“Looking at his disciples, he said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. “Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets. “But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort. Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep. Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you, for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.”
Luke 6:20-26 NIV
Our lectionary passage this week comes from Luke 6. Jesus is preaching to a large crowd from all over Judea. In the ancient world and even today, success is often measured in wealth and possession. How much wealthy, status, and fame you have accumulated is correlated to how blessed you are in the eyes of man. Jesus instead flips this idea on its head. Jesus blesses those who are poor, hungry, and in grief. He even goes as far to give a warning to those who have wealth, are well fed, who have great joy, and who seek to be well liked. I don’t believe that Jesus is saying that these things are inherently evil but instead is warning us of the ways in which these worldly things that we seek blind us to the call that has been placed on our life. If you continue reading in Luke 6 Jesus talks about how it is easy to love those who love us. He says even sinners do that. The true measure of faith comes from our ability to love the stranger and to love our enemy.
If you have followed the news at all you know that the government is shut down. As a result, 42 million Americans are going to lose SNAP benefits, almost 1 million of those are from Washington. If you aren’t familiar with SNAP, it is a program that provides low-income families with some extra funds to help put food on the table. This passage in Luke has been a beautiful reminder to me. First that arguing and hatred will get us nowhere. There is so much division and hatred being thrown around about who’s fault all this is. Jesus reminds us of the importance of loving those that it is hard to love. We are not called to argue or create division but instead to love people on every side of the discourse. The second reminder is to continue to bless those who Jesus blesses. This month the staff has a challenge for our church. In order to meet the needs of our community we will be opening a temporary “grocery store” in the gym. This will be an opportunity not only for our families losing benefits but also for anyone in need of assistance with food. It is the role of the body of Christ to meets the needs in our community. The staff is challenging all who are able to begin to bring food to the church, so we are able to meet these needs. If you aren’t able, we are challenging you to pray. Pray for our leaders, our nation, and those directly affected by this shutdown. This is a beautiful opportunity for the body of Christ to live out this call that Jesus has placed on our lives. To be the hands and feet of Jesus in a world that so desperately needs it.
Grace and peace,
Pastor Lake