Luke's version of the Beatitudes - except he includes some "woes."

The first thing we notice is that this is all backwards - Jesus has things all upside-down.  What our world thinks of as blessed usually involves prosperity linked to wealth, comfort, no lack of possessions or materials to get what we want. Yeah, it's the opposite of what Jesus says.

I'll admit that I don't quite know what to do with these things. I'm tempted to edit these things. I'm tempted to see them as metaphors. Poor? Hungry? Mourning? Hated and excluded? Jesus must've been exaggerating.

But he wasn't. The crowd Jesus was talking to were the sick, the lame, the demon possessed. They were the marginalized - the outcast. And Jesus calls them "blessed" - says that God is on their side. When you've got nothing left - end of the line - you are now closer to the kingdom of God than ever before. You are blessed. God is on your side.

Of course, there is the other matter of the woes. Most of us live cozy and comfortable lives. For the most part we're not in dire need of anything. There isn't much in our circumstances that can lead us to a sense of urgency about ultimate things. We can go days without talking to God - days without thinking about God. It's not because we don't want to, yearn to, desire to, it's just that - in the words of Jesus - we've already been comforted. We're full.

So maybe what Jesus is saying is that for most of us, we have something to learn about following Jesus - about blessedness - that our life circumstances won't teach us. Maybe we have something to learn from people who don't have what most of us have. Maybe it's our turn to shut up and listen.

But humanity doesn't want to listen. We don't listen to the poor, the hungry, the immigrant, and all the others who've been marginalized by the powers that be. Humanity doesn't want to listen. Why should we? We're already full. Woe to us.

What do we do? Maybe step into that calling. Maybe we do listen and learn and stand in solidarity with those who've been pushed out. All we have to do is let go of power and privilege. All we have to do is give away all of our love. Maybe then we'll experience this thing called the kingdom of God. Maybe then we'll experience the fullness of what Jesus calls "blessed."

Speaker: Aaron Vis
Scripture: Luke 6:17-26
https://www.bible.com/events/49396230

February 23, 2025 "Blessed Are The Outcast"

Medjugorje le message 2025-03-01 Message du 25 février 2025

We're just starting out on this series that dives into what it looks like to love others through Jesus' love. This week we dive into what it means to live in community and to love those around us—no matter who that is.

Practicing Community

This morning we are doing something a bit different once again, with a panel of therapists who are in our community. A huge thank you to Sarah Fleming, Holly Thompson, and Jason Stark for sharing their time and wisdom with us today!

Speaker: Aaron Vis
Scripture: Psalm 13:1-6
http://bible.com/events/49399816

March 2, 2025 "When We Are In Despair"

We're in a series that's all about people—how we relate to those around us and show the love of Jesus to the people in our lives. This week, Daniel Kerr talks about how we can do that in our relationships at work.

Made For This

It's Lent time, baby! It always starts with an examination of this particular story in Luke.  Today we're talking about how we can approach it - from an individual perspective - how does this impact each of our lives? AND from a communal perspective - how does this impact us as a community?

Temptation one is to go after the short-cut - to take the easy way - to go after instant gratification. We're always looking for instant gratification. But the slow, hard work of building relationships, establishing trust, and invitation is the only way things go well.

Temptation two is to compromise in order to grasp after power. Yeesh, this one is tempting all the time - compromise our integrity in order to get ahead. But there's a flip side to this. We hold a different view about human sexuality and gender. It would be easy for us to be self-righteous about it - to be militant about it - to try and force others to come to the same conclusion - but that's not how God works.

Temptation three is to make fear the basis of faith. This can be used to manipulate and control. If we just have to believe the right things and believe in them hard enough then God will protect us. You can be coerced into believing some pretty crazy things if fear is the basis of faith. But the cross teaches us something different. God's beloved still get hurt and ache and bleed and die. But we have a God who suffers alongside us. This is good news - because we also have a God who resurrects.

Speaker: Aaron Vis
Scripture: Luke 4:1-13
https://www.bible.com/events/49403199

March 9, 2025 "How Does God Shape Us?"

Mark Brunott talks about what we can know about heaven, who will be there and how much we might think about it while on earth. 

Heaven

I just wanted to talk to you about things, but all I got was an "I'll get back to you later."

As Soon as I Can

We live in a world that is obsessed with knowledge - which is a good thing. Knowledge gets you ahead. Knowledge is power. That's what we say. And we experience that, too.

It worked for Paul. He really was THE MAN, when it came to all things God.

For a lot of us who grew up in the Church, head knowledge of the contents and principles of the Bible was something that we valued highly. Memorization, then being able to recite on the spot, or at least be able to talk about it with certainty. Paul called all of that stuff "garbage" when compared to knowing Jesus. Garbage. Rubbish. Actually, the best way to translate that word is, "shit." It's all a bunch of BS compared to knowing Jesus. Okay, poop - let's talk about poop. This is now the second sermon I've preached about poop. Yay!

All that stuff we know about Jesus is like manure - it fertilizes the heart and soul to prepare us for knowing Jesus. The head stuff is great. But it's also BS. It has to fertilize the heart so that we can actually know the divine. And knowing Jesus has a transformative effect on our lives. We become a gracious presence. We become a healing presence. We become a loving presence. We become a welcoming presence. And most importantly, we become a loving presence.

Speaker: Aaron Vis
Scripture: Philippians 3:1-14
http://bible.com/events/49406721

March 16, 2025 "When Knowledge Grows Love"

As we continue our series on making Jesus undeniable in our relationships, we're taking this week to dive into marriage. How do we love selflessly like Jesus in our marriages?

Selfless Love & Safe Homes

ReNew Community: Following Jesus to renew lives that renew the world.
UP with God, IN with one another, OUT in service.

Radio Maria est née en Italie dans les années 1980. Elle s'est rapidement développée en Europe et dans le monde pour atteindre 83 pays en 2024. En France depuis 1998,  sa mission est de diffuser l'Evangile en harmonie avec la doctrine et les indications pastorales fournies par l'Eglise catholique, dans la fidélité au Saint Père, et en utilisant toutes les possibilités que peut offrir un moyen de diffusion radiophonique. Radio Maria est une radio catholique, mariale, d'évangélisation.

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