Practice Righteousness

Matthew 6:1-6;16-21

This Wednesday is Ash Wednesday, which is the beginning of Lent. I’ll be honest, out of all the seasons we observe as Christians, besides Holy Week and Easter, Lent has become my favorite. One thing I really like about Lent is that if I take it seriously, and by that, I mean, if I take the time to be focused on the spiritual practices of prayer and fasting and giving, then Lent becomes a time for me to recalibrate, to refocus spiritually. And I have noticed each year my own spiritual practice becomes a little deeper and richer because this time of focus during Lent. And so, I look forward to it, I really do.

Out of the Heart

Matthew 5:20-24
Genesis 4:1-8

In 1991, two hikers, who were hiking at a high elevation through the Italian Alps, stumbled across a body frozen in the ice. They alerted the authorities who got together a team to retrieve the body. Initially it was thought to be the body of some mountaineer who perished climbing the mountain. But they soon learned that the body was of a man from some 5,300 years ago who they named Otzi the Iceman, after the Otztal Alps in which he was found. As you can imagine many scientists gathered to research Otzi, and they learned a number of interesting things.

Salt and Light

Matthew 5:13-20

So, we’re picking up where we left off last post. This passage also comes from Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount. In the last post we looked at those opening lines: Blessed are the poor in spirit for they will inherit the Kingdom of Heaven, Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be filled, Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called children of God, and so on. Those opening lines aren’t commands, and they’re not a method for how to be blessed. So, what is Jesus doing? In a sense, he is pulling back the curtain so his followers can see that they are blessed.

The Blessed Ones

Matthew 5:1-12
Isaiah 61:1-9

In the previous chapter, Jesus began his ministry by proclaiming, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” In other words, “Reorient your lives towards God, for God’s kingdom is near.” And it’s near in him, he is the presence of God’s kingdom in the world. Then he begins to call disciples, like Peter, Andrew, James and John. And as they follow him, he works his way through Galilee teaching and healing. And as does this, large crowds also begin to follow him, which brings us to today’s passage.