You. Me. Us. Part 2 “Bless this Mess” Traditional Service Livestream

“It’s too good to be true!”

You’ve seen it. A deal you can’t pass up. Something for nothing. A promise that you can have it all and it won’t cost you anything. 

Parents warn their children, “if it sounds to good to be true, it usually is.”

But that doesn’t keep us from falling for the easy promise. With the evolution of technology scam artists have actively found creative ways to steal money, personal information, and identities with the promise of something free. We fall for it at an alarmingly high rate.

Recently scam emails surfaced promising a $100 Lowe’s gift card to recipients willing to complete a survey.

These emails, featuring the Lowe’s logo and enticing subject lines like “You have been randomly selected!” and “Your email has been selected!” contained links that led to a dubious Russian website.

Of course, it was just another scam.

Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them.

He said:

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

A scam promises you something you’ll never receive.

Jesus, on the other hand, promises that you’ve already received what God has given to you.

The world often tells us how to be happy; more money, more things, more power, more recognition etc.

Jesus uses his first teaching opportunity in Matthew to tell us it’s all a scam. There are no shortcuts, quick fixes, or easy solutions.

According to Jesus, the way to a happy life is through humility, service, compassion, empathy, and gratitude.

He doesn’t tell us what we want to hear. He tells us the truth.

A scam is “Too good to be true.”

What Jesus says in the beatitudes is, “Too good not to be true.”