Breakthrough on the Beatitudes

The Beatitudes (from the Sermon on the Mount) have been one of the most perplexing  passages for me to understand over the course of my Christian life.  Our pastor preached today on them, and I think the light bulb finally went on for me.  The election season being upon us certainly helped, as we'll see below.

The big idea is that humanity is fallen and estranged from God.  This we know from Sunday School lessons.  But the implication then is that humankind's priorities are also flawed, its cultures and institutions oriented wrongly: toward strength, power, wealth, success, influence, skills, acclaim, pride.  Two of our Presidential candidates are oriented in that direction, so it appears.

When Jesus walked the earth, he preached about the Kingdom of God.  And the Sermon on the Mount (in Matthew 5, or the Sermon on the Plain in Luke 6), was an announcement of the major policy statements of the administration which Jesus inaugurated with his Incarnation as God-in-flesh-united.  He proclaimed himself King and announced the transition to a new ruling order, and the Beatitudes were the key planks of the new platform (of the Kingdom of God Party, as it were).

Seen in that light, the Kingdom of God is all about dismantling those flawed human institutions and introducing new cultural priorities. In this Kingdom, losers will become winners and vice versa. The meek and lowly rise, and those with self-reliant success stories will fall.  Justice is achieved and mercy is granted.  In the kingdom of God the effects of humankind's Fall from grace are unwound.

With this as the new paradigm is taking over (reaching its zenith at the last judgment, the restoration of all things), it forces me to reconsider how I view the homeless, the outcast, the suffering, the mentally ill, the drug-addicted, the lost.  People who have made poor choices, or been the victims of bad luck, and are now suffering... they are in for a reversal of fortune in this Kingdom of God.

So why should I despise them for their present circumstances, regardless of how they got there?  After all, I did not accomplish my own salvation, or secure my own entrance into the Kingdom of God.  Jesus intervened in my life and addressed my spiritual poverty with his merciful self-sacrifice.  And arguing from the greater to the lesser, shouldn't I also intervene for others who are in physical or emotional poverty?  Of course!  What else could Matthew 25:31-46 and Luke 3:11, 6:36-36, 12:33-34 mean if not that?

Delaware, O Delaware!

Driving vacations are a long-standing favorite of ours for a number of reasons, including windshield time to allow long conversations on topics that haven't reached the front burner for some time.  Another reason is the change in scenery as you progress from home to your ultimate destination and back.  It gives you a perspective on the enormity and variety of this country in which we live.

This year, we drove from Des Moines to SW Virginia to central North Carolina to Washington DC to Delaware (O Delaware!) and then home through Maryland and West Virginia (avoiding the catastrophic floods).  Delaware was, I suppose, the ultimate destination because it was the last of the lower 48 states we had left to visit.  And it's a lovely little place, too!  :)  First stop was in central Indiana, which looked a lot like here.

 Next stop was the site for the TV series Justified, Harlan, Kentucky.

Then a couple of days in SW Virginia, the birthplace (as they say) of country music and bluegrass.  We drove on The Crooked Road, which had many landmarks devoted to "old-time" or "hillbilly" music.

Then, into North Carolina, winding our way to Charlotte and then Chapel Hill to spend some time with family.  Then, we drove up Route 81 in the Shenandoah Valley, which was just stunningly beautiful, with a number of quaint sites along the way.

That was the first week.  The second week found us in DC for the first few days, where we did some of the usual sightseeing.  

 For about 3 days, Diane was at a conference and I ... just laised around.  Isn't that what the "accompanying spouse" is supposed to do?

Then a little more sightseeing before we headed out.

Eventually, we made our way to Delaware, and had a stop at Annapolis, where we took a harbor cruise which gave a bit of history, including about the US Naval Academy there.  Boats like the gray one below were lined up like at a car rental lot, and were where naval cadets did their pilot's training.

In addition to driving the motorized vessels, cadets also learn to sail - on itty, bitty sailboats.  They were almost like bumper cars, knocking each other about.

 On our way home, we stopped in Columbus to see a lovely little botanical garden, which to my delight has Chihuly art glass installed in it.  Stunning!

Just a beautiful place, and in the words of AAA, a real "gem".  It was a swell trip, all 14 days of it, and while we were away, my grapevines have flourished.  Should be a good crop this year.