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 11th grade students. All are used by permission with boys in blue and girls in pink:
Blessed are those who struggle against injustice, for the law of heaven is absolute.
Drew
Blessed are the insecure, for insecurities are irrelevant to God.
Carson
Blessed are the broken for they will be rebuilt in the kingdom of God.
Joseph
Blessed are the awkward for God views them as unique.
Erin
Blessed are those who cry for they will find consolation in heaven.
Arye
Blessed are the artists for the sky will be their canvas
Rianna
Blessed are those who learn to listen to others for they will understand
Joyce
Blessed are the ones who have failed for they will find guaranteed success in heaven
Justin
Blessed are the dirty for they will be cleansed in God’s holy water.
Levi
Blessed are the falsely accused for they will only be judged by God.
Chaz
Blessed are those who are last for they shall find the light.
Adrian
Blessed are the veterans, for there will be no war in heaven.
Andy
Blessed are the patient for they will get their turn.
Kody
Blessed are the bench warmers, for they will be God’s MVP.
Ijeoma
Blessed are those who have haters for they will push to do better.
James
Blessed are the alcoholics for they will be sober in heaven.
Jarius
Blessed are the crippled, for they will climb the stairways to heaven.
Andrew
God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1
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E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com
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