Sunday, February 1, 2026
Matt 5:1-12
1 Corin 1:18-31
Ps 15
Micah 6:1-8
Today we have four texts which are related thematically, are powerful and teach us the meaning of discipleship and how we are to live and be God’s disciples, God’s messengers in this world.
Our world, today, with all its wealth and technology, is really not that different from the world in Jesus’ time. The rich still oppress the poor; there are many, many poor countries and individuals. People still mourn, are miserable and unhappy, are meek and feel powerless. Many, many folks hunger and thirst for righteousness—hunger and thirst for God and for God’s love and mercy.
Micah, the part we have today, is presented like a lawsuit, a confrontation between God and man. It begins with Micah, as a prophet, acting on behalf of God. Micah is God’s attorney or representative and pleads God’s case against the people of Israel. The earth is God’s witness and God wants to know what the people have against their Lord—“In what have I wearied you?” Do you not remember all that I have done for you? Micah then, again as prophet, switches and acts on behalf of the Israelites and asks God what exactly do you want of us—your servants, people devoted to their Lord. Rather sarcastically, the people ask God—what shall, what CAN I bring before you—do you need bunches of calves, rivers of oil, my firstborn? Really, what do we have to do to get on your good side? They ask just as in the Psalm--who may abide in your tent, dwell on your holy hill? Finally, Micah repeats what God has said before, what God has told you O mortal. Very simply, God wanted them, wants us to “do justice, love kindness and to walk humbly with your God.” God wants God’s people to be authentic, to be truthful to God and to themselves. Don’t simply fall in with the crowd, follow the “popular” thing to do or way to act. Listen to God.
Psalm 15 tells us he same. As to who can abide in God’s tent, who may dwell on God’s holy hill, God says it is those who “do what is right and speak the truth from their heart; those who do not slander or do evil to their neighbor; those who honor and fear the Lord.” The people, the believers who act and live this way will always be with God and cannot be overthrown; cannot be moved from their belief, from their relationship with God.
Today’s portion from the Gospel of Matthew is the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. Jesus has been baptized, tempted by Satan, has taught in some synagogues and cured diseases and sickness. He has begun to gather disciples; there are four so far, who are in attendance, Peter, Andrew, James and John. No other disciples have been called yet, but still, even at the beginning stages of His ministry, Jesus has crowds following him and listening to him. All of these people, and significantly, even us today, are hungering for what Jesus has to say. So on this occasion, Jesus takes time, and sits with his friends, as well as the crowd, and talks with them. What Jesus says at this time, has become what we now call the Beatitudes. This name comes from the Latin word beatus which means blessed or happy. The noun, beatitude refers to a state of great joy.
Now, I don’t know about you, but to me, these Beatitudes, these statements, do not describe states of great joy. People are poor in spirit, are mournful, unhappy, meek, hungry, thirsty, reviled and persecuted. Where is the joy in any of that??? I must have missed something, somewhere. What is Jesus really saying?, I guess, oh maybe I should read/listen to ALL of each statement, not just the first parts like Blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are the meek. I see, there is a second part to each statement and Jesus tells us the joy comes in and through the actions of God—the kingdom of heaven, comfort, inheritance, being filled with God. Rejoice and be glad for God is with you. In each of these sayings, these teachings, Jesus is giving these new disciples and followers glimpses of what His ministry will be about; glimpses of life with God. Jesus is proclaiming, giving a syllabus, a list, a cheat-sheet, as to what he will teach us, will show us about living with, and for, God, their Creator, the Messiah, Jesus himself, present with them and also with us. These Beatitudes tell us the types of actions Jesus/God wants us to be involved in.
Be merciful, be a peacemaker, seek, hunger and thirst for righteousness, be pure in heart. We may be reviled and persecuted for following these ways, for following and loving Jesus is not easy, but God is with us and will reward us and fill us. We will be and are children of God, inheritors of the earth and heaven. Living this way, loving God and acting according to God’s commands, is a foretaste of the feast to come.
We have, we will always have Christ crucified for us and He will forever be with us. 1 Corinthians states the “cross is foolishness—but not to those of us who are God’s children. We know that God’s wisdom, God’s knowledge is so immense that as mere humans we could not even begin to comprehend even 1/100 of God’s wisdom. God sacrificed the Son for US—God chooses us, the foolish, the weak, the lowly to be God’s children. Our Lord chooses us to be disciples of God’s word to the world we live in. We are to proclaim Christ, “Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” We are ALL called by God to live our lives by God’s standards of love, mercy, justice and caring.
None of us are perfect or can live perfect lives in accordance with God’s commands. Yet God stays with us, especially as we repent of our mistakes, our wrongdoings. God is with us as we try again to live by God’s standards of love, mercy, justice and caring; as we proclaim God’s message and way of life to our neighbors, our world. God in God’s wisdom knows what each of us is capable of doing, of giving. We need to listen to God and relax and let God lead us into our own individual calling and discipleship. No two callings will be the same. God is our wisdom, our guide through life. We are truly blessed because we know and love God; know and love Jesus. So let us listen to God, walk humbly with God and God will show us, enable us to do justice, love kindness and be God’s disciple, God’s representative in this, our world. Go, therefore, and be blessed disciples of and for God.
Amen.
Lay Minister Laura Doughty