"For some reason, the most vocal Christians among us never mention the Beatitudes (Matthew 5). But, often with tears in their eyes, we demand that the Ten Commandments be posted in public buildings. And of course, that's Moses, not Jesus. I haven't heard one of them demand that the Sermon on the Mount, the Beatitudes, be posted anywhere.
"Blessed are the merciful" in a courtroom? "Blessed are the peacemakers" in the Pentagon?” – Kurt Vonnegot, A Man Without a Country

Matthew 5:1-16 (New Revised Standard Version)
When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him.  Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be fulfilled.
“Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.  Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

“You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored?  It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot.
“You are the light of the world.  A city built on a hill cannot be hid.  No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house.  IN the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

Reflection 
Who can survive in attempting to live into the spirit of the Beatitudes?  Their poetic beauty and hopeful instruction are inspiring for sure, but who can actually live up to their standards?  They are quite impractical in the world in which we live now, practically turning our understanding of blessing upside down.  We can want to live up to these standards so much, but how realistic is it to think that we are even able?

How often have you heard someone say something to the effect of, “I feel so blessed.  I am thankful for my friends and family, a job I love, a roof over my head, and the church family I walk with,”?  We typically think of blessings as those positive things that enrich our lives and for which we give thanks.  While we may give thanks for God’s presence, guidance and comfort during difficult, or nearly impossible times, not many of us would continually call those blessings.  God’s presence and guidance, yes, but difficult moments – are those always a blessing?

On Sunday we will take a look at the Beatitudes as the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount, and toss around our understanding of blessings.  Perhaps there are more blessings that we can think of, and perhaps what we call a blessing rarely is?  Won’t you join us on Sunday worship as we discern what it means to “Survive The Beatitudes”?  We also hope you will join us for our SOUPer Bowl Sunday Fundraiser for our Mission Team to Costa Rica.  The team will provide us with a soup meal following worship and would love your support.  See you at the table!

Christ is there with us on our way, as surely as the way itself is there that has brought us to this place. He is our pilot, our guide, but often when we need him most, he seems farthest away because he will always have gone on ahead, leaving only the faint print of his feet on the path to follow.

                   - Frederick Buechner (adapted for worship)    
When Jesus got word that John had been arrested, he returned to Galilee. He moved from his hometown, Nazareth, to the lakeside village Capernaum, nestled at the base of the Zebulun and Naphtali hills. This move completed Isaiah’s sermon: Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali,
 road to the sea, over Jordan,
 Galilee, crossroads for the nations. 
People sitting out their lives in the dark
 saw a huge light;
 Sitting in that dark, dark country of death,
 they watched the sun come up. This Isaiah-prophesied sermon came to life in Galilee the moment Jesus started preaching. He picked up where John left off: “Change your life. God’s kingdom is here.” Walking along the beach of Lake Galilee, Jesus saw two brothers: Simon (later called Peter) and Andrew. They were fishing, throwing their nets into the lake. It was their regular work. Jesus said to them, “Come with me. I’ll make a new kind of fisherman out of you. I’ll show you how to catch men and women instead of perch and bass.” They didn’t ask questions, but simply dropped their nets and followed.    
                              - Matthew 4.12-20 (The Message)

Epiphany is manifestation… a making clear, or showing forth. Epiphany is that eureka experience when one “gets it”; epiphany is that moment when purpose and meaning become clear. Epiphany is manifestation, and we celebrate the season of Epiphany each year because it’s not enough that Christ was incarnate in Jesus; his life means nothing to us until we grasp what it means for faith. For this reason, we have examined events in the life of Jesus during Epiphany to gain insight into their significance for faith. Faith whispers that there is a vision of faith in the life of Jesus, a vision we need to inspire and empower our faith journey, a vision that will guide us on the way.

The calling of disciples, as Laura noted last week, represents by extension an invitation to us to follow Jesus on the way. This week, we will continue to examine this “following,” and clarify something of its nature as a journey of faith. To read Matthew, it seems simple and straightforward. Jesus invites, the disciples respond, and they immediately take up their journey. As Matthew puts it, “They (the disciples) didn’t ask questions, but simply dropped their nets and followed. Look closer, however, and one will see that it’s not quite so simple; questions remain unanswered as we begin the walk, and need to be clarified along the way. Do we follow alone? Do we choose our own path? Are we expected to equip the journey with our own resources, and depend on our own courage and wisdom?

I think you will agree these are significant questions. And Frederick Buechner provides a response in the worship heading cited above. In fact we are not asked to follow on our own, pulling ourselves up by our own spiritual boot straps; rather, God is with us on the way, and will nurture, nourish, and guide our journey. This is big… we are never alone; God wants to inspire in us a vision, and work in, through, and with us on the way of faith. Join us in worship on Sunday as we seek to discern God’s vision for our ministry here at OPCC, and walk together – one step farther – on the way.

"When your character is built on spiritual and moral foundation, your contagious way of life will influence millions."

 - Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Isaiah’s reference to God’s chosen servant as both one and many inspires the understanding that God wills to work not only on our behalf through the uniquely chosen servant – Jesus the Christ - but as well to work on behalf of others through us. We are not to wait passively while God’s servant brings light and justice to the nations; rather, we are to share in the identity and role of God’s servant and be a light to the nations. 
                            - Bo Crowe (from Divine Ambiguity)    

Here is my servant! I have made him strong.
 He is my chosen one;
 I am pleased with him.
 I have given him my Spirit,
 and he will bring justice
 to the nations. He won’t shout or yell
 or call out in the streets. He won’t break off a bent reed
 or put out a dying flame, 
but he will make sure
 that justice is done. He won’t quit or give up
 until he brings justice
 everywhere on earth,
 and people in foreign nations
 long for his teaching. I am the Lord God. 
I created the heavens
 like an open tent above.
 I made the earth and everything
 that grows on it.
 I am the source of life 
for all who live on this earth,
 so listen to what I say. I chose you to bring justice,
 and I am here at your side. 
I selected and sent you to bring light 
and my promise of hope
 to the nations. You will give sight
 to the blind;
 you will set prisoners free
 from dark dungeons. My name is the Lord!
 I won’t let idols or humans
 share my glory and praise. Everything has happened
 just as I said it would;
 now I will announce
 what will happen next.
                                   - Isaiah 42.1-9 (CEV)

Jesus left Galilee and went to the Jordan River to be baptized by John. But John kept objecting and said, “I ought to be baptized by you. Why have you come to me?” Jesus answered, “For now this is how it should be, because we must do all that God wants us to do.” Then John agreed. So Jesus was baptized. And as soon as he came out of the water, the sky opened, and he saw the Spirit of God coming down on him like a dove. Then a voice from heaven said, “This is my own dear Son, and I am pleased with him.”
                                    - Matthew 3.13-17 (CEV)

When we celebrate the Baptism of Jesus, as we will this Sunday, we often take the opportunity to renew the vows we made at our personal baptisms. This can be confusing for Disciples (members of the Christian Church, Disciples of Christ), who don’t make ritual vows at baptism. That sounds too much like creedalism, something best left to high liturgical traditions. But we do, in point of fact, make a commitment of faith in the form of what we call the Good Confession:

“We confess that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and proclaim him Lord and Savior of the world, requiring nothing more — and nothing less — as a basis of our life together.”

This confession of faith is based on Peter’s confession at Matthew 16.16, and while it seems simple at first blush, a closer reading reveals that it has profound implications for how we understand and live our faith. For example, to confess that Jesus is the Christ is to affirm that everything we understand about God and faith is seen through the lens of Jesus. So should someone suggest that God is warlike, wrathful, and vengeful, we would respond by pointing to the boundless compassion of Jesus healing, sharing, and providing for the needs of all and sundry and say… this is what God is like.

Again, should someone suggest that faith is defined by our beliefs about God as found in doctrine, dogma, creed, or even a face value (read literal) reading of scripture, we would respond by saying that our faith consists in following Jesus; that is to say, living in his presence daily, motivated by his example, and empowered by his spirit to walk as he walked. Faith, for us, is not about affirming a statement of Jesus as the Christ, but about allowing his reality to inundate our lives and inspire the way we live day by day. This is big – a game changer, a paradigm shift of tectonic proportions – because it is based on the understanding that God works not only on our behalf through the uniquely chosen servant – Jesus the Christ – but as well through us as we stand for compassion, justice, and equality for all. Such faith is not quietist and retiring, but rather bold, selfless, and determined.

I could go on listing profound implications of the Good Confession for our faith, but this is enough to get the juices flowing, and motivate you to look closely at this confession, and reflect on additional implications for our faith. On Sunday we will reflect together on how our lives, the nature of the church as community, and our relationship to others would change if we decided to live into this confession. This could be the start of something big…

Faith is not the clinging to a shrine but an endless pilgrimage of the heart.
                                      - Abraham Joshua Heschel

In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.” When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: ‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler  who is to shepherd my people Israel.’” Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.” When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.
                                             - Matthew 2:1-12 (NRSV)

At first glance, there is a seeming contradiction between Heschel’s reference to faith as an endless pilgrimage of the heart, and the assertion of Matthew that the star, which had led the Magi’s journey, came to a definitive stop over the place where the Christ child was found. In fact, many would argue that this manger scene makes a lovely shrine for faith: where else can we know the joy, peace, and compassion that shined afresh into our world that night; and where else can we kneel in prayer, content that God’s legions of angels have us safely enfolded with a promise of peace and goodwill? Here we have the light and love of God - guaranteed - so why should we seek anything more? Why should we leave this holy place and take once again to the dusty roads of life? 

Before you respond to this question, please note that the Magi did not remain spellbound in Bethlehem. They offered their gifts, they paid homage to the child of Bethlehem, and then left by another road. Perhaps they saw in his eyes that if they remained there they would remain alone, for this child would not long remain swaddled in a manger. If they wanted to abide with him, they would have to take to the road again, and follow him into the streets where broken lives wait to be mended, cold hearts wait to be warmed, and hungry spirits wait to be nourished. 

Perhaps Heschel is right; perhaps faith requires an endless pilgrimage of the heart, because if we stay in Bethlehem and build a shrine to faith, we stay alone. God will ever be found where needs wait to be addressed. Were we to realize this, Sunday would be an epiphany indeed!