On Sunday, the Gospel reading is the Beatitudes, one of the most loved and well-known passages of the New Testament. This marks the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount.

The Beatitudes are found in Matthew 5:1-12 (NIV): “Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them.

“He said: ‘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 be shown 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 because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.

“’Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in Heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.’”

Nine times the sentence starts with “Blessed are”, followed by a description of those who are blessed and then a reason or consequence. But what does it mean to be blessed?

In some translations the word “happy” is used, but it is not in the sense of being lucky or having good circumstances, as the descriptions of those who are blessed here actually invert worldly values.

Poor in spirit, mourning, being meek, hungry and thirsty for justice, merciful, peacemakers and persecuted does not sound like happy circumstances, some of them are tough to endure and take a lot of effort and resilience.

Blessing is about relationship

So if being blessed is not circumstantial, what is it then? It is relational. Blessing has to do with connection and relation. To be blessed means to sense that God wants to be connected to me and loves me despite circumstances.

That is why the Apostle Paul, a man who had his share of suffering, pain and persecution because of Christ can write in Romans 8:38 and 39: “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

That is so comforting. It gives courage to seek righteousness for all, stand up against tyranny, work for peace in this world, in our society and our families. It enables us to be meek and show mercy even when we might feel angry. Yes, it even can give comfort when we have to mourn.

And there is more. This kind of confidence that we are blessed and thus in a loving relationship with our creator, frees us to spread this relationship, this love, this blessing to those around us.

Blessings want to be passed on

When God chose Abram (later called Abraham by God), God said (Genesis 12:2 and 3, NIV): “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on Earth will be blessed through you.”

So the blessing God gave Abram was also intended to be passed on and to be shared. “You will be a blessing” and “all peoples on Earth will be blessed through you.”

Blessings grow when God’s children share them. While we intuitively might think riches, health, fame or power might be signs of blessing, actually blessing manifests itself first and foremost in action towards others.

The Bible tells us that Abraham had a gift when it came to digging wells, and the whole community had an advantage from it. He allowed other shepherds to use them as well.

He understood a lot about sheep raising, he also rescued his nephew Lot and his family and the people of Sodom and Gomorrah when they were defeated by an Assyrian king. Later he pleaded for the people of Sodom and Gomorrah with God so he may spare them, and many other things.

These stories can show us that God’s blessings are not just for us to keep. When we receive God’s love and his blessings, it is always an invitation to put them to good use, to share them with those around us, especially those who are less fortunate. Remember Mother Teresa. She wasn’t rich, but she helped so many people.

In Bermuda we have many very generous people who support charity, sponsor students with scholarships, volunteer with charities and churches or help individuals to make ends meet. Many who do business here provide their services or sell their goods with a win-win in mind.

We have many who use their talent, treasure or time to make a difference, to let Christ’s Kingdom become more evident among us. When we do that and relate to others by helping them, we are truly blessed, as we show empathy with those less fortunate, and by doing so, just like Abram, we can become a blessing to others, so that they may be blessed through us.

I think that is God’s favourite way of working among us. Those moments, when people care for each other and help each other in so many ways, we can actually call miracles. It is the way God lets little and huge miracles happen among us, just by using people like you and me.

That is how the Kingdom of God is growing around us, by passing on what we first receive from God: His Spirit, His love, His care, His Good News, His riches, His purity, His righteousness, His mercy, His meekness, His peace and His Christ, and then we truly will find the Kingdom of heavens, find comfort, inherit the Earth, be filled with righteousness and find mercy. In those blessings we will see God at work among us and truly be called children of God, just as the Beatitudes promise.

We all can become Kingdom workers. We can share what we have received and multiply this way these blessings. We all have something that could help others. In 1 Corinthians 12:5 to 7 Paul writes (NIV): “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.”

What Paul tries to explain is that one’s faith may be personal, but it is not private. We are Christians in community, or as he explains, a few verses later in the same chapter, we are “one body” despite all diversity.

Just like in our bodies, different members have different features, functions, or uses, but it all works together, and when one part is blessed or honoured, the whole body benefits from it, and in the same way, when one member suffers, the whole body suffers.

• Karsten Decker was the pastor of Peace Lutheran Church in Bermuda from 2010 to 2017, and after returning from Germany is now the temporary pulpit supply at Centenary United Methodist Church in Smith’s