Posts Tagged: "Beatitudes"

the illusion of superiority post

The Illusion of Superiority

- - Life With God, Uncategorized

We are in a series on the Beatitudes of Jesus at church right now… it’s called “Dance to the Beat.” One of my favorite lines came from a message on humility:

The essence of “God blesses those who are humble (or those who are meek)” is that God can work with people who don’t think they are superior to others—but where there is arrogance and aggression, God’s blessing is not there.

Jean Vanier, in his book Becoming Human, says:

The illusion of being superior engenders the need to prove it; and so oppression is born. A bishop in Africa told me that, even though there were few Christians in the area, he had built his cathedral bigger than the local mosque. All this to prove… Read More

it doesn't look as if there's a hero among them post

It Doesn’t Look As If There’s A Hero Among Them

- - Life With God, Uncategorized

*photo above: guys who live in the local group recovery home—helping build 300 bicycles for our Bike Give last month

We are currently in a series on the Beatitudes of Jesus at church… it’s called “Dance to the Beat.” The following is Frederick Buechner’s thoughts on the Beatitudes from his book Whistling in the Dark:

If we didn’t already know but were asked to guess the kind of people Jesus would pick out for special commendation, we might be tempted to guess one sort or another of spiritual hero—men and women of impeccable credentials morally, spiritually, humanly, and every which way. If so, we would be wrong. Maybe those aren’t the ones he picked out because he felt they didn’t need the shot in the arm his commendation would give them. Maybe they’re not the ones he picked out because he didn’t happen to know any.

Be that as it may, it’s worth noting the ones he did pick out.

Not the spiritual giants, but the “poor in spirit;” as he called them, the ones who, spiritually speaking, have absolutely nothing to give and absolutely everything to receive, like the Prodigal telling his father “I am not worthy to be called thy son,” only to discover for the first time all he had in having a father.

Not the champions of faith who can rejoice even in the midst of suffering, but the ones who… Read More

beatitude post for lent

Lent Day 19… The Beatitudes Are The Antithesis Of What America Has Come To Adore

- - Life With God, Uncategorized

It cannot be denied that too often the weight of the Christian movement has been on the side of the strong and the powerful and against the weak and oppressed—this, despite the gospel. —Howard Thurman

Brian Zahnd, in his book Beauty Will Save The World, says:

The Beatitudes are deliberately designed to shock us. If we’re not shocked by the Beatitudes, it’s only because we have tamed them with a patronizing sentimentality—and being sentimental about Jesus is the religious way of ignoring Jesus! Too often the Beatitudes are set aside into the category of “nice things that Jesus said that I don’t really understand.”

Here is Zahnd’s paraphrase of… Read More

declaration of blessedness post

What The Spirit of the Age Blesses vs What Jesus Blesses

- - Life With God, Uncategorized

The following is from Brian Zahnd’s recent sermon on the Beatitudes entitled, “The Declaration of Blessedness.”

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The spirit of the age blesses the cocky and self-confident… But Jesus blesses the poor in spirit.

The spirit of the age blesses those who are shallow and thus happy all the time… But Jesus blesses those who have the capacity to mourn deeply.

The spirit of the age blesses the… Read More

a few new beatitudes for today

A Few New Beatitudes For Today

- - Life With God, Uncategorized

Leonard Sweet shared the following…

While in Sweden for an All Saints Day mass, Pope Francis proposed Six New Beatitudes for the 21st century church.

These were meant not to replace the biblical ones, which he called the “identity card” of the saint, but to point to how the original beatitudes might be expanded and understood in light of our world today:

Blessed are those who remain… Read More

upside down post

Where Steams Flow Uphill: This Upside Down Kingdom

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I believe the Kingdom of God is more upside down than we realize.

Where down is up, the last are first, slaves are free, enemies are loved, and the weak are strong.

Where streams flow uphill…

This upside down Kingdom.

Donald Kraybill, in his book The Upside Down Kingdom, says:

The Kingdom is full of surprises. Again and again in parable, sermon, and act Jesus startles us. Things in the Gospels are often upside down… Things are reversed. Paradox, irony, and surprise permeate the teachings of Jesus. They flip our expectations upside down. The least are the greatest. The immoral receive forgiveness and blessing. Adults become like children. The religious miss the heavenly banquet… Things aren’t the way we expect them to be. We’re baffled and perplexed. Amazed, we step back. Should we laugh or should we cry? Again and again, turning our expectations upside down, the Kingdom surprises us.

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And this upside down Kingdom certainly has an upside down King. Think about it:… Read More

PREVIEW escalation JOHN WAYNE

MORE LEAKAGE

- - Life With God, Uncategorized

Here’s a little more leakage – some content from the book I wrote this summer…

Yo, we at war. We at war with terrorism, racism, and most of all, we at war with ourselves. —Kanye West (Jesus Walks)

Tears on the mausoleum floor, blood stains the coliseum doors… —Jay-Z (No Church in the Wild)

If you act like wild animals, hurting and harming each other, then watch out, or you will completely destroy one another… Read More