Delafield Presbyterian Church

Phone: 262-646-2323

	Mail Us:	P.O. Box 180315
		Delafield, WI 53018

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Lenten Devotional

Sunday, March 30, 2003

4th Sunday in Lent

Scripture: Matthew 5:3-12

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God."

-- Matthew 5:3

The preamble to the U.S. Constitution says:

"We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty..."

The preamble is an introductory statement of our nation's vision of itself and expresses the kind of nation its people hope to embody.

In a similar manner, the Sermon on the Mount is the "constitution" of the Church of Jesus Christ, the Kingdom of God, and the Beatitudes are the preamble. These first ten verses provide for us, as citizens of God's kingdom, what is unassailable true. They describe the purpose of every law, custom, and practice in this new world.

And even a quick glance at the Beatitudes show us that God's Kingdom turns the world's values upside down. What is true for those who live in the kingdom is a flat reversal of what is considered true in the world at large. Here, Jesus declares that the poor in spirit, the meek, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, are the one who are truly blessed, joyful, and deeply happy.

As Christians, we always live with two frames of reference. First, like everyone else, we see the world of human history, a world of struggle in which the church works and serves and lives out its mission. Based on the historical evidence of this world alone, there is little reason for hope or joy. War begets more war, might makes right, innocent people suffer every day.

But as Christians we also possess a second frame of reference. We also see a world in which God is at work every day, a world which is surely moving toward a time in which God's purposes are fully revealed, a time when "God himself will be with them, he will wipe every tear from their eyes, and death and mourning, crying, and pain will be no more" (Revelation 21:3-4).

Thanks be to God for the hope and joy of the Kingdom!

Prayer:

Blest are the uncorrupt in heart, whose ways are right and true,

Who never from your law depart, but ever fly to you.

Blest are all those who keep your word and practice your commands,

Who with their hearts still seek you, Lord, and serve you with their hands. Amen.

-- Presbyterian Hymnal (1991), #233 (v. 1,2)

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