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The Beatitudes

By Eric Hermann, Alex Przedpelski, Shelby MacMillan, and Ellen Fishbein

June 13, 2010

[ Audio (mp3, 4.2Mb) ]

June 13 was Youth Sunday at Christ Church. Christ Church youth conducted the entire service. The sermon reflected o n four of the beatitudes.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”

By Eric Hermann

Last winter, my mom, brother and I spent a week in Nicaragua with a group called Peaceworks. I'm sure many of you are familiar with Peaceworks, and some have probably been on the same trip too. While there, we got to see what poverty truly is. Thousands of people living on the street and in run down parks, addicted to glue. Some literally lived in the Managua dump, a gigantic refuse pile on the outskirts of the Nicaraguan capital. They scrounged for old food and supplies and built a small shanty town on the pile of trash. This was the definition of poverty, having nothing to your name and no idea where your next meal would come from. And yet, through it all, these people were surprisingly upbeat. They had it rough for sure, rougher than any of us ever will, but they managed to maintain their dignity and keep on working for a better life that, for most of them, would never come. They understood the true meaning of Beatitudes 3, which reads “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Taken literally, this Beatitude can apply to the meek, the feeble, or the poor. Even though they may be at the end of their rope, these people are still blessed, for God loves them all the same, and the kingdom of heaven awaits them after they pass on. The knowledge of this fact, and faith in God and God's everlasting love through the most difficult of times, sustained many of those that we met on the trip. They may not have been devout Christians, or attended church every Sunday, but these people were very spiritual nonetheless, and believed in a bright future no matter how dark the present was.

In a larger sense, however, this beatitude can apply to all of us. Poor in spirit can mean many things other than literal poverty. In fact, being poor in spirit is better defined as recognizing all that God has given us and has done for us: our families, our health, our talents, even our very existence. Most importantly, being poor in spirit means that we are thankful for all of these gifts, and understand our complete dependence on and need of God. And the truly poor in spirit use these gifts God has so graciously given us: our talents, our material wealth, and our time, among other things, to give back to the world. Taking a Sunday morning to help serve meals with Bridges, helping the homeless when they come to stay at Christ Church, or sending clothing and books to Nicaragua; there's a reason all of these things are so spiritually fulfilling. After we help someone else, we feel more whole, more connected to the world around us. In fact, many studies have shown that giving of oneself solely to help someone else has beneficial effects on the giver.

So in fact, being poor in spirit is something we should all strive for, a lofty goal we should work to attain. We should work to live lives of gratitude, and give of ourselves to help improve the lives of others. And, through it all, we should remember that God loves us, and wants the best for us no matter what.

* * *

“Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth.”

Alex Przedpelski

When I first read this sentence, I thought wow, that could mean so many different things, I don't even know where to start. But now that I have thought about it a good amount, I have sort of formulated my own interpretation of the third Beatitude. It suggests that those people who are completely their own person, not concerned with how anyone else will judge them are the ones who will really get the most out of life. My interpretation may is different from most of those I have ever heard, but I think it is fairly accurate. The verse also teaches us a little about who God is. He left us this ability to live our own lives and to be different people, and the point is that nobody is the same, despite the fact that many people will follow a common trend if they see a group of other people doing something. He gave us this ability so we could not worry about what other people would think, so we would have more time and energy to focus in on our spiritual lives, and this is what God means by “inheriting the earth.” Those who are able to step off the bandwagon and be completely comfortable with who they are and what they live for will lead the happiest lives. This is God's version of making the most of life. There is another part of this Beatitude that is very difficult to grasp, as a modernized society, because it completely goes against the natural way people think. We are taught from the time we are young that self-assertion is good, and our goals in life are to become as big and important as possible. The common definition of meek could not be closer to the opposite of this idea, but that is okay, because while many people think this is a bad thing it is not. Yes, being self centered is bad, but a person who is self-advocating and outgoing also probably has a very good chance of finding himself or herself, and so this is not a strict interpretation, and can be seen many different ways. There are many different types of meek people in the world. There are those who rarely say a word to anyone other than their immediate family members, those who will talk nonstop all day long, and those who are just normal. The point is that anyone can be meek inside, no matter what they are like on the outside, despite what anyone says. And the key to “inheriting the earth” so to speak, is just living for yourself, not anybody else. Some people choose to outwardly show their meekness, and others choose not to, but often what we see on the outside is not really what is on the inside. Jesus was an excellent example of meekness in a way that is incredibly difficult and admirable. In heaven, as it says in Philippians 2, He stood on an equality with the Father. As the Father's Son, He too was fully divine. Yet He forsook His privileges and entered this world on the lowest plane of society. Then He lived a life that made Him a target of scorn and rejection. And finally, He went through the shame and agony of death on a cross. No man has ever been more deserving of honor, yet no man has ever endured such dishonor. And He went through it by His own choice, proceeding from His desire to be our Savior from sin. People would jeer and mock Him, and he said nothing to defend Himself, which, as many of us can attest to, is a very difficult thing to do. But He knew that nothing any of those people said meant anything to Him, because He was the son of God and he did not need anyone else's approval. Meekness and humility; however, are not qualities reserved for Christ, and if we want to get the most out of life, we should try to be more meek, in the deeper sense of the word.

* * *

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God”

By Shelby MacMillan

The sixth beatitude is for those who are pure in heart. Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” The Beatitudes are a collection of promises, presenting seven different attitudes of the heart in the form of a blessing. Each promise begins with the phrase “blessed are”, and implies that whoever participates will benefit from being in a perpetual state of receiving God's favor.

A quote from Helen Keller helps to personify this beatitude, she once said, “it's better to be blind and see with your heart, than have two eyes and see nothing.” This is truly a statement of belief, coming forma woman with no sight or hearing. Her ability to overcome diversity and to never falter in her belief of destiny marks her a person pure of heart. The pure in heart are the followers of Jesus who believe him with their whole self and do all that they can to open their hearts to his love and teachings. The pure in heart are undivided, they are exactly who they seem to be and they never falter in their beliefs. A person who is pure in heart is someone whose motives are clear, whose purpose and desires are honest and simple, and who demonstrates a consistency between appearance and reality. With a person who is pure in heart, what you see is what you get. There is no deception, no ambivalence, no duplicity, no distortion, and no ulterior motives. Which is pretty rare to find in our society.

From the heart come all the issues of life. So the heart is utterly crucial to Jesus, he came into the world because we have hearts that need to be purified. And to have a pure heart means to have a heart committed to living a life that is totally welcoming to God. The pure in heart shall see God and others shall see God through them. By believing and spreading his teachings, we reflect his image to the world around us. We see God in lives of integrity and purity of heart. When human lives are lived as God intended them to be, God is glorified and seen most clearly.

In order to see God in your everyday lives, it is important to know who you are. Morals and integrity are important, but to be really truly pure in heart one must never falter in their beliefs. To be one with God you must be secure with the knowledge that you are one with yourself. * * *

* * *

“Blessed be the Peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God.”

By Ellen Fishbein

When I hear the word ‘peacemaker,' the first thing that comes to mind is the famous picture of a young man standing in front of a line of Chinese tanks in Tiananmen square. He was protesting the forced removal of hundreds of peaceful protestors from the area by standing in front of the towering wheels of the tanks. We don't know his name. But he is an icon for the 20th century of one person standing up against violence. And, given the opportunity, I don't think I would mind being immortalized for my personal courage and integrity like that. But how many of us are ever going to be in that kind of position?

If the Jesus' words should mean something for everyone, then they should mean something for me – and I doubt I'll ever be within 500 feet of a working tank. When Jesus says “blessed are the peacemakers,” he means more than “blessed are the people who rush into the heat of battle trying to stop war.” He means “blessed are the people who make peace. In one sense, peace means not being at war. Peace between two countries means they can solve problems without fighting over them. But peace also means people being able to help each other out, being flexible and understanding with each other. It means people listening to each other and working through the tough times. And it means a state of rest and well-being within yourself. I think a peace maker, in the truest sense, is someone who can let go of grudges and prejudices and build strong relationships.

The kid who walked up to me a few days ago and said “hey, you look a little down. Is everything ok?” He's a peacemaker. Or the woman on the subway who gave up her seat to a man who looked worries and tired – she's a peacemaker. Real peace is about the small things that put people at ease in the world.

When we turn to the gospels, everyone can recognize the moments when Jesus is being a bold, heroic peacemaker. It's when he says “He who is free of sin may throw the first stone,” and “he who lives by the sword will die by the sword.” But Jesus spent so much more time talking to people, helping them work through their unrest. He walked around night and day blessing, healing, and forgiving. Real peace isn't about the one moment when we can rush forward to stop violence—it's about living a generous life. In the words of St. Francis,

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace;

where there is hatred, let me sow love;

where there is injury, pardon;

where there is doubt, faith;

where there is despair, hope;

where there is darkness, light;

and where there is sadness, joy.