Matthew 5: 1-12 NRSV

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:
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 receive 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 for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely[b] on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one.  I hope someday you'll join us, and the world will live as one.- John Lennon

This is our final sermon in the Imagine: Beatitudes series and I don't know about you, but I feel like we've come through a learning process together that has changed us, somehow.  Pairing this passage from Jesus's Sermon on the Mount with John Lennon's Imagine lyrics has revealed some amazing things about the way we live, how we identify and what it means to be disciples of Christ, and our hope for the future of humankind. We climbed the stair steps of the beatitudes, each one demanding a bit more of us than the last.  

One of the many things I appreciated about Pastor Marsha's sermon last week was that she brought up the background of the song, Imagine, by John Lennon, and let us know this has become a protest song.  

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