Blessings for the Poor

In this "introduction" to his first major public sermon in Luke's gospel, Jesus begins with a shocker: blessed are the poor....woe to the rich. Jesus goes on to turn prevailing wisdom on its head and present an alternate vision of reality. What can we expect if we sign on to follow Jesus? How should we think about money? What are the dangers of wealth? What sort of hope is there for those who suffer now? All of these and more are addressed by Jesus here, leading to a call to follow him in living "right-side-up" in an upside down world.