Bethany Lutheran Church

Author Sky Jethani writes, “The beginning of the Sermon on the Mount is not a to-do list; it is a good news list. Jesus is describing who has the most to gain by the arrival of His Kingdom. He is not prescribing what you must do to enter it.” What if Jesus was serious about transforming us into the kind of people who desire to receive his Upside-Down Kingdom? Perhaps what Jesus means by being blessed is far greater than we could ever imagine. 1 Samuel 16:7 (ESV)But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”Matthew 5:1-12 (ESV)Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inh