Missio Dei GR

Blessed are the Meek...
I have always liked the word meek ever since I heard it described as "power under control". I think this world often see's meekness as weakness and yet most of us often admire those who are meek, the Ghandi's, the Mandela's, and Martin Luther King's and Mother Theresa's of this world. They were powerful men who understood that meekness is strength not weakness. Jesus was the ultimate example of this and was the model of all four of these individuals. I wonder why it seems so difficult though to accept meekness, choosing to be last instead of first, choosing to be servant instead of served, choosing to turn the other cheek or walk the extra mile. I know for me it is often rooted in one of my more consistent sins: selfishness. I have such a hard time thinking that selflessness is rooted in strength, remembering that Christ will reward the actions of the meek with an inheritance of this earth. The irony of meekness is that its worth fighting for...

Blessed are those that mourn...

I have to admit I have never been a big fan of mourning, I prefer happiness, joy, laughter, etc. but there have been some times when God has allowed me to walk through pain, loss, sorrow. I don't think I have ever mourned as much as I did when my little brother Cody passed away. He was the first one in my immediate family to pass away and it just seemed wrong. I have often wondered if Jesus felt the same way when he came face to face with the burial site of his friend Lazurus. I'm sure most of you have heard the verse (shortest verse in the Bible) "Jesus wept." I am prone to think that death, sin, seperation really hit Christ, nested in his heart for the first time. He created us to live forever and to be in relationship with himself but our sin has screwed it all up. I think that is the idea of mourning that Christ is talking about here in the beatitudes... the kind that realizes how screwed up this place is, how screwed up we are and how that leaves us hurt, in mourning. I think that it takes a great deal of discipline to mourn sin and its effects more regularly here in the U.S. I rarely take time to realize how sin realy affects me and the world I live in cuz I have too many things to keep me amused. "Amusing Ourselves to Death"... sounds like a good book title. Here's to a little more mourning... it helps us look forward to the consumation of the kingdom.
Toran

Blessed are the poor in Spirit

Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of GOD.

As I was reflecting on today’s reflections (Monday) I was most struck by the question: “Tell about a time in your life when you felt physically/emotionally/relationally bankrupt/lost etc. How did it impact your view of God?”

I have a friend named John who is a musician. He was sort of a mentor/older brother to me when I was in college. John recorded his first cd when we had just started our friendship. John lived in a state of need for God. Most of the songs on His cd had a flavor of neediness, brokenness and desperateness. He was completely aware of how self-reliant, prideful, and arrogant he could become. It seemed he walked with a fear of God that I had never seen or felt.


It is interesting that in Luke during the sermon on the mount, Jesus is quoted as saying “Blessed are the poor,” as opposed to “poor in spirit.” It seems that in many ways these things go hand in hand. The poor (materially) understand that they are needy, and that God holds their future in His hands. They are dependent for their next meal, or for clean drinking water. The poor, just like the birds of the air need God to feed them.

However in America we pride ourselves on protection. We have health insurance, car insurance, home owners, renters insurance, nest eggs, and back up plans. Many of these things thrive because we want to be independent. Independent from each other and from God.

So how do we as a community grasp “poor in spirit” in the midst of a culture that believes we aren’t meant to rely on anybody but ourselves? How do we as rich people (If you live in America you are rich compared to the rest of the world, even if you are in college) grasp this idea that we really are poor? How do I live like my friend John?

Micah

Beatitudes

Hey guys (and gals) I hope that we can start some good blogesque kind of stuff here over the next week (and months and heck...who knows, maybe even years...) Feel free to share with us some of what God is teaching you as you spend time focusing on the beatitudes this week. Looking forward to connecting soon.
Toran