In 2016 - from the Sunday after Easter, through the Sunday before Thanksgiving - all of us at Union were in the midst of an emphasis called The Story. Adults, children, and youth walked through the entire Bible together, in both sermons and Sunday school lessons. We were reminded once again the stories of our faith, this time told in chronological order, and pieced together from the various biblical passages in which the stories were located.
That September, we found ourselves at Jesus’ greatest teaching, The Sermon on the Mount, found in Matthew 5-7. If you were in worship that day, you may remember that the sermon consisted of a reading of the entire Sermon on the Mount from The Message translation. Hearing Jesus’ words in contemporary language was jarring at times, but that day, we were reminded once again that Jesus’ words are always current.
This Sunday we will return to the Sermon on the Mount, focusing this time on a smaller portion called The Beatitudes, found in Matthew 5:1-12. These words tell us that blessedness will come to those who practice the ethics of the kingdom. I hope you will join us as we learn what those kingdom ethics are and how we can become people whose lives are more closely aligned with God.
And what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God.
Micah 6:8
-Pastor Jane