This week we will be studying the Beatitudes (Lesson 13), from Matthew 5. This should be somewhat familiar territory for those who were around for our summer sermon series! It's important to remember that, while the Beatitudes teach us of God's character and give us a description of how we are to live as His people, they are not qualities that we somehow muster up on our own.

I like the way Marty Machowski put it, "We need not strive to obey Jesus’ words in the Sermon on the Mount to earn God’s favor; we strive to obey because we have already been forgiven and made righteous. Now, free of the condemnation of the law, we can follow the way of the law by following Jesus. If we should fall into sin, we need not be condemned. Instead, we confess our sin, and by the blood of Jesus our sins are covered."

It's not that we don't strive! It's that our striving is done with His purpose and strength! Given that, how can we cultivate these qualities in our lives and be salt and light in this world?

Syrian Outreach Packs & Operation Christmas Child

If you are committed to helping in either of these projects, let me encourage you to take action right now. First, pray and discuss with your spouse how you will participate. Next, decide how many OCC boxes you need to bring home on Sunday. Third, get out your calendar and plan when you will take your family to shop for the items to fill the boxes before November 16 - perhaps leave some time to write a personal note and include a family picture! These sound like basic things - but it's amazing how many opportunities we neglect simply because we fail to plan!

Please consider bringing at least one item from the list I shared last week for the Syrian refugees who have had to flee their homes and face persecution because of their faith. You can drop it off at the check-in table downstairs.

Finally, don't forget that we will be showing a video on November 2 that at the very least, you will want to prepare your children for. You can preview it here. Let me know if you have any questions.

Hope to see you Sunday!

Pastor Jonathan