Is this how Jesus saw the crowds of people? Don't most of us look upon the masses of people with a little less reverence? Aren't we somewhat skeptical about the common man?
Are not the beatitudes the poetry of a great humanitarian?
How did I miss that and become as cynical as I am and as most preachers seem to be?
For those of you who really are desperate preachers, or if you are like myself of late, totally broken, isn't this passage awesome? It is not just great nuggets to pass on to those in the pews, it is so healing and renewing to this preachers own soul. Manzel
If the verb tenses in Aramaic are not clear and this is Jesus instruction to the disciples, then could he be saying Bless the pour in spirit, Bless the peace makers.... Manzel
Manzel I would suggest you read "The Christ Of The Mount." By: E. Stanley Jones It is a living exposition of Jesus' words as the only Practical way of life. Dr. Jones brings out the Beattitudes in a most revealing way.
Harold in Alabama
I thought I knew what it was to be poor in spirit, to mourn, to hunger and thirst for righteousness, or answers or hope or direction or just getting a handle on things but I had experienced only the shallows of these things. Jesus words give evidence of his incredible awareness of these things in our lives. There is such power just in seeing Jesus awareness of these dimensions of life. It feels like Jesus sees this within a context of our great connectedness to God and God's larger plan. Just being seen feels like a blessing. Manzel
Another translation of the word for "blessed" is "happy," Try that on for size in the beatitudes. Sharon in Bethlehem
To Manzel and all - There is a powerful line in the 1999 movie, "Instinct", starring Anthony Hopkins and Cuba Gooding, Jr. The institutionalized Hopkins tells the psychiatrist about living with the great apes and says, "It is an incredible thing to be watched over." Truly, it is humbling and incredible when we realize that a gracious and living and loving God watches over us. ARMY CHAPLAIN E, deployed
If we change blessed to happy, we are missing a lot here. It was two years ago that our Lenten Bible study dealt with the beatitudes. I hold it on Twusday evenings from 6-7. We have a light supper provided by a group in the church, sing a hymn or two and then I have a guest do the study. Anyway, he talked about the meaning of blessing and how that is one of the best things we can do. Blessing is a special thing as parents. He even talked of having a service of blessing for his son. He had the men of the church gather at their home and put his son in the middle. Each man laid hands on him and gave him a blessing. So did the father. In the tradition of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) we dedicate infants instead of baptizing them (that comes later). The service includes a blessing. So does the marriage service at the end.
I take this blessing seriously. I forget the Bible characters, but there is a story, I think involving Jacob, about the selling of a birthright and somehow that involves who gets the father's blessing. PH in OH
Date: 28 Jan 2002
Time: 06:46:17
Comment
Manzel
I preached on "winners and losers" in the past and introduced the concept by quoting Ted Turner when he blurted out that "Christianity was for losers!" After intense reaction from many, he retracted and apologized for his statement. While it was bad public relations though, it was good theology.
We, in America, don't like being called "loser", it's one of the most demeaning insults we can throw at another.We tend to distance ourselves from losers in sports, business, schools, work, and community.
Yet, that's who God in Christ seeks out. To reach back to last Sunday's text, Jesus seems to spend a lot of time "bottom fishing"
"Blessed are the losers for they shall be the winners!"
I really APPRECIATE the second comment posted indicating that Jesus looked upon the crowds with reverence. WOW! For some reason that really hit me as an "eye-opener". If the Church looked upon the crowds with reverence, imagine what our ministries would be like!
Pr.del in IA
After months and months of nearly empty sanctuaries,after preaching to "crowds" of sixty and seventy tops. Would I change my preaching style and stop preaching the truth in order to appease. Or would I be like Christ and be willing to share the "good news"?
SunCityRev
Here's to the Losers:
-Here's to those who love, not too wisely no, not too wisely, but too well.
- To the girl who sighs with envy when she hears that wedding bell.
- To the guy who'd throw a party if he knew someone to call.
Here's to the losers -- bless them all
- Here's to those who drink their dinners when the lady doesn't show.
- To the girl who'll wait for kisses underneath the mistletoe.
- To the lonely summer lovers when the leaves begin to fall
- Here's to the losers -- I bless em all
Hey Tom, Dick and Harry, come in out of the rain, those torches you carry must be drowned in champagne
-Here's the last toast of the evening
-Here's to those who still believe all the losers will be winners, all the givers shall receive
- Here's to trouble free tomorrows, may your sorrows all be small
Here's to the losers -- bless them all!
Hey Tom, Dick and Harry, come in out of the rain, those torches you carry must be drowned in champagne
-Here's the last toast of the evening
-Here's to those who still believe all the losers will be winners, all the givers shall receive
- Here's to trouble free tomorrows, may your sorrows all be small
Here's to the losers -- bless them all!
Pace e Bene Deke in Texas
That's great Deke, do you know who sang or wrote it, and around when? Always wanting more!
Someone up near the top asked how it would be different if Jesus said,"Bless the poor..."
What if Jesus was saying,"It doesn't matter if you bless them or not, they ARE blessed, and their blessing no man can take away." The disciples might begin to look at them differently, maybe even begin to bless them, or at least disdain them less.
It seems to me that this is still up in Gallilee, the region which "sat in darkness", from last week, the land of Zeb. and Naph., the littlest and leastest tribes of Jacob that "didn't get no respect", that "never got a dinner." Like the mousy folks in the small congregations in the dwindling communities that many of us desperate preachers serve, they needed to hear God hadn't forgot them. How good to hear God blesses, whether you sneeze or not.
What to do when the world puts you down? One of 3 things(points).
1. Accept it as true and live down to it.
2. Reject it and rise up in rebellion.
3. Ignore it, knowing God loves and blesses you. Rejoice! God's opinion is the only one that matters. it's a start, tom in TN(USA)
A humorous story...
When I served the "BIG UMC" church in another community... there was a HUGE Lutheran congregation, FIRST LUTHERAN CHURCH... one fall, they took out a FULL PAGE AD IN THE LOCAL NEWSPAPER... It was all about how THEIR church was "FIRST... for a reason!"...
...first in Preaching
...first in Christian Education
...first in Music
...first in Ministry to YOUTH
...first in OUTREACH
...first in etc. etc. etc....
you get the idea...
a FULL PAGED AD...
Needless to say, this caused much consternation among the other churches in our community... especially the other LUTHERAN churches...
So, a couple of weeks later... you had to look for it... was a one inch by one inch ad placed by one of the smaller Lutheran Churches in our community.
It had the name of the church...
that's it...
and the following verse of scripture...
Matthew 5:5 "Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth!"
Blessings to you all as you prepare to be MEEK... like me! :?)
pulpitt in ND
Wanted to say one more thing. My husband shared this bit of info with me: The coach of the Green Bay Packers, who won the very first Super Bowl back in the 60's, said, "Winning isn't everything... It's the only thing." That was Vince Lombardi, a hero in the eyes of many Americans. (After all, they named a rest stop on the New Jersey Turnpike after him!!!) What a contrast to the message of the cross. DGinNYC
Croydon, UK
there's a neat story in Smithsonian mag. this month/ quarter? about David Hockney, an art historian, who says the European masters like Van Eyck and Caravaggio and even Rembrandt used a lens to get the precision they achieved on canvas, that is, they projected the image of their model onto canvas upside down and 'traced'it. might be a nice illus. for the beauty of the upside down world of the kingdom. David in MS
Last year our Bible study group spent a great many weeks on the Beatitudes. When we finished, one wise woman said that she had always looked at this as "be" attitudes, a call for her to be a certain way, but that she now saw this all as "a slice of Jesus' heart", an opportunity for us to see how God views the world and what's important to Christ.
Coming here so late in the week and reading all these posts at once, I feel a slice of the heart of Christ blessing so many -
Manzel, as a UMC preacher I ache that my brothers & sisters may have failed you, and pray for you to feel the arms of Christ around you.
Eric, listening to the mighty wind and having my own electric flicker sparks prayers for you and all in KC.
Thanks all for so many precious insights. I am calling my message - He Turns the Whole World Upside Down. Will use all three readings, and include my own version of "He's got the whole world in His hands." I give thanks that things as foolish as Balaam's donkey and me can be used of God! God keep you all,
kat in PA
