The blessing is in the doing

I believe that one of the ways God has demonstrated his love to us is by giving us his word. Not only has he given us a collection of his attributes, his expectations of us, evidence of his faithfulness, and a priceless description of the life of his most beloved Son - he has given us all of this in a document that is living and active. As a result, even the most familiar passages can speak to us in new and different ways as we look more closely and strive to walk more closely with Him. This happened for me a couple of weeks ago.


The New Testament reading in the Episcopal lectionary for Sunday, November 4 was the Beatitudes. This is a passage that was familiar from childhood, thus I thought my pastor might focus on one of the other Scriptures for his sermon that day. Instead, he pressed into Jesus's words, using them to admonish and encourage all of us. The message I walked away with that day was simple, but it has continued to resonate.


Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Matthew 5:3-12

Jesus promises that those who hurt, who suffer, who work to bring his kingdom here, who give all they have will be blessed and rewarded. These words have often brought comfort, hope, and a sense of purpose in difficult times, but they can also easily bring a sense of entitlement, or a skewed sense of what we should expect from God.

"Alright, God. I was kind to that guy who was a jerk to me. Where's my blessing?"

"My best friend died. I've mourned and kept on mourning. Aren't you going to bless me with a new friendship?"

"I've spent so much time serving the poor. Why aren't you taking away some of my financial burdens?"

But this type of blessing - that promised by the Prosperity Gospel and hoped for by our comfort-seeking instant gratification society - is not necessarily what Jesus was talking about. Jesus said, "Blessed are you when..."

The blessing doesn't come after the pain and sacrifice (though I do believe a greater reward will come in Heaven) - the blessing is in the pain and sacrifice. As my pastor said, "Doing good is the blessing."

When we do good, or when we are poor in spirit, mourning, meek, hungry for righteousness, merciful, pure in heart, making peace, or when we are persecuted, we are blessed.

Blessed because we are becoming more like Jesus.

Blessed because we are helping someone else to catch a glimpse of him.

Blessed because we are able to taste the Lord's goodness, and increase our reliance on him.

Blessed because we have an opportunity to trust and stand on his word, believing that because he said it, it is true, whether we feel it or not: blessed are you.