The famous Sermon on the Mount begins with the following verse;
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:3 NIV)

It sounds so odd, doesn’t it? That the kingdom of heaven belongs to the poor in spirit. I mean, does it seem to you that many people think it doesn’t include them because they aren’t very strong in spirit? And doesn’t it seem sometimes that the strong in spirit sometimes think there is something wrong with the poor in spirit so they don’t want to include them in their particular circle or group or whatever?

And yet, here is Jesus, teaching his disciples and anyone in this generation who cares to sit down and take in his teaching today, that we have it all wrong if that’s what we believe.

Jesus – full of heaven – walked away from the crowds to go up a hill – and sit down.

When we look at all the struggles in the world today, both natural and un-natural occurrences, we see many people who are poor in spirit, some who may be wondering, where is heaven?

In the Lord’s prayer, when the disciples asked Jesus to teach him how to pray he led them into this verbal prayer;

Our Father, who art in heaven
Hallowed be your name
Thy kingdom come
on earth as it is in heaven. . .
(Matthew 6:9,10)
And when the disciples were with Jesus on a mountain top he told them to tell the people to sit down and then he told them to feed the people. One of the disciples said, what? We don’t have enough food! Another said – Heck Jesus, not to disrespect you – but even eight days of wages would not give us enough money to feed all these people. And some youngster said I have a piece of bread I can share with someone and another said, I have some salted fish I can share and Jesus said – ok, bring it here – (John 6:1-15)

Now the story says Jesus blessed it – and there was so much in the basket that when the disciples got done dispersing it all, there were leftovers.

I have always imagined that a bunch of other people who had a little bit of food with them also brought what they had and gave it to Jesus. Kind of like in the lunchroom when I was a child – if someone didn’t have their lunch card or forgot their lunch bag on the bus or at home, none of us let that child go hungry – everyone offered part of their lunch to that child. Remember?

That is how the kingdom of heaven is and the way it works – and we are seeing evidence of it everywhere you look. The kingdom of heaven in generous and if all you can give is one penny, or one piece of bread, or canned good, or one pillow, one book, one note, one prayer – Then you are bringing heaven to the poor in spirit and it is miraculous.

Where is Heaven?
Look – it is all around you – it isn’t out there somewhere – we co-create heaven on earth together, in thought, word and deed.

Give what you are able, ask the Lord to bless it and get it to the poor in spirit today.

Let us pray,

Lord – today bless the poor in spirit, whether near or far from us. Help them and help all of us, wherever we are to have a heavenly experience today. AMEN