“For the Lord loves the just
and will not forsake his faithful ones.
Wrongdoers will be completely destroyed;
the offspring of the wicked will perish.
The righteous will inherit the land
and dwell in it forever.”
Psalm 37:28-29

“Looking at his disciples, he said:
‘Blessed are you who are poor,
for yours is the kingdom of God.
Blessed are you who hunger now,
for you will be satisfied.
Blessed are you who weep now,
for you will laugh.
Blessed are you when people hate you,
when they exclude you and insult you
and reject your name as evil,
because of the Son of Man.

Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets.

But woe to you who are rich,
for you have already received your comfort.
Woe to you who are well fed now,
for you will go hungry.
Woe to you who laugh now,
for you will mourn and weep.
Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you,
for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.’”
Luke 6:20-26

–

APRIL 25, 2025

I work part time as a hospital chaplain. Most of my shifts are on-call, overnight. Each time I’m paged to the ER or ICU, I’m struck by the fact that so many people use their life energy to harm and destroy others—and therefore, so many others are called upon to spend their life energy trying to comfort and heal those who have been broken.

It is a discouraging cycle to watch, over and over again. It does not feel like goodness and compassion are winning.

I see this at the hospital and everywhere else I look: on the news, in our country, in our governments, in our churches, in our neighborhoods, in our families. Everywhere, everywhere we see people taking the power invested in them to harm the most vulnerable and gain more for themselves.

And so we become afraid and start contributing wickedness to this cycle, too. We keep what we have, protecting ourselves.

It is hard to have hope. It is hard to imagine any truth behind Jesus’ declaration that the hungry, weeping, and poor are the real winners, that the rich, comfortable, and well fed will be turned away. We really want to be the rich, comfortable, and well fed. It feels dangerous to befriend those who suffer the most at the hands of evil.

And it’s hard to believe that the meek will inherit the earth, as Jesus claimed. It is hard to imagine that the righteous will inherit the land, as the psalmist sang.

But Jesus is alive, friends. We are resurrection people. May we let go of all that holds us back from pouring out goodness without fear, and press on to the goal.

Questions for reflection and discussion:

  • What are you afraid of?
  • How do your fears hold you back from following Jesus and living for His kingdom on earth?
  • Who are the poor and hungry Jesus says are the real winners of His kingdom? Who are the well-fed and comfortable Jesus warns? Where do you fit into all this?

Church Reading Plan:

  • Today, April 25: Numbers 2; Psalm 36
  • Saturday, April 26: Numbers 3; Psalm 37
  • Sunday, April 27: Numbers 4; Psalm 38