Blessings and curses abound on the sixth Sunday after Epiphany especially as Jesus shares the Beatitudes in his Sermon on the Plain. We would do well to listen closely to whom the “blessed ares” and the “woe tos” are directed and to find our place in the crowd among those who desire to touch Jesus. One relevant old saying goes, the gospel “afflicts the comfortable and comforts the afflicted.” Yet another even older saying goes, “We are simultaneously saint and sinner.” But as Jeremiah reminds us, if we trust in the Lord (rather than our possessions) we will be like trees planted by streams of water – growing, flourishing… and blessed. Pastor Tim Anderson of Austin City Lutherans will remind us of our call to redistribute blessings, and we celebrate the giving of some financial blessings with a TLLC BIG Check!
image: Jesus and the Sermon on the Mount stained glass in Cathedral of Brussels, Belgium by Aurelian Images. Copyright © 2024 Alamy Stock Photo. Used by permission.