Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
My Bible classes finished the Beatitudes recently. The eight statements of Jesus at the outset of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew's chapter five are familiar to Christians but are often foreign to the way we act. How are we supposed to rejoice and mourn concurrently? Who feels good about being mistreated? Philip Yancey translated these teachings as Lucky Are The Unlucky. Our class periods centered around our own translations of these contradictory, to the non-believer, words of truth from the lips of the Savior. Each student was assigned the task of recreating the Beatitudes in ways that made sense to them in twenty-first century Houston, Texas. What follows is a sampling of the theology of my 8th grade students. All are used by permission with boys in blue and girls in pink:
Blessed are the short for they are tall in God's eyes.
Sam
Blessed are those who walk in darkness for heaven will shine bright with love.
Aspen
Blessed are those who don't know the warmth of family for they will know the warmth of God.
Kara
Blessed are the poor for they will have a better life and God will be in it.
Jack
Blessed are the homeless for with God, they have a kingdom.
Christian
Blessed are those who cannot write for they will HEAR the Word of God.
David
Blessed are the teachers for they get us ready for the future.
Isaiah
Blessed are the families who have lost loved ones for they will waiting in heaven.
Jill
Blessed are those who get made fun of because they are perfect in the sight of God.
Vanessa
Blessed are the quiet for their voice will comfort others.
Heaven
Blessed are those who hate reading for there is no annotating in heaven.
Kennedy
Blessed are those who are afraid of the dark for God will light the way in heaven.
Darian
Blessed are the hurt for God will heal their souls.
Kendall
Blessed are the cold for they will receive all the clothes in the world.
Hayden
Blessed are those who fail for they are a success in God's eyes.
Lorell
Blessed are those who go unseen for soon a spotlight will find them.
Erin
Blessed are the weak for God will become their muscle.
Pressly
Blessed are the forgotten for God never forgets His children.
Alexandria
Blessed are the unfortunate for they will get the Lord God's best.
Leo
Blessed are the humble for they will be praised.
Josh
Blessed are the abused for they will find comfort in God.
Devin
Blessed are those who aren't funny because God laughs at all of your jokes.
Jonathan
Blessed are the dead for they will be alive in heaven.
Jaylin
God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1
www.hawleybooks.com
E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com
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