Lenten Devotions, Week Three: An "Aha" Moment

Lenten Devotions: Week Three

An "Aha" Moment

by Martha Armstrong-Benjamin

Matthew 5:1-12 (NRSV)

The Beatitudes

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:

3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

5 "Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

6 "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

7 "Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

8 "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

9 "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

10 "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 "Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Today's full reading includes Jesus' teaching which we know as "The Beatitudes." In them, He reminds us that we are blessed - regardless of our circumstances - by a God who loves us and who sent God's Son to redeem us. As we consider this week's theme, "We Hunger for Righteousness," verse six seems especially appropriate and God's promise to fill us, especially comforting.

Martin Luther particularly understood hungering for righteousness. He struggled with the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church that said righteousness was earned by performing good works. Luther feared that, regardless of the number of good works he accomplished, it would never be enough to earn his salvation. Perhaps we've all wrestled with this at some point in our lives. I know I have.

Luther's hungering for righteousness moved him to study the scriptures even more fervently. He had an "Aha" moment reading Romans 1:17, "For in [the Gospel] the righteousness of God is revealed through faith for faith; as it is written, The one who is righteous through faith will live."¹ He believed this was the true message of the Scriptures - we are made right with God, not through good works, but through faith in Jesus Christ. "It was as if the very gates of heaven had opened before me," he wrote. 2

In 1518, at St. Mary's Church in Wittenberg, Luther preached a sermon on two types of righteousness, which can help guide us through this Lenten journey and beyond.

The first kind of righteousness comes from outside of us. It is not something we can achieve on our own. But, because God came to us as Christ Jesus, died on the cross and rose again, we are made righteous through Him. Luther said the person "who trusts in Christ is attached to Christ, is one with Christ, and has the same righteousness as He."³ We are saved by faith, not our own merit. Aha!

However, Luther reminds us that there is a second type of righteousness, which we do produce. He taught that, as Christians, we respond to God's gift of grace by obeying God and loving others. Christ has given us His righteousness and has shown us how to live, so we can "go and do likewise." (Luke 10:25-37)

Luther's sermon was based on Philippians 2. We are encouraged to have the mind of Christ, who took on the form of a servant. By following His example, we are filled when we love our neighbors and care for their needs. Epiphany's mission statement, "Loving Jesus by Serving Others," is a wonderful reminder of this call.

As we reflect on what it means to hunger for righteousness, our hymnal can be a resource, too. One of the songs, "Blessed Are They" (ELW, 728), is a paraphrase of the complete Beatitudes. Not only is the music beautiful, but the refrain urges us to "Rejoice and be glad!" It goes on to assure us, "Blessed are you, holy are you...Yours is the Kingdom of God!" We can conclude as Luther did, "Faith in Christ overcomes sin, death, and hell, and gives life, righteousness, and salvation. This is the real nature of the gospel..."

Resources:

1. New Revised Standard Version 2. www.britannica.com ; 3. www.5minutesinchurchhistory.com

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, you fill us with your righteousness. During this Lenten season, help us to share that righteousness with all of your children by loving and serving them in your name. Amen.

Lenten Resources for Families

From Priscilla Stapleton and Sarah Richter

Ritual/Tradition: Begin your time together in your family worship or devotion space. Light your candle and have a family member open with prayer. One way to think about your prayer time is to use the word PRAY as a guide (P-is for Praise, praising God; R-is for repent, asking forgiveness; A-is for another, pray for another person; Y-yourself, pray for yourself).

Share: After praying, share your highs and lows for the week. Allow each family member to share his or her thoughts, feelings or observations from the week. Be mindful that sharing in a loving, safe and non-judgmental manner is important, so your child will feel comfortable opening up about thoughts and feelings.

This is also a good time to read the entries in your family's 40 Day Lenten Journal. Hopefully, everyone had a chance to write down something that can be shared during this time together.

Read/Reflection: Matthew 5:1-12

The reading this week comes from the book of Matthew 5:1-12. This lesson is known as the Sermon on the Mount, the Beatitudes. Jesus taught this lesson on the mountainside, which was the "steeply rising ground on the western side of the Sea of Galilee." Jesus began his lesson using the word, "Blessed." His desire was to teach people that they should put the will of God above everything else, and in doing so, they would be embraced in heaven, even if that meant suffering here on earth because of their faith in God. He wanted to emphasize that their reward was great in heaven. Many people came to listen to Jesus teach. He explained that he had not come to change the "law" but to show them how to live in accordance with the law of the land. His desire was to help the people act in accordance with the divine or moral law, free from guilt or sin. (2 Timothy 3:16)

When we desire to seek righteousness, we are longing to do what is morally right, or make justifiable a righteousness decision. Jesus uses the word "hunger" as a way to emphasize the importance of doing what is right. We want to do what is right so badly that we "hunger" for the truth. In that same way, we "thirst" for decency, goodness and honesty.

Have you ever been so hunger and or thirsty that you longed for just a sip or water or a piece of bread. Jesus was teaching that we should have that same longing or desire for righteousness.

It's becoming harder and harder to seek the truth in a world that flees from righteousness. Our job as parents is to establish a "moral" law if you will, in our homes. We want our families to be a community of believers who seek truth, justice and refrain from dishonesty and evil-mindedness.

Activity: Stop by the Dollar Tree or wherever you choose to shop and purchase a large poster board. Write your family name on the top of the board and then write, "Our Family Code of Conduct." Have each family member contribute something to the code of conduct. It could be:

We always tell the truth even if it means getting into trouble (telling a lie only leads to more trouble)
We do the right thing (for example, pushing the shopping cart back into the cart carriage, picking up trash, holding the door for someone)
We eat dinner together at least 3 times a week
We put all electronic devices away during dinner time

Whatever you choose, it is your family's code, but it should be something that everyone can agree on and one that your family can live by.

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you for this time together and we pray that we will seek righteousness for your sake. We know that your ways are better than our ways and that your law will lead us in the right direction. Help us to remember to seek excellence in our character and refrain from petty or mean thoughts. We know that righteousness starts in our hearts. We pray that you will help us to hunger and thirst for righteousness, keeping our hearts and minds focused on you. Amen.

Blessing: Be blessed to do the right thing, even when no one is looking. Be God's hands and feet in this world by doing the right thing. A famous sports brand has a saying, "Just Do It," let's replace "It" with, "Just Do the Right Thing."

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We love Jesus by serving others