"The God Pause Daily Devotional" from The Luther Seminary in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States for Thursday, 26 January 2017 with Scripture Matthew 5:1-12

"The God Pause Daily Devotional" from The Luther Seminary in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States for Thursday, 26 January 2017 with Scripture Matthew 5:1-12
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Matthew 5:1 Seeing the crowds, Yeshua walked up the hill. After he sat down, his talmidim came to him, 2 and he began to speak. This is what he taught them:
3 “How blessed are the poor in spirit!
    for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
4 “How blessed are those who mourn!
    for they will be comforted.
5 “How blessed are the meek!
    for they will inherit the Land![Matthew 5:5 Psalm 37:11]
6 “How blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness!
    for they will be filled.
7 “How blessed are those who show mercy!
    for they will be shown mercy.
8 “How blessed are the pure in heart!
    for they will see God.
9 “How blessed are those who make peace!
    for they will be called sons of God.
10 “How blessed are those who are persecuted
because they pursue righteousness!
    for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
11 “How blessed you are when people insult you and persecute you and tell all kinds of vicious lies about you because you follow me! 12 Rejoice, be glad, because your reward in heaven is great — they persecuted the prophets before you in the same way.[Complete Jewish Bible]
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In Corrie Ten Boom's famous book, The Hiding Place, Rahms, a lieutenant in the Nazi SS, says to Corrie, "If you want converts, surely one normal person is worth all the half-wits in the world!" A watchmaker by trade and caretaker of the disabled, Ten Boom responds, "May I tell you the truth Lieutenant Rahms? The truth, sir, is that God's viewpoint is sometimes different from ours. So different that we could not even guess at it unless He had given us a Book which tells us such things. In the scripture I learn that God values us not for our strength or our brains, but simply because He has made us. Who knows, in His eyes, a half-wit may be worth more than a watchmaker. Or a lieutenant." During the Nazi era, rigid "ideals" were proposed about who was an asset to the Reich, and anyone who did not fit the criteria was in danger. And isn't that how it is under any dangerous regime? Whispers about who is welcome, shouts about who must go and statements about who will benefit.
However, God turns this way of understanding the world on its head. Jesus announces that those who live on the fringes, those who suffer, those who are meek are promised welcome and respite. Like Ten Boom, who takes on Rahm's crude term "half-wit" and turns it into something good and gracious, Jesus takes on difficulties such as hunger, thirst, peacemaking and persecution and allows us to see beyond them to a good and gracious future. 
Gracious God, we see much suffering among those around us. Give us the tools and courage to offer those who suffer a foretaste of their inheritance, bringing comfort, fulfillment, mercy and a glimpse of heaven. In Christ's name I pray. Amen.
Natalie Hall, '09
Canon for Evangelism and Faith Formation, Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh
Matthew 5:1 When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him.
2 Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:
3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
5 "Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
6 "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
7 "Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
8 "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
9 "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
10 "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 "Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.
12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. [New Revised Standard Version]
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