Blessings

At Emmaus House last weekend, during our community time of prayer, we focused upon the beatitudes in Matthew 5:1-12.  I asked in what ways does one feel "blessed."  What followed was, in some ways, pretty typical responses: health, family, having a job, children/grandchildren, a roof over one's head, etc.  Then I read this quote (for the life of me, now I cannot remember where I found it):

"Blessings come from being in God's presence, not as a reward for either suffering or good works..."

The beatitudes in Matthew give us one of the first strong indications that God's Reign/Kingdom, that Jesus comes to proclaim and live out, is totally upside down from the present worldview.  I mean really, how is one blessed by being persecuted for doing the right thing?  How about people who have had a loved one die?  Tell me how that's a blessing to find one's self in a state of loss, pain and mourning?  You get the idea...

Maybe there's something else going on with this idea of blessing...

Experiencing poverty, mourning, hunger, etc, isn't in itself a sign of blessing, but people can count on God's presence with them in the midst of those things.  Likewise, those who act with meekness, mercy, purity and a desire for peace, find themselves where God is already present and where God is already at work.

God is already present...God is already at work.  That makes it kind of about God and not me and my notions of blessing.  With God present and already at work, blessing is not about me being a good little boy and getting what I deserve.  With God present and already at work, blessing is not about me getting rewarded for my enduring my pain, my poverty, my mourning, etc, with some kind of numbing, silent dignity.

Our blessings in this life is that God is present, through ALL of it.  Our blessings in this life, when I actually find myself being a peacemaker, being present when people are in need our mercy or find themselves in need of righteousness & justice, is that God is not already present, but God is already at work within those life situations; whether we recognize God's presence or not.  That's blessing!

When you pray this week, maybe instead of giving God the list of needs, wants, desires, etc, we give God thanks for the blessings we have expereinced because God is present and God is already at work...

Give us eyes to see you, O God of grace and love...
-m-