Blessed are God’s Children

Graeme and I have to prepare these reflections for Getting Connected and the Website by Thursday of each week, so very often they are early thoughts developing towards a sermon on Sunday. What you hear might be quite different.

This week I am studying the first four of the Beatitudes from Matthew 5. I find this fascinating and at the moment my office has many books open and scattered around the benches. The temptation is to technically analyse the historical and theological context, a comparison with Old Testament blessings and especially with Luke’s Beatitudes. I really encourage you to do that yourself, but my purpose here is to let the beatitudes challenge the focus and quality of your life, which is, I think their purpose in the first place.

Jesus is describing the life of the Kingdom of God; a perfect life which is a reflection of God’s will. Jesus’ concern is not to make us feel guilty about what we can’t be or do, but to get us focussed on who we will be and what we will do as we conform to the life of God’s Kingdom. We are called on a journey, we are not expected to have already reached the destination. Following Jesus means that we travel sincerely, learning and growing, developing, loving and sharing.

In the beatitudes Jesus is talking about the happiness that comes from the deep knowledge that my life is in sync with God. It is not the happiness that comes simply from good moments that surprise us and then pass. Jesus tells us that certain types of people have this deep happiness. His examples are both surprising and paradoxical according to what we might expect. The people who are blessed are the spiritually poor, those who mourn and those who are meek.

Again I could analyse these categories of people studiously, but one simple thing stands out to me. Each of these groups are without independent resources. Who are they to rely on when they feel spiritual poor, or in the loneliness of destitute grief, or when they are so crushed by life they cower in fear. Then, their own resources fail, but God’s resources are assured, and God is reliable to provide what seems to be denied them; a relationship with God, comfort and a valid place on the earth.

People with many resources and a “happy” life, tend to live from those resources and either ignore God, or pay fairly empty lip service to him. The ones who have that deep happiness Jesus is promising, are those who live in a right relationship with God, and they experience deep acceptance, forgiveness and instruction.

This is what it means to be a disciple.

Jesus is encouraging us to dig a little deeper, to where we find our poverty and need, and from there, allow God to bless us with his assurance. Then we will see our strengths in a different light; as blessings and gifts to be utilised in Jesus mission. Then we will be truly happy because we are in sync with the whole creation; with God himself.

Adrian