Introduction
Following from our consideration, last week, of the church as the community of those who declare “Jesus to be the Messiah, the Son of the Living God,” this week we will use the Beatitudes to think about what it means to be a Community of blessing, especially what it means to be those who see God’s blessing even in the our current difficult circumstances.
Call
to Worship – Psalm 95:1-2
1 Come,
let us sing for joy to the Lord;
let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.
2 Let us come before him with thanksgiving
and extol him with music and song.
Hymn – StF 568 – Alleluia, Sing to Jesus
Prayer
of Approach
Blessèd are you, Sovereign
Lord,
the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
to you be praise and glory for ever.
From the deep waters of death
you brought your people to new birth
by raising your Son to life in triumph.
Through him dark death has been destroyed
and radiant life is everywhere restored.
As you call us out of darkness into his marvellous light
may our lives reflect his glory
and our lips repeat the endless song.
Blessèd be God, Father, Son
and Holy Spirit:
Blessèd be God for ever!
Prayer
of Confession
The kindness of God leads
us to repentance
therefore let us be silent before God as we confess our need of his
forgiveness.
Keep a moment
of silence during which you may bring before God those things you wish to
confess.
Lord have mercy,
Christ have mercy,
Lord have mercy.
The Scriptures remind us
that if we confess our sins God is faithful and just to forgive our sins,
let us be comforted by the
words of our Lord who says, “Your sins are forgiven.”
Amen. Thanks be to God.
Engaging with Scripture
Reading: Matthew 5:1-12
1 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them.
He said:
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 be shown 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 because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Reflection
In last week’s reflection I suggested that the Church is the Community of people that have something to say about Jesus – more especially that the Church is that company of people that acknowledge and worship Jesus as “the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.” The Church is not just called to worship Jesus but to follow Jesus and to become a community of people that are demonstrating what it means to live under God’s rule and reign here on earth as it is in heaven. We are called to be a community of blessing.
This does not only mean that we are the blessed, but that we are an especial channel through which God blesses the “the families of the earth.” Right at the beginning, when God first called Abraham into a covenant relationship with God, it was declared that Abraham would bless and be blessed:
Genesis 12 Now the Lord said to Abram, ‘Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 I will make of you a
great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will
curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’[a]
In one commentary on our Gospel passage, it is written of the beatitudes that they show: "God's favour on certain situations and actions, both present and future." It goes on to suggest that they "reassure people experiencing distress that God's favour is with them ... [and] exhort human actions consistent with God's favour." [Fortress Commentary on the Bible, 2014]
Some commentators read the first four beatitudes as a description of those who suffer most from the corrupt and oppressive systems of this world suggesting that in God’s kingdom those who are currently victims of oppression will be the foremost among the blest. Others prefer to see these first four as a description of the spiritual disposition of those who have chosen to humble themselves before God and who seek God’s will and God’s ways. In both cases it is possible to discern the ‘distress.’ In the former it is the distress of those who suffer, but who will ultimately be heard by God and receive God’s blessing whereas in the latter it is those who stand in solidarity with the suffering of those who are most harmed by the corruption that we find in our current age. Whichever angle we read them from, they remind us that God is, “God of the poor and friend of the weak” (Kendrick, from Beauty for Brokenness – Singing the Faith 693)
During the Covid-19 crisis, one of the tasks that has faced us as Church is seeking out and proclaiming God’s blessing in the midst of these most difficult circumstances. When life, as we have known it, is so hugely disrupted it may not be easy to ‘name our blessings.’ As we consider the sheer magnitude of the loss that has been experienced by so many, it certainly is not something that we should be glib about. To say that the Church is a people of blessing is not the kind of wishful thinking of a Polyanna character playing the Glad Game. (Porter – Polyanna – 1913, made into film by Disney in 1960)
Jesus does not deny or ignore human suffering; he acknowledges that for many day to day existence is shaped by poverty, grief, a lowly position and injustice (or unrighteousness.) Jesus sees the world as it is, but he interprets it differently. As well as challenging those who would like to deny that there is wrong in our world, he counters the idea that blessings come as a reward of a person’s merit. Nowhere in the Bible do we read the oft-quoted piece of Greek wisdom: “God helps those who help themselves.” Again and again, in the pages of the Bible, we hear the voice of God speaking to say, ““I’ve taken a good, long look at the affliction of my people in Egypt. I’ve heard their cries for deliverance from their slave masters; I know all about their pain. And now I have come down to help them. (Exodus 3:7,8 – The Message)
Perhaps this gives us a good working definition of what it means to be blessed. To be blessed is to know that God pays attention to the human condition, that God hears the cries of human hearts and that God comes to help us in our need. Ultimately God does this in the person of Jesus.
In the life of Jesus we see God sitting alongside the broken and the distressed holding out to them the invitation to know God’s transforming power in their lives. He not only offers the hope of a heavenly home for the faithful in the life to come, but he offers the possibility of real and lasting change in this life and invites us to align ourselves with God’s purposes and become those who work to ensure that this transformation isn’t just personal religion but works through the whole of society as we seek to widen the rule and reign of God in this world. Those who have groaned under the burden of poverty, grief and lowliness and who hunger and thirst with a passion to see God’s justice are promised that their desires will be met: they will be filled. Those who desire mercy and who are merciful to others will receive mercy from God. And those who are tainted by the corruption of this age are promised a new and pure heart that enables them to see God. The yoke of corruption will not just be lifted but will be broken as people are set free to know God and God’s goodness.
In our world of brokenness and pain, we, the Church, are called to be a people of blessing, to hold out to the world the message of hope that God hears, pays attention and comes to the aid of those who suffer. At this time when suffering seems to be magnified, let us ask God to shape and fashion us into this community of blessing, as we ponder Jesus’ description of this blessed community and ask what it means to be the blessed in 2020.
At this point you may wish to pause and slowly re-read the passage again. As you read, ponder whether any particular beatitude seems to be particularly relevant to you today? The questions below might help you ponder.
As you ponder the world, the church and your own circumstances, who, today are the poor in spirit? The mourners? The meek? What are the signs of the heaven breaking into these circumstances? Where is comfort being offered and received?
What does it mean to hunger and thirst for righteousness? To act mercifully? To be pure of heart? How is emptiness being transformed into fullness? Where is God's presence being seen?
Where are the points of conflict? What would it mean to be a peacemaker in these circumstances? Where do you see people being persecuted, insulted or lied about because they are seeking righteousness and justice? Who are the children of God, displaying God's characteristics in their earthly lives? What are the rewards for those who remain faithful?
Hymn – StF 693 – Beauty for Brokenness - https://youtu.be/MO1G-o7Yj-c
Prayers of Concern for Others
Let
us pray for the world, the church and ourselves:
God of love and
concern,
We bring before
you those who are crushed by poverty …
Lord hear us, Lord graciously hear us
We grieve
alongside those who mourn the loss of loved ones, livelihood and liberty
Lord hear us, Lord graciously hear us
We raise our
voices on behalf of those whose lowly position means they have no voice in this
world
Lord hear us, Lord graciously hear them
Fill our hearts
with a hunger and thirst for righteousness and justice
Lord move us, Lord graciously move us
Enable us to declare the Good News through our acts of mercy
Lord move us, Lord graciously move us
Cleanse our thoughts, words and deeds so that we might act from pure intentions
Lord move us, Lord graciously move us
Calm the tumult
of human conflict and send your children to bring peace that will last
Lord strengthen us, Lord graciously strengthen us
Strengthen
those who stand for what is right in the face of violent opposition,
Lord strengthen us, Lord graciously strengthen us
Give us courage
to remain true to you in all circumstances
Lord strengthen us, Lord graciously strengthen us
We bring our
prayers through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen
The Lord’s
Prayer
Hymn – StF 610 Best of All is God is With Us https://youtu.be/HKJ5siTbOWQ
I studied the beatitudes again and really made me think:
ReplyDeletePoor in spirit : - so many folks suffering depression which has increased due to lockdown
Mourn : many who have lost loved ones so suddenly and been unable to say goodbye
Meek - those who have lost confidence in their abilities because of he Stay at home policy .
Those who are seeking spiritual food and finding it has to be from a different source
Pure in heart - so many selfless workers
Peacemakere - so many giving up their time to help others sort out their differences and problema
. Government officials doing their best in dealing with the unknown
Charity workers whose funds have dried up,
Persecuted christian still at risk in these other difficult issues.
All FOOD FOR THOUGHt
thankyou Dalwyn