Given by Rev. Madison Shockley February 13, 2022

After Luke’s description of a Christian, are you sure you want to be a Christian? He tells us that some will hate you, curse you, exclude you, mistreat you, and abuse you. You will weep. This makes it hard to want to be blessed. The Beatitudes make no demands on you for the blessings though. In the real world, we make a lot of demands. The poor need a job, those who are LGBTQ+ need to be straight, and the hungry need to work to qualify for food. We know there are entire organizations dedicated to hating black people. Hatred towards those in the LGBTQ+ community and those that are undocumented are common. Luckily, God blesses and welcomes you for just being you. For those not mentioned, pray for God to show you how to be in God’s blessings. We need to see the world the way God sees the world. Do justice, show kindness, show acceptance, and be humble to show you are a Christian to your fellow brothers and sisters. Then you too can be blessed.

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