The Wehrles

What the subject says…

Some days, I get to my desk and just stare at things. And then I kick myself because I know I need to get through this so that I can spend half my day out in the community “making contact.” But, I just don’t feel like it… Any of it!

Then, I remember what Jesus said… “Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:3)

O.k… Time out! This may be a bit cryptic for those of us who don’t have three degrees with a major Bible component. Oh, that’s right. I do! For once, I can pretend a little expertise. First of all, what is this whole “poor in spirit” thing and why does Luke only have “poor?” Well… this verse is certainly about the poor. But, it is particularly about the powerlessness of the poor. They “don’t feel like it” and that is especially because even if they did feel like it, they are powerless to do anything about it.

Ever been around the poor? I have. They often feel totally unmotivated. Even if they were motivated, they have no means to do anything with their motivation. They have made some poor decisions or suffered the consequence of others’ poor decisions or suffered some other catastrophy… like being born in Sudan. They are powerless now to change what’s happened already. And… almost always powerless to change the future on their own either. (Living in a van down by the river and getting hand-outs from the local Methodist Church isn’t so motivating, as Chris Farley’s Motivational Speaker of Saturday Night Live can attest.)

That’s how I feel today… I feel totally unmotivated. And even if I were motivated, I really don’t think I have it in me to start a new church. And, that’s the point of being “poor in spirit.” How did I get here? Does it matter? I can’t really change it now. I just don’t feel like working up this strategic plan sitting on my desk or going out and walking the neighborhoods and strip malls today. I’m suffering a mini character crisis. I’m supposedly a church planter, but I don’t feel like a very competent one today. I just feel depressed and hopeless.

And, that is what Jesus is talking about here. To be poor in spirit is to have the same depressed and hopeless feeling that the poor often have. It is to realize that, ultimately, I am powerless to change much.

But… Jesus tells me I’m “blessed…” Some blessing! This whole poetic structure and the vocabulary and the setting all suggest something Old Testament and rabbinic. In that case, this blessing is the particular kind that belongs to the genre of good fortune that isn’t deserved or expected… Like when you get a letter telling you that Aunt Mabel included you in her will and the check is in the mail.

So what is this good fortune that I am getting because I feel depressed and powerless? What in the world does Jesus mean by “kingdom of heaven?” Now, before you let your romantic imagination take you to the medieval period of knights and castles and maps… Jesus is not talking about some earthly “kingdom” here. Jesus is talking about the “kingdom of heaven.” Now, about “heaven:” Good rabbis avoided using God’s name in order to avoid breaking the third commandment against making wrongful use of the Lord’s name. So, they devised this cute trick - don’t use the name… substitute “heaven” instead!

“Kingdom of heaven” is a Biblical idiom for God’s rule or direction or will as king of everything.

So… now we have “You are fortunate when you feel depressed and powerless like the poor do, because then you know God’s powerful direction in your life.”

And isn’t that the truth? I bet that just about 95% of the stuff I do, I do because it makes me feel good. Heck, I think I even love my neighbor and treat her nice because it makes me feel like I’m winning God’s favor… or at least makes me feel less guilty. Very rarely am I concerned with God’s direction or will for my life. I’m mostly concerned for #1. I’m usually out there trying to make it happen rather than trusting God for it.

So, feeling like I do today IS a blessing… It makes me realize that I’m not in charge anyway. Really, I am powerless to change much of anything. But God loves me and came to me in the person of Jesus to show me that I am written me into his plan. And, it’s a good plan with an omnipotent God behind it to make it happen. And, it would be in my total best interest if I would cooperate with it rather than do my own thing.

I may be powerless to start this new church… but, God is going to do it with or without me. Time to stop making it happen, let go, and let God!

Hey, I’m feeling better already!