The first eight sentences of Jesus’ inaugural sermon are often called “The Eight Beatitudes.” The word “beatitude” means to be “happy” or “blessed.” Either of these words can be used to introduce each one of these special sayinga of Jesus.
Parents will probably remember the first beatitude as this: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.”Yet the translation of this saying in the verse above seems totally different?
Put these two key phrases alongside each other. What is the connection between being “poor in spirit” and “needing God”? Share your ideas with each other and see what you come up with. I’ll bet you’ll find many creative ways to give some very bright answers to this question.
On Sundays we follow the Gospels from the Revised Common Lectionary.
These Firestarters are from a new edition of The Bible Through the Seasons being developed for families with children. For the Firestarters in the original edition, I recommend the ebook. You will have the entire program of well over a thousand of these introductions with you on your phone or table! Check the menu options at the site for more information.
The Bible Through the Seasons 