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 students. All are used by permission with boys in blue and girls in pink:
Blessed are the intelligent for the world needs you. Kendria
Blessed are the talented for God knew they were made for success. Kayla
Blessed are the losers for in heaven, they will win the biggest trophies. Brandon
Blessed are those who can't be seen for God will place them where all will see them. Xjavier
Blessed are the confused for God will help them understand. Jillian
Blessed are those who don't like themselves for God loves how he made them. Caroline
Blessed are the weak for they are like Samson in the eyes of God. Felix
Blessed are the tall for they are closer to the kingdom of heaven. Mikey
Blessed are those who are depressed because the Lord is waiting with open arms. Hannah
Blessed are the servants for they will be masters in heaven. Daniel
Blessed are the blind for you will see everything God gives to you. Harry
Blessed are the deaf for they will hear God's word and the trumpet sound. Romanuel
Blessed are the ugly for they are beautiful in God's eyes. Shelby
Blessed are the attention seekers for they are always in God's eyes. Reighna
Blessed are the forgotten for God knows who they are. Carson
Blessed are those who hate for they will learn love from God Himself. Caprice
Blessed are the unwanted for in heaven, they will be welcomed. Kaitlin
Blessed are those who don't know where they stand in this world because in heaven, the will sit beside God the Father. Tsydea
Applicable quote of the day:
“The Beatitudes are no spiritual “to do list” to be attempted by eager, rule-keeping disciples. It is a spiritual “done” list of the qualities God brings to bear in the people who follow Jesus.”
Ronnie McBrayer
God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1
www.hawleybooks.com
E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com
No comments:
Post a Comment