Beatitudes

Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up a mountain. He sat down and his disciples came to him. He taught them, saying:
“Happy are people who are hopeless, because the kingdom of heaven is theirs.
“Happy are people who grieve, because they will be made glad.
“Happy are people who are humble, because they will inherit the earth.
“Happy are people who are hungry and thirsty for righteousness, because they will be fed until they are full.
“Happy are people who show mercy, because they will receive mercy.
“Happy are people who have pure hearts, because they will see God.
“Happy are people who make peace, because they will be called God’s children.
“Happy are people whose lives are harassed because they are righteous, because the kingdom of heaven is theirs.
“Happy are you when people insult you and harass you and speak all kinds of bad and false things about you, all because of me. Be full of joy and be glad, because you have a great reward in heaven. In the same way, people harassed the prophets who came before you. (Matthew 5:1-12, CEB)

I currently live in a state where it is mandated that if the posters are supplied to the district, each classroom have a poster of the 10 Commandments posted. Now my thoughts when this arose were first to think of seperation of Church and State, and to wonder why other religions tennants would not be posted. But then, as I thought more, I wondered which version of the 10 Commandments would be listed. And from the videos I saw from the state legislature, the version is not the one we use as Lutherans. Oh, I guess I should pause and ask, did you know there were different versions of the 10 Commandments?

Also, I wondered why we are so keen on posting rules, even though those who are mandating the posting do not follow them, when this chapter might be better.

Why do we want rules when we should be thinking about tenants for living?

Especially now, in the United States, we see an administration hell-bent on rules and making sure that everyone belongs here and has come the correct way. We seem to be fixated on rules and doing things the right way. As a country, our administration is making it clear if you are not a white, male, born and bred in this country, you do not belong. Even if you have come correctly, you are still an outsider.

Jesus started the sermon on the mount by laying out God’s plan in which “God acts in the imperial world to favor not the privileged powerful but the oppressed poor, deprived of but struggling for justice.” (Warren Carter)

You see, in the United States, our administration is trying to enforce rules that will make us great. What will really make us great is to live in a way that lifts those Jesus came to lift and to see the children of God in every single human being we look at. That is what this teaching is about. Seeing the face of God in the person you think does not belong, because everyone is created in God’s image. Not just the white people, who look and act and think like you. Everyone has a place.

We need to start living like Jesus tells us to and love our neighbors, which is everyone. We need to be like Alex Pretti and stand in front of the person being pepper-sprayed and show mercy, kindness, and love.

Be like Jesus and Alex, and stand against the rule pushers. Stand for the oppressed, deprived, and those struggling for justice. Because if some do not have justice, none of us will have justice.

love

When Judas was gone, Jesus said, “Now the Human One has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify the Human One in himself and will glorify him immediately. Little children, I’m with you for a little while longer. You will look for me—but, just as I told the Jewish leaders, I also tell you now—‘Where I’m going, you can’t come.’ “I give you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, so you also must love each other. This is how everyone will know that you are my disciples, when you love each other.” (John 13:31-35, CEB)

Love each other as I have loved you.

The world will know you are my children by the way you show love to the world.

Love.

do not play favorites

Elders who lead well should be paid double, especially those who work with public speaking and teaching. The scripture says, Don’t put a muzzle on an ox while it treads grain, and Workers deserve their pay. Don’t accept an accusation made against an elder unless it is confirmed by two or three witnesses. Discipline those who are sinning in front of everyone so that all the others will be afraid. I charge you before God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels to follow these practices without bias, and without playing favorites. Don’t rush to commission anyone to leadership, and don’t participate in the sins of others. Keep yourself morally pure. Don’t drink water anymore, but use a little wine because of your stomach problems and your frequent illnesses. The sins of some people are obvious, and the sins are judged before the people must face judgment, but the sins of other people show up later. (1 Timothy 5:17-24, CEB)

Do not play favorites.

Do what you have been charged to do and do your duty without bias.

Do not be quick to put people in leadership so their character can be tested to see if they will work for all or be biased towards themselves or a few.

God calls us all to partiality and love for all.

give blessings

Finally, all of you be of one mind, sympathetic, lovers of your fellow believers, compassionate, and modest in your opinion of yourselves. Don’t pay back evil for evil or insult for insult. Instead, give blessing in return. You were called to do this so that you might inherit a blessing. For those who want to love life and see good days should keep their tongue from evil speaking and their lips from speaking lies. They should shun evil and do good; seek peace and chase after it. The Lord’s eyes are on the righteous and his ears are open to their prayers. But the Lord cannot tolerate those who do evil. (1 Peter 3:8-12, CEB)

Do not repay evil for evil. We are people of love and need to bless those who curse us.

We need to give love and blessings in every situation.

Be a blessing vendor and love like Jesus.

compassion

John’s father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied,
“Bless the Lord God of Israel
    because he has come to help and has delivered his people.
He has raised up a mighty savior for us in his servant David’s house,
    just as he said through the mouths of his holy prophets long ago.
He has brought salvation from our enemies
    and from the power of all those who hate us.
He has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors,
    and remembered his holy covenant,
        the solemn pledge he made to our ancestor Abraham.
He has granted that we would be rescued
        from the power of our enemies
    so that we could serve him without fear,
        in holiness and righteousness in God’s eyes,
            for as long as we live.
You, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High,
    for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way.
You will tell his people how to be saved
    through the forgiveness of their sins.
Because of our God’s deep compassion,
    the dawn from heaven will break upon us,
    to give light to those who are sitting in darkness
    and in the shadow of death,
        to guide us on the path of peace.”
(Luke 1:67-79, CEB)

“Because of our God’s deep compassion, the dawn from heaven will break upon us, to give light to those who are sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide us on the path of peace.”

God’s compassion is so deep that we will never be left in shadows or places where They are not. They will always be with us to guide us to peace and keep us safe.

God’s compassion was shown to us through John and his proclamation of Jesus and preparing the way for the coming Messiah.

God’s compassion comes to the world through you as well. You were chosen by God to be a guide and giver of love in the world.

Be a beacon of compassion and God’s love, so no one sits alone in pain and suffering.

Show compassion, as it was given to you.

may you be

Therefore, my loved ones, just as you always obey me, not just when I am present but now even more while I am away, carry out your own salvation with fear and trembling. God is the one who enables you both to want and to actually live out his good purposes. Do everything without grumbling and arguing so that you may be blameless and pure, innocent children of God surrounded by people who are crooked and corrupt. Among these people you shine like stars in the world because you hold on to the word of life. This will allow me to say on the day of Christ that I haven’t run for nothing or worked for nothing. But even if I am poured out like a drink offering upon the altar of service for your faith, I am glad. I’m glad with all of you. You should be glad about this in the same way. Be glad with me! (Philippians 2:12-18, CEB)

“Do everything without grumbling and arguing so that you may be blameless and pure, innocent children of God surrounded by people who are crooked and corrupt,” Paul tells the Philippians.

We are supposed to love all and do this without grumbling or arguing. We show the world we believe and follow God when we love like Jesus and do this without saying others do not belong or that we are better.

We shine God’s love on the world by being beacons of hope and including all without commentary.

God loves us all the same, and when we exclude, we are not loving like God.

May you be a beacon of hope for the world.

stupid ideas

Nobody should deceive you with stupid ideas. God’s anger comes down on those who are disobedient because of this kind of thing. So you shouldn’t have anything to do with them. You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord, so live your life as children of light. Light produces fruit that consists of every sort of goodness, justice, and truth. Therefore, test everything to see what’s pleasing to the Lord, and don’t participate in the unfruitful actions of darkness. Instead, you should reveal the truth about them. It’s embarrassing to even talk about what certain persons do in secret. But everything exposed to the light is revealed by the light. Everything that is revealed by the light is light. Therefore, it says, Wake up, sleeper! Get up from the dead, and Christ will shine on you. (Ephesians 5:6-14, CEB)

Do not be deceived by stupid ideas. It seems like this is all we are seeing in the United States these days.

When people intentionally lie to cover up things or to keep power, they are spreading stupid ideas, and this makes God angry.

We are supposed to not have anything to do with these people. We are supposed to expose their lies and deceit to the world.

We need to shed light and speak against the evils that infiltrate our society and stand for the justice that God calls for. Justice for all and not just those in power or those they deem worthy.

Do not fall for their stupidity and shine light on their deceit.

And be woke and shine the love of God on all.

fish for people

Now when Jesus heard that John was arrested, he went to Galilee. He left Nazareth and settled in Capernaum, which lies alongside the sea in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali. This fulfilled what Isaiah the prophet said: Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, alongside the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, the people who lived in the dark have seen a great light, and a light has come upon those who lived in the region and in shadow of death. From that time Jesus began to announce, “Change your hearts and lives! Here comes the kingdom of heaven!” As Jesus walked alongside the Galilee Sea, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew, throwing fishing nets into the sea, because they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” he said, “and I’ll show you how to fish for people.” Right away, they left their nets and followed him. Continuing on, he saw another set of brothers, James the son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with Zebedee their father repairing their nets. Jesus called them and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. Jesus traveled throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues. He announced the good news of the kingdom and healed every disease and sickness among the people. (Matthew 4:12-23, CEB)

How does one fish for people?

What kind of bait would you use? I do not fish, but I know the type of bait one uses makes a difference for the fish. So what would you use to catch a human?

For me, you could use coffee or bacon. Black coffee, no cream. If you put cream in it, I would usually pass.

But also remember they fished with nets, not poles. So is there even bait? And what implications does this have on fishing for people? Are we supposed to drag people in? I mean, confirmation students will say they are drug to worship!

Maybe our lives are supposed to be so changed by our interactions with Jesus that people see that and ask how they can have what we have. Maybe our lives so speak love and grace that others are drawn to God to understand the mercy and grace that exudes from our lives. Maybe we show love in everything we do and people want that.

Jesus loved all and accepted all. Maybe if our lives mimicked that others would be drawn to Jesus.

What can you do to show and live God’s love?

Left everything…

Afterward, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at a kiosk for collecting taxes. Jesus said to him, “Follow me.” Levi got up, left everything behind, and followed him. Then Levi threw a great banquet for Jesus in his home. A large number of tax collectors and others sat down to eat with them. The Pharisees and their legal experts grumbled against his disciples. They said, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” Jesus answered, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor, but sick people do. I didn’t come to call righteous people but sinners to change their hearts and lives.” (Luke 5:27-32, CEB)

What would you do if an itinerant teacher came to you and said follow me?

Jesus sought students from unlikely places. And here we hear the story of Levi/Matthew, the tax collector.

Jesus saw him and knew he needed to come along, so he invited him. And Levi got up and followed Jesus, leaving everything behind. Then Levi used the money he had made to throw a great banquet for Jesus. Jesus ate with other tax collectors and probably other prominent people in the community.

So then the religious leaders asked why Jesus would go to these places and be with these people.

When we have the air of superiority, we can not do God’s will. We will think we are too good to go places and that people are beneath us. But Jesus came to show that no one is beneath anyone else, and we are all the same to God.

Go to all and tell them they are loved as they are.

All need to hear that God loves them.

What do you need to leave behind so you can follow Jesus?

favoritism

Then after fourteen years I went up to Jerusalem again with Barnabas, and I took Titus along also. I went there because of a revelation, and I laid out the gospel that I preach to the Gentiles for them. But I did it privately with the influential leaders to make sure that I wouldn’t be working or that I hadn’t worked for nothing. However, not even Titus, who was with me and who was a Greek, was required to be circumcised. But false brothers and sisters, who were brought in secretly, slipped in to spy on our freedom, which we have in Christ Jesus, and to make us slaves. We didn’t give in and submit to them for a single moment, so that the truth of the gospel would continue to be with you. The influential leaders didn’t add anything to what I was preaching—and whatever they were makes no difference to me, because God doesn’t show favoritism. But on the contrary, they saw that I had been given the responsibility to preach the gospel to the people who aren’t circumcised, just as Peter had been to the circumcised. The one who empowered Peter to become an apostle to the circumcised empowered me also to be one to the Gentiles. James, Cephas, and John, who are considered to be key leaders, shook hands with me and Barnabas as equals when they recognized the grace that was given to me. So it was agreed that we would go to the Gentiles, while they continue to go to the people who were circumcised. They asked only that we would remember the poor, which was certainly something I was willing to do. (Galatians 2:1-10, CEB)

The community at Galatia had an issue with circumcision and inclusion. Someone was trying to get them to circumcise every male to be a part of the community.

They were falling back on the covenant with the Israelites and not seeing the new covenant, where there is no need for this.

Paul spends the whole of the epistle telling the Galatians that circumcision is not needed, and God shows no favoritism to anyone based on circumcision.

All people are included because of God’s grace, not because of circumcision or anything else.

Do not think what you do gets you right with God. God loves you because God created you, and that is always enough.