Doing and Being

AM Psalm [70], 71 • PM Psalm 74
1 Kings 22:29-45 • 1 Cor. 2:14-3:15 • Matt. 5:1-10

When I saw the readings for today my first thought was, “The Beatitudes! There can’t be anything new there.” I was wrong. More on this later.

The other passage that caught my attention was in 1 Corinthians, “...infants in Christ. I fed you with milk not solid food, for you were not ready for solid food.” When we begin to teach children about the Bible and about Jesus, we don’t begin with one of Paul’s letters to somewhere. We begin with songs: “Jesus Loves Me” and “All Things Bright and Beautiful...the Lord God loves them all.” We don’t begin with the Babylonian exile and the destruction of the temple. We begin with a very large boat, a lot of animals, a flood, a dove, and a rainbow. We don’t begin with the journey to Golgotha, but with a baby born in a stable with animals all around. (We even act this one out before every Christmas, sometimes with a real infant!)

So as spiritual infants/children we were given a list of ten “Thou shalt not” commandments. Similar to the warnings we give children: “Don’t touch the hot stove.”, “Don’t play in the street.”, and so many more don’ts. But in Matthew we are given the Beatitudes. You will be blessed if you are meek, pure in heart, merciful, and all the rest of the eight. It is not about not doing, but it is about being. It’s about being a grown-up spiritually. So much deeper. So much harder than just following rules. It is about a life’s work to follow the “Be attitudes.”

Written by Jacqui Brandli

I grew up at St. Paul’s where I learned “All Things Bright and Beautiful” very early on in Children’s Choir. Thank you, Mrs. Lindloff!