Sermon for the Fourth Sunday after Epiphany + January 30, 2011
Blessed you are, and blessed you will be!
Beatitudes are beautiful words, poetic and majestic. Found in ancient Greek literature to refer to the blessed state of the gods, praiseworthy children and wisdom, the word is defined as being ‘free from daily cares and worries.’ Beatitudes were also found in Hebrew Scripture, most often linking being blessed with wise decisions or virtuous living. The Psalms have numerous examples that lift up the blessings of attending to God’s law: happy or blessed are they who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or take the path that sinners tread…
The beatitudes are not a literal how to guide to live as Christian that if followed result in a guaranteed first-class ticket to heaven. They are not…
- Words of some famous self-help guru,
- Words meant to provide hope in a State of the Union Address,
- Words of motivation from Oprah or one of her featured guests or recommended books.
Nor are they found in an inspirational e-mail or ‘how to’ book, but sometimes, sometimes we wish they were…?
We want easy answers. We want to be told what we need to do. We want to hear what we want to hear:
- Words to free us from our circumstances,
- Words to make us feel superior or give us an advantage,
- Words to end our suffering,
- Words to make life to be easier.
We long for words to tell us our job is secure, how to make a quick fix, how to get miraculous results, tell us that we hit the jackpot, or won the lottery.
But most of all… we want to hear the words that we are loved. The simple, yet beautiful, poetic and majestic words that we are loved. And it is these words of the beatitudes, the words of Jesus the Christ, the one who lived and suffered and died on a cross. They are the words of love from our crucified and risen Savior who says to you and me this morning… blessed you are, and blessed you will be!
Signs Along the Way… 