Blessed

BLESSED

a prayer to open

Give me eyes to see, Lord—

to see your Kingdom, your heart, your love. Give me eyes to see.

One day as he saw the crowds gathering, Jesus went up on the mountainside and sat down. His disciples gathered around him, and he began to teach them.

“God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him,

for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

God blesses those who mourn,

for they will be comforted.

God blesses those who are humble,

for they will inherit the whole earth.

God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice,

for they will be satisfied.

God blesses those who are merciful,

for they will be shown mercy.

God blesses those whose hearts are pure,

for they will see God.

God blesses those who work for peace,

for they will be called the children of God.

God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right,

for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

“God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.”

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus spoke to his followers about living in light of his inauguration of the Kingdom of God. With his arrival, something significant had changed—a new era had begun. Yet the old era remained as well. So Jesus taught his disciples how to live in the new while still facing a world that was part of the old. Jesus began his Sermon with what have come to be known as the Beatitudes, nine statements identifying those who are considered “blessed” in God’s eyes. Are the blessed the rich and powerful? Those the world elevates and honors? Jesus said no. He reversed traditional notions of blessedness and revealed the stark contrast between our world and the Kingdom of God. In the Kingdom of God, the blessed are those the world looks down upon and casts aside.

• What status symbols or worldly attributes do you tend to revere and honor? (To get at this, reflect on what elicits envy in you.)
• Sit silently for a few seconds and notice who comes to mind as you read the Beatitudes—a person you know or have seen, or a category or group of people. Why do you think that person or people group came to mind? Which of the Beatitudes do you believe brought that person or people group to mind?
• Read today’s passage again slowly. Where did you have a sense of longing? Where did you feel resistance? Why?

Father, open my eyes to your Kingdom today. As my day unfolds, allow me to really see those I normally overlook. Remove the barriers, the assumptions, and the biases that cause me to dismiss or turn away from the people who don’t fit my vision of the honorable and distinguished. Show me how I am conforming to the ways of this world instead of living according to the values of your Kingdom. As best as I know how, I open my hands and heart before you and ask that your will would be done and that your Kingdom would come in and through me. Amen.