Blessed Are the Upside Down
"Blessed are the upside down,"
So he seems to say; But -
Who on earth is glad to mourn?
What blessing is conveyed?
Likewise, poor in spirit - Who
Is happy to be there?
Meek folks aren't on Forbes's list,
Such combination's rare;
No good deed goes unpunished,
The cynic wryly notes;
But kingdom view is different!
- And henceforth, faith denotes
Not wisdom for a sampler,
To hang upon the wall,
But vision upside down is -
God's vision, above all!
The good news is God sees things
To which we're mostly blind,
Unless we look with Jesus,
His heart, and soul and mind;
Things that are not, will yet be,
And God counts no one out;
Each one belongs to God, and,
Thus, blessed are you! - No doubt!
Scott L. Barton
(The opening line is from a sermon by Barbara Brown Taylor, published in Gospel Medicine.)
When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
“Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are you when people 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 in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
The Presentation of the Lord, Luke 2:22-40
Oh, What Did Mary Say?
Oh, what did Mary say when she got back
To Naz'reth, after hearing such a crack
About a sword that once would pierce her soul?
And then that woman, who, our God extolled,
- Is she some kind of prophet, Joseph, dear?
To put our son in that man's arms, I feared
At first, but something told me, worry not
(It seems, 'round here, I've heard those words a lot!)
About salvation they both seemed to talk,
And everyone just speechless as they gawked!
I heard a few remark, "What does this mean?"
But no one knows just how can be foreseen
The work our God has yet to do on earth;
I only know this son of ours, this birth's
Not just for us, but so the world might bear
His love, and with their love, God still declare.
Scott L. Barton
(First posted a year ago here, January, 2013)
When the time came for their purification according to the law of
Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as
it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male shall be
designated as holy to the Lord”), and they offered a sacrifice
according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, “a pair of
turtledoves or two young pigeons.”
Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this man was
righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel,
and the Holy Spirit rested on him. It had been revealed to him by the
Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s
Messiah. Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple; and when
the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what was
customary under the law, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God,
saying, “Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace,
according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation, which
you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for
revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.” And
the child’s father and mother were amazed at what was being said about
him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, “This child
is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to
be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will
be revealed—and a sword will pierce your own soul too.” There was also
a prophet, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She
was of a great age, having lived with her husband seven years after
her marriage, then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never
left the temple but worshiped there with fasting and prayer night and
day. At that moment she came, and began to praise God and to speak
about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of
Jerusalem. When they had finished everything required by the law of
the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. The
child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God
was upon him.
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