Matthew 5:3

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

From Background Notes [BN] for October 20^th & 21^st  written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Several years ago, Robert Schuller published his book, The Be (Happy) Attitudes (1985), which tackled the question, “Where does happiness come from?” Seizing the verbal trick found in the word “beatitude,” the writer extracted the idea of “attitude.”

Mary Fairchild commented in Christianity Today (January 7, 2009) about the need for a “be-attitude adjustment.” These writers join a host of others in emphasizing that Jesus wanted to re-orient people’s hearts and minds as they prepared for the coming of God’s new kingdom that he himself was bringing. One main thread of the Sermon on the Mount teaching has to do with re-imagine the Hebrew Scriptures in light of Jesus’ coming. Lost in the shuffle of trying to be an observant Jew in the first century was the idea of human transformation — that we might become new people, new creations. Part of this transformation was a fresh perspective on the poverty, sorrow, disenfranchisement, and hunger. Jesus encouraged a different approach to such serious issues in light of widespread economic and spiritual deprivation in a society where 90% were peasant farmers or artisans.[BN, 10]

Join us this week in Study, Worship, Praise and Celebration at Chicago First Church of the Nazarene:

* Saturday 6:00pm
* Sunday 8:30am & 11:00am, 5:30pm