It's Father's Day, a day when we celebrate not only our dads but also one of the many ways Scripture speaks about God—as Father.

But here at Shepherds, it's also Pie + Tea Sunday.

Why Pie + Tea? Well, because one Sunday I wanted to preach about piety, and "piety" sounds a little bit like "pie and tea." That's the honest answer.

But there's a deeper reason too. At Shepherds, we aspire to be slightly odd, a little different from the norm. We believe faithfulness sometimes looks strange to the world around us.

And that's exactly where today's passage takes us. It invites us into a way of life that may seem unusual, even countercultural—a life shaped by God's kingdom rather than the expectations of everyone else.

So happy are we who seek to live a little strangely, a little differently, and a little more faithfully.

Passage: Matthew 5: 3-11 CEB