Matthew 5:1-12
Sermon on the Mount
1 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them.
He said:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Luke 6:17-26
Blessings and Woes
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 coast of Tyre and Sidon, 18 who had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. Those troubled by evil 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 men 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 fathers 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 all men speak well of you,
for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets.
John 14:27
Jesus Brings a Peace that Only He Can Bring
27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
The holidays and Christmas are often reminders...And sometimes they are reminders of things that we actually do not really want to remember...Both time and the wickedness around us can make us feel like Christmas is not a celebration, but a time we will miss a loved one...We cannot be reminded that over time and many years and the older we get that we have an empty chair among the other chairs during the holidays...We might have an emptiness or a void in our heart that a loved one used to fill...
Jesus' Sermon on the Mount is a reminder for me how and where He was born...
But the Christian faith is one of hope...God sent Jesus in winter and on His Birth Day to remind us that there is hope...Hope was born on the Day of His Birth...I am sure that there was pain and suffering during Jesus Birth and His days...In fact, He came for the pain and sufferers of the world and when we read His two Great Sermons, the Sermon on the Mount and the Sermon on the Pain. we are reminded of something else…Blessed are they who are meek...Blessed are those who mourn...Blessed are those who hunger...We are reminded of His LOVE, His Greatness, and that He will fill that emptiness, that void, and we can fill peaceful again…A peace not that this world came bring, but that only He can bring us...