Piloting Faith: What Jesus really said...
A Word for the Day...
As I write this, the results from Super Tuesday are rolling in. This election feels endless, but a great deal feels at stake for all of us. As a nation, we are debating what kind of world we will create. Will it be a world in which we live sustainably, one that celebrates diversity, promotes equality and is driven by a shared sense of the common good? Or will we continue on course with an agenda of "America First," grounded in privilege, elitism and white nationalism?
Tonight I hosted a study group in my home where we read Jesus' Sermon on the Plain. Jesus is talking to a gathered group of disciples, helping them understand the kind of life that represents God's values. He says,
"Blessed are you who are poor,
for yours is the kingdom of God.
Blessed are you who are hungry now,
for you will be filled.
Blessed are you who weep now,
for you will laugh."
His message was entirely counter-cultural but makes our current political choice as stark as I can imagine. Compare these blessings to ones my friend and colleague, Brian McLaren, wrote helping us see through our current cultural blindness.
When Jesus saw the crowds, he went to the microphone; and after the spotlight focused on him, his disciples took their seats. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:
“Blessed are the rich and famous. Believe me, they can get whatever they want.
“Blessed are the ruthless, for they will be feared.
“Blessed are the arrogant, for they will acquire more than their fair share.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for power, for they will never be satisfied, which they will find very satisfying.
“Blessed are the merciless, for many will suck up to them.
“Blessed are the deceitful in heart, for they will see what they are in everything and everyone.
“Blessed are the obscenely profitable, for they will not notice when they lose their souls.
“Blessed are those who punch back harder than they are punched, for people will praise them to their faces, even if they despise them behind their back.
“Blessed are you when people give you compliments and utter all kinds of flattery about you, whether you deserve it or not, because they think your big ego can compensate for their insecurity. Rejoice and be glad, for your short-term reward is great, for in the same way they sold themselves out to the demagogues and con artists who came before you.
Do you see the difference? Let's consider this a wakeup call for all of us.
Rev. Cameron Trimble
Author of Piloting Church: Helping Your Congregation Take Flight
Prayer for the Week
Loving God,
Make me an instrument of your love,
that I might be
patient
kind
generous
compassionate
in all things,
toward all people,
for all my days.
Amen.
