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Morning Devotion for the Season of Epiphany
February 9, 2026
Reading Matthew 5:1-12
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
“Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."
Meditation by Glenn Beamer
One of the joys of being involved in the young people’s Christian formation is that they can offer genuinely original perspectives on ancient scriptures. This past week in children’s chapel, we focused on the first four of the Beatitudes. I suggested to the kids that in place of “Blessed are the meek…,” we replace meek with humble.
Sometimes when you’re teaching you accidentally hit just the right note and the kids run with it. Our Redeemer children engaged humble in creative and unexpected way. First Kiera McGinley said that you must be humble when you’re on a team because “it’s not all about you.” Henry Winfield elaborated, “if you’re playing as a team, you have to know that you can’t do it all alone, you have to let your teammates have their roles…” and Wesley Scott contributed, “If you don’t help your teammates do their parts then your team isn’t going to win….”
I’ve listened to many sermons and read many commentaries about the Beatitudes. Few have been as creative or germane as Kiera, Wes, and Henry’s articulation of Jesus’ call to humility. In our contemporary lexicon the word meek connotes defeat as much as it connotes a healthy humility. The Redeemer kids turned a beatitude that is typically, if mistakenly, perceived as a surrender into the potential joys of cooperation. If we can recognize our individual talents and we can appreciate and encourage others in their roles and contributions, then we will be far more likely to make progress and succeed in doing God’s work.
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