Dear Christian friends:

When I was a child on a rainy day, my brothers and sisters sang:

"Rain, rain, go away!
Come again another day,
We children want to play!"

We children didn't want the rain to interfere with our playing outside. Also we adults don't want the storms of life to interfere with our happiness and pleasures. But Jesus has told us that we Christians must expect troubles in this life.


Jesus gives us these blessings here in our text, which is the Gospel Lesson, because He knows we disciples don't want trouble.

Jesus taught His disciples on the mountain that day long ago. He told them that it wasn't easy to be His disciple. Our problem is that we want to follow Jesus without trouble, without taking up the cross.

We don't want to be sad and mourn. We want to be happy and have fun! We don't want to be meek and humble. We want to be proud and boast and control others.

We don't want to hunger and thirst for righteousness. We want to be the same as others who don't care about that. Instead of being a peace maker, we often are the trouble makers and refuse to let the other person have his way.

We don't want anyone to persecute and mock us as we follow Jesus. We want people to respect us. Instead of showing mercy to those who sin against us we hate them and want revenge.

These blessings that should comfort us instead condemn us and show us that we are lousy disciples.

We want to follow Jesus without trouble, without taking up our cross. We sing: "Rain, rain, go away," like children. But the true disciple must expect trouble as he follows Jesus in this wicked, sinful world.

Jesus says, "If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as it's own. But now you don't belong to the world, because I haven chosen you out of the world. That is the reason why the world hates you. Remember the words I spoke to you: The servant is not better than his Master; they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you." (John 15:18-20)

Jesus does not promise to take away the troubles, the cross as we follow Him. But He promises to bless us as we go through the troubles living as His disciples.

Jesus calls us to follow Him faithfully, perfectly. He said, "Anyone who plows and then looks back is not ready for God's kingdom." (Luke 9:62) Again He said to the church at Laodicea, "I wish you were either hot or cold. But because you are lukewarm, I will spit you out of My mouth. (Revelation 3:15-16)

Each of the nine verses in our text begins with the word "Blessed." That word describes the special joy God gives only to those who faithfully serve Him in Jesus Christ. It is not the happiness the same as unbelievers have here in the world. The unbelievers happiness quickly fades away.

True joy comes from God and we have true joy when we are with Him. King David said, "You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand." (Psalm 16:11) Paul writes: "Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say, "Rejoice!" (Philippians 4:4) True, continuing joy comes from being a faithful disciple.

Part of the disciples joy is that we agree with God's will and God's way. We see things the same as God sees them. True, this gives us some trouble now while we live here among people who disagree with God's way. But in our hearts we have deep and eternal joy. We have joy while crying.

Through faith in Jesus, God forgives our failures as disciples and gives us Jesus' perfect righteousness, and blesses us! The chief blessing is to know and believe that God forgives our sins through Jesus' cross. "Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord does not count against them and in whose spirit is no deceit." (Psalm 32:1-2)

God helps us to follow Jesus and take up our cross and exchange it one day for a crown.

Amen.