August 2, 2024
Dear Friends,
This Sunday we will be concluding our series on The Beatitudes. My purpose has been to preach on these 8 “blessed” statements and get us to reflect on “What does it mean to be blessed?” My hope has been that we recognize that the beatitudes are not a checklist of behaviours and attitudes that we need to accomplish in order to be accepted by God. Nor are they identifying eight different types of people who are blessed. Rather they are characteristics and attitudes of those who profess to be Christ followers and that the Holy Spirit is at work in each of us, and we are becoming the beneficiaries of a “blessed” life that participates in God’s kingdom. Now this week we are going to take a look at the final beatitude and perhaps the hardest one to date. “Blessed are those who are persecuted on account of me, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Perhaps this had an immediate impact on the disciples who were persecuted and in some cases martyred because of their faith. The same might hold true of those in the early church to whom Matthew’s gospel was originally written. But what about us? Have we suffered because of our Christian faith? Have we known degrees of hostility or passive aggressive behaviour from others because we professed Jesus? I am sure there are experiences and stories that we could share about having to suffer in some way “because of Jesus.” Jesus is clear in this beatitude. Being a follower is not going to be welcomed and accepted in all places and by all people. But we are called to pray for those who would see us as “an enemy” or perhaps those who are simply indifferent to the claims of Jesus. Jesus blesses those who suffer because they profess him as Saviour and Lord. Jesus’ promise then and now is for those who are not ashamed to be called Christian and who follow Christ regardless of their own suffering, theirs is the kingdom of God. I want to encourage you to read the link below provided by the Presbyterian Church in Canada and also the Voice of the Martyrs which shares stories and prays for 31 countries where Christianity and other faith groups suffer. It can be found at https://www.vomcanada.com/ The paradox is that the suffering for ones faith in Jesus is a sign of the blessing of God. As Jesus concludes “Rejoice and be glad, yours is the kingdom of God.
The Christianity Explored course is here at Glenbrook on Wednesday nights. The next study will be August 7th @ 7 pm. It is a course that explores the basic beliefs of the Christian faith. Who is Jesus? What are the basic doctrines of Christianity? What is a Christian? and much more. If you are interested please contact the office and I will be glad to welcome you to “Christianity Explored.”
Blessings
Pastor Ian
