Fourth Sunday of Epiphany - Surprised? "Blessed Be"
This is the Fourth Sunday of Epiphany The season of Epiphany gives us the opportunity to still be surprised by Jesus. And when we study the teachings of Jesus, we discover a surprising, radical message of grace under pressure. Today, we will read the first few lines of the Sermon on the Mount and learn what it takes to be a citizen of God’s kingdom. And the message is not at all what we expect. HAPPINESS IS FOUND IN THE TOPSY-TURVY MESSAGE OF GRACE Matthew 5:1-12 The Sermon on the Mount - setting, symbolism, audience. Jesus speaks to the crowds from a "mountain," one of the hills above the sea of Galilee. The symbolism is of Moses delivering the law to the Israelites--a law that he received from encounters with God on Mt. Sinai. The audience is made up of fishermen, villagers, all those who are being exploited by their religious leaders, and their government, which is in cahoots with the Roman Empire. The sermon follows ...