I don’t think anyone looks forward to having a bad day. When Jesus shared the beatitudes with the people around him, he knew that sadness and sorrow was part of life. However, sadness doesn’t define the life of a Christian. We are blessed. Part of what makes this section a little tough is that the opposite of sadness isn’t blessed. At least that’s not what most of us think the first time we hear those words together. The fact of the matter is that happy is a perfectly good translation for start of each beatitude. Happy are the poor in spirit… Let me share with you why blessed is the better choice.
Does birthday cake make you happy? How about rainbows and butterflies? A victory by my favorite football team makes me very happy. My whimsical emotions go up and down with the breeze. What Jesus was talking about was the unchanging reality of the Christian walk. We are blessed. This is where the beatitudes are so helpful.
It helps if you divide the beatitudes into three sections. The first four I walked through under the theme: Happy are the Sad. The next three challenge the thought: God helps those…who help others. Finally when we are persecuted we are in good company. A sermon on this makes for a tight, fast moving outline, but by the time the listener is done, there can be only one conclusion. You are blessed!
Topic(s): Epiphany
Book(s): Matthew
Tag(s): Beatitudes
Speaker(s): Fred Guldberg