"Sainthood for Dummies"

This week's scripture, Luke 6:20-31, is Luke's version of Matthew's "Sermon on the Mount." It is often called "The Sermon on the Plain" because it takes place after Jesus and the disciples have come down from the mountain on which Jesus has chosen the 12 apostles. The first part of the text, verses 20-26, the "blessings and woes" are addressed specifically to Jesus' disciples. The second part, verses 27-31, are addressed to all who are listening.
If you're familiar with the "...for Dummies" series of books, this reading could be called "Sainthood for Dummies." In the Protestant tradition we believe that all Christians are part of "the communion of saints" referred to in The Apostles' Creed. "Sainthood" is not for set-apart holy people, but for all believers. And The Sermon on the Plain is Jesus' summary of how "the saints" are called to live.
Questions for reflection: What do the "blessings and woes" mean to you? Is this the same or different from what they might have meant to Jesus' original listeners? Do you find them comforting or threatening? How about the instruction to "do good to those who hate you"? How hard - and how counter-cultural -- is that! Do we, individually and as a society and a nation, "do to others as you would have them to to you"? Or are we more likely to "do to others as they have done to us," or even "do to others before they have a chance to do to us"? How might the world be transformed if every Christian made the effort to live out The Golden Rule every day?