It’s taken me several days to find the time to sit down and write this. In fact, I wouldn’t even say I’ve “found” the time – I’ve created it, but neglecting other things I should be doing. As I write this, I have

1. A pile of dirty dishes in the sink

2. Dirty laundry that needs cleaning

3. Clean laundry that needs putting away

4. Dozens of boxes that still haven’t been unpacked

5. And organizational nightmare that has resulted in those boxes not being unpacked – I just can’t figure out where to put all our stuff in our new house

6. A broken computer – to fix it requires finding some paperwork in all my mess and making a phone call

7. No idea what my financial situation is, since my checkbook is on my broken computer.

The subject at hand is Jesus’ statement “Blessed are the poor.” We spent some time on Sunday night discussing what this might mean, but today – sitting in midst of my mess – it feels crystal clear. The poor certainly don’t have to deal with any of those things on my list! We know that too much “stuff” gets in the way of our spiritual life, and we’ve had many long conversations about what to do about it. I mentioned on Sunday that the poor are blessed because they don’t have to have those conversations. Their lives are challenging in many other ways, and it’s important to remember that and not romanticize their struggles. From a following-Jesus perspective, though, things are quite simple. They simply need to love, share with, and care for those around them - things that are common in poorer communities anyway (as Rachel had witnessed in needy communities in areas as diverse as East Baltimore and East Africa.) They don’t have to search their souls to figure out just how much of their wealth to share, or how best to love each other, because they have barely anything to begin with. We see throughout the gospels that when Jesus encounters the poor, his response is to simply be with them. But for those who have much, much more is required. “Sell all your things and give the money to the poor” he says. “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for you to enter my kingdom,” he reminds us. We have to do lots of hard thinking about how to use the various blessings that we have. On Sunday we proceeded to talk late into the night about how we could develop and use our expertise in fields as diverse as theology, law, health, and economics to live in the way of Jesus. But to the poor, Jesus freely gives what is already theirs - “Blessed are the poor, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

“Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the LORD?” Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.”