Study Guide: Blessings to the Messy

Sunday April 15, 2007 | Greg Boyd

Focus Scripture:

1 John 2:15-17
Do not love the world or anything in the world. If you love the world, love for the Father is not in you. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful people, the lust of their eyes and their boasting about what they have and do—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.

Brief Summary:

This weekend, we started our 6 week church-wide adventure entitled “The Beautiful Mess." The title may seem a little different, but it's very representative of how the Kingdom of God interacts with our lives. When a new way of living begins to reveal itself, it can bring beauty into our "normal" messes of life by actually "messing up" our so-called ordinary ways of thinking. It is just this idea that grounds Jesus' "Sermon on the Plain". With this Sermon, Jesus not only presented the very blueprint of Kingdom life, but he also did so by telling shocking truths that seemed somewhat upside-down from what may have been thought of as "normal" living.

Extended Summary:

This weekend, we started our 6 week church-wide adventure entitled “The Beautiful Mess.” The title may seem a little different, but it’s very representative of how the Kingdom of God interacts with our lives. When a new way of living begins to reveal itself, it can bring beauty into our “normal” messes of life by actually “messing up” our so-called ordinary ways of thinking. It is just this idea that grounds Jesus’ “Sermon on the Plain”. With this Sermon, Jesus not only presented the very blueprint of Kingdom life, but he also did so by telling shocking truths that seemed somewhat upside-down from what may have been thought of as “normal” living.

In Luke 6:20-26, Jesus gives a listing of “blessings” and “woes” that seem to turn things around. He talks about how those that are poor, hungry, and mourning are blessed and how those who are rich, filled, and laughing are the woeful. This goes against everything that is usually thought of about divine blessing. What makes a big difference is to understand the context. When people are poor, hungry, and mourning, they are not satisfied with the world that they are in. They are open to a new world order of change. When people are rich, filled, and seemingly happy, they are less inclined to see their current way of life go away. The truth is that Jesus has ushered in a divine way of living human life…and that the old self-centered ways of the “world” are passing away. People who are able to keep things in eternal perspective-that is, being open to the reality of God’s Kingdom-are able to enjoy wealth as a blessing, while being very careful about the woeful temptations that may come along with it.

Reflection Questions:

Why do you think that we have a difficult time accepting hard realities about ourselves? How can we come to deal easier with accepting harsh realities like these?
How can we be more open to ideas and life stories that are different from those that you already understand? How can this understanding help our relationship in God’s Kingdom?
What are some current patterns of your life that you think could be disrupted by some of the “woes” spoken of by Jesus? What are some current patterns of your life that you think could be disrupted by some of the “blessings” spoken of by Jesus?