Nowhere to Run and Nowhere to Hide

My wife and I belong to one of those members-only 24 hour gyms. The only reason for this is because we can walk there from our house. We figured it was worth spending a little more money for a gym we would actually go to. The front of gym is all glass and from the front windows you can actually see the roof of our house.

This morning I was on the treadmill, right in front of the windows. Headphones on, listening to Rick McKinley, I was doing my best to escape - to get away from the stresses of going to drop off our taxes later this afternoon, from the stresses of things at work, from all those pressures of life.

It didn't work. About 2/3 of the way through my run, as Rick was hitting his stride in what Christian justice looks like, two guys appeared at the corner of the building. They were walking slowly by the gym, looking through the front windows, their breath fogging the glass as they went.

When I saw them, my mind froze. I instantly recognized them as two of our guests from Outreach, we'll call them S & K. They are there constantly, especially in the winter, because it is warm and it gets them off the street. They are regularly intoxicated, and frequently make reference to getting more so with their next stop of the morning. They are salt of the earth guys, hit hard by life and still staggering. I froze because I was afraid they would see me.

You know how little kids think that if they cover their eyes you can't see them? I did the grown-up version of that. The top of the horizon suddenly became very interesting. Nothing could draw my gaze down to their eye level. Nothing except them pulling on the door handle... which, of course, was locked. This is a private gym to keep certain people out, after all. By the time they walked by again, I was done with my run and stretching - safely in the very back of the gym.

Did you ever see one of your teachers outside of school? It was weird. All of a sudden they weren't just a teacher - they were a real person with a whole life before 8 and after 3. You always knew that was the case, but you never had to see it. I knew these guys walked the streets in my neighborhood, but there were places I didn't expect to see it - and I didn't know how to respond.

I couldn't let them in the gym without forfeiting my membership. I didn't have any money to buy them a bagel. I wasn't going to take them back to my house - "Good morning, honey! We have company..." I was completely unprepared and confused. Two parts of my life came crashing together and I didn't know what to do. So, I did nothing.

When Jesus was on earth he fought to have his time of solace and peace. I can say this was that time. But, Jesus also dedicated his entire life to the service of others. He didn't have times when he was on duty and off duty. His mission was a full-time, 24-7 gig. We're called to follow him full-time too; not during business hours, not when its convenient, not when it fits into MY schedule. This is the life I signed up for and I'm still learning what that means.

Preparation

Poor in Spirit --> Mourn --> Meek --> Hunger & Thirst for Righteousness --> Merciful --> Pure in Heart --> Peacemakers --> Persecuted Because of Righteousness

Jesus' opening to the Sermon on the Mount is a beautiful piece of scripture, but is it something more? At first glance it looks like a simple list of some good traits to have, things that we should strive for. If you check a number of different resources, especially study Bibles, this is exactly how they explain what this is. "It is the standard that Christians should strive to meet."

Is there any other place where Jesus tells us to be Poor in Spirit? Anywhere else he tells his followers to mourn? Nope. He brought a message of faith, hope and love. He was criticized for attending too many parties, not for bringing everyone down. This isn't just a collective list - it is a guide. It details a heart path, the way to get where God wants us to be.

It begins with sorrow. John the Baptist preached a message of repentance, so did Jesus. Part of repentance is recognizing that we aren't where we should be. This leads to being Poor in Spirit.

When our Spirits are low, it makes sense to mourn. We weep over the wrongs we have done and the mistakes we have made. Our relationship with God is in shambles and we feel it intensely.

Pride comes before a fall, and meekness comes after we've finally accepted how low we've fallen.

Once we've accepted our place, we can finally focus on what is really important. We want to leave behind the problems that got us in this situation, so we hunger and thirst for righteousness.

Part of this process is compassion. We've seen how bad we could be and we can see others on the path. We show them mercy.

As the hunger for righteousness increases and defines our steps, we become more pure, right down to the core of our heart.

Peace becomes a priority for us, so much so that we are willing to work to make it so.

This is not an easy task, so there will be opposition. This is the fight that Jesus has called us to, this is the reason for our creation. We will be persecuted, we will go against the grain, we will need help to get by.

Here Jesus changes subjects. Now he addresses the Disciples directly. He indicates that they have come through this. Now they are the Salt of the Earth and the Light of the World. We're being prepared, we're being trained and we can't forget that.

As true today

There is one central message that runs throughout the book of Hosea. Despite the unfaithful wife and the strangely named children, the main point is about Israel's relationship with God. God blessed them, took them out of Egypt, cared for them and they chose not to reciprocate. The people chose to do whatever they wanted, to ignore God and live as if he didn't exist.

The book of Hosea is God saying, "Okay, I'll do the same. See what life is like without me." The result is a book filled with the promise of future violence and darkness. The people have turned to the Assyrians to help them in their time of need and it is those Assyrians who will one day carry them off into slavery. They have picked their god and now they will endure the consequences.

The same can be said of us today. What god have we chosen? When we choose to turn to something other than God, we can expect to get exactly that. We choose ourselves, our own power, wealth, talent, understanding. We choose the government to take care of our needs. We choose others, not as compatriots or partners, but as saviors to do the work to save us. We should not be surprised when we find that after making such a choice we are left with exactly what we chose - imperfection, pain and darkness.

Hosea's message was not one of total darkness, however. Our God is a God of hope and love, after all. Hosea offers the same chance that the other prophets did, the same chance that we have today. Repent. Turn from our own desires and pursuits. Follow God instead of yourself. Make His face what we earnestly seek. Then we will find the peace, comfort and freedom that we were created to enjoy.

Phew.

"Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace. It was strengthened; and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, living in fear of the Lord."

If it happened before, it can happen again, right? (In the church and in my life.)

Here's to hoping.

Luke 19 - Peace

"If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace - but now it is hidden from your eyes."

Jesus is looking out over Jerusalem on his way inside and the people are rightfully and fittingly praising him, but Jesus mind is somewhere else. He is concerned not for those cheering sheep who are still in the flock, but for the city full of lost sheep before him. He knows what can and will bring them peace, but they do not.

We are often in the same boat. We just don't see what would bring us peace. "It is hidden from (y)our eyes." What is hiding it? I would say that it is us. We continually try to find peace on our own. We try to find peace in other people. We try to find peace in success. We try to find peace in power. We try to find peace in luxury. We try to find peace in control. We try to find peace in the right house or car or clothes. In reality, all these things are what hide peace from us. No wonder it is so hard for the poor rich man.