Hyaets
inspire, enrich & embody community
lenten Guide
Hyaets
~inspire, enrich & embody community~ 2904 Tuckaseegee Rd. 2910 Parkway Ave. Charlotte, NC 28208 Charlotte, NC 28208 704-391-8529 704-392-2346 http://hyaets.org
introduction:
glimpses of the kingdom Ash Wednesday - 1st Sunday of Lent Jesus came preaching and incarnating the long promised and desperately awaited kingdom of God. The birth of Christ in a manger announced the Kingdom of God. The ministry of Jesus proclaimed the Kingdom of God. The resurrection of Jesus revealed the Kingdom of God. Jesus was the revealer of the Kingdom. The Characteristics of the Kingdom of God are laid out both in Old Testament Scripture and in the life and ministry of Christ. The story of our faith tells us a lot about what the Reign of God is like. The Kingdom of God is participatory. It is God’s performance in which we actively participate. God acts in a way that inspires hope and humans respond with action. An overwhelmingly meaningful discovery of God’s love, light, and presence forms and shapes and prods us towards sacrificial and joyful action. The Kingdom of God is God’s salvation. Hebrew Scripture affirms God’s
sovereign kingship: creator and sustainer. Yet the created turned against their Creator and earth suffers the consequences of human rebellion. Human life is characterized by violence, injustice, unrighteousness and misery. Israel’s faith story echoes a deep yearning for salvation, in the deepest and most holistic sense of the word. Salvation includes deliverance from oppression and injustice, guilt and death, war and slavery, imprisonment and exile. It includes peace and justice and forgiveness. Hebrew Scripture promises the coming of salvation in and through the kingdom of God. Jesus announces the Kingdom of God. In Luke 4, Jesus innaugarates the kingdom of God and his ministry through the words of Isaiah. These words offer a rich picture of the God’s reign as characterized by salvation, deliverance, liberation, justice, peace, and great joy.” The Kingdom of God marks a new order. That the presence of the Kingdom of God comes in the form of a per-
son named Jesus, suggests that the kingdom of God is of a radically different order from our expectations. It is not the overthrow of the Empire as the people of Israel had assumed. Rather, it is present in Jesus as he performs the practices of the Kingdom in his own ministry...healing the sick, casting out demons, eating with sinners. By doing so, Jesus shows us God’s unlimited mercy. The Kingdom of God is characterized by joyful trust linked to sacrificial effort. The gospel writers make this clear through the teachings, parables, actions, and, most especially, the death and resurrection of Jesus the Christ. The Sermon on the Mount reveals Jesus’ perspective on the characteristics of the Kingdom of God. In Kingdom Ethics, Glen Stassen writes, “The way of discipleship and the commands of Jesus are most explicitly taught in the Sermon on the Mount. The way we are to make disciples of all peoples is to teach them the practices taught mostly in the Sermon on the Mount.”
The Beatitudes announce a blessing of participation in the Kingdom of God. Beatitudes were not a “new” thing. A similar pattern and blessing can be found throughout scripture. They are not if-then statements. They are not commands. This is a description of the way things are in the kingdom. In the kingdom, blessed are.... Stassen, with fellow Christian Ethicist David Gushee, continue: We believe that Jesus offered not hard sayings or high ideals, but instead concrete ways to practice God’s will and be delivered from the bondage of sin. In other words, he taught his followers how to participate in God’s reign. He taught what the kingdom is like, what its characteristics are, and therefore what kinds of practices are done by those who participate in it and are ready for it. In the Beatitudes we see glimpses of the Kingdom of God. We discover a picture of God’s reign marked by a reversal of worldly values. We find guides and practices for a life of service, humility and sacrificial commitment. As Stassen says, “The one who enters the kingdom is healed from blindness and follows Jesus’ way with faithperception, seeking justice and surrendering false values such as wealth, statusseeking, and power. The focus of the new obedience is found in the twin commandment to Love: Love God and Love neighbor.” In glimpsing the kingdom of God through the Beatitudes, we find practices that form us into kingdom citizens. Throughout the Lenten season, let us pause to reflect upon the Kingdom of God and our participation in it. This Lenten guide is meant to be a resource for you. We hope that the words and artwork that is provided will be meaningful and helpful to you, that it will guide you to moments of connectivity with God and wholeness. May the language of pure promise, found in the Beatitudes, cause you to take notice and recognize a glimpse of the Kingdom of God in your midst.
GLIMPSES OF THE KINGDOM Several years ago, Greg and I took our first group of Hyaets youth to camp. The week had been filled with new things. It was the first time many of them had seen the mountains, the first time to be on a college campus, the first time to be away from home for a week, the first time at church camp… lots of firsts! Each evening, we gathered with just our group to talk about our day and spend some time in group devotional together. Our college aged chaperone, Carolyn, was given the task of leading the devo time one night. She took a big piece of poster board and put it in the middle of our circle. On the poster board, she had written “GOD” in bold print. She asked, “What in your neighborhood reminds you of God? I want you to think for a moment about what in
your neighborhood reminds you of God. When you come up with your answer, I want you to either write or draw your answer on the poster board.” We waited for the youth to respond and after waiting a few minutes, no one budged. “Ok,” I said “Come on guys! Just think of one thing that reminds you of God.” No one moved or said a word. “Surely you can think of something that reminds you of God. Anything!” Nothing. “Well, maybe we can give you a couple of ideas….the clouds, the birds, the sky…” Nothing. After a lot of prodding, we finally got the guys to think of and write their answers on the poster: basketball, my grandma, churches, Helms and Greg’s house. In that moment, I realized that one of the most powerful and fulfilling ministries in the neighborhood was to say, “Hey! Look! Here’s where I see God! Do you see it! Here’s God! Right here!” Part of my calling was to show these kids just a Glimpse of the Kingdom in their midst.
? for Reflection:
Glimpses of the Kingdom What are some of your favorite “kingdom of God” sayings from scripture? Ex. “[The kingdom of God] is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in the garden; it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.” Luke 13:18-19
What are some kingdom of God sayings that challenge you? Why are they challenging?
“[Jesus] taught what the kingdom is like, what its characteristics are, and therefore what kinds of practices are done by those who participate in it and are ready for it.” What are some practices that you see within “kingdom of God” sayings?
What people or places in your neighborhood remind you of the Kingdom of God?
What would need to change for your neighborhood to more closely resemble the kingdom of God?
Take a moment to sing and pray the TaizĂŠ chant below (you can find the music on YouTube): The kingdom of God is justice and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Come, Lord, and open in us the gates of your kingdom. What might it mean for you to sing and pray these words daily?
Glimpse 1:
Blessed are the poor
in it spir
1st Monday of Lent - 2nd Sunday of Lent Have you ever been on mission in a place where you encounter folks living in poverty and returned home with an overwhelming sense of gratitude for all the blessings God has given you? If not, do you know others who have? If we are honest with ourselves, then most of us (who have been on a mission trip of any length) have answered “yes.” If you did not answer “yes”, then I imagine that you do have some other experience where the poverty of another has elicited within you feelings of sincere gratitude for your material blessings. This common experience is not coincidence. Our society tends to view blessing as a function of wealth. Even when we US-Americans assert our belief that blessing is not only wealth of material things – that blessing is also relationships, a sense of peace
and happiness, etc – the foundation of our concept of blessing is built upon our possession of or access to goods and services. We are, after all, a capitalistic, market driven society. What should we expect? Well, Jesus appears to expect something quite different. In fact, the very beginning of his longest and most profound teaching in scripture begins with what could be seen as a list of expectations for those who would follow him. Clarence Jordan describes the beatitudes as stair steps into the kingdom, that is, stepping stones through which those who would follow Christ must journey as they enter into the kingdom of God. The first of these steps is, for many Christians, the hardest. In most cases, we, like the rich young ruler, walk away unable or unwilling to take this first step. It is the step of poverty.
“Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.” Luke 6:20 Now I realize, as you probably do, that Matthew’s version of the beatitudes reads “poor in spirit” (Matt. 5:3). This must mean, of course, that those of us who are not physically or materially poor are off the hook. Jesus words are not reserved for the materially poor, but include
the spiritually poor as well. You, no doubt, have heard a sermon or two (or twenty!) that begin and end with reference to the spiritual poverty of the wealthy and affluent. Yet even if Jesus’ message was one of spiritual poverty, do the words of Luke 6:20 not at least begin to shake the foundation of our concept of blessing as wealth?
Take a moment to consider these questions. Can we just dismiss Luke 6:20 in favor of Matthew 5:3? Or should the candid words of Jesus in Luke stop us in our tracks?
Could there be more going on in these verses than we realize? Could there be more at stake in the allaying of the first beatitude than we realize?
How do you reconcile these differences between Matthew and Luke?
Is your foundation of your concept of blessing at least shaken by Luke?
Notes:
blessed are the poor in spirit
Glimpse 1:
Blessed are the Poor Poverty is most often understood as a lack of resources with which to meet basic needs. The Christian Tradition, through the practice of almsgiving, transforms poverty into a relational economic approach whereby one’s needs are not met through his/her own ability to earn goods and services, but through dependence on God and God’s people. The book of Acts (ch. 2 & 4) is perhaps the best New Testament picture of transformative poverty that we have. It describes the early church as a group of believers who gave up their possessions for the common good and used them within the community as anyone had a need. Giving up possession and right to ownership meant the early Christians became poor. Yet, through their gifts, the needs of
the community were met. Monastic orders such as the Franciscans and Dominicans sought to resist the money economy through voluntary poverty and begging. St Francis of Assisi and his friars, for example, made a voluntary vow of poverty that they might proclaim a gift-based economy through the practice of begging for the goods and services they needed. Though the friars did work menial jobs, they relied on alms to meet their needs. In this way, the Franciscans found ordered ways of embodying God’s abundant gift economy. Rejection of wealth, ownership and possession of property has deep roots in the Christian Tradition. Kelly Johnson cites examples in her book, Fear of Beggars:
Cautions against wealth (Mt 6:19, 31; 13:22; 19:23, 1 Tim 6:17, 2 Tim 3:2, James 1:10, Rev 3:17) Examples of renunciation of private property (Mt 4:20; 10:9; 19:21, 29, Lk 12:23; 19:18, Acts 2:44-45; 4:34) Commendation of or associated with the poor (Mt 25:40, Lk 1:53; 6:30; 10:22, 2 Cor 8:2, James 2:5-6, Rev 2:9)
Johnson notes that “poverty is preferred to wealth often enough [in the New Testament] that own-
ership has remained a troublesome topic for Christians.” Patristic writers offer examples:
John Chrysostom “Tell me then, how did you come by your wealth? Did you receive it from someone? Where did he get it from? From his grandfather, you say, or from his father. Are you able to show, as you go back through the generations, that it was justly acquired? It cannot have been. No, the beginning and root of wealth must lie in injustice or some sort. And why? Because, in the beginning God did not create one person wealthy and another to go wanting; nor did he, at some point later in time, reveal great heaps of gold to one person and cheat another searcher. He gave one and the same earth to all alike. … Isn’t the fact that you claim sole ownership of what belongs to the Lord, of what is common property, something evil? Or do you deny that the Lord’s is the earth and its fullness? And so, if whatever we have belongs to our one common Lord, it belongs also to those who are his servants along with us.” Ambrose “The earth was established in common for all, rich and poor. Why do you alone arrogate an exclusive right to the soil, O rich?” Basil “The bread that you keep belongs to the one who is hungry, and to him who is naked, the cloak that you keep in your chest; to him who has no shoes, the shoe that is rotting in your house; to the poor, the money that you keep hidden. Thus you commit as many injustices as there are persons to whom you could give.” Leo the Great and Cesarius of Arles Sermons purport “the person who could but does not come to the aid of a starving person should be thought of as an assassin.”
In tracing the tradition of poverty as a Christian practice (admitting that it is a practice of those with the privilege to make such
a choice and recognizing that there are many who have no such choice), we find that poverty becomes:
An acknowledgment that all goods (all creation) belong to God An embodiment of reliance on God’s providential care An enactment of economic dependence upon God through interdependence on God’s people and God’s earth A blessing to others who also live in poverty (what would be your possessions or property are now available for all those who have needs) A liberation of God’s good gifts from injustice A proclamation of the kingdom of God
If this practice sounds impractical, unrealistic, idealistic and irresponsible, remember that it is and has been real and practiced through the history of the Chris-
tian Tradition. Members of the Hyaets community practice a vow of poverty in several ways. Over time these have changed and evolved, but have included:
Living in relation to the Federal Poverty Guideline – sometimes 200%, 150% or at the poverty line Practicing “downward mobility,” ie. always working to live of less and less (particularly with respect to money) Maintaining an attitude and habit of non-ownership, ie. viewing all material goods as gifts for the community, not possessions of individuals or families
Relying on alms, ie. donations of food and other goods to meet basic needs (just like so many of our neighbors) Asking for donations to support our community work and ministry Giving freely to our neighbors as they have needs (this is particularly applicable when goods are taken from our homes without our knowledge, what we tend to call “stealing�) Relying on community gardens to meet basic food needs Relying on second-hand/used goods, especially clothes, furniture and household items Being in close relationship with people who live in poverty not by their own choice
These practices do not mean we are poor, but they do habituate us further and further into a life of poverty. This is one way of stepping into the first Beatitude. Through finding daily practices
that invite us into a way of life that Jesus calls blessed, we discover that poverty in the Christian community is a marker of a new social order which is the Kingdom of God.
The brothers should appropriate neither house, nor place, nor anything for themselves; and they should go confidently after alms, serving God in poverty and humility, as pilgrims and strangers in this world. Nor should they feel ashamed, for God made himself poor in this world for us. This is that peak of the highest poverty which has made you, my dearest brothers, heirs and kings of the kingdom of heaven, poor in things but rich in virtues. Let this be your portion. It leads into the land of the living and, adhering totally to it, for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ wish never to have anything else in this world, beloved brothers. (from The Rule of the Franciscan Order)
? for Reflection:
Blessed are the Poor From our chalkboard, we see that “in spirit” does not refer to the kind of poverty Matthew calls blessed. Rather, it is an indicator of how (or in what way) those who are poor are blessed. What do you think Jesus means when he says the poor are blessed in spirit? Could spirit mean the Holy Spirit? Could it mean something else?
Consider the following Poem by Peter Maurin: People who are in need And are not afraid to beg Give to people not in need The occasion to do good For goodness’ sake
Modern Society calls the beggar Bum and panhandler And gives him the bum’s rush. But the Greeks used to say That people in need Are the ambassadors of the gods
What does this poem say to you? What might it mean that “people in need are the ambassadors of the gods”?
What does it mean to you that the kingdom of God belongs to the poor, particularly when God is a God of abundance?
What are some ways that you could habituate your life into the first beatitude? Or, how might you begin to step into the kingdom of God through the first beatitude? Consider some of the following ideas: • • • •
• •
During Lent, live within a set limit of the Federal Poverty Guideline. Rely on your neighbors by sharing a lawn mower or other yard or household item(s) instead of each person having their own. Look at your household/family budget. Try to separate it into “Needs” and “Wants.” Eliminate some of your wants and give that part of your budget to someone in need. Take a pay period (one month or two weeks) and try to meet one of your basic needs (such as food) through another means (such as charity). Give the money you would have spent to someone in need . Commit to not buying any new clothes for an entire year. Instead , depend on second-hand or used clothing. Commit to a ministry, program or neighborhood where you will regularly be in relationship with someone who is poor.
Glimpse 2:
Blessed are those who mourn Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Matthew 5:4 Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. Luke 6:21 A few weeks ago I received a call from our dear neighbor Ms. Anna. Lately, it is not unusual to hear from Ms. Anna early on a Monday morning, so I did not think the call out of the ordinary until she began with her request. She explained that her oldest son’s “baby momma” had lost their baby. She was 28 weeks pregnant. They wanted our help in having a service for the baby. I immediately agreed that we would help and started making arrangements to visit the hospital and plan a memorial service. Later that day, I visited with Ms. Anna and her oldest son, Chet, at their home. He had just come back from the hospital. He didn’t have any money or insurance, so there was no way he could retrieve the body for burial. The hospital gave him a list of funeral homes and instructed him to contact one. He would, of course, need money to obtain their services. A picture from the hospital was the only link Chet had through which to remember his child. Mrs. Anna’s family struggles to pay rent and keep electricity on each month. Her husband has cancer. She is constantly looking for a job, yet no one will hire her. Chet has been in and out of legal trouble which makes finding a job quite difficult for him as well. They have a hard time even keeping dish soap and toilet paper in the house. Here came the crisis of a death. Because he had no means of paying, a young man struggled to find a way to honor his child’s brief life. He could not see his child, hold his child, weep over his child’s
body or even bury his child as a memorial for his family. And this began to evoke grief within their grief.
Together, we began to struggle with what it really means to mourn.
Glimpse 2:
Blessed are those who mourn Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted. Matt. 5:4 Blessed are you who weep now for you will laugh. Luke 6:21b I can’t hear this blessing without thinking of our neighbors Ms. Anna and Chet. I find myself crying out for Ms. Ann and Chet, “God, where are you? What do we do here?” And I begin to think about the ways we have silenced those who mourn in our society. Are those living in poverty offered space to mourn when a loved one dies yet they cannot afford burial? Has expression of grief become a luxury of the affluent? Is it just our economic system, or does it seep into other parts of our lives as well? What about the physical, mental or spiritual aspects of our lives? How do we suppress mourning in other ways? The lyrics to a song by popular Christian band, Casting Crowns, come to mind: Is there anyone that fails Is there anyone that falls Am I the only one in church today feelin’ so small Cause when I take a look around Everybody seems so strong I know they’ll soon discover That I don’t belong So I tuck it all away, like everything’s okay If I make them all believe it, maybe I’ll believe it too So with a painted grin, I play the part again
So everyone will see me the way that I see them Are we happy plastic people Under shiny plastic steeples With walls around our weakness And smiles to hide our pain But if the invitation’s open To every heart that has been broken Maybe then we close the curtain On our stained glass masquerade Is there anyone who’s been there Are there any hands to raise Am I the only one who’s traded In the altar for a stage
This song suggests that we have convinced ourselves that we need to be happy for one another and therefore, for God. It suggests that we have made it more acceptable to come before the throne with fake praise than it is to be pure mourners. A few weeks ago a lay person shared a few angry words with me just minutes before worship. Then I was expected to lead our congregation in Gathering Music of praise. That day I was unable to lead. I played the piano, but my heart could not lift up praise at that very moment. My heart was broken and I found myself crying while the rest of the congregation continued to sing praises. Do we allow space for mourning and weeping in worship? Is it okay if we just cannot “rejoice in the Lord always”? Does God accept our mourning, grieving, and anger as a way of honoring God? The psalmists recognized the importance of mourning and grieving. In psalms of lament, we hear the psalmist worship through cries of pain to God. In our own worship, we too often replace lament with simply more songs of praise. Yet the Psalmist cries out, “Why, O Lord, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? In arrogance the wicked persecute the poor— let them be caught in the schemes they have devised” (Psalm 10:1-2). Lament allows for a fuller, truer picture of our relationship with God. The absence of lament, mourning, and weeping limits the fullness of God. “One loss that results from the absence of lament is the loss of genuine covenant interaction because the second party to the covenant (the petitioner) has become voiceless or has a voice that is permitted to speak only praise and doxology. Where lament is absent, covenant comes into being only as a celebration of joy and well-being. Or in political categories, the greater party is surrounded by subjects who are always ‘yes men and women’ from whom ‘never is heard a discouraging word’. Since such a celebrative, consenting silence does not square with reality, covenant minus lament is finally a practice of denial, cover-up, and pretense, which sanctions social control.” -Walter Brugemann “The Costly Loss of Lament”
In learning to live together covenantally within the Hyaets community, we have traversed many roads. Some of those have been full of joy and life while others dark and difficult. Some of the most meaningful times have been difficult days during which we hold one another in the light. When we know that someone is weeping (inwardly and/or outwardly) and needs our help in crying out to God, we gather around that person, light a candle in the midst of darkness, recognize the hurt, and hold that person in the light of Christ’s love. Currently we are using Common Prayer, a resource compiled by and for communities like ours. There are daily prayers for the morning, mid-day, and evening. Those prayer times, especially in the morning, include praise, but they also include the important elements of remembering, crying out to God and confessing. Burt L. Burleson, Chaplain at Baylor University reminds us that those who mourn are blessed: “Don’t you know that Jesus was still seeing the crowd, looking individuals here and there in the eye as he said, ‘Blessed are you and you and you.’. . .’You are blessed,’ he kept saying. ‘You are blessed.’” Our mourning, our crying, our weeping, our grieving is important to who we are as people of God. It makes us real. Therefore, let us offer our mourning to God as a way of worshipping God and we will find that we are blessed. How might you allow yourself and others to mourn this lent? •
Begin reciting and praying psalms of lament daily
• • •
•
•
Create a ritual for offering your sorrow, tears, anger and mourning to God, include spirituals, psalms, and space for expression of raw emotion Search out and attend a Healing Prayer service in your area. Begin to do this regularly. Allow yourself to lament in worship. If needed, talk to your pastor or worship leader about opportunities during worship for expression of lament, mourning, and anger within prayers, music, liturgy, etc. Search out and commit to a small group in which you and others regularly share the thoughts you do not feel comfortable sharing in public Begin to see a spiritual guide and make this a regular habit.
? for Reflection:
Blessed are those who mourn Do you believe that you are blessed when you express your weeping and mourning to God? Why or why not?
Do you find yourself able to weep, mourn, lament and express anger in worship? What could change about worship that might allow you to feel free enough to express these emotions to God?
Did you know that almost half of the 150 Psalms are psalms of lament? What might this mean about the importance of crying out, mourning, weeping, and anger in our worship?
Consider the following: The other day I found myself sitting on the couch next to our two-year old. In my arms I held the two month old daughter of one of our neighbors. The baby was beginning to get agitated because she was hungry. As she began to fuss a little, our two year old leaned over her and began to stroke her head very gently. She rubbed the baby’s thick dark hair and said, “It’s okay, Riah, it’s okay.” A few moments later she leaned over and caressed the baby again saying, “It’s okay, Riah, it’s okay.” What does it mean to be comforted? How does God comfort us?
Take some time to craft a personal or group prayer time of mourning, weeping, crying out and/or anger. What prayers, scriptures, actions or postures could help you honestly express these raw emotions to God?
Glimps 3:
Blessed are the meek Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Matt. 5:5 I am not exactly sure what the word “meek” means. I generally associate it with a word that rhymes with it – weak. I imagine I am not the only one that does this. Such an association is not a positive one. The conclusion in my mind is that to be meek is to possess a character flaw, namely, the unwillingness to stick up for oneself. The meek one is the one who allows himself to be stepped on. It follows quite naturally, then, I guess, that the meek will inherit the earth. Having been stepped on for long enough, they will just become one with the dirt. That meek means weak clearly is not what Jesus means. So then, what is meekness? The Greek word that Matthew uses here is also translated as “gentle.” Its semantically related terms mean “gentleness” or “humility.” To get a handle on what Jesus might mean in this saying, here are several other instances where the word appears (with the term for “meek” or “gentle” italicized):
Matt 11:28-30: Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Matt 21:5: ‘Tell the daughter of Zion, Look, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’ 1 Corinthians 4:21: What would you prefer? Am I to come to you with a stick, or with love in a spirit of gentleness? 2 Corinthians 10:1: I myself, Paul, appeal to you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—I who am humble when face to face with you, but bold towards you when I am away! Galatians 5:22-23: By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things.
One may well ask: “What is the this ordeal to which he invites men, the ancient doctrine of turning the in the realization that unearned the nonviolent resister realizes, has forming possibilities. “Things of are not secured by reason alone, suffering,” said Gandhi. He conpowerful than the law of the jungle opening his ears which are otherMartin Luther King, Jr., from A Testament of of Martin Luther King, Jr., James M. WashPress, 1986). p. 18.
nonviolent resister’s justification for for this mass political application of other cheek?” The answer is found suffering is redemptive. Suffering, tremendous educational and transfundamental importance to people but have to be purchased with their tinued: “Suffering is infinitely more for converting the opponent and wise shut to the voice of reason.” Hope: The Essential Writings and Speeches ington, ed. (San Francisco: HaperCollins
: 3 e s p m Gli
Based on scripture’s use of the Greek word for “meek” (as noted earlier this week), we can suggest that meekness has something to do with being gentle. Being with Jesus, who is gentle, will help us find rest for our souls, as he says in Matthew 11:29. The meek person is the one who can receive and offer hospitality with kindness, with whom we can rest easily and feel at peace, the one who can even offer us helpful correction in a way that encourages and builds up, rather than tearing down.
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There is another sense of the term as it is used in English that I think may be helpful as well. Merriam-Webster defines meek as “enduring injury with patience and without resentment.” This is certainly characteristic of Jesus as we see him in the Gospels. Jesus bears his cross with loving-kindness, asking for forgiveness for those who are killing him even as he is dying. This is the same characteristic to which Martin Luther King points in the excerpt we cited earlier this week. The Beatitudes promise that those who live in meekness, humility, and gentleness will inherit the earth. The correlation of meekness to inheriting the earth is not as clear as, for instance, the promise that those who mourn will be comforted. I think this may point, however, toward another of Jesus’ sayings – that the first will be last, and the last will be first. The meek are not generally the ones in charge of anything. Those who rule
k e e
re a sed
the world, the ones who yell the loudest to be sure their piercing voices are heard, are not generally meek. Instead, they often are the ones responsible for injuring those of patience who endure without resentment.
m e th
Jesus seems to be saying that the community gathered around him will not be the voices of the loud, proud and powerful. Rather, Jesus’ followers will suffer. Sometimes they will suffer much. They will endure suffering without returning injury for injury. However appealing it may be to injure, to yell, to be in power, Jesus points us to another reality – that those who endure the injuries of this world can show us how really to live in this earth. I think of Mrs. Rosetta in this light. With her uneven gait, her unruly hair, and her house ever falling further into disrepair, Rosetta has endured. I don’t know all of her story – very little of it – but just meeting her, one senses that she has endured hardship. She has done so with patience and with quiet wisdom. She is gentle of spirit, and supremely easy to be around. A visit with Rosetta often turns long because she is just so inviting. (And, she has gently corrected me on carrying a baby around with a hat or socks more than once.) We pray for her often, and I imagine, though we have never talked about it, that Rosetta prays for us as well. The earth belongs to Rosetta. Through her patience and openness to the Spirit’s work in others, I think we’ll one day be in good hands.
? for Reflection:
Blessed are the meek What is your basic understanding of “meek�? Has your understanding changed in light of this weeks reflections? If so, how? If not, why not?
Who do you know, like Ms. Rosetta, that could be described as meek, gentle, and enduring injury with patience and without resentment? Why does he or she fit this description?
How is “suffering infinitely more powerful than the law of the jungle”?
During Lent, what are some practices that might train you in meekness? Consider some of the following used by the Hyaets community: • • • • •
Consensus Decision Making Active Listening Contemplative Prayer Non-violence Mutual Submission
(Note: Search these practices on the web for a definition and description)
Glimpse 4:
Blessed are the Peacemakers If your family is like my family then you are probably familiar with that member of the family who is dubbed the “Peacemaker.” Keeping peace was a tiresome and tedious task in my family. It was accomplished mostly through fear. The real idea behind peace-making is expressed in Matthew 5:9 when Jesus says “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” This beatitude exhorts us not to keep peace or to merely love peace, but to actively make peace. Making peace was not of little importance to God. Peace is used Eighty-eight times in the New Testament alone. Every Epistle begins and ends with a prayer for peace. The very fact that Jesus says that those who make peace will be called the children of God suggests that those who make peace are god-like. This is not an unfamiliar concept to the audience he is teaching. They would have been familiar with phrases similar to “children of God.” The phrase “sons of Abraham” is an example which references those who had faith like Abraham. God, through the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, offers the ultimate example of peacemaking. Jesus brings about peace between God and humanity through sacrificial non-violence. Thus, as we work to make/bring peace today, we live out the peace of the resurrection and, therefore, follow Christ and act like God. Making-peace can at times be difficult. Isn’t that true with anything Jesus proposed? Peacemaking does not seem to come natural to us. Perhaps this is why Jesus harped on it so much. As we reflect during this time of Lent on what the crucifixion of Christ means to us, perhaps we can consider how His death and resurrection should compel us to make peace.
Poem Peace? I ain’t got no peace! What? With the gun shots and the cop sirens! Peace? I ain’t got no peace! What? With the baby crying and the empty cupboards!
Peace? I ain’t got no peace! What? With the more thans pitying the less thans!
Peace? I ain’t got no peace! What? With the closed fists and the purple bruises!
Peace? I ain’t got no peace! What? Blessed are the peacemakers, they children of God?
Peace? I ain’t got no peace! What? With the zero balance and the stacked bills!
Peace? I want that there peace! What? Maybe I’ll be a’peacemaker, a child of God!
Glimpse 4:
Blessed are the peacemakers What is Peace? Common answers include: • • • • •
“the absence of conflict” or “the absence of war” Calm, tranquility Harmony Security “It is something you feel inside you”
It is interesting that one of the most common answers to the question defines peace by its opposite. It is also interesting that many of the definitions refer to emotions, feelings or states of being. These are, in fact, most of the definitions provided by dictionaries as well. Personally, all of these answers leave me less than satisfied when I think about biblical peace. A deeper question surfaces in my mind:
How do we know what peace is?
This is no easy question to answer. Think about it for a moment. How do you know what peace is? The world offers us many definitions, examples, and conceptual frameworks for peace. Yet they all fall far short of the peace of which God speaks through scripture. As Christians, we can only know what peace is through the Triune God – Father, Son, and Spirit. Therefore, digging into the idea of peace as mediated through God’s Word and the church becomes a primary task. The prime example of peace is the work of the Spirit through God’s gift of Christ in life and death on the cross. The crucifixion and resurrection are God’s ultimate peacemaking acts. Hebrew thought offers important insights into God’s conception of peace as mediated through scripture. The Hebrew word translated in
English as “peace” is shalom. Shalom can be translated in several different ways, however, revealing that it has a much larger semantic range than the common translation “peace.” Shalom refers to wholeness, well-being, or completeness. The word originates from the Hebrew verb shalem which means to be complete, sound or to make whole. At the very least, the Hebrew concept of shalom should suggest to us that peace is much more than “the absence of conflict/war.” Peace, from God’s eyes as mediated through Hebrew scripture, has
to do with being whole and complete and living in a state of well-being. Therefore, with respect to individuals, people groups or nations, peace means much more than a lack of war. Instead, it indicates wholeness of relationship between people. Perhaps we can now begin to understand how God can make peace in spite of the violent human actions within crucifixion. Even in the midst of human violence, God brought about reconciliation through Jesus in order to make creation whole and this is making peace.
a peacemaking Story “Mario, put down the shovel!” I exclaimed. He came running towards Kenneth with it, ready to strike. Kenneth began to back away, moving into the street. The oncoming traffic slowed to a stop. Mario matched Kenneth’s every step, one more foot forward for each one in retreat.
Enderly Park at all times.
Stripped of their power in other realms of life—economic, political, even in family life— violence becomes a way of asserting control for some of our neighbors. Especially the children. Violence is the only way most kids here know to feel A line of cars had formed now, powerful and respected. some turning around, afraid In the streets, respect from your to witness the inevitable expeers feels as close to love as plosion of a volatile situation. one is likely to come. When one There were other thoroughof our youth is disrespected by fares home. I was afraid also. another in a less volatile situMario might swing this shovel. ation, you may hear another Kenneth might be armed. If I youth say, “C’mon man, show step in the middle, will I further him some love.” They mean reaggravate the situation, incitspect, which is related to love. ing the violence? Will I take a But it is not the same thing. rusty shovel to the face? Am I willing to risk that? I’m not so good at responding to violent situations yet. I conI wish that I could say that this fess that I sometimes fail to take event was an aberration— the conflicts seriously. The feud something outside the realm between Mario and Kenneth of normal life in our neighborstarted over a grill. Not grill as hood. But when I stepped bein cooking equipment, but grill tween Mario and Kenneth, I as in the gold tooth inserts that did so for the third time in six are a current fixture of hip-hop weeks. Fights like this one are culture. not a daily occurrence, but the potential for violence bubbles To be candid, I think grills are just beneath the surface in stupid. They literally deface
a person, turning a natural, charming expression into yet another consumerist statement. You’re not beautiful, handsome, fabulous, or good enough just as you are, they say. But with these pretend teeth, you can pretend to be something or someone else. And can we suggest new shoes and designer clothing to match? But to Mario and Kenneth, the disputed grill matters. Seriously. And the fact that I think the grill obscures a beautiful smile, replacing something created with something made by opportunistic capitalists does not matter.
respect and respect is a weak form of love, then I am going to launch a full strength preemptive strike of love, the real thing. My goal: neither Mario nor Kenneth nor anyone else will ever leave my house again without someone telling them that we love them. Enderly Park youth, prepare to be shocked and awed.
I pretty quickly worked up the courage to step in between Mario and Kenneth. I took the shovel and, with the help of a fellow community member, sent the guys home to cool down. We didn’t solve the problem this time, and we have not been able to since. It will be In underestimating the imporback, and I will probably wind tance of the grill, I fail to see up in the middle again. At least that the conflict at its root is not I hope so. about a grill. It is about a sense of self. It is about earning re- This last fight, I was unprepared. spect for oneself and from one- Both Mario and Kenneth manself. It is about love, needed so aged to go home unscathed by badly and for so long. In other the strength of our love. They words, not just a grill is at stake walked home alone, feeling here. Everything is at stake. unloved by themselves or anyone else, without me remindI don’t know when someone ing them that whether smiling last told Mario or Kenneth that or mad as hell and armed with they love him. I’m scared of fists and shovels, or worse, they what the answer to that quesare in fact loved. tion would be. But I have an idea that may help, or at least Not next time. won’t hurt. If fighting is about
? for Reflection:
Blessed are the peacemakers How is the cross God’s ultimate peacemaking act? How does Jesus’ death and resurrection compel us to be peacemakers?
“I pretty quickly worked up the courage to step in between... I will probably wind up in the middle again.” How can “getting in the way” of violence be a peacemaking act?
Think of some of the more war-torn, conflictual places in your life, community and around the world. What would a “full strength premptive stirke of love” look like in those situations?
During this Lenten season, how can you be a maker of shalom (peace, wholeness, well-being)? How might you get in the way of life’s violence and brokenness? How might you launch a full scale strike of love in your community?
Glimpse 5
Blessed are the Persecuted
“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness for theirs in the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:10 The artist writes: “I chose four background figures to represent the spirits of Cynicism, Anger, Mocking, and Gossip. Four ways in which Christians in our country experience persecution. The fifth figure is the Christian who is unclothed to show his vulnerability in the flesh. The Christian is in a posture of surrender to the Holy Spirit. In the painted version, he has running paint all over him. This is the Christian being clothed by the Holy Spirit. The four in the background also have running paint on them. It is hard to not be affected by the work of the Holy Spirit.”
While I like this painting, I cannot help but feel that persecution is much more than “spirits of cynicism, anger, mocking, and gossip.” Not to deny the persecution of these “spirits”, but what would those who face life and death situations everyday because of thier faith have to say? Has our society and culture watered down persecution so we US-Americans can feel like we fit in to this beatitude? What else is going on here?
Persecuted for Righteousness’ Sake by Guy H. Ranson This is an article from a January 1956 edition of Reveiw and Expositor. Some minor deletions have been made for space purposes. We speak adoringly of the beauty and truth of the Beatitudes. But I wonder how much we either understand or believe them, particularly this eighth beatitude. We do not realize that these are the hard things of the Gospel. The Beatitudes express both the characteristics of citizens of the Kingdom of God and the nature of the Kingdom itself. The reference is to both the present and the future. Blessed is the one who both now and hereafter fulfills the conditions of the Kingdom of God. The Meaning of the 8th Beatitude Blessed...is the condition of the man who is in that state for which God created him and to which he has been redeemed by Christ. It is not, as we so often read it, the happiness of the Hedonist or natural man. Rather it is the antithesis of this. The happiness of the natural man is that human feeling which comes from success in the world which can be measured in terms of honor, power, wealth, or pleas-ure. The blessedness or hap-
piness of the Beatitudes has a divine rather than a human point of reference. Those who are persecuted (dediogmenoi) are made to suffer for righteousness. These are not passing through a special experience but are under constant trial. Those who bear this persecution learn to rejoice exceedingly because thereby they are brought to understand both the Father who gives his Son and the Son who bears the cross to redeem them. By this persecution they understand the nature of the Kingdom of God. Persecution is a sign of the Kingdom and it brings the reward of knowing Christ and his Kingdom and of doing the will of the Father. Righteousness (dikaiosune) is what God is by nature. The one who by the grace of God in Christ denies himself and loses his life, takes up the cross and saves his life by being related to the righteous God, is righteous as God is righteous. One who is persecuted because
he dedicates himself to this righteousness is the one who is blessed. He is made to suffer because he is in the condition which is acceptable to God. This is stated not only as a warning that men may be prepared to suffer but as a promise. It is what must necessarily come to those who live by the Kingdom of God in this evil world. They are not to fear persecution but to rejoice, because they understand the Gospel of the Kingdom in this situation. The Question for Us The question for us is, “Will we accept the Christian rather than the natural, worldly, or Hedonistic meaning of blessed?” We are invited constantly to accept the worldly blessed-ness. We wish to say, “Blessed are you when you succeed in the world.” We like to believe that success is the sign of divine blessing, because this is the belief of the world. The proof that we most often give that our denomination is being led of God is our success. The sanction given for doing things as we do them is that we succeed by these means. We appeal only secondarily to the Bible and to the Christian witness throughout the ages; our primary appeal is to our success. And what kind of success? The gain in numbers, the enlargement of buildings, the increase of giving, the increase of power and
influence, and the improve-ment in the esteem in which we are held by the world. When people speak well of us we are happy, unmindful that in this beatitude Luke quotes Jesus as saying, “Woe to you, when men speak well of you” (Luke 6:26). We have grown to like success so much that we intend to do nothing that will jeopardize it. We will not even stand for righteousness if it endangers our success in the world. In the first period of Christianity the Church and the world were at enmity. The Church was offered official recognition, the status of a legal religion, if it would compromise with the world. The Church refused, because it had to be free from the world in order to be faithful to Christ. It was said that the Christians had “turned the world upside down” (Acts 17:6), and so they had. It was not their primary aim to transform society but to be faithful citizens of the Kingdom of God. But the world, the kingdom of the Devil, was at enmity with the Kingdom of God. The Church demanded, therefore, that the lives of men must be changed in their relationship one with another. This is the burden of the writings of the earliest Christian Fathers. Their works are primarily ethical. Presently the Romans realized that either the Church must be wiped out or the Roman way of
life would be changed. The Empire then persecuted the Church, but it was the Church that triumphed. Then a strange thing happened. Or was it so strange? No sooner had the Church won a victory over the world than it succumbed to the world. Between 311 A.D. and 404 A.D. the Church was made a legal religion, then the favored religion, and finally the official and only religion of the Roman Empire. It was then that the Church fell. The masses were swept into it. It became as much the religious expression of the world as of the Kingdom of God. At the time of the Reformation the Reformers declared anew that the Church must be distinct from the world. It said that those who would follow Christ must do so in the social institutions of the common life. Again they were not primarily social reformers, but citizenship in the Kingdom of God required a change in the social affairs of men. They realized anew with Luther that the world “lieth in the Evil One” and that men must be obedient to God’s Kingdom rather than to the world. Again they realized the meaning of “Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed” by God (Rom.12:2). Our Present Situation Are we faithful to our heritage? I believe that the an-swer is “no.” At least we are in large part unfaith-
ful. What we do is to say, “We have no concern for the world.” This has left us in the position of accepting the world wholeheartedly while being blinded to the fact that this is what we are doing. Thus we have accepted the world and we live by its standard while deceiving ourselves to believe that we live by the standard of the Kingdom of God. Perhaps two concrete illustrations in two areas of contemporary social life will clarify the point. One is from economic life. Recently I received a letter from a friend who is vice-president of a bank and a Baptist deacon. He asks, in substance, “What is one to do about the antithesis between the demands of the Gospel and those of economics?” He continues, “I go to church on Sunday and learn that the essence of the Christian life is to deny myself and take up the cross. From Monday through Saturday I learn that the essence of economic success is to assert myself and gain all that I can.” It has become clear to him that there is en-mity between the kingdom of the world and the Kingdom of God and that he must choose between the two kingdoms. He has found in his own experience that to live by the King-dom of God is not to find success in the world. His problem is not unique. All of us, like him, must realize that if we are to be faithful to the Kingdom
of God we must reject success by worldly standards. The second illustration is in the area of race relations. The New Testament clearly and distinctly teaches that the cross of Christ creates new men who are one in the Kingdom. Distinctions between Jew and Gentile, Greek and barbarian, male and female—Negro and white—are removed (Gal. 3:28; Rom. 10:12; Col. 3:11). Do we live by this standard? No. We live by the worldly standard which says, “God is a respecter of persons and He made one race to dominate another.” Recent difficulties of some of our pastors who have preached the New Testament indicate that dedication to Christ brings persecution. There are two reasons why we live by the standard of the world rather than that of the Kingdom of God. The first is that we have become so conformed to the world that we understand the New Testament to teach that our object is to succeed according to the world. The second is that even when we understand that the Gospel is the antithesis of the world, we will not accept the Gospel because we do not wish to be persecuted for righteousness’ sake. Conclusion I conclude with a paraphrase of part of Dostoyevsky’s imagined conservation between Jesus and
the Grand In-quisitor in The Brothers Karamazov (Book V, Chap. 5). Jesus has come to Seville at the height of the Spanish Inquisition. Jesus’ orthodoxy is questioned and he is imprisoned. The Grand Inquisitor examines Jesus and recognizes his true identity. He says to Jesus, “You had your chance and failed. Satan offered you the kingdoms of the world if you would bow down and worship him. But you refused. You chose to suffer on the cross and rejected ruler-ship over men. You could never win the world your way, but we have conquered the world for you. See how powerful and wealthy your church has become. Do not force your church to crucify you anew. Please go away and leave your kingdom in our hands.” And so Jesus went away. The church that went by his name succeeded in the world. But it was a substitute for Christ’s Church and not the one in which he is the reigning Lord. We need to ask ourselves when we are proclaiming the success of our church, “Is this church which is succeeding really the Church of Christ? Or is it our church?” We are not compelled to be Christians. We respond to God’s grace in Christ by our own choice. We are not forced, therefore, to be persecuted. However, if we accept the Gospel we are obligated to live by the whole Gospel and to bear the persecution that it brings.
Glimpse 5
Blessed are the Persecuted The blessing of the persecuted comes as the eighth beatitude, in part, because following the first seven (by Matthew’s account) inevitably leads to persecution. Persecution marks a further step into the kingdom: poverty, mourning, meekness, hunger and thirst, purity, peacemaking and then persecution. Persecution in our culture has too often been watered down. For the early Christians, persecution was a life and death matter. Yet in the US persecution is too often about inconvenient circumstances or hindrances to middle class life. This is not to deny the very real persecution of many marginalized peoples in our country, but rather to suggest that mainstream Christianity has forgotten what real persecution is because we have become a dominant force in our society. And we find ourselves becoming the persecutors far more than the persecuted. Jesus reminds us through the beatitudes that citizens of the kingdom of God looks far different that those of the kingdom of the world. We are not to be the war-mongering, proud, powerful, over-consumed, persecutors of the world. Rather, by living into the beatitudes, we become the persecuted. Our life no longer looks like that of the world and so the world efforts to beat us back into conformity to its standards. Yet Jesus reminds us (implores us!) to realize that these brutal actions of the world do not have the final say. Rather, God has the final say and God’s word is one of blessing and reminding that “theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
? for Reflection:
Blessed are the persecuted Is persecution more than the “spirits of cynicism, anger, mocking and gossip�? What else might persecution be?
Who are the persecuted on our world today? Who are those that face life and death situations for their faith, beliefs, and lives? Who are those that society forgets, marginalizes, oppresses? How are these people persecuted?
How do the first seven beatitudes (blessed are the poor, those who mourn, the meek, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness and the pure in heart) embody a different kind of kingdom than that of the world? Can you think of examples of how they lead to persecution? What are those examples?
In what ways have you grown to identify blessing with succes? In what places of your life are you unwilling to jeopardize your success? What would it take to renounce your success and live into the beatitudes?
Glimpse 6
Blessed are the pure in heart
Rejoice, Ye Pure In Heart Words: Edward H. Plumptre
Rejoice, ye pure in heart; rejoice, give thanks and sing; your glorious banner wave on high, the cross of Christ your King. Rejoice, rejoice, rejoice, give thanks and sing. Your clear hosannas raise, and alleluias loud; whilst answering echoes upward float, like wreaths of incense cloud. Rejoice, rejoice, rejoice, give thanks and sing.
Yes, on through life’s long path, still chanting as ye go; from youth to age, by night and day, in gladness and in woe. Rejoice, rejoice, rejoice, give thanks and sing. At last the march shall end; the wearied ones shall rest; the pilgrims find their heavenly home, Jerusalem the blest. Rejoice, rejoice, rejoice, give thanks and sing. Praise God who reigns on high, the Lord whom we adore, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, one God forevermore. Rejoice, rejoice, rejoice, give thanks and sing.
Glimpse 6
Blessed are the Pure in Heart Now when [people] attempt to live a double life spiritually, that is, to appear pure on the outside but are not pure in the heart, they are anything but blessed. Their conflicting loyalties make them wretched, confused, tense. And having to keep their eyes on two masters at once makes them cross-eyed, and their vision is so blurred that neither image is clear. Clarence Jordan, Sermon on the Mount Pure: greek catharis
and the Christian flag on the right. This is a perfect illustraFrom the Greek word catharis, tion of our struggle in serving we get catharsis. Cartharsis has two masters. to do with purging or purifying. Now many take from this con- In case you doubt the truthfulnection the purification of the ness or reality of this struggle, heart from all sin. And that is a allow me to offer the following great way to look at the beati- story: tude, but it is not very specific. Sometime ago, when the United Clarence Jordan rightly takes States bombed military and cithis general connection and vilian targets in Libya, a debate makes it profoundly specific for raged concerning the moralwe US-Americans. The place in ity of that act. [I] witnessed an our lives where we are perhaps informal gathering of students most sinful has everything to who argued the morality of the do with serving two masters: bombing of Libya. Some thought it was immoral, others thought it God and country. was moral. At one point in the Think about your own sanctu- argument, one of the students ary. Chances are pretty good turned and said, “Well, preacher, that an American flag is flown what do you think?� in your sanctuary on the left
I said that, as a Christian, I could “You can’t do that,” said my adnever support bombing, particu- versary. larly bombing of civilians, as an “Why?” I asked. “You tell me why.” ethical act. “That’s just what we expected you to say,” said another. “That’s typical of you Christians. Always on the high moral ground, aren’t you? You get so upset when a terrorist guns down a little girl in an airport, but when President Reagan tries to set things right, you get indignant when a few Libyans get hurt.”
“Because it’s illegal to travel in Libya. President Reagan will not give you a visa to go there.”
“You know, you have a point,” I said. “What would be a Christian response to this?” Then I answered, right off the top of my head, “A Christian response might be that tomorrow morning The United Methodist Church announces that it is sending a thousand missionaries to Libya. We have discovered that it is fertile field for the gospel. We know how to send missionaries. Here is at least a traditional Christian response.”
and Willomon suggest. However, there is clearly a struggle in serving two masters when actions of the church (or Christians in general) are questioned because of the laws of the empire.
“No! That’s not right,” I said. “I’ll admit that we can’t go to Libya, but not because of President Reagan. We can’t go there because we no longer have a church that produces people who can do something this bold. But we The assumption seems to be that once did.” there are only two political op- (Hauerwas, Stanley and Will Willomon. Resident tions: Either conservative sup- Aliens. Nashville: Abingdon P, 1989. p 47-48.) port of the administration, or If the church followed Christ liberal condemnation of the ad- alone, then there would be no ministration followed by efforts question about sending misto let the U.N. handle it. sionaries to Libya as Hauerwas
Living in the United States, we can best purify our hearts by finding liberation from the master of empire and learning to serve our one true master, the God we know as Father, Son and Spirit.
Poem Blest are the Pure in Heart by John Keble (1792-1866) Blest are the pure in heart, For they shall see our God; The secret of the Lord is theirs; Their soul is Christ’s abode. The Lord, Who left the heavens Our life and peace to bring, To dwell in lowliness with men Their Pattern and their King. Still to the lowly soul He doth Himself impart; And for His dwelling and His throne Chooseth the pure in heart. Lord, we Thy presence seek; May ours this blessing be; Give us a pure and lowly heart, A temple meet for Thee.
Reflection As we approach Easter, it seems quite fitting that we hear Jesus say: Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God. The celebration of resurrection through Easter proclaims Jesus the Christ as our King. We sing hymns announces God’s sovereignty, such as Crown Him With Many Crowns and King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Yet, how often do we reflect on the ways that we actually enthroned or disenthrone Christ in our lives? If we are to serve God as our one true master, then we must conisder other masters that compete for our allegiance. Consumption. Greed. Desire. Money. Individualism. Political Ideology. Corporations (Employers). This list could go on and one. Yet, perhaps, much of this list is manifest in the one place to which allegiance is rarely questioned: the State or Empire. If we journey deeply into the kingdom of God, we must purge our heart of allegiance to all competing masters, including the empire, in order to truly enthrone Christ as our one true resurrected King of Kings and Lord of Lords. So, the question for us this Easter is not “Will we crown Him with many crowns?” Rather, the question this Easter is...
“Will we crown Him with every crown?” For in so doing, we can, together, begin the purging of our hearts from their many masters and, in time, truly see God. In this way, we will find that we are blessed.
? for Reflection:
Blessed are the pure in heart In what ways is Christ your King? Spiritually? Physically? Socially? Economically? Politically? Holistically?
Clarence Jordan suggest that “having to keep [our] eyes on two masters at once makes [us] cross-eyed, and [our] vision is so blurred that neither image is clear.“ Name some masters that compete with God in your life. In what ways do you find this statement true which respect to these competing masters?
After the story of the church’s response to the conflict in Libya, Hauerwas and Willomon state: We would like a church that again asserts that God, not nations rules the world, that the boundaries of God’s kingdom transcend those of Caesar and that the main political task of the church is the formation of people who see clearly the cost of discipleship and are willing to pay the price. What would it take for this kind of church to emerge today?
The primary way Hyaets seeks to purge our heart of competing masters is through the concept of Simple Living. In living simply, we identify excessive practices of our world and culture and then practice a simple living alternative that seeks to purge our lives of the excess. Read more about this at http://hyaets.org/simpleliving.html. Are there some practices in the chart on this webpage that you could incorporate into your life?