January 29, 2023 – Epiphany 4A (Matthew 5:1-12)

“When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. And 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 filled.

“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 the sake of righteousness, 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.”

The root word for happiness and for happenstance is the word “Hap” — which means “chance” or “to come about by chance”. Happiness then if you think about it, though it does mean joy and contentment, happiness has at its very root the idea of chance. And we know this to be true — that happiness is a fickle lady. Happiness is dependent or influenced by lots of things that are out of our control. Any change in luck, a change in fortune, and a change in the weather or even a change in our karma can take us from the very heights of feeling happy, to the very depths of destruction.

What you and I are presented with today are the first twelve verses of the Gospel of Matthew, chapter five — what most people know as the Sermon on the Mount. These are probably some of the best known verses of  scripture for people who may not be daily readers of the Bible. This sermon of Jesus will go on for another two chapters. Jesus climbs a mountain, gathers around him his disciples, and others, and he begins to teach. And he names nine “Blesseds”.

The word Blessed is the Greek word “Makarios” — and it does not mean “to speak well of someone”.  That word for blessing is a different Greek word. Makarios means or describes “something that is true about someone, but it is not something someone says about themselves.” Let me say that again — Makarios means “something that is true about someone, but it is not something someone says about themselves.”

You see, to be blessed, as in the word Makarios, is a “state of being” — a reality — an inward state of truth — no matter how you actually feel. In other words, you do not have to feel happy to be blessed. In fact, just to play this out even further, the intent of Jesus words seems to be that one can be “Makarios” or “Blessed” and yet be in miserable circumstances. Think about it:Jesus says, “Blessed are those who mourn — Blessed are those who are persecuted for my sake”. So, “Blessed are You” does not mean “Untroubled are You”, or “Healthy are You”, or even “Prosperous are You”.

Blessed does mean: “Between you and G-d all is well — even if you are weeping over the loss of a relationship, or have experienced a death in your life, or have lost all of your money. True blessedness is not like happiness. Those who experience “Makarios” or G-d’s Blessedness are those seeking a relationship with G-d through Jesus Christ — and who seek such a relationship of trust and faith with G-d that even when the troubles of life assail them, they continue to know they stand in the “Divine” — the bliss, contentment, the blessedness that is the hope we have with G-d through Jesus Christ. It is a joy that is different than how the world wants to define Joy.

So, yes, you may not feel blessed today — but I want you to know that G-d’s blessings are there for people of faith and trust to feel, to experience — and to live into — right now. Jesus gives his followers, and his would-be followers, a vision that claims our futures and secures them — so that we can proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ — even while our lives may in fact be overwhelmed with terrible realities.

Pastor Dave

January 28, 2023 – “What is Truth?”

The book I am using as inspiration for these devotions is titled “Creating a Culture of Life” written by Kenneth R. Overberg, S. J.  Kenneth is a professor of theology at Xavier University, Cincinnati Ohio and holds a PhD in Christian Ethics from the University of Southern California. Each devotion utilizes some part or theme from a chapter from his book.    Enjoy….

“Jesus replied, “My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my servants would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish authorities. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.” Then Pilate said, “So you are a king!” Jesus replied, “You say that I am a king. For this reason I was born, and for this reason I came into the world – to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” Pilate asked, “What is truth?” When he had said this he went back outside to the Jewish leaders and announced, “I find no basis for an accusation against him. But it is your custom that I release one prisoner for you at the Passover. So do you want me to release for you the king of the Jews?” Then they shouted back, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” (Now Barabbas was a revolutionary.)” John 18:36-40

We all face moral dilemmas. Our moral choices are significant because they shape the kind of person we become. Those choices impact not only us, but the lives of others, whether they be our children, spouse or even complete strangers. So, what are some of the moral dilemmas of our day? What are some of the moral dilemmas our communities experience? How do we make moral choices? Some say that the answers to these questions have, at their very heart, the ultimate question “What is truth?” (Thank you Pilate)

Many people adhere to a very fuzzy policy of moral relativism – the view that there are no universal moral rules. They decide what is morally good based upon their context. Their stance on what is morally good may not be morally good for you, but for the average person of the 21^st century, the individual always trumps the human community.

As Christians we recognize the values and limits of human laws, human values, and human decisions. And after careful discernment, the individual must decide what is morally appropriate in the context of the community’s wisdom as they seek to understand what IS happening in all situations, not just what we would LIKE to happen. In other words there should be objectivity to our actions. Truth then is not simply what I say it is, but what we, the human community, guided by G-d’s revelation, discover truth to be.

Let us pray: Dear G-d, what we ought to do to be truly human should be based upon your revealed truths. Help me to understand that Jesus, your Son, is the ultimate truth about how we should live in community – loving unconditionally and forgiving prodigally. Amen.

Pastor Dave