What Blessings?

“Nothing’s working for me right now.” “It feels like the whole world is out to get me.” “Where is God when I need him most?”  Ever felt like that? And then we hear Jesus’ first words from his Sermon on the Mount and they are all about blessings. So if we try to be like those types of people he describes, mourners, peacemakers, pure in heart, etc, then he will bless us? Wrong answer. The “Beatitudes” as we call these verses, are not a prescription for blessings from Jesus. The blessings in our lives we usually think of are material ones: wealth, health, good results, etc. But the blessings Jesus is talking about are the ways that our Lord blesses us more often than we know – blessings that can’t be seen. And some are blessings yet to come.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Who are the “poor in spirit?” Those who are poor can’t support themselves, they need help. Their needs have to be provided for by someone else. Who are these poor in spirit people? That’s us! By our very nature as ones sinful and unclean, we are spiritually poor. With respect to our belief and trust in God, we bring absolutely nothing of value to the table. The beginning of this sermon is an open invitation to the poor in spirit – that’s everyone. Everyone is poor in spirit and need to hear the good news Jesus brings. “For theirs IS the kingdom of heaven.” The kingdom of heaven and all its blessings are ALREADY a present reality for the poor in spirit. But what are these blessings? Now, we do have material blessings in our lives – all things God has provided for us. But “blessed” here is not “blessed with stuff”, but rather “saved” or “redeemed.” Just some of the blessings followers of Jesus already enjoy are: forgiveness, baptism into Christ, the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives for faith and obedience, spiritual nourishment at our Lord’s Table, the fellowship of our brothers and sisters in Christ. The reign of heaven already belongs to the poor in spirit. Because of this fact, Jesus calls them – you - blessed.
The first blessing that Jesus proclaims is the gateway to all the others. The poor in spirit who are blessed because of their dependence upon Jesus WILL (future tense) experience these others as well. The next six blessings flow from the first. You and I have experienced mourning, humility, and hunger for righteousness and justice. But blessing WILL come in complete fulfillment when our Lord comes again. And yet, because of your union with Christ, these blessings to come are beginning to emerge now. In Christ and through the power of the Holy Spirit, you followers of Jesus have already begun to be comforted, to be merciful, to be pure in heart, and to be peacemakers. The reign of heaven is breaking out into the world through the future blessings you have begun to receive through faith in Christ.
The last two blessings are about persecution. Not everyone will experience it. And everyone who does will experience it in different ways and to different degrees. But when it does happen, Jesus promises his blessing now – “theirs is the kingdom of God.” And they can look forward with joy to that which is to come:
“Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Be assured by our Lord that if and when persecution happens to you, the reign of heaven already belongs to you. And those who are persecuted for Christ’s sake stand in line with God’s greatest servants.
These blessings are yours and will be yours. No matter what happens, no matter how bad it looks, the final victory will belong to God. The present reign of heaven and the blessings that flow from Christ’s relationship with you are hidden, but they're there for you - the poor in spirit to who it has been revealed.  You are the blessed ones.

Plastic Around the Neck

What's up with some pastors wearing a clerical shirt?

First, this is what it's not: The clerical shirt is not a symbol of power or a demand for respect or a mark of "one who is holier than you." It is a symbol of a servant - the same idea why other public servants such as police officers, military personnel, and the like wear a uniform. The pastor is a servant of Christ and of His Word - ordained to call and serve "in the stead and by the command of our Lord Jesus Christ" for the Church and for a specific congregation.

There are practical functions as well. The wearer is quickly identified in public as one who is a servant of the Church. However, in recent years the shirt has had negative images associated with it. Scandals in the Church, such as the many abuse cases in the Roman Catholic Church, have given the clerical shirt a bad public image. For some, when they see it, they think "child molester" instead of pastor.

But why black? Black is color symbolic of sin. The servant of Christ is also as sinner just like everyone else. The white of the collar itself is a reminder of what Christ has done for us. Through faith in Him, we are washed clean of sin the blood of the Lamb (Revelation 7). He declares us sinners his holy ones - white as snow because Jesus graciously took our sin upon himself in his life, death, and resurrection.

The pastor is a sinner called and ordained to speak God's Word to God's people and to the world. The shirt is a symbol of that public office.

Defining Marriage

The same-sex marriage debate rages on. I found this article by R.R. Reno over at First Things. I would encourage you to read it...slowly. The language is not easy - it is loaded with legal terms. But Reno does a good job of framing the problem at the fundamental level - unwhittingly including the Doctrine of Vocation in which we are not all created equal, but we are each created with unique talents and gifts and are placed into institutions (spouse, child, parent, worker, citizen, etc) for service to our neighbor. And these individual gifts compliment one another.