Reading 1: Introduction

[For use during the Christmas season] At this season, we hear a lot about the "baby Jesus." Now it is easy to respond emotionally to the image of God as a newborn child, and feel a transient willingness to help the helpless. But the God with whom we have to do is no more an infant, but the reigning Lord: "Christ, the power and wisdom of God." And it is not so easy to constantly face the mirror of His wisdom, hearing and obeying his words. Let us consider these words of wisdom from the "sermon on the mount,"; and consider how we ought to respond, always trying to measure ourselves by its standard.

[More general] It is perhaps easier to worship Christ as Lord than to actually submit our lives to His control: continually facing the mirror of His wisdom, and hearing and obeying his words. But they are the standard by which God will measure us. Let us consider these words of wisdom from the "sermon on the mount," and consider how we ought to respond, always trying to measure ourselves by its standard.

Reading 2: Blessed are They

Mt 5

¹When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, ²and he began to teach them, saying:

³Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

⁴Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

⁵Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

⁶Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

⁷Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

⁸Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

⁹Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.

¹⁰Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

¹¹Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.

¹²Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Reading 2: Light under a Bushel

Mt 5

¹³You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

¹⁴You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl, instead of a stand, where it would give light to everyone in the house.

¹⁶In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

Mt 6

¹Be careful not to do your acts of kindness before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. ²So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. Truly, certainly, they have received their reward in full. ³But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, ⁴so that your giving may be in secret: and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

⁵And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in synagogues and on street corners to be seen by men. Truly, certainly, they have received their reward in full. ⁶But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is not seen: and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Reading 4: This is the way to pray

Reading 5: Treasures in Heaven

Mt 6

¹⁹Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

²⁴No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.

²⁵Therefore I tell you: do not worry about your life, or what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothing? ²⁶Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap, or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they are? ²⁷Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? ²⁸And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹Yet I tell you that even Solomon in all his splendor was not dressed like one of these. ³⁰If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

³¹So do not worry, saying, “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?” ³²For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

³⁴Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Reading 6: Hearing and Doing

Mt 7

¹²Therefore, however ye wish that men treat you, treat them the same way: for this is the law and the prophets.

¹³Enter by the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter by it. ¹⁴But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

²¹Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. ²²Many will say to me on that day, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and perform many mighty works?” ²³Then I will tell them plainly, “I never knew you. Away from me, you who work iniquity!”

²⁴Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and does them is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. ²⁶But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. ²⁷The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.

Reading 7: Invitation

Mt 7

²⁸When Jesus finished his sayings, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the Law.

And surely, not only amazed but also bewildered: if even the twelve disciples were puzzled by such counter-intuitive teaching, how much more the multitude!

These words are no less paradoxical today. The only way to truly comprehend them is to walk by them through faith in Jesus. As these first disciples came to the end of their lives, the words they first heard in amazement came naturally to their own lips, expressing the wisdom of God confirmed in their own lives:

Jas 1

James wrote, ¹²Blessed is the man who endures trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life which God has promised to them who love him.

²²But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. ²³For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror, ²⁴and after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. ²⁵But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it--he will be blessed in his doing.

Ac 20

Paul said, ³⁵It is more blessed to give than to receive.

1Pet 1

Peter wrote, ⁶Rejoice, though now you may have to suffer briefly all kinds of trials, ⁷so that your faith (more valuable than gold which perishes even though refined by fire) may be found genuine, resulting in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

1Pet 3

¹⁷For it is better to suffer for doing right, if that be God's will, than to suffer for doing wrong.

¹⁰He that would love life

and see good days,

let him keep his tongue from evil,

and his lips from speaking deceit;

¹¹let him turn away from evil and do right,

let him seak peace, and persue it,

¹²For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous,

And his ears are open to their prayers.

Rev 22

John heard, ¹⁴Blessed are they who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter the city by the gates.

Let us resolve to live so that we too may have this confidence.

If you need to wash away your sins in baptism, or you have forgotten your first cleansing and shamed the name of Christ by not doing what you heard, Jesus still calls through his church: tonight, while we stand and sing.