“Blessed are the poorâ€. This is the first line in the Beatitudes of Luke’s Gospel. There seems to be a flipping of values of what seems important. When our modern culture says “Blessed are those who are successful†or “Blessed are those who are richâ€. What is wrong with riches and success? They can prevent us from accessing God’s kingdom. They close our hearts to the possibility of something more. Through our pride or continuous greed.
When talking to my own son and he says “I am not trying that new thingâ€. It is precisely then there is an opportunity to grow. To ask the question “Whyâ€. Maybe there is a fear. Maybe to keep things as they were. A rich person does not need to grow, but, a poor person does.
When my daughter comes along and says, “That is boringâ€. Boring is not a bad thing. But, part of me wants to run away from this negative perception. Boring presents a great opportunity for creativity. We need to ask the deeper question why. Boring presents the ground for growth to occur. Beyond what we can see.
Jesus says, “go out to all the world and baptiseâ€. What he is really saying is “go out to all the world and blessed are the poorâ€. When we become poor, we allow God’s spirit to work more fully in us. There is room for God’s grace to move. Going down into the depths of the water is a symbolic dying. Not just to sin, but the things that prevent God’s spirit to come alive.
“Blessed are we when we are bored†and “Blessed are we when we are in fear†because the kingdom of God can come alive. This begs the question “how are we poorâ€, this is more than just a financial thing, but rather, the parts of our life where we most struggle in. Trusting more in God and creatively responding to the living moment enables something to emerge which did not exist before. Growth. Growth in God in our lives. The negative is not just a bad thing, but an opportunity. Are we a resurrection people?
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