Matthew 5:11 and Luke 6:22: Rejoice!
Easter Sunday, April 17, 2022
Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you [falsely] because of me. (Matthew’s account of the Sermon on the Mount)
Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude and insult you, and denounce your nature as evil on account of the Son of Man. (Luke’s account of the Sermon on the Plain)
God says: Many of you have created cultures that lure you into believing that your goal is to prepare for every cataclysm and stave off every hazard, but these creeds may not serve you well. Many of you live in societies that know too well the effects of corruption, self-preservation, avarice and envy. And then many of you live among advantaged people who understand the inversion of my kingdom where the poor are the powerful and the strong are weak. Listen to my words in these sermons on the mount and plain and look at all you see around you. Rejoice in the promise of the Easter miracle that these inversions are true. And rejoice in the knowledge that my kingdom is already declared among you. Rejoice. Be glad. Open your hearts to the wayward, the fallen, the voiceless and powerless. And as you celebrate with Easter joy . . . tend to my sheep.
The tomb that is empty is full of new life. The life that is given is restored in new measure. The heart that is broken is transformed in God’s love. Rejoice and be glad in the promise of this day! Rejoice and be glad in Christ who is with us always! Rejoice!
Images from: http://pixgood.com/heart-on-fire-animation.html and https://revdtabbs.wordpress.com/2013/03/31/the-empty-tomb-is-not-an-idle-tale/
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