Bible Study – Fourth Sunday after Epiphany “Life Giving Attitudes”
Share: Your highs (something that made you happy) and lows (something that made you sad) this week with others around you or write them down.
Accept the light we have received and shine it forth! It is not about shining the light in other’s faces, blinding them, but holding the light in open hands.
We make it so complicated. The prophet Micah told us: “Do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with your God.” Jesus invites us to follow him and describes the attributes of those who follow. Where does Jesus go? What does he value?
Can you think about something Jesus has been showing us about the Kingdom of God? (God is right here with us – not off someplace.) Today we have some clues from Jesus about how we are to be with each other in the Kingdom.
Opening Prayer: Thank you, God, that you sent Jesus to help us figure out what is important. Help us to discover how you call each of us. Amen.
Jesus taught us about living a happy life. In the book of Matthew, Jesus taught the crowd a lesson we call “The Beatitudes.” Each one of the Beatitudes starts with the words, Blessed are …..
Please open your Bibles to Matthew 5:1-12 and read or read the scriptures below.
Matthew 5:1-12
Introduction to the Sermon on the Mount
5 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them.
The Beatitudes
He said:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Sometimes it is easier to understand the Beatitudes by finding the opposite of the verse and then notice why Jesus chose the way he did. Following are the opposites:
Verse 3 – “poor in spirit” – opposite: having too much “stuff”
Verse 4 – “those who mourn” – opposite: trying to pretend it doesn’t hurt when we lose someone (to death, moving away, or just stopping being friends) or ignoring someone else’s pain. And, if “comfort” does not mean all the hurt goes away, what might it mean?
Verse 5 – “meek” – opposite: trying to be a big shot – get all the attention – grab all you can.
Verse 6 – “righteousness” Opposite: know-it-all, World’s Foremost Authority, I am busy talking so I cannot listen to you. Another opposite can be: I don’t have time for God.
Verse 7 – “merciful” – Opposite: I don’t care about your problems – I pay attention only to what I want to do.
Verse 8 – “pure in heart” – opposite: I will give up what I believe in order to be accepted by the in group. I act in different ways to please those I am with.
Verse 9 – “peacemakers” – opposite: I have to have my own way, I will not cooperate or even listen to another point of view.
Verse 10 – ‘persecuted” – opposite: wimp out when you need to stand up for what you know is right.
Verse 11 – “reviled” – opposite: when people put you down, you do whatever you can to get them to like you even if it means doing something bad.
The mood changes in verse 12. What happens when we hang in there and do our best to do what God asks us to do?
Click here for the young learner’s lesson.
Videos (Click on url)
God’s Story: Sermon on the Mount: The Beatitudes - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poV1w0ZZIWw
Book of Matthew Summary: A Complete Animated Overview (Part 1): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Dv4-n6OYGI
Song: Happy All The Time - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHzofkZjEvc&list=RDhHzofkZjEvc&start_radio=1 or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiowtI93kek&list=RDiiowtI93kek&start_radio=1
Activities:
Beatitudes: Choose one or two of the Beatitudes and write their paraphrase on a sheet of paper or draw an illustration of what it means to you
Bee or heart Collage: Find as many pictures of bees or hearts as possible from old books or magazine or from the internet searches, tape or glue onto a piece of poster board. Then write “HAPPINESS IS NOT A FEELING THAT IS BROUGHT ABOUT BY THINGS THAT HAPPEN TO US, BUT AN ATTITUDE THAT WE HAVE IN OUR HEART, OR WE NEED TO BE LIKE THE BEE, BUZZING HAPPILY THROUGH LIFE BECAUSE WHAT GOD HAS DONE FOR US”
Beatitudes - Crossword: https://sermons4kids.com/activities/the-beatitudes-1
Beatitudes - Word Search: https://sermons4kids.com/activities/beatitudes
Beatitudes – Decoder: https://sermons4kids.com/activities/beatitudes-1
Beatitudes – ABC Order: https://sermons4kids.com/activities/the-beatitudes
Prayer: Thank you, God, that you are there for us as we try to do what you ask us to do. Remind us of these words as we go out into the world. Amen.
