1. More on the Beatitudes August 29, 2010 Peter Fitch, St. Croix Vineyard

2. Last week Talk on the Beatitudes, the beginning part of the Sermon on the Mount Stumbled on an idea worth re-examining First, ideas from 2 sources (one unlikely) Dietrich Bonhoeffer & Kurt Vonnegut DB “cheap” and “costly” grace

3. Vonnegut (call to community)

4. Matthew 5:1-12 & Isaiah 42:1-4 What Isaiah 42: 1-4 means to me The healing mystery (Matthew 12), and more...

5. Isaiah 42:1-4 1 “Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one in whom My soul delights. I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations. 2 "He will not cry out or raise His voice, Nor make His voice heard in the street.

6. Isaiah 42:1-4 3 "A bruised reed He will not break, And a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish; He will faithfully bring forth justice. 4 "He will not be disheartened or crushed until He has established justice in the earth; And the coastlands will wait expectantly for His law."

7. The Nature of Jesus’ Ministry Isaiah 42:1-4, verse by verse Question: What if the Sermon on the Mount, and the Beatitudes in particular, are Jesus’ message of formation, His teaching about how to become like Him?

8. Jesus’ Formation Plan (?) Step 1, poverty of spirit: empty yourself of all you thought you knew! God is going to fill you with new ambitions, new ideas, new power to change yourself, and new abilities to help others Step 2, mourn: You will not be alone in suffering; and you will learn how to extend comfort to others

9. Jesus’ Formation Plan (?) Step 3, gentle: remember Isaiah 42 Step 4, hunger and thirst for righteousness: take on God’s agenda as your own (it’s all about justice—making things more right than they are) Step 5, merciful: how we treat broken reeds... Step 6, pure in heart: (SK, Mother Teresa)

10. Jesus’ Formation Plan (?) Step 7, peacemakers: bring the Presence of God into broken lives and broken situations Step 8, persecuted for the sake of righteousness: again, Isaiah 42, incredibly gentle marries incredibly strong—do not stop doing good

11. Remember our celebrity guests? This is “costly grace”—a life really worth living It is also a life we share, an “extended family kind of life”