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About Blessings

Part 1: Being blessed by God.

Jesus and the disciples were travelling in the countryside. There were hills and mountains all around. Wherever they went, many people came to listen to Jesus.

One day, seeing the crowds, Jesus went a little way up the side of a mountain and sat down. From there, he could see the whole crowd. The people were watching, eagerly waiting for his teaching. Jesus could see that people had walked a long way to be there. Many were poor and many were going through lots of troubles. All of them had come to learn, hoping for some wisdom and a blessing from God.

Jesus said:

Blessed are those who are poor and realize their need for him,
for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.

Blessed are those who are humble,
for they will inherit the whole earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice,
for they will be satisfied.

Blessed are those who are merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God.

Blessed are those who work for peace,
for they will be called the children of God.
Blessed are those who are judged wrongly for doing what is right,
for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

The people listened closely as he spoke.

They remembered these words, and told others. They wrote it down, and these words became part of one of the most famous parts of the Bible.

Part 2: Salt and Light

Jesus continued speaking. "You are the salt of the earth. Keep your good, salty flavor, because what good is salt with no flavor?"

"And you are the light of the world. Make sure people can see your light shining. When they see you living a good life, they will want to be children of God too, just like you."

Part 3: Thinking About It

Imagine that you were a child sitting in the crowd. You wonder: What does it mean when Jesus says I'm salt? You lick your hand to see if it tastes salty. Maybe yes? And you wonder: What does it mean when Jesus says I'm a light? Am I like a candle? You wonder about it all night and all the next day.

Discussion: The "blessed are" message sounds like a poem. Imagine being a child in this crowd, listening and enjoying the sound of the words. Then you look around and see how happy everyone is. The people here are not famous or powerful or rich. They are humble, kind, peaceful and merciful. They try to make the world better. They are eager to learn about God. You realize that they are happy because Jesus says that God blesses them for being who they are.

Craft: Create a salt painting.
Or use calligraphy to write these words and create a word collage:
Salt
Light
Peace
Merciful
Humble
Justice
Hunger
Thirst
Blessed

J.M.L.
Summer 2015