Engagement with the Beatitudes - Part 1

As Ecclesia Colorado Springs engages The Sermon on the Mount, we first come to what theologians have titled The Beatitudes. This week we are look at Jesus' words from Matthew 5:4-5:

⁴ “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted."
⁵ “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth."

Consider the following as we meditate, pray, and more importantly, live out these words, not as precepts, but as community instruction for us today...



QUESTIONS FOR US TO CONSIDER
What do we see in El Paso County that should cause us to mourn?

What comfort can we as God's people offer those who are mourning these things?

In what ways has the search for serenity infected our community with a spirit of meekness?

What can we do to wake up our friends and neighbors and even ourselves to the world of possibility that God has offered us?

FOR YOU
Who do you see in your neighborhood and workplace, in your homes and on your commute, whose grief needs comforting?

What comfort can you offer them?

Where do you notice an absence of shalom in your life? In your relationships? What blessing can you offer to the people around you?

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May God grant you the serenity
to accept the things you cannot change,
The courage to change the things you can,
The wisdom to know the difference,
The faith to celebrate what should be celebrated
And to mourn what must be mourned,
The conviction to set aside the search for serenity,
and to seek the shalom of your family,
your friends,
your neighborhood,
your community,
your city,
your country,
and your world—
The resolve to love your neighbor as yourself.
The blessing of being a blessing.