Para Vista Lutheran Church

I was in my mid-20’s, doing vicarage at Mt Barker. After attending three funerals of people I’d known, and reflecting on times shared with them, it suddenly dawned on me: “One day it will be my body in that box at the front – and then where will I be? And how can I be sure?”
With this sudden awareness, I threw every objection I could muster at the resurrection of Jesus. In the end, I was convinced by the cumulative evidence of the New Testament that Jesus is risen, and my hope in him well placed.  
Jesus says: “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”  Matthew 5:4 
What can we do to comfort those who mourn?
As followers of Jesus, we do well to take a leaf out of Jesus’ book, responding to people in grief with compassion, empathy, and tenderness.
Matthew 5:4, Ruth 1:1-22

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

We continue the series of radical, cultural transformation using the Beatitudes (blessings) as a template, we encounter a shift in thinking. From one who was considered unclean and shunned, to one who was blessed with saving faith, peace, healing and an inheritance.

Matthew 5:1-3, Mark 5:24b-34

In Jesus’ first sermon - The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) - he starts with a series of one-liners that tip the world’s values upside down – and reveal the things that matter to God and his kingdom. In the weeks ahead at Good Shepherd, we’ll be looking closely into Matthew’s account of Jesus – and what it means to do life together with Jesus in such a way that it permeates everything we do… until it’s part of our culture. This Sunday we lay the foundation by looking at some of the cultural background and main themes of Matthew’s account of Jesus. 
Matthew 9:9-13 (See also Matthew 8:5-13, 15:21-28)

Please look up this YouTube video to help with the audio in the Podcast
https://bibleproject.com/videos/matthew-1-13/

As we ponder our own reading and understanding of the scriptures, let’s pause as we carefully peruse Jesus’ words to all centuries which have a niggling sense of dis-ease. As we hear Jesus speak to the expert in the law, let we who hear the resounding voice of the gospel get stuck on the Healer’s words:  “Do this and you will live.”
Luke 10:25-37