Week 1: Happiness Redefined

O God, I give you thanks that you stop to speak to me today. Let my heart feel moved with compassion at the sight of your people. Open my heart to what it may mean for me to live differently as a follower of Christ. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Matthew 5:1-12

Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up a mountain. He sat down and his disciples came to him. He taught them, saying:

"Happy are people who are hopeless, because the kingdom of heaven is theirs.

"Happy are people who grieve, because they will be made glad.

"Happy are people who are humble, because they will inherit the earth.

"Happy are people who are hungry and thirsty for righteousness, because they will be fed until they are full.

"Happy are people who show mercy, because they will receive mercy.

"Happy are people who have pure hearts, because they will see God.

"Happy are people who make peace, because they will be called God's children.

"Happy are people whose lives are harassed because they are righteous, because the kingdom of heaven is theirs.

"Happy are you when people insult you and harass you and speak all kinds of bad and false things about you, all because of me. Be full of joy and be glad, because you have a great reward in heaven. In the same way, people harassed the prophets who came before you."

Day 1

Matthew 5:1

Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up a mountain. He sat down and his disciples came to him. He taught them saying ...

Every day I see different people. On the walking trail by my house, I pass my neighbors. In the grocery store I see people from my community. On my street corner the homeless hold signs. At the gas station we stand, but we do not speak. If I'm honest, I see a lot of people and think very little about them. I have my stuff to do, and I am on my way. If I'm honest, some days I hope that I don't have to stop or speak because my day is planned, my mind is preoccupied, and my heart is busy.

On the day that Jesus shared what is now known as the Sermon on the Mount, he saw a lot of people. A huge crowd had followed him.

Jesus didn't see the crowds and keep walking. Jesus didn't see the crowds and try to get away.

When Jesus saw the crowds he was moved to do something for them, something with them. He went up on the side of a mountain (presumably to a place where his voice could be heard better), sat down (the seated position would have been the authoritative way to teach), and began to share with the crowds a message that they did not expect.

Jesus shared what is commonly known as the Beatitudes, a term which means happy or blissful. Jesus began to share the way to happiness to a crowd that he loved. This week we will look at these teachings that were upside down from the common thinking of that day and of our day.

Before we do that, though, let's note that when Jesus saw the crowds he didn't keep on walking. He stopped. He gathered them. He loved them.

Different people raise different emotions in us. A beloved family member, an old friend, an annoying co-worker, a stranger on the street—they all elicit different responses in our hearts. From deep devotion to indifference. From fondness to disdain.

Don't miss that when Jesus saw the crowds he was moved with compassion to share with them a different way that would be the way. The way that they had been looking for, longing for, hoping for.

As we look at a Jesus who calls us to a different way—a way that is upside down from what our culture has taught us is the way to happiness and success—remember that he stops and speaks to us because he loves us.

What do you think Jesus sees when he sees you?

If you knew that today Jesus was stopping to share with you a different way to live, what would be your response?

How can you view the crowds that you see today differently?

O God, I give you thanks that you stop to speak to me today. Let my heart feel moved with compassion at the sight of your people. Open my heart to what it may mean for me to live differently as a follower of Christ. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Day 2

Matthew 5:3-4

"Happy are people who are hopeless, because the kingdom of heaven is theirs.

"Happy are people who grieve, because they will be made glad."

I'm often surprised when, on a normal day when I'm just going about my business and think I'm doing okay, something happens to show that indeed I am not okay. Where did those tears come from? Why did I say that? How did I get so angry so quickly? Why do I feel so depressed all of a sudden?

I am reminded that in some ways I lack hope. I am reminded that I have some things I am still grieving.

In Jesus' day, as in ours, it was the powerful, the rich, the highly regarded, the confident who were expected to be blessed and happy. They were the ones who received inheritances. They had the good stuff and lived the good life. Jesus said, in effect, "I'm going to turn that upside down."

"Happy are the hopeless." Huh? "Happy are people who grieve." What?

Jesus taught that those who are broken in their hearts—the weak, the hungry, the insulted—are the ones who will get the inheritance. They will receive the good stuff and live the good life. They will be happy, blessed, filled with joy.

Jesus comes to those who have days of grief and hopelessness. Jesus calls us to admit the ways we are without hope and the things we grieve. And Jesus meets us there, offering his kingdom to the hopeless and gladness to the grieving.

Jesus says that the best things he has to offer are available for those who are hurting. If you hurt today, know that Jesus has something for you.

It may be helpful to consider the parts of you today that are without hope ... the places where you grieve. Where do you need hope today?

What do you need in order to grieve before God? Has anything hurt you that you need to share with God?

O God, I give you thanks that you stop to speak to me today. Let my heart feel moved with compassion at the sight of your people. Open my heart to what it may mean for me to live differently as a follower of Christ. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Day 3

Matthew 5:5

"Happy are people who are humble, because they will inherit the earth."

It's all about me." Though it is painful to admit, if I'm not careful this can become a major guiding statement behind much of what I do. And it makes me terribly unhappy. There is something innate in us that leads us to look out for number one; but when our life becomes all about us, our souls become very empty.

Jesus says that humble people are happy people.

True, the humble rarely get noticed. By nature they do not call attention to themselves. They often are overlooked and passed over. And yet Jesus, in his upside down way, says that the humble have a great inheritance in store for them.

Again, Jesus points out that the ones we usually think of as...