Sunday's Sermon: The Beatitudes
Matthew 5:1-12 Jesus saw the crowds, he sat down, and then he began to speak and taught them : Most English Bibles use “blessed,” at the start of each verse and some contemporary translations use “happy.” Yet neither is good enough. It doesn’t capture what the original Greek is saying. The Greek is closer to “being on track,” or “going in the right direction.” Being blessed means you aren’t lost—you’re on the path God intends you to be on . Being blessed means you’re heading in the right direction and sharing in the life of God. And, in Greek, sin means being off-track, missing the mark. If we’re poor in spirit, we’re not lost . We’re on track and following Jesus when we embrace our utter dependence on God—meaning we are aware that we can’t save ourselves, we stand in need of God’s help and mercy always, and we must trust God rather than fear, which keeps us from great acts of love. If we mourn, we’re not lost . We’re on track and following Jes...
