Jesus gives us the Beatitudes. Teaching
us to store up our treasures in Heaven and not on Earth. In our lesson for today Jesus taught us the
right way to act and interact with others and to store up our treasures in
Heaven. Today we will learn that the Beatitudes teach us to BE kind, to
BE humble, to Be loving, and to BE gentle.
Hymn: #39 Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty
Prayer: O Lord, graciously hear the prayers of Your people, That we who suffer the consequences of this broken world may be mercifully delivered by Your goodness to the glory of Your name. [1]
Confession/Absolution:
LORD - we pray to you also for the
forgiveness of our sins. Have mercy upon us, most merciful Father.
In Your compassion forgive us our sins.
Known and unknown. Things done. And left undone. And so uphold us by Your
Spirit.
That we may live and serve you in newness of
life. To the honor and glory of Your Name. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Almighty God have mercy on you. Forgive you
all your sins.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ. And may He
strengthen you in all goodness.
And by the power of the Holy Spirit keep you in eternal life. Amen.
–Luke 6:17-26
17 He went down with them and stood on a
level place. A large crowd of his disciples was there and a great number of
people from all over Judea, from Jerusalem, and from the coastal region around
Tyre and Sidon, 18 who had come to hear him and to
be healed of their diseases. Those troubled by impure spirits were cured, 19 and
the people all tried to touch him, because power was coming from him and
healing them all.
20 Looking at his disciples, he said:
“Blessed are you who are poor,
for yours is the kingdom of God.
21 Blessed are you who hunger now,
for you will be satisfied.
Blessed are you who weep now,
for you will laugh.
22 Blessed are you when people hate you,
when they exclude you and insult you
and reject your name as evil,
because of the Son of Man.
23 “Rejoice in that day and leap for
joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their
ancestors treated the prophets.
24 “But woe to you who are rich,
for you have already received your comfort.
25 Woe to you who are well fed now,
for you will go hungry.
Woe to you who laugh now,
for you will mourn and weep.
26 Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you,
for that is how their ancestors treated the false
prophets.
Hymn:# 40 How Firm A Foundation Vv. 1-3
In today's scripture story,
Jesus is speaking to us reminding us that God is always with us.
- What Jesus is saying in today's passage:
- "If the world seems against you - God
is with you."
- "If it seems everyone’s mad at you -
God is with you."
- "Do you sometimes feel all alone? - God
is with you."
- Maybe it's enough just to know that God is
with us on our worst days.
- But, God also wants to help us move through
these worst days in ways that are best for us.
- Jesus shows us how to invite God into our
daily lives so that no matter how our day is going, we know how to listen
for and follow any instructions or reminders that God is offering us.
- When we do that – when we receive God’s help
– then even our bad days have hope.
- And, if we’re not having a bad day, we can
still choose to receive God’s help in the ways Jesus teaches us. When we
do that, then we might better see and know how to help those who are
having one of those really bad days.[2]
Jesus
said to his disciples, "I am with you always, to the end of the age"
(Matthew 28:20).
This is
hard for us to believe sometimes, given the trials that life often brings
us.
From the
darkness, depths, and despair of disease, depression, loneliness, and poverty,
we cry out "Where are you in this God?" "Are you even
listening?" "Do you even care?"
Still - God
is with us. He is with you. He cares about you. And loves you. Jesus says to you as he said to his
disciples, "I am with you always, to the end of the age."
Jesus
understands. He knows your suffering. Because he suffered all things in his
death on the cross.
He cries
alongside you. Much more than this.
Jesus has overcome your suffering in his resurrection from the dead.
He
forgives you. He's taken all the guilt
that's been oppressing you for years. He
promises you deliverance from the diseases, illnesses, and all other things
gone wrong in this lifetime.
We all
have this hope and promise in Jesus in life everlasting.
As we
look forward to that paradise, Jesus has promised us, "I am with you
always." He's with you in his
Word. He promises to hear your prayers,
cries, and groans.
He
surrounds you with the presence and support of loved ones. Look hard enough and long enough, and you
will see God's mercy and love in Jesus being shown to you.
Wherever
you find yourself today - on the mountaintop of good news. Or in the dark
valley of pain and illness –
know
this: Jesus is with you always. To the
end of the age. He loves you. He gave his life for you. And he is risen for you. [3]
In our reading for today Jesus said,
‘Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you
who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for
you will laugh. Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude
you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of
Man.’
Jesus taught that we should be happy even
if we were having hard times because our rewards are in Heaven.
Notice that Jesus didn't say, "Happy
are they who have a lot of money" or "Happy are they who have plenty
to eat and dine in fancy restaurants." He didn't even say, "Happiness
is a warm blanket." What he did say was, "When you follow me,
happiness will come. Rejoice! A great
reward awaits you in heaven."
Here the Savior describes those who are
his own.
They are poor in spirit. They know of
their need for a Savior. The Psalmist writes, “Then I acknowledge my sin to
you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions
to the LORD’ and you forgave the guilt of my sin.” – Psalm 32:5
They hunger after a righteousness. They
do not have it because of their own effort. They rest on God’s amazing grace.
They bear the cross. We hear the Savior’s
invitation: “Come unto me all you who are weary by the cares of this life.
Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
God’s grace turns poverty into riches/
hunger into satisfaction/ weeping into laughter. Because God is always with you.
Collect for humility – O God, You
resist the proud and give grace to the humble. Grant us true humility after the
likeness of Your only Son that we may never be arrogant and prideful but in all
lowliness be made partakers of the gifts of Your grace.
Lord Jesus thank you for your love and care. Direct us in all that we do to show Your love to others.
Hymn # 40 How Firm A Foundation Vv. 4-5
The Lord has given us one another and we give thanks for God’s grace and mercy as we offer prayers on this day.
The Lord has given us the beauty of worship and the gift of fellowship with one another. We thank you Lord for gathering us on this day.
The Lord has given us neighbors, friends, families, and coworkers to share the joys and burdens of this life. We thank you Lord, for the privilege of loving others.
The Lord has given us a promise that where He goes, He will prepare a place for us.
We thank you Lord for the gift of life and for giving us to one another for safekeeping. Bring us home when it is time. Lord in your grace, hear our prayer. [4]
Hymn #37 He’s God the Whole World in His Hands
[1]
Collect for Epiphany 6
[3]
Facebook post 1.16.2025 by Pr. Carl Hingst
[4] September-15.2024-10AM-17th-Sunday-after-Pentecost.pdf
(stmarksnewcanaan.org)
Luther's Seal copyright Ed Riojas, Higher Things
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