authorities were terrified of a dead savior, who they were convinced could not truly have risen from the grave, how is it that a living savior who we believe is alive in us be so easily ignored by the world?  Could it be that a dead Savior held more power over them than a living savior holds over us? 

In Matthew 28, we find the soldiers spreading the lie that they had fallen asleep and that the disciples indeed did steal the body.  What could possibly drive a Roman Soldier to "admit" that he fell asleep on duty, let alone an entire guard unit?  Such failure carried serious consequences, perhaps even death, which is why they depended on bribes from the Sanhedrin to save their own necks.  

Even though Jesus’ enemies did not believe in the resurrection itself, they absolutely believed in the power of the idea of a resurrection, and it brought them to their knees and left them scrambling to cover up the evidence at any cost.  We believe in the resurrection, or at least we say we do, but somehow, we don’t live as if we believe it has any power or meaning.

For the disciples, this truth had the power to turn their very lives upside down… it gave them the boldness to risk everything and defy the very world which held over them the same power of life and death they had held over Jesus.  Almost every one of them was so absolutely confident in the power of the resurrection, that they preached it even in the face of their own executions.  Like Jesus, the disciples were loved by many who believed, but were very much despised, rejected and hated by the world as a whole.  They suffered imprisonment, abuse of every kind, and even death at the hands of both the religious leaders and Rome itself.  But no matter how badly they were treated, they absolutely could not be ignored, because the power of the Risen Christ lived within them?

The power of the resurrection is easily stripped away by familiarity, as if it were just another good story.  But this year, will we allow ourselves to look deeper into our weakness, deeper into the graves in our lives, and tremble with fear and joy that God has overcome the grave.  If Christ is still dead… then we are still dead in our sins… but if Christ is alive, then the Resurrected King is resurrecting us… unraveling the grave-clothes of sin that have held us in the tomb for so long and sending us forth to declare His victory!

The final question for us…

Does the reality of a Risen Savior affect our lives as much as the mere idea of a Risen Savior affected the authorities of Jesus’ day?

When someone looks at you and the way you live out your faith, would they conclude that Christ is alive or dead?  And would they have any reason to believe that it matters?  We may be loved or we may be hated, but if Christ truly lives within us… we cannot be ignored! 

We cannot simply walk away as if it’s just another good story.  In any age… a “dead man walking” demands a response from everyone who hears. 

How do you respond to the Good News that Christ the Lord is Risen Today?  Perhaps with joy, perhaps with fear… but indifference is simply not an option.  As you walk away from the empty tomb this week, what will you do with the Risen Christ?

The Gift of Simplicity

The Gift of Simplicity

Simple Gifts - Part 2

Sunday, December 10, 2023
Matthew 6:19-21, Luke 3:8-14, Philippians 4:4-13

Stop collecting treasures for your own benefit on earth, where moth and rust eat them and where thieves break in and steal them. Instead, collect treasures for yourselves in heaven, where moth and rust don’t eat them and where thieves don’t break in and steal them.  Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

 Matthew 6:19-21 (CEB)

Listen to this Week’s Sermon here:

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Growing up in Baltimore, I remember fondly our annual Thanksgiving weekend trips to the snowy Christmas Tree Farm toward Pennsylvania, hiking through the fresh pines, taking in the wonderful scent, cutting the best one with a hacksaw and laying it on the conveyor to be wrapped up tightly in a net before putting it on the top of the car for the long drive home.  When we moved to Florida, we stopped buying real trees.  It’s not quite the same picking them up from out front of a grocery store. 

They say artificial trees last an average of 5 to 10 years.  Given the price of real trees, that’s not a bad investment. In November of 2000, McKenzie and I set off to Wal-mart to pick up a few decorations for our first Christmas together.  We had only been married 6  months and couldn’t afford much, but my one condition was that a Christmas tree had to be taller than me.  We found a 7.5 foot artificial Donner Fir for $79.74.  At the time, this was a pretty big investment for our budget, but 24 Christmases later, it is still the focal point of our living room from Thanksgiving to Epiphany.  So far, that investment has averaged out to $3.32 per year.  That tree has moved from a 1 bedroom apartment, to a double-wide trailer, to a small campus dorm style apartment in seminary, to 3 parsonages between Kentucky and North Carolina, and now to a rental home in Concord.  Every year it seems to lose more needles than it originally had, and yet somehow it is just as beautiful as that first Christmas.  A few years ago we talked about replacing it, but then we saw at a store how poinsettias could easily fill in a few bare spots.  We’ve moved from trying to find the cheapest one we could to being content with it each year and now to the point where we really never want to give it up.  It, along with the random collection of ornaments that trace our entire family history, have become part of our family. 

So what in the world does this nostalgic story of an artificial Wal-mart Christmas tree have to do with Advent or with scripture?  Well, maybe nothing… on the other hand, maybe everything.  For us, this tree along with the small nativity and two tiny wreaths we bought that first Christmas have served as a beautiful reminder of the simplicity we long for in this often hectic season.  They are no longer decorations just to put something up for Christmas, but have become symbols of what really matters most.  There have been some hard times and very challenging Christmases over these 24 years, and this tree has seen them all.  It’s branches hold space to remember the beauty in every season, no matter how hard it got. 

I wonder, what Christmas decoration or tradition might hold that kind of simple wonder for you? 

What little thing each year, that might go unnoticed by others, holds space for the deepest treasures of your heart? 

Back to Church

Back to Church?

Now What? - Part 2

Sunday, August 20, 2023
Matthew 4:18-22, 10:1-8a

 As you go, make this announcement: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’  Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those with skin diseases, and throw out demons. You received without having to pay. Therefore, give without demanding payment.

Matthew 10:7-8

Listen to this Week’s Sermon here:

(note: My wife Rev. McKenzie Sefa & I are presently preaching the same series at our respective congregations. Due to some recording difficulty at my church, I have included her version of this week’s message below. Enjoy!)

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There is no question that the global pandemic of 2020 and 2021 had a significant impact on the way we do “church.”  In some ways, the ongoing move toward building online communities for worship, study and prayer has made church more accessible for many who were previously unable to participate due to health issues, job schedules, etc.  On the other hand, there is something about gathering together in person that can’t quite be replicated, no matter how good our online offerings may be.  I have heard from laity and clergy alike over these past few years that it’s time to stop making our services and bible studies available online because we need to “get people back in church.”

There are a few problems with this theory, well-intentioned as it may be.

1. Eliminating online offerings cuts off people including shut-ins who are not otherwise able to participate.

2. There will always be online opportunities for people to choose from.  People are less likely to return to “our church” than they are to simply find another one to watch online.

3. Though we may like to blame the pandemic for our lower attendance, the truth is that church attendance in the U.S. has been in rapid decline for over two decades.  The pandemic may have sped up the process a bit, but going back to the way things were before 2020 will not address the real problems.

As of 2019, Gallup polls report that only 46% of Americans belong to a house of worship (of any religion).  This is the first time since the 1930’s that the number has dropped under 50%.  What’s more, only 30 to 35% actually attend religious services at least once or twice per month, so “belonging” to a religious institution does not always translate to participation and attendance.  Furthermore, those who identify as “nones” or having no religious affiliation has risen to between 20% and 30% depending on the study. 

This may sound like bad news for the church, but I would argue that it may actually be good news in at least two ways.

1. It is a reality check that we can’t blame any one thing for our decline and it invites us to look at ourselves more closely to evaluate why so many have felt disconnected from our congregations for so long.

2. More importantly, it gives us an opportunity to rethink our metrics.  What if physical attendance in a religious service for one hour a week is not the marker of faith we thought it was?  What if God is at work in people’s lives outside our budlings the other 167 hours of the week as well, and dare we say, even among those who will never darken our doors.

What if getting people in church was never the point? 

Jesus doesn’t gather people to worship him and pray to him.  He gathers them to teach them, to equip them, and to send them out to heal the sick, to cast out demons and even to raise the dead. 

May we go out from our church buildings and do the same.

#BeUMC - Following Christ

Following Christ

#BeUMC - Part 3

Sunday, July 9, 2023
Matthew 28:16-20, Philippians 4:8-9, Colossians 3:12-17

Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything that I’ve commanded you. Look, I myself will be with you every day until the end of this present age.

Matthew 28:19-20

And over all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.  The peace of Christ must control your hearts—a peace into which you were called in one body. And be thankful people.  The word of Christ must live in you richly. Teach and warn each other with all wisdom by singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing to God with gratitude in your hearts.  Whatever you do, whether in speech or action, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus and give thanks to God the Father through him.

Colossians 3:14-17

Listen to this Week’s Sermon here:

Most of us are familiar with the Great Commission - “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything that I’ve commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20a).  It’s easy to think of “making disciples” in terms of teaching, peaching, baptizing, etc.  In other words, this is the role of pastors, Sunday School teachers, small group leaders, Christian Educators and others in some form of vocational ministry who are trained to preach and teach and baptize. 

When we turn to the rest of the New Testament, however, we clearly see that the role of making disciples is not actually limited to the apostles.  Rather, it is the work of the apostles to continually equip others to do the work of making disciples.  If we want to know whose job it is to make disciples, the answer is simple… other disciples.  Part of discipleship is multiplication.  Disciples naturally make other disciples because that’s how Jesus and his followers taught us as we have been discipled.

“But,” you might say, “I can’t teach or baptize.  I don’t know enough.  What if I don’t have the right answers? 

Let me encourage you now, you don’t know enough and you don’t have all the right answers.  Neither do I.  Neither did Billy Graham or Mother Theresa or Peter or Paul.  And neither has any disciple or disciple-maker throughout history.  Our task is simply to pass on what Jesus has taught us.  The best way to do this is not by passing on our knowledge of Jesus to others, but by  modeling by example the way of life Jesus taught us to live. 

Paul writes that as Christians, as followers of Christ, as disciples, we must “put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.”  We must be tolerant with each other and forgive each other as Christ forgave us.  We must live in the unity of love, encouraging and building one another up in the name of Christ with a spirit of gratitude and praise. 

In other words, making disciples is less about what  we do, or what we say, and more about who we are and our way of being in the world.  When we “put on Christ,” or to put it another way, when we allow the Spirit to remake us in Christ’s likeness, our natural way of life will be so beautiful and compelling to others that they will want more of these Christlike attributes in their own life as well.  As we grow together in developing Christlike character and love, our fruit continues to multiply and bear more fruit.  We don’t make disciples by trying to convince people that they need to think or believe everything exactly like us.  We make disciples by living out Jesus’ example of love so that others will want to follow, just as we have chosen to follow Christ. 

So here’s the big question: Do we hang our Christian discipleship more on the fact that we “believe” in Jesus, or on the fact that we are actually following his teaching?  And which one do others most see in us?

Jesus as Teacher

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Jesus as Teacher
Series: Meeting Jesus Again - Part 2
2023 - A Lenten Journey

Matthew

(based on the book Freeing Jesus, by Diana Butler Bass)

When Jesus finished these words, the crowds were amazed at his teaching because he was teaching them like someone with authority and not like their legal experts.

Matthew 7:28-29 (CEB)

Listen to this week’s sermon here:

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In recent years, American teachers have been caught in the crossfire of culture wars.  By any objective standard, they are underpaid and underfunded in the classroom while at the same time navigating constant attacks from parents and politicians telling them exactly how they can and can’t do their job.  School board meetings across the nation are often more contentious, and even violent, than congress.  On the whole, it would seem that teachers are among the most under appreciated and undervalued members of our society.

Christians were once on the front lines of supporting public education, believing that everybody regardless of race, gender, geography, or economic means, should have access to high quality learning.  These days, many Christian communities support a move away from public schools toward private religious education, homeschooling, and other means of keeping their children separated from the growing diversity in the culture around us. 

So what does all of this have to do with Jesus?  Quite a bit, actually, if we are willing to acknowledge Jesus as rabbi or teacher.

I’ve heard people condemn the idea of Jesus as teacher for the same reason they struggle with Jesus as a friend.  Many feel these roles are beneath Jesus.  He is Lord and God or he is nothing.  In our well intentioned attempts to keep Jesus elevated on his throne in heaven, I wonder if we’ve missed the whole point of why Jesus came in the first place.  He didn’t come on a white horse in the clouds to enforce his Kingship.  He came among the poor and the lowly as a friend and teacher, that all might have access to the God who loved them more than they could ever imagine.  He came not just so people would “believe in him” and get into heaven, but to teach us how to make the heavenly kingdom a reality on earth. 

I can’t help but wonder if the diminished value of teachers in our society has also contributed to our diminished respect for Jesus as our teacher.  Don’t get me wrong.  We love Jesus.  We worship Jesus.  We believe in Jesus.  We are grateful that Jesus forgives our sin.  But when it really comes down to it, do we really listen to him as our teacher?

He said to them, “Do you know what I’ve done for you? You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you speak correctly, because I am.  If I, your Lord and teacher, have washed your feet, you too must wash each other’s feet.

John 13:12-14

Are we willing to follow his teachings? 

Are we willing to serve and wash the feet of others, even our enemies, as he taught us to do by his own example?

Teachers were once highly respected.  We hung on their every word, not only the curriculum they taught, but on their example as role models in our lives.  Perhaps we should work to re-establish the honored position of teachers in our society, and while we’re at it, maybe it’s time we let Jesus be our teacher as well.

What if Jesus really meant everything he said? 

And what if we really trusted and obeyed?

Seeing Beyond the Frame

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Seeing Beyond the Frame
Series: Called - Part 6
Matthew 17:1-9

While he was still speaking, look, a bright cloud overshadowed them. A voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son whom I dearly love. I am very pleased with him.

Listen to him!” 

Matthew 17:5 (CEB)

Listen to this week’s sermon here:

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Jesus has called his disciples and they have followed him for nearly three years.  They have hung on every word, shared in his ministry of healing and reconciliation, seen countless miracles, and generally committed their lives to his teachings.  So why now, after three years of dedicated discipleship, do they finally hear a voice from heaven?  And why, of all things God could say in this supernatural vision, are they reminded to “listen to him?” 

In the previous chapter we find Peter declaring exactly what this heavenly voice says.  “Jesus, you are the son of God.”  They already knew.  If they hadn’t been listening to him, Peter could have never come to such a conclusion and they wouldn’t be on the mountain in the first place.

It’s one thing to listen to Jesus when all is going well.  It’s easy to listen when we are reveling in the affirmation of the crowds that are growing every day as more and more people are fed and healed.  It’s easy to listen when  we are secure in the knowledge that Jesus can calm any storm and even death is no match for his power and authority.  It’s easy to listen when it seems like everything is under control and nothing can stop us from establishing God’s kingdom on earth.  But when all is going well, are we really listening to Jesus?  Or could it be that we are listening to that voice that tempted Jesus in the wilderness, promising ongoing approval and affirmation, comfort and security, power and control?

This mountaintop experience with Jesus comes right on the heals of a cryptic teaching about being willing to lose one’s life in order to save themselves.  Jesus has already realized that his death was both inevitable and immanent.  They could not stay on the mountain and the valley into which they would descend was quite literally the valley of the shadow of death the Psalmist so eloquently describes. 

So here’s the big question.  Will we listen to Jesus when the direction he leads leaves us powerless and weak?  Will we listen to Jesus when there is no promise of security or even survival?  Will we listen to Jesus when we not only lose the approval of the crowds, but even when we face outright rejection as their shouts of “Alleluia” turn to enraged chants of “Crucify!”

God has a way of showing up in our lives in the moments we most need it, even when we don’t recognize it.  The disciples had no idea what was coming, but their need to truly listen to and trust in Jesus would be more crucial and more challenging than ever.  They didn’t always get it right.  A few would still argue over who would be the greatest in the kingdom.  Some would deny and betray him.  Others would simply fall asleep or walk away.

In the end, that mountaintop experience would pale in comparison to the glory they would see when he showed up in a locked room and held out his nail scarred hands saying, “Do not be afraid.”  It’s hard to listen when you are being led straight to a cross and a grave. 

As you walk through the valleys of your own life, are you listening for the voices of security, approval and control, or to the voice of Jesus, son of God?

Holiness in Action

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Holiness in Action
Series: Called - Part 5
Matthew 5:21-48

You have heard that it was said to those who lived long ago, Don’t commit murder, and all who commit murder will be in danger of judgment.  But I say to you that everyone who is angry with their brother or sister will be in danger of judgment.

Matthew 5:21 (CEB)

Listen to this week’s sermon here:

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 “The Bible clearly says…” 

No, not really. 

We hear and even say such authoritative and absolute statements about scripture all the time, but if we’re really honest, our certainty is not in what the Bible actually says or means, but in the particular interpretation of particular scriptures we have been taught most of our lives.  It would not take long talking with people from different backgrounds or different denominations to realize that people interpret scripture in very different ways.  If the Bible was so absolutely clear we wouldn’t be arguing about infant vs. adult baptisms or whether women can preach or even whether God actually created everything in 6 literal 24 hour days only 6,000 years ago despite the overwhelming scientific evidence for a much older earth. 

The point is not to fight to the death about who is right or wrong on any given scripture, but rather to understand scripture on it’s own terms and not demanding that it answer modern questions that the Biblical writers never even thought about. 

This week we find Jesus himself reframing or perhaps even “re-interpreting” several core scriptures that people thought were absolutely clear, including a few of the ten commandments themselves like murder and adultery.  When we think of “right” interpretations, these verses are about as clear as it gets, or is it? 

You have heard it said, do not murder, but I say do not be angry… You have heard, do not commit adultery, but I say do not lust…

The list goes on, but Jesus is making a point about how we are to interpret scripture.  It’s not enough to stick to the letter of the law.  It’s about the heart.  We can obey all the commands, follow all the right worship practices and sacrifices, celebrate all the right festivals and do everything exactly as the Bible says and still completely miss the point.

Underneath of Jesus’ re-interpretation of scripture is a question of the heart, a question of motive, a question of relationships, and a question of love.  What good does it do that you chose not to kill someone if you treat them as if you wish they were dead?  What good does it do not to cheat on your spouse when you’re constantly thinking about being with someone else?  What good is it to honor an oath when you can simply avoid making an oath and get away with lying or breaking informal promises all you want?  How can we truly understand the unconditional love of God when we are always seeking revenge against those who hurt us? 

Maybe the point of scripture then, is not to give us a checklist of do’s and don’ts to keep us out of trouble with God, but rather a guide for cultivating loving, grace-filled, thriving communities of people who bear the image of God while honoring and celebrating the image of God in one another. 

What if we interpret scripture through the lens of loving God and loving others instead of using scripture to excuse the many ways we choose not to love?

Salt & Light

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Salt and Light
Series: Called - Part 4
Matthew 5:13-16

“Let me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth…

 … Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept.”

- Matthew 5:13a, 14a (MSG)

Listen to this week’s sermon here:

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In Jesus’ day salt was a precious commodity necessary for life, but not nearly as accessible to everyone as the salt shakers on our own kitchen tables.  Light, also, was crucial, especially in an agricultural society, but was of course limited primarily to set hours of natural daylight which changed throughout the year.

I wonder if something has been lost in Jesus’ metaphor in today’s culture where we are oversaturated with both salt and light.  An abundance of artificial light disrupts our circadian rhythms and can suppress our natural melatonin levels by up to 50%, causing trouble with sleep and a number of related health disorders.  Similarly, the CDC reports that nearly 90% of Americans 2 years old or older consume far too much sodium, with 70% of our salt intake coming from processed and restaurant foods often beyond our control.  Given the increase of high blood pressure and risk of heart attacks, strokes and other issues, doctors would rarely suggest that someone should consume more salt. 

Jesus says we are salt and light in a metaphorical sense, but cultural realities shape and change the way we understand such metaphors.  Could it be that in our world, people are craving a bit more darkness, an escape from light pollution, and a place to rest their eyes and their bodies?  Could it be that there is a movement to turn away from processed foods and lower salt intake to lower our blood pressure and increase our overall health?  If this is true, what implications might such a cultural oversaturation of salt and light have on our role as Jesus’ followers to be salt and light in the world?

I suggest that one of the biggest problems is that salt and light are found in overabundance in some places while lacking in others.  As Christians we tend to stay close to our own kind.  We gather all of our lights together in brightly lit sanctuaries, Christian concert venues, and other places those outside the faith would rarely come.  Perhaps these places have become so “bright” that most people simply avert their eyes as they would from a solar eclipse.  Instead of the welcoming light of a warm fire or candlelit space, they turn away squinting their eyes as we shine the spotlight on their differences or their “sin.” 

In the same way, we must remember that there is a big difference between being “salt” and being “salty.”  Too often the world finds Christians “salty.”  Rather than bringing out the natural beautiful flavors in this world God created and loves, we over salt and over season to the point where the feast of love and grace we have to offer becomes unrecognizable and unpalatable. 

Salt is valuable where the food is bland or where something needs to be preserved, but it does little good in the middle of the ocean when someone is dying of thirst.  Light is necessary to guide someone through the dark, but it does no good to shine a flashlight at the sun to help someone find their way. 

If we are to be useful as salt and light, perhaps we need to spend more time in the places it is most lacking.

#Blessed

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#Blessed
Series: Called - Part 3
Matthew 5:1-12

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

 Matthew 5:3 (NRSV)

Listen to this week’s sermon here:

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Blessings are tricky things.  We live in a culture where #Blessed is more about feeling lucky or fortunate in various circumstances ranging from a miraculous medical recovery all the way down to getting the latest pair of designer shoes.  It’s so commonplace it has almost become a joke, or at the very least a form of false humility when we really want to boast about something but publicly attribute it to some external blessing, presumably given to us by God.

The Beatitudes turn this idea of blessings on its head. 

Why? 

Precisely because those who Jesus calls blessed are the last people who would ever post #Blessed on their social media feed.  Consider the following contemporary framing of those Jesus calls blessed: 

• "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

  • Empty yourself and become humble, then receive a share in the responsibility for God's kingdom.

• "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted."

  • Out of care for God's world, mourn for the suffering of others and you will find comfort for your suffering.

• "Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth."

  • When you are comforted, become comforting to those who are suffering in your midst and you will inherit a share responsibility with God for those who are suffering.

• "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled."

  • When you inherit responsibility for those who suffer, you recognize when suffering is unjust. You will not be satisfied with what is unrighteous in the world until righteousness wins and God satisfies you with it.

• "Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy."

  • In being filled with righteousness and meekness, you will temper your zeal for righteousness with mercy, and in turn will be shown mercy.

• "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God."

  • When you receive mercy, your heart will be made pure and free from judgment and selfish intent, then you will experience the true nature of God.

• "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God."

  • When you experience the true nature of God, you will have peace and will share it with the world, then you will be called a child of God.

• "Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

  • When you are called a child of God, you can withstand all manner of pressures to swerve from the path of righteousness, you will experience beatitude.

When we consider the many ways we feel “blessed,” how do they compare with the way Jesus sees those who are truly “blessed”? 

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(source: The Beatitudes: An Eight-Fold Path - https://tcpc.ipbhost.com/topic/3644-the-beatitudes-an-eight-fold-path/)