Sermon on the Plain
17He
came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his
disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea, Jerusalem, and the
coast of Tyre and Sidon. 18They had come to hear him and
to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean
spirits were cured.19And all in the crowd were
trying to touch him, for power came out from him and healed all of them.
20Then he
looked up at his disciples and said: "Blessed are you who are poor, for
yours is the kingdom of God.
21"Blessed
are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled.
"Blessed are you who weep now, for you will
laugh.
22"Blessed
are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame
you on account of the Son of Man. 23Rejoice in
that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that
is what their ancestors did to the prophets.
24"But
woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.
25"Woe to
you who are full now, for you will be hungry.
"Woe to you who are laughing now, for you
will mourn and weep.
26"Woe to
you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the
false prophets.
Luke 6:17-26
The Sermon on the Mountain
FERENCZY, Károly
1896
Magyar
Nemzeti Galéria
Budapest
Hungary
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Sermon_on_the_Mount_Károly_Ferenczy.jpg
Ferenczy
is considered the "father of Hungarian impressionism and
post-impressionism" and the "founder of modern Hungarian painting.”
Most people are willing to take the
Sermon on the Mount as a flag to sail under,
but few will use it as a rudder by which to steer.
~
Oliver Wendell Holmes
A candle loses nothing
by lighting another candle.
~
James Keller
Neighborhood
gathering
Jen
Volmer had several of us over for cocktails.
This
is what she uses for her Chocolate Peanut Butter Martinis.
Kate
McCord, Jen’s mother, helped with the mixing.
Rowdy
Rotarians had their get-together at Center for the Arts Evergreen.
The
present show is “I’m Here.”
"I’m Here" displays artwork
that reflects on the resilience and growth that
today’s teenagers were forced to dig deep and find in the
midst of the pandemic.
The entrants were between the ages of 13 and 17.
Lisa
Nierenberg, Executive Director, with Rotarians (and fellow art sponsors)
Adrian
Stone, Cindy Sahli, Laurie Romberg.
Chains,
by Lauren McKenzie
When
their home was evacuated during the recent big fire, Lauren ran
back
inside to rescue her drawing. Fortunately, their home was one
that
did not burn.
Our
Rotary speaker this week was Heather Keeton, Principal, Warren Tech.
A
fierce advocate for educational reform, Heather champions innovative models of
education,
working
to bridge the gap between education and industry,
Every Warren Tech student is taught Post-Secondary
Workforce Readiness (PWR) skills,
and students earn over 13,000 free college
credits and 1,600 industry certifications yearly.”
I
love their logo: Working to reach outside of the box.
https://warrentech.jeffcopublicschools.org/about
Carolyn
Alexander, 24 years in Evergreen Rotary!
There
are a number of people with still more years!
Loving our neighbors and our enemies
is the core of the Sermon on the Mount,
the core of Christianity
…Love trumps judgment.
We have to regain our credibility as people
who know how to love
…~ Anne Rice
February 13, 2022 Sixth Sunday after Epiphany - Year
C
Previous OPQs may be found at:
Agnus Day, by James Wetzstein
Agnus Day appears with the permission of www.agnusday.org
Jeremiah 17:5–10
Psalm 1
1 Corinthians 15:12–20
Luke 6:17–26
THE WORD:
In Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount, Jesus speaks of “Beatitudes,”
but in Luke’s Sermon on the Plain, Jesus drops a series of bombshells. He
takes the accepted standards of the times and turns them upside down: To
those who are considered the “haves” of society, Jesus warns “Woe to you!” –
wealth and power are not the stuff of the kingdom of God; but to the “have
nots,” Jesus says, “Happy and blessed are you” – love, humble selflessness,
compassion and generosity are the treasure of God's realm. Jesus promises
his followers poverty, suffering, persecuting and grief -- but their hope in
God will be rewarded with perfect and complete joy. In Luke’s Gospel, the
“blessed” are those who see beyond their own needs and wants in the present
moment to work for a better future not only for themselves but for others — but
“woe” to those, Jesus warns, who seek their own “fill” now with no concern for
the future or for others.
This will be a constant theme throughout Luke’s Gospel: Jesus
teaches that wealth and power are not the stuff of the reign of God, but
humility, selflessness and compassion are the treasures of God’s kingdom.
https://connectionsmediaworks.com/sundaygospel.html#feb13
First Reading Jeremiah 17:5-10
5Thus says the LORD: Cursed are those who trust in mere mortals
and make mere flesh their strength, whose hearts turn away from the LORD. 6They shall be like a shrub in the
desert, and shall not see when relief comes. They shall live in the parched
places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land.
7Blessed are
those who trust in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD. 8They shall be like a tree planted by
water, sending out its roots by the stream. It shall not fear when heat comes,
and its leaves shall stay green; in the year of drought it is not anxious, and
it does not cease to bear fruit.
9The heart is
devious above all else; it is perverse-who can understand it? 10I the LORD test the mind and search
the heart, to give to all according to their ways, according to the fruit of
their doings.
1Happy are those
who do not follow the advice of the wicked,
or take the path that sinners
tread,
or sit in the seat of scoffers;
2but their delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law they meditate day and night.
3They are like trees
planted by streams of water,
which yield their fruit in
its season,
and their leaves do not wither.
In all that they do, they
prosper.
4The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
5Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
6for the LORD watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.
Second Reading 1 Corinthians
15:12-20
12Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can
some of you say there is no resurrection of the dead? 13If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not
been raised; 14and if Christ has not been
raised, then our proclamation has been in vain and your faith has been in vain. 15We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we
testified of God that he raised Christ-whom he did not raise if it is true that
the dead are not raised. 16For if the dead are not
raised, then Christ has not been raised. 17If Christ has not been
raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. 18Then those also who have died in Christ have perished. 19If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all
people most to be pitied.
20But in fact Christ has been
raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died.
17He came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great
crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea, Jerusalem,
and the coast of Tyre and Sidon. 18They had
come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were
troubled with unclean spirits were cured.19And all in
the crowd were trying to touch him, for power came out from him and healed all
of them.
20Then he
looked up at his disciples and said: "Blessed are you who are poor, for
yours is the kingdom of God.
21"Blessed
are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled.
"Blessed are you who weep now, for you will
laugh.
22"Blessed
are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame
you on account of the Son of Man. 23Rejoice in
that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that
is what their ancestors did to the prophets.
24"But
woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.
25"Woe to
you who are full now, for you will be hungry.
"Woe to you who are laughing now, for you
will mourn and weep.
26"Woe to
you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the
false prophets.