Hope from Hood – Week of Jan 23, 2017
Pastor Jason If you are like me, you receive a ton of emails and social media posts everyday…and most of them get deleted. But there are some that I make sure to read because they include news, thoughts and reflections from people in my life that I really value.
In that spirit, we are creating a new weekly series – kinda like a daily devotional – of reflections from your Hood pastoral team. We will include things to inspire you, to help get you through the day, and to challenge you to grow deeper spiritually. Most of our reflections and devotions will be based on the Lectionary Texts for the coming Sunday (see www.textweek.com). They may include thoughts, poems, hymns/songs, quotes or other inspirational things that connect to God’s Word for our daily lives. Each week, we plan to send out about 3 new posts – on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday…though please don’t hold us to the specific days!
We hope that you will use these as a source of daily devotion and as a way to reach out to folks beyond our church who are important to you (just forward the email or website to a friend!). We also hope that this will be another way that we can be church family even from our homes and offices. So…all you have to do now is enjoy!
Grace and Peace to you,
Jason & Joanie Williams
The Beatitudes
Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount begins with several “Blessed are you…” statements that we traditional call the Beatitudes (from the Latin word meaning “blessed”). Clarence Jordan, a farmer and Biblical scholar who founded Koinonia Farm, describes the Beatitudes as “steps into the kingdom, the stairway to the spiritual life.” In other words, the beatitudes are not simply blessings pronounced on various people based upon their situation. For Jordan, each of the beatitudes is a practice – an action that becomes a habit – that one takes on his or her journey towards the Kingdom of God. Those steps include learning to be:
- “poor in spirit” – feeling our need for God and God’s Kingdom
- “one who mourns” – being deeply concerned to the point of action
- “meek” – surrendering our will to God
- “hungry and thirsty for righteousness” – craving for right relationship with God
- “merciful” – having an attitude of compassion for all people
- “pure in heart” – being completely focused and loyal to God
- “peacemakers” – being concerned about the well-being of all God’s people
So, take a moment today and read through the Beatitudes in Matthew 5:1-12 and consider how you might begin to walk the stairway into the kingdom of God this week by making habits of these blessed steps.
If You Missed Last Sunday’s Sermon…
Listen to Can We All Just Get Along – 1 Corinthians 1:10-18
God’s Words for This Week
Micah 6:1-8 – He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? (NRSV, v. 8)
Psalm 15 – Keep your word even when it costs you, make an honest living, never take a bribe. (The Message, v.5)
1 Corinthians 1:18-31 – God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength. (NRSV, v 25)
Matthew 5:1-12 – God blesses those people who are humble. The earth will belong to them! (CEV, v.5)
This Week at The Hood
- Tuesday, Jan 24, 6:30 pm – Disciple Women’s Ministry (DWM in the Fellowship Hall
- Thursday, Jan 26, 3:30 pm – Prayer & Inspiration
- Thursday, Jan 26, 6:00 pm – Choir Practice