WEBVTT 00:00:04.700 --> 00:00:07.280 Hello, everyone, and welcome to this week's episode 00:00:07.280 --> 00:00:10.619 of Trinity Talks. My name is Kyla. I'm Melissa. 00:00:11.099 --> 00:00:15.300 I'm Britten. And we are here to chat about the 00:00:15.300 --> 00:00:19.000 Beatitudes, which is kind of a funny word, actually. 00:00:19.379 --> 00:00:21.839 I don't really know what it means. I am going 00:00:21.839 --> 00:00:24.679 to assume it's Latin, but maybe... Good question. 00:00:25.679 --> 00:00:27.440 Maybe we should have looked that up, but we didn't. 00:00:27.519 --> 00:00:29.699 Anyway, we're talking about the Beatitudes because 00:00:29.699 --> 00:00:32.320 they start off... the Sermon on the Mount, which 00:00:32.320 --> 00:00:35.140 is this really important teaching that Jesus 00:00:35.140 --> 00:00:38.640 has in the middle of Matthew's gospel. And they 00:00:38.640 --> 00:00:40.420 say some really cool things. I'm actually really 00:00:40.420 --> 00:00:43.240 excited to sort of dive into this over the next 00:00:43.240 --> 00:00:47.740 few weeks together. Yeah, so before we jump into 00:00:47.740 --> 00:00:50.659 that, the Beatitudes, like I said, it's kind 00:00:50.659 --> 00:00:54.280 of a funny word, but like, as a whole, it's this 00:00:54.280 --> 00:00:56.079 sort of going through, you know, blessed are 00:00:56.079 --> 00:00:59.539 the blank. because this sort of thing. That's 00:00:59.539 --> 00:01:03.439 sort of the structure of them. But yeah, what 00:01:03.439 --> 00:01:06.000 are your thoughts on the Beatitudes as a whole? 00:01:06.159 --> 00:01:09.420 I've always sort of thought of them as, yeah, 00:01:09.980 --> 00:01:12.879 this series of phrases that's really interesting, 00:01:13.079 --> 00:01:18.000 but not... Like just like nice right and not 00:01:18.000 --> 00:01:20.680 like as I've started diving into them now I've 00:01:20.680 --> 00:01:22.400 been a little bit more like oh, this is actually 00:01:22.400 --> 00:01:24.959 super like countercultural in some ways But yeah, 00:01:25.060 --> 00:01:26.760 that's not always where I've sort of started. 00:01:26.760 --> 00:01:29.980 I don't know about you folks Hmm. Yeah, I would 00:01:29.980 --> 00:01:33.799 say for me like it's almost felt like the upside 00:01:33.799 --> 00:01:36.900 down, but in a positive light. If you watch Stranger 00:01:36.900 --> 00:01:40.420 Things, then upside down is a bad thing. But 00:01:40.420 --> 00:01:44.459 it's like what you were saying. It's this reversal. 00:01:45.019 --> 00:01:50.420 So if being rich or wealthy is a positive thing, 00:01:50.980 --> 00:01:54.340 Jesus is saying, well, no, the poor. That's when, 00:01:54.340 --> 00:01:56.519 if we look at a surface level, there's these 00:01:56.519 --> 00:02:01.250 reversals in the order of our time. That's how 00:02:01.250 --> 00:02:05.549 I've seen it, this flipping of tables. Yeah, 00:02:05.709 --> 00:02:08.909 cool. What about you, Melissa? I completely agree. 00:02:09.530 --> 00:02:12.150 When I was still a baby Christian, I'm still 00:02:12.150 --> 00:02:14.969 a baby Christian, but I remember reading them 00:02:14.969 --> 00:02:17.310 and just thinking they were so cool because it 00:02:17.310 --> 00:02:20.939 was just really cool to see Jesus. really focus 00:02:20.939 --> 00:02:24.680 on the compassionate part. And I think it's so 00:02:24.680 --> 00:02:26.719 comforting for people who are going through really 00:02:26.719 --> 00:02:28.620 difficult times, who are experiencing grief. 00:02:28.840 --> 00:02:31.580 And I agree. It's definitely representative of 00:02:31.580 --> 00:02:34.280 the upside down kingdom that Jesus is bringing. 00:02:34.860 --> 00:02:37.719 Yeah. Yeah. And it's this moment where like Jesus 00:02:37.719 --> 00:02:41.039 is sort of calling out the like, oh, you thought 00:02:41.039 --> 00:02:44.039 this was important? No, actually, it's like this. 00:02:44.039 --> 00:02:48.530 Yeah. Yeah, so this word blessed or blessed, 00:02:48.550 --> 00:02:50.789 I don't know, depends on the sort of way that 00:02:50.789 --> 00:02:52.770 you want to say that word. Which version are 00:02:52.770 --> 00:02:56.550 we going to use? But so blessed shows up in all 00:02:56.550 --> 00:02:59.150 of these verses, it sort of opens it up. So blessed 00:02:59.150 --> 00:03:02.229 are the poor in spirit, for example, is the first 00:03:02.229 --> 00:03:05.409 one. But so when you hear this word blessed, 00:03:05.750 --> 00:03:10.789 like what comes to mind for you? I would say 00:03:10.789 --> 00:03:13.530 that initially when you first, you know, hear 00:03:13.530 --> 00:03:14.990 the word blessed, it's like, you know, blessed 00:03:14.990 --> 00:03:17.930 are the poor, et cetera. You would think that, 00:03:17.930 --> 00:03:20.629 oh, that means that I won't be for them. That 00:03:20.629 --> 00:03:22.770 means that I won't be hurting. But in reality, 00:03:22.830 --> 00:03:25.659 when I think over time I've learned that blessed 00:03:25.659 --> 00:03:28.039 means that God is with you and even if in your 00:03:28.039 --> 00:03:31.259 present situation you're still feeling that grief, 00:03:31.460 --> 00:03:33.280 you're still feeling that pain, you are blessed 00:03:33.280 --> 00:03:36.060 because God has deemed you blessed. Right. Yeah. 00:03:36.319 --> 00:03:38.219 Yeah, and I would agree. I would totally agree. 00:03:38.319 --> 00:03:42.099 I see blessed as like this covering. So, regardless 00:03:42.099 --> 00:03:44.300 of what status, because some of the things that 00:03:44.300 --> 00:03:47.719 we see within the Beatitudes are things that 00:03:47.719 --> 00:03:50.219 we would consider completely negative. Right. 00:03:51.639 --> 00:03:54.240 but you still see God or Jesus saying that there 00:03:54.240 --> 00:03:56.939 is this blessing that is over them. So despite 00:03:56.939 --> 00:03:59.919 of what they're going through, despite the opposition 00:03:59.919 --> 00:04:03.979 that might come with being a child of God and 00:04:03.979 --> 00:04:06.800 following the ways of Jesus, there is this covering, 00:04:07.000 --> 00:04:09.500 there's this protection that's hovering over 00:04:09.500 --> 00:04:16.990 you. feel the force of that cocoon or something 00:04:16.990 --> 00:04:20.610 that you're in. Yeah, and it was interesting, 00:04:20.910 --> 00:04:22.470 like, Melissa, you said, like, if we're talking 00:04:22.470 --> 00:04:24.029 about, you know, blessed are the poor in spirit, 00:04:24.029 --> 00:04:26.310 for example, one might think, oh, blessed are 00:04:26.310 --> 00:04:28.769 the poor so that they will not become poor anymore, 00:04:29.050 --> 00:04:31.029 right? But then that's not what Jesus is about 00:04:31.029 --> 00:04:34.589 at all, right? Yeah, so it's like a completely 00:04:34.589 --> 00:04:38.269 different, like, it's not like you can look at 00:04:38.269 --> 00:04:40.670 someone and say, oh, they're blessed, like in 00:04:40.670 --> 00:04:42.790 the same sense that Jesus is like talking about. 00:04:43.110 --> 00:04:45.889 I would even say like there's this, because it's 00:04:45.889 --> 00:04:48.829 like blessed are the poor in spirit. And what 00:04:48.829 --> 00:04:51.069 is it? Is it they will inherit? Yeah, they will 00:04:51.069 --> 00:04:54.500 inherit the kingdom of God. I think that's fascinating 00:04:54.500 --> 00:04:58.040 because one like blessed like present tense, 00:04:58.199 --> 00:05:02.360 you are blessed for being poor or because you're 00:05:02.360 --> 00:05:03.879 poor or whatever, however we want to put it. 00:05:03.879 --> 00:05:06.959 Yeah. But there's so you're protected in the 00:05:06.959 --> 00:05:09.980 now, but you'll inherit something even greater. 00:05:10.250 --> 00:05:13.990 So you might not have all that the world is offering 00:05:13.990 --> 00:05:17.430 to you. But there is, while you have this protection, 00:05:17.569 --> 00:05:19.170 this protection is going to keep you until you 00:05:19.170 --> 00:05:23.050 can inherit what is to come. What is already 00:05:23.050 --> 00:05:25.389 here, but what also is to come. So this like 00:05:25.389 --> 00:05:27.750 this covering is beyond just like this present 00:05:27.750 --> 00:05:32.189 tense protection. It's also like the pathway 00:05:32.189 --> 00:05:35.370 to get to that greater thing, which is the kingdom. 00:05:36.350 --> 00:05:38.449 Yeah. I'm just thinking out loud. I'm just thinking 00:05:38.449 --> 00:05:41.329 out loud. No, no, I love that. I love that. I 00:05:41.329 --> 00:05:45.089 completely agree because I think sometimes just 00:05:45.089 --> 00:05:47.490 like in this life that we live, we only really 00:05:47.490 --> 00:05:51.129 think about right now. However, there is an eternity 00:05:51.129 --> 00:05:53.509 that's waiting, right? And ultimately that's 00:05:53.509 --> 00:05:56.329 what matters more. Like one day all of this will 00:05:56.329 --> 00:06:00.430 disappear, will not matter at all. And so I think 00:06:00.430 --> 00:06:02.350 the Beatitudes are really cool because they really 00:06:02.350 --> 00:06:06.420 show the amazing things that are going to be 00:06:06.420 --> 00:06:09.879 there once this world passes away. And I think 00:06:09.879 --> 00:06:12.839 Jesus really puts our focus on that. And I think 00:06:12.839 --> 00:06:15.800 it helps us to remember that as well. Yeah, totally. 00:06:16.720 --> 00:06:20.560 Yeah, it's interesting. So I was. as we're thinking 00:06:20.560 --> 00:06:22.379 about the Beatitudes, I was listening to the 00:06:22.379 --> 00:06:24.480 other podcast by The Bible Project that talks 00:06:24.480 --> 00:06:26.199 about the Beatitudes. And when they're talking 00:06:26.199 --> 00:06:29.660 about the word blessed, in their very specific 00:06:29.660 --> 00:06:31.579 translation that they've made, they don't say 00:06:31.579 --> 00:06:34.540 blessed, they say the good life. So the good 00:06:34.540 --> 00:06:38.160 life is for the poor in spirit. And the way that 00:06:38.160 --> 00:06:40.720 they sort of describe it is like, if you were 00:06:40.720 --> 00:06:43.300 like walking along the street and you see somebody 00:06:43.300 --> 00:06:46.680 who's like, living the good life. You're like, 00:06:46.680 --> 00:06:49.899 oh, they've got this nice car or like, oh, they're 00:06:49.899 --> 00:06:52.060 like, they've got it all put together. They're 00:06:52.060 --> 00:06:54.720 living the good life. And that's what Jesus is 00:06:54.720 --> 00:06:57.500 talking about. Yeah. But looking at the poor 00:06:57.500 --> 00:07:00.279 in spirit or the like those who mourn and say 00:07:00.279 --> 00:07:02.839 like the upside down, that's the good life. Even 00:07:02.839 --> 00:07:05.300 though we would look at that and be like, nah, 00:07:05.439 --> 00:07:08.959 that's not the like when I imagine the good life 00:07:08.959 --> 00:07:12.240 for myself, like that's not what it's about. 00:07:12.500 --> 00:07:15.959 Right. Exactly. And something I just love about 00:07:15.959 --> 00:07:19.120 the Beatitudes is because they focus on the marginalized, 00:07:19.540 --> 00:07:23.500 the people that society back then and even now 00:07:23.500 --> 00:07:26.680 cast aside. And I think it's really powerful 00:07:26.680 --> 00:07:29.800 that Jesus did acknowledge that and didn't ignore 00:07:29.800 --> 00:07:35.560 them. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, no, it's super interesting 00:07:35.560 --> 00:07:40.040 that. Yeah, it's it's all of these people, all 00:07:40.040 --> 00:07:42.360 of these things, like I said, that we. don't 00:07:42.360 --> 00:07:45.779 think of as good, but Jesus sees something good 00:07:45.779 --> 00:07:51.819 in it. And I guess then like, you would wanna 00:07:51.819 --> 00:07:54.040 sort of make a distinction and say like, okay, 00:07:54.180 --> 00:07:56.279 the poor in spirit, maybe we should talk. So 00:07:56.279 --> 00:07:58.459 what does that mean? Like, are we talking about 00:07:58.459 --> 00:08:02.100 a material poverty? Are we talking about? a spiritual 00:08:02.100 --> 00:08:04.620 poverty, like in Rob's sermon that he just gave, 00:08:04.759 --> 00:08:06.220 he talked about, you know, the poor in spirit 00:08:06.220 --> 00:08:08.879 being like about humility, kind of, right? And 00:08:08.879 --> 00:08:11.360 about this willingness to come to God and acknowledge 00:08:11.360 --> 00:08:13.300 that like, we're not enough, we don't have enough. 00:08:13.720 --> 00:08:17.519 And I think that's part of it. But yeah, I don't 00:08:17.519 --> 00:08:19.600 know, what do you folks think? How does those 00:08:19.600 --> 00:08:23.300 pieces play together? I think there can be a 00:08:23.300 --> 00:08:27.560 tendency for, especially within our context, 00:08:27.720 --> 00:08:29.360 there's this, there could be a tendency for us 00:08:29.360 --> 00:08:33.080 to want to just stick with the poor in spirit 00:08:33.080 --> 00:08:35.519 and talk about it from a spiritual angle and 00:08:35.519 --> 00:08:37.419 not talk about it from a material angle. Because 00:08:37.419 --> 00:08:39.879 it keeps, there's something comforting in knowing 00:08:39.879 --> 00:08:44.500 that I can have all the worldly success and get 00:08:44.500 --> 00:08:48.639 all the material things I want. And all I have 00:08:48.639 --> 00:08:53.779 to do is be meek and mild and just my heart needs 00:08:53.779 --> 00:08:55.720 to be good, God, not the other things around 00:08:55.720 --> 00:08:58.200 me. But I think there is this bigger question 00:08:58.200 --> 00:09:03.340 of Being poor is to not have certain things, 00:09:03.340 --> 00:09:07.440 right? And what is God asking us to let go, to 00:09:07.440 --> 00:09:09.899 be poor, to be spiritually poor? And when in 00:09:09.899 --> 00:09:12.139 that spiritual poorness, what are the material 00:09:12.139 --> 00:09:14.700 things I need to let go of so that I can hang 00:09:14.700 --> 00:09:18.379 on to God and I can inherit that kingdom? So, 00:09:19.019 --> 00:09:22.539 how do I dedicate my time? How do I dedicate 00:09:22.539 --> 00:09:24.899 my resources? These are the kinds of questions 00:09:24.899 --> 00:09:28.919 I think we should be asking ourselves when we 00:09:28.919 --> 00:09:31.529 talk about Poor? Like, we're not talking about 00:09:31.529 --> 00:09:37.529 a poverty of, like, in order for us to be Christian 00:09:37.529 --> 00:09:40.049 or to follow Jesus in the way that He's outlined 00:09:40.049 --> 00:09:42.809 in the Beatitudes, that we need to now, like, 00:09:42.889 --> 00:09:44.629 go live in an encampment. I don't think that's 00:09:44.629 --> 00:09:46.409 what God is necessarily talking about. Sure. 00:09:48.169 --> 00:09:51.610 But that spiritual poverty, I think it does open 00:09:51.610 --> 00:09:55.090 us up to realizing what matters in life and how 00:09:55.090 --> 00:09:59.940 we can ... unlock that kingdom mindset within 00:09:59.940 --> 00:10:01.700 our lives. And it does impact the things that 00:10:01.700 --> 00:10:06.379 we have, the physical things, of course. It's 00:10:06.379 --> 00:10:09.360 interesting because the first time I ever read 00:10:09.360 --> 00:10:11.980 that Beatitude, the first thing I thought was 00:10:11.980 --> 00:10:16.250 people who maybe just go are... Going through 00:10:16.250 --> 00:10:18.029 depression people are who are going through a 00:10:18.029 --> 00:10:20.769 really down and difficult time, you know They're 00:10:20.769 --> 00:10:22.450 poor in spirit. And so it's kind of like, you 00:10:22.450 --> 00:10:25.629 know what they're lacking is just a feeling of 00:10:25.629 --> 00:10:30.759 joy appeal a feeling of of comfort. However, 00:10:31.120 --> 00:10:33.799 that's why, you know, I love the Beatitudes because 00:10:33.799 --> 00:10:35.519 what you're seeing is like, you know, those people, 00:10:35.799 --> 00:10:37.919 they aren't cast aside. Those people, they aren't 00:10:37.919 --> 00:10:42.139 being forgotten. Jesus is remembering the marginalized 00:10:42.139 --> 00:10:44.600 people of society and saying that they do have 00:10:44.600 --> 00:10:46.899 a place in his kingdom. I really love what you 00:10:46.899 --> 00:10:50.019 said, Britt, too, as well about how really the 00:10:50.019 --> 00:10:53.360 poor in spirit, you know, that can be just, yeah, 00:10:53.399 --> 00:10:57.799 they, you may lack some of like the worldly things 00:10:57.799 --> 00:11:00.639 like, you know, You are humble. You do not have 00:11:00.639 --> 00:11:02.259 pride. You do not have those things. And maybe 00:11:02.259 --> 00:11:04.679 that does mean you have to surrender so much 00:11:04.679 --> 00:11:08.120 of yourself to God. However, it's worth it because 00:11:08.120 --> 00:11:12.860 you will inherit the kingdom and yeah. Yeah. 00:11:13.019 --> 00:11:17.039 Yeah. I think it's like the poor in spirit is 00:11:17.039 --> 00:11:19.860 this like big complex thing, but I think it sort 00:11:19.860 --> 00:11:21.919 of encapsulates all of these pieces, right? There 00:11:21.919 --> 00:11:24.399 is that sense of spiritual poverty, humility, 00:11:24.879 --> 00:11:27.460 then, like, like you said, Britt, it does connect 00:11:27.460 --> 00:11:31.720 then to, yeah, how we relate to the actual physical 00:11:31.720 --> 00:11:34.159 stuff of the world. And I think you're also right, 00:11:34.179 --> 00:11:37.200 like, there's a psychological and emotional component 00:11:37.200 --> 00:11:41.559 to it as well, right? That like, you know, Was 00:11:41.559 --> 00:11:45.940 Jesus thinking about mental illness and that 00:11:45.940 --> 00:11:47.700 sort of thing? Maybe, maybe not, but I think 00:11:47.700 --> 00:11:52.879 it fits. I think there's a very real sense that 00:11:52.879 --> 00:11:57.460 folks who are struggling in that way can feel 00:11:57.460 --> 00:12:00.899 a poverty of their spirit. Especially if we think 00:12:00.899 --> 00:12:06.259 of spirit in a broad sense of your life. right? 00:12:06.399 --> 00:12:09.059 And you're just like, feeling alive, feeling 00:12:09.059 --> 00:12:11.320 energized, feeling like, you know, ready to like 00:12:11.320 --> 00:12:13.840 be part of the world. And if you're feeling poor 00:12:13.840 --> 00:12:17.419 in that, then like, Jesus is like, no, you're, 00:12:17.460 --> 00:12:24.460 you're okay. So then, if we're thinking about 00:12:24.460 --> 00:12:26.600 that, and Jesus is saying, okay, all of this, 00:12:26.639 --> 00:12:29.440 if you're feeling not okay, you're actually, 00:12:30.240 --> 00:12:34.360 you're doing okay. Does that I think we need 00:12:34.360 --> 00:12:35.980 to be careful to say that, like, that doesn't 00:12:35.980 --> 00:12:38.639 mean that those things are inherently good. Yeah, 00:12:38.720 --> 00:12:43.419 yeah, yeah, yeah. Right? Like, it's this, like, 00:12:43.519 --> 00:12:45.740 fine line. Yeah, because people will look at 00:12:45.740 --> 00:12:48.600 folks and see them in their, like... And because 00:12:48.600 --> 00:12:50.740 there's two extremes, right? They have, like, 00:12:50.940 --> 00:12:53.200 the prosperity gospel that pushes that you need 00:12:53.200 --> 00:12:55.220 to be super wealthy. But then you have another 00:12:55.220 --> 00:12:59.139 extreme where folks will say that you need to 00:12:59.139 --> 00:13:03.019 be without everything. Right. And... I think 00:13:03.019 --> 00:13:06.000 there is a balance, there's a wisdom that comes 00:13:06.000 --> 00:13:08.960 in line, but really it's where we're talking 00:13:08.960 --> 00:13:12.360 about the heart, right? And the heart, out of 00:13:12.360 --> 00:13:15.100 the heart. There are things that come out of 00:13:15.100 --> 00:13:19.080 that. But yeah, that extreme, I think that there's 00:13:19.080 --> 00:13:23.139 lots of danger there. So be mindful of that because 00:13:23.139 --> 00:13:27.100 there's this very dark world where folks will 00:13:27.100 --> 00:13:30.279 abuse people and whatnot because they're trying 00:13:30.279 --> 00:13:35.230 to get to this true poverty and this glorification 00:13:35.230 --> 00:13:38.830 of poverty. Right. Which is really disheartening 00:13:38.830 --> 00:13:41.690 and also disrespectful to folks that are experiencing 00:13:41.690 --> 00:13:45.769 real poverty. Right. And don't want to live in 00:13:45.769 --> 00:13:48.610 that because of the consequences that come with 00:13:48.610 --> 00:13:51.190 that type of, with those types of circumstances. 00:13:52.490 --> 00:13:56.690 Yeah. Yeah, no, for sure. And I would also say 00:13:56.690 --> 00:13:59.830 that you're right, you know, those things, they 00:13:59.830 --> 00:14:03.120 are not inherent. inherently good and it's important 00:14:03.120 --> 00:14:05.259 to remember that you know whether you're coming 00:14:05.259 --> 00:14:08.100 in because you are struggling with depression 00:14:08.100 --> 00:14:10.480 you're just down you're going through grief really 00:14:10.480 --> 00:14:13.779 painful um period in your life or you're coming 00:14:13.779 --> 00:14:16.519 in with like humility and so many other things 00:14:16.519 --> 00:14:20.039 a lot of that it's it's not like you chose that 00:14:20.039 --> 00:14:22.179 you know it's not like you're coming in and being 00:14:22.179 --> 00:14:24.879 like I am choosing to be poor in spirit so that 00:14:24.879 --> 00:14:27.299 I inherit a kingdom. I think a lot of times it's 00:14:27.299 --> 00:14:29.120 people who are coming from a place that they 00:14:29.120 --> 00:14:31.000 didn't choose to be and they're really struggling 00:14:31.000 --> 00:14:33.320 and they're suffering. I really believe that 00:14:33.320 --> 00:14:36.100 Jesus is offering comfort in that and I agree 00:14:36.100 --> 00:14:39.620 because with what you said, Britt, that there's 00:14:39.620 --> 00:14:41.899 a middle and whether you're going from the prosperity 00:14:41.899 --> 00:14:44.519 gospel or whether you're going from the nothing 00:14:44.519 --> 00:14:47.110 at all gospel, The problem with those two is 00:14:47.110 --> 00:14:48.950 because you're putting all the focus on yourself. 00:14:49.110 --> 00:14:51.149 You're putting on the focus on like what you're 00:14:51.149 --> 00:14:54.210 doing. And ultimately, no, it's always going 00:14:54.210 --> 00:14:56.490 to be just Jesus, always going to be Jesus. So 00:14:56.490 --> 00:14:58.049 I think people are going to be coming from a 00:14:58.049 --> 00:15:00.610 place where they're not having, they don't have 00:15:00.610 --> 00:15:03.009 full control and the pain and just what they're 00:15:03.009 --> 00:15:04.870 going through. And Jesus is like saying, like, 00:15:04.909 --> 00:15:07.330 I see you and I have a space for you in my kingdom. 00:15:08.710 --> 00:15:12.370 And yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And I think here it becomes 00:15:12.370 --> 00:15:15.370 really important to think about Like, yes, how 00:15:15.370 --> 00:15:17.389 this plays out in our world, but also, like, 00:15:17.429 --> 00:15:20.549 who was Jesus initially talking to, right? Because 00:15:20.549 --> 00:15:24.730 he's out on this mount, in this sort of field, 00:15:24.889 --> 00:15:27.090 out in the middle of nowhere, probably, right? 00:15:27.129 --> 00:15:29.950 And the people who are coming to him are, like, 00:15:30.110 --> 00:15:32.330 the shepherds. They are the people who are materially 00:15:32.330 --> 00:15:34.690 poor, the people who are in need of physical 00:15:34.690 --> 00:15:38.450 healing, the people who, like... feel disenfranchised 00:15:38.450 --> 00:15:41.029 and fed up with this Roman empire that they are 00:15:41.029 --> 00:15:43.490 living in. So there are all kinds of ways in 00:15:43.490 --> 00:15:46.789 which those are the poor in spirit. Those are 00:15:46.789 --> 00:15:48.649 the people who are powerless. Those are the people 00:15:48.649 --> 00:15:51.450 who have nothing and would wish for a different 00:15:51.450 --> 00:15:54.629 life. They didn't choose any of those things. 00:15:55.970 --> 00:15:57.909 But Jesus is saying you get to be part of the 00:15:57.909 --> 00:16:00.549 kingdom anyway, in the midst of all of that. 00:16:00.970 --> 00:16:05.259 And I guess the part that we should like hang 00:16:05.259 --> 00:16:06.720 on to, especially when we talk about the kingdom, 00:16:06.820 --> 00:16:10.059 is that the kingdom is, it's like, it's past, 00:16:10.059 --> 00:16:13.879 present, and future, right? So there's this insane 00:16:13.879 --> 00:16:15.980 that you're inheriting the kingdom. There is 00:16:15.980 --> 00:16:18.899 something that will change in your life now. 00:16:19.940 --> 00:16:22.879 There is, you are going to experience the kingdom. 00:16:23.000 --> 00:16:25.940 And I think that in the ways that we usher it 00:16:25.940 --> 00:16:29.159 in as Christians, it comes through the things 00:16:29.159 --> 00:16:32.139 that we advocate for, the way that we treat people 00:16:32.139 --> 00:16:36.600 in the here and now, how we prioritize our resources, 00:16:36.700 --> 00:16:39.120 how we allocate those. Those are the types of 00:16:39.120 --> 00:16:41.559 things that usher in the kingdom, but also reveal 00:16:41.559 --> 00:16:44.039 the kingdom to people. Because those folks that 00:16:44.039 --> 00:16:47.100 were listening to that, yeah, they were definitely 00:16:47.100 --> 00:16:50.440 downtrodden and they were stuck in a system that 00:16:50.440 --> 00:16:54.840 was disenfranchising them. And what we see within 00:16:54.840 --> 00:16:59.129 the church, the early church, is that The system 00:16:59.129 --> 00:17:01.850 that they brought in, the way that they went 00:17:01.850 --> 00:17:05.069 about living life, showed something so radically 00:17:05.069 --> 00:17:08.329 different, that the kingdom was revealed to so 00:17:08.329 --> 00:17:09.650 many people. I remember reading, I can't remember 00:17:09.650 --> 00:17:12.930 which Roman leader it was. He was persecuting 00:17:12.930 --> 00:17:15.309 Christians and he just couldn't, he was just 00:17:15.309 --> 00:17:17.329 shook. He's like, I don't even know what to do. 00:17:17.609 --> 00:17:19.490 I don't even know how to fulfill my orders because 00:17:19.490 --> 00:17:23.329 these people are just essentially loving on other 00:17:23.329 --> 00:17:25.619 people. They're like... sharing all their stuff, 00:17:25.880 --> 00:17:30.839 like, why are they doing this? I think he got 00:17:30.839 --> 00:17:35.500 to a point where he's writing a letter to his 00:17:35.500 --> 00:17:38.500 superior and his superior can't, he's trying 00:17:38.500 --> 00:17:40.660 to ask his superior, why are you giving me these 00:17:40.660 --> 00:17:42.980 orders to persecute these people who are doing 00:17:42.980 --> 00:17:45.900 something that we ourselves wouldn't do? Like 00:17:45.900 --> 00:17:49.809 they are just caring for people in this. what 00:17:49.809 --> 00:17:53.390 would be conceived as like a bizarre way of doing 00:17:53.390 --> 00:17:56.130 it because they were they were literally like 00:17:56.130 --> 00:17:58.349 selling all the things that they had giving all 00:17:58.349 --> 00:18:00.690 the resources they had to make sure that everyone 00:18:00.690 --> 00:18:03.890 in their community was protected and that is 00:18:03.890 --> 00:18:07.130 something that We don't see too often in our 00:18:07.130 --> 00:18:10.349 world, but it is Australian and of kingdom. So, 00:18:10.430 --> 00:18:12.589 there's like that past, present, future, like 00:18:12.589 --> 00:18:14.329 that's something I think we should, because many 00:18:14.329 --> 00:18:17.269 times there are traditions that focus so much 00:18:17.269 --> 00:18:18.829 on the future. They're like, they're waiting 00:18:18.829 --> 00:18:22.390 for the world to just be exploded so that something 00:18:22.390 --> 00:18:26.970 new can come. And God bless you, but the gospel 00:18:26.970 --> 00:18:29.210 means nothing if it doesn't do anything now. 00:18:29.430 --> 00:18:33.119 It has to free us from something now. There has 00:18:33.119 --> 00:18:36.680 to be something that is bigger than just what 00:18:36.680 --> 00:18:38.920 we're hoping for. We're hoping for something, 00:18:38.980 --> 00:18:41.559 but we also can hold on to something that is 00:18:41.559 --> 00:18:45.039 here with us in this moment. Yeah, I can go on 00:18:45.039 --> 00:18:47.819 about that a lot. Yeah, no, that's so good. Yeah, 00:18:48.279 --> 00:18:51.799 yeah. And I really like what you said, Britt, 00:18:51.880 --> 00:18:54.480 about how, you know, it's not just about the 00:18:54.480 --> 00:18:56.859 future, it's also about the past, it's also about 00:18:56.859 --> 00:19:00.200 the present. Because when you look at the Beatitudes, 00:19:00.240 --> 00:19:03.039 it says, you know, Poor in spirit for they will 00:19:03.039 --> 00:19:05.720 inherit the kingdom or you know those who mourn 00:19:05.720 --> 00:19:07.740 for they will be comforted. I believe that you 00:19:07.740 --> 00:19:11.269 know For you know the second part of all the 00:19:11.269 --> 00:19:13.450 Beatitudes ultimately what that is is you're 00:19:13.450 --> 00:19:17.349 getting God You know like you can be with God 00:19:17.349 --> 00:19:19.589 and have God and ultimately as Christians right 00:19:19.589 --> 00:19:21.490 now You know we're not sitting here being like 00:19:21.490 --> 00:19:25.049 okay one day We will see you know be with God 00:19:25.049 --> 00:19:27.730 and inherit the kingdom ultimately God is within 00:19:27.730 --> 00:19:30.650 us right now He gave us a Holy Spirit right we 00:19:30.650 --> 00:19:34.750 can pray and talk to Jesus at any point and I 00:19:34.750 --> 00:19:37.170 think that's y 'all are just focusing on the 00:19:37.170 --> 00:19:40.630 present as well and i also wanted to say too 00:19:40.630 --> 00:19:46.410 that ultimately the kingdom forgiveness, salvation, 00:19:46.609 --> 00:19:49.130 all of that is a gift. And I think with the Beatitudes, 00:19:49.170 --> 00:19:51.410 sometimes you might come in thinking, okay, so 00:19:51.410 --> 00:19:55.349 I have to be in a really painful, sad part of 00:19:55.349 --> 00:19:57.230 my life so that I can get good things. And it's 00:19:57.230 --> 00:19:59.809 like, well, no, like Jesus isn't saying you have 00:19:59.809 --> 00:20:02.410 to do that so that you can gain His grace or 00:20:02.410 --> 00:20:04.670 forgiveness. It's already given to you. More 00:20:04.670 --> 00:20:07.559 so it's just that. you know, coming to God and 00:20:07.559 --> 00:20:09.900 surrendering to Him. And I do feel that if you 00:20:09.900 --> 00:20:11.759 are someone who is poor in spirit, ultimately, 00:20:11.759 --> 00:20:15.740 it's not a fun place to be in. No one wants to 00:20:15.740 --> 00:20:18.380 be poor in spirit. At the same time, I do think 00:20:18.380 --> 00:20:20.180 that puts your heart in a position where you 00:20:20.180 --> 00:20:22.839 are more willing to rely on God and surrender 00:20:22.839 --> 00:20:26.980 to God versus being rich in spirit. You might 00:20:26.980 --> 00:20:29.160 just rely on yourself. You really have to rely 00:20:29.160 --> 00:20:31.180 on God when you're poor in spirit. Yeah, yeah. 00:20:31.220 --> 00:20:32.960 And I think, like, the example you were talking 00:20:32.960 --> 00:20:35.140 about, you know, of the early church, there is, 00:20:35.140 --> 00:20:38.079 like, you know, sharing of all of their material 00:20:38.079 --> 00:20:42.940 resources, like is a way of being poor in spirit, 00:20:42.940 --> 00:20:46.480 but it's happening not because they feel like, 00:20:46.480 --> 00:20:48.400 oh, I need to be poor in spirit, therefore I 00:20:48.400 --> 00:20:50.680 need to do x, y, z things. It's like, no, no. 00:20:51.349 --> 00:20:54.309 As followers of Jesus, living in a community 00:20:54.309 --> 00:20:56.829 of followers of Jesus, this is the stuff that 00:20:56.829 --> 00:21:00.690 we do. Yeah, we care. We care. And by caring, 00:21:01.069 --> 00:21:03.029 yes, it looks like being poor in spirit, and 00:21:03.029 --> 00:21:05.630 yes, it looks like giving up some of my hold 00:21:05.630 --> 00:21:08.809 on material things, but I'm not doing it to try 00:21:08.809 --> 00:21:12.109 and accomplish a particular state. It's just 00:21:12.109 --> 00:21:14.130 like, okay, maybe that's just a byproduct of 00:21:14.130 --> 00:21:16.549 following Jesus, is that we become poor in spirit. 00:21:17.079 --> 00:21:19.119 There's like this reconciliation part, right? 00:21:19.140 --> 00:21:21.400 Because you have all these people, you have people 00:21:21.400 --> 00:21:24.099 who are coming, like people coming from different 00:21:24.099 --> 00:21:28.420 cultures, people coming from different regions 00:21:28.420 --> 00:21:33.059 across the, I guess, the Middle East. And then 00:21:33.059 --> 00:21:35.839 you also have folks that are coming from folks 00:21:35.839 --> 00:21:37.640 that are wealthy and folks that are poor, folks 00:21:37.640 --> 00:21:40.579 that are in the middle, folks that were soldiers, 00:21:40.700 --> 00:21:43.589 folks that were XYZ, folks that were a part of 00:21:43.589 --> 00:21:45.569 Judaism, folks that weren't, you've all these 00:21:45.569 --> 00:21:47.849 people coming together. And there's, there's 00:21:47.849 --> 00:21:50.069 also this, like this breaking down of the system, 00:21:50.549 --> 00:21:53.269 breaking down of systems or of social class and 00:21:53.269 --> 00:21:55.490 of order, like things that are things that would 00:21:55.490 --> 00:21:57.230 people who wouldn't have sat down with other 00:21:57.230 --> 00:21:59.549 people before sitting down with people and having 00:21:59.549 --> 00:22:02.430 a meal. They're sharing maybe the wealth that 00:22:02.430 --> 00:22:07.069 they acquired from God knows how, that might 00:22:07.069 --> 00:22:09.710 have been from the backs of other people. Now 00:22:09.710 --> 00:22:11.789 they're able to sit with those people and share 00:22:11.789 --> 00:22:15.970 and do that reconciliation work of making things 00:22:15.970 --> 00:22:21.349 right. That is, I don't know, I think to myself 00:22:21.349 --> 00:22:25.740 all the time. How do I actually make that happen 00:22:25.740 --> 00:22:28.539 in our world? How do I participate in that in 00:22:28.539 --> 00:22:32.059 a real tangible way that reveals Christ to people? 00:22:32.160 --> 00:22:34.359 Maybe they never hear the word. Maybe I never 00:22:34.359 --> 00:22:37.420 mentioned Jesus, but they feel the presence of 00:22:37.420 --> 00:22:40.799 the Spirit and they feel a different way. Yeah. 00:22:41.200 --> 00:22:43.380 Yeah. There has to be a different way. And we 00:22:43.380 --> 00:22:44.960 have to be able to, we can't just talk about 00:22:44.960 --> 00:22:50.500 it. We have to show that to people. Yeah. I really, 00:22:50.599 --> 00:22:53.220 that's like, I think something that Christians 00:22:53.220 --> 00:22:56.799 sometimes can forget and I often forget too is 00:22:56.799 --> 00:23:00.400 that you know it's great to kind of sit and think 00:23:00.400 --> 00:23:02.460 like I want to do this I want to be this kind 00:23:02.460 --> 00:23:04.559 of person this kind of Christian but talk is 00:23:04.559 --> 00:23:07.480 talk and if you can't actually show that through 00:23:07.480 --> 00:23:11.359 actions then What was the point of, you know, 00:23:11.420 --> 00:23:16.240 that talking? And perhaps that's how people inherit 00:23:16.240 --> 00:23:19.160 the kingdom right now, because ultimately, you 00:23:19.160 --> 00:23:22.660 know, there isn't like just one temple or church, 00:23:22.779 --> 00:23:25.299 like there was, you know, back, oh, there is 00:23:25.299 --> 00:23:26.940 one church, we are the church. There wasn't like 00:23:26.940 --> 00:23:29.440 one temple where that's the only way that people 00:23:29.440 --> 00:23:31.460 would be able to be in the presence of God. Like 00:23:31.460 --> 00:23:37.130 we are like moving dynamic. Temples of God because 00:23:37.130 --> 00:23:40.650 this is how people can Experience crisis through 00:23:40.650 --> 00:23:44.470 us. We are the light. We are the light on the 00:23:44.470 --> 00:23:50.670 hill. I yeah, okay and Perhaps yeah, like we 00:23:50.670 --> 00:23:53.170 as Christians we can go to the poor in spirit 00:23:53.170 --> 00:23:56.970 and we can be those ambassadors for Christ and 00:23:56.970 --> 00:24:01.829 we can show them the kingdom just here on earth 00:24:01.829 --> 00:24:05.519 and I think I like what you said, Britt, about 00:24:05.519 --> 00:24:09.900 how do we show them Christ? Ultimately, you can 00:24:09.900 --> 00:24:12.779 preach the gospel every single day, and people, 00:24:13.579 --> 00:24:15.380 what they'll remember is you preaching at them, 00:24:15.380 --> 00:24:17.319 but they'll never forget how you made them feel, 00:24:17.339 --> 00:24:19.339 right? So if you're coming at them with love 00:24:19.339 --> 00:24:21.480 and compassion, they'll remember that, they'll 00:24:21.480 --> 00:24:23.799 keep on to that, and they'll be like, this is 00:24:23.799 --> 00:24:30.640 Jesus, and now I want to know who Jesus is. I 00:24:30.640 --> 00:24:32.940 think the other important thing to sort of add 00:24:32.940 --> 00:24:34.759 on to this conversation as we talk about, you 00:24:34.759 --> 00:24:36.700 know, the kingdom of God and how we participate 00:24:36.700 --> 00:24:39.220 in that is that, yes, we participate in it, but 00:24:39.220 --> 00:24:42.079 we don't actually make it happen. Right? Like, 00:24:42.079 --> 00:24:44.140 yes, we do the things that Jesus calls us to 00:24:44.140 --> 00:24:46.220 do, but ultimately, it still does depend. It 00:24:46.220 --> 00:24:49.480 is God's kingdom. God does the stuff. We're just 00:24:49.480 --> 00:24:52.160 like the vessels through which that happens, 00:24:52.180 --> 00:24:55.059 right? There's this passage. I don't remember 00:24:55.059 --> 00:24:58.289 the name of the passage, but it's Who is it? 00:24:58.289 --> 00:25:01.950 Paul talking to one of our camera who it is, 00:25:01.950 --> 00:25:05.089 but he says it is. It's not like there was this 00:25:05.089 --> 00:25:07.690 obsession with with Paul at the time and folks 00:25:07.690 --> 00:25:10.289 were trying to get to. Oh, right. Yeah. I follow 00:25:10.289 --> 00:25:13.390 Paul. Yeah. I follow people like that. So this 00:25:13.390 --> 00:25:16.210 analogy of like growing, right? Yeah. It's like 00:25:16.210 --> 00:25:19.150 you could water. You do this. You do that. But 00:25:19.150 --> 00:25:21.789 it's God who makes it grow. We all have a role 00:25:21.789 --> 00:25:24.069 to play and there's this participation in the 00:25:24.069 --> 00:25:26.789 kingdom, but it's all God. It's all God. Like. 00:25:27.299 --> 00:25:30.980 Even if we don't cry out or we don't do what 00:25:30.980 --> 00:25:34.019 we need to do, God will find a way. The rocks, 00:25:34.119 --> 00:25:38.400 the trees, the nature will cry out for God if 00:25:38.400 --> 00:25:42.700 we won't do it. It's all God. It's all God. So 00:25:42.700 --> 00:25:45.119 it's an honor, it's a privilege to be able to 00:25:45.119 --> 00:25:47.900 be aware of what God is doing and then to participate 00:25:47.900 --> 00:25:52.779 in that action. Yeah, exactly. That's really 00:25:52.779 --> 00:25:55.859 beautifully put that ultimately it's all God. 00:25:57.589 --> 00:26:00.349 even though as Christians, you know, we can plant 00:26:00.349 --> 00:26:06.150 the seed, we can go out and, you know, share 00:26:06.150 --> 00:26:08.609 the word and be kind and loving to other people, 00:26:08.710 --> 00:26:11.089 but ultimately it's all God and His will will 00:26:11.089 --> 00:26:16.150 always prevail. Yeah, yeah. So good. Yeah, I 00:26:16.150 --> 00:26:19.690 guess I just think about all of these things, 00:26:19.710 --> 00:26:23.190 like if we bring it all together, like blessed 00:26:23.190 --> 00:26:25.569 are the poor in spirit, but they will like inherit 00:26:25.569 --> 00:26:28.559 the kingdom of God. And I think what we've sort 00:26:28.559 --> 00:26:30.839 of said is like the poor in spirit is all kinds 00:26:30.839 --> 00:26:34.440 of folks, right? Like whether it is a material 00:26:34.440 --> 00:26:38.220 poverty, like psychological, emotional poverty, 00:26:38.400 --> 00:26:41.599 poverty of spirit, whatever that looks like for 00:26:41.599 --> 00:26:45.039 you, it's all of us, right? And we don't have 00:26:45.039 --> 00:26:49.500 to go seeking that. It just happens because life 00:26:49.500 --> 00:26:52.140 happens. And so I think we all find ourselves 00:26:52.140 --> 00:26:55.900 there at some point. And even if it's not like, 00:26:55.839 --> 00:26:58.140 Like, even for folks who, like, sit in a seat 00:26:58.140 --> 00:27:01.359 of relative privilege, like, I think following 00:27:01.359 --> 00:27:04.660 the way of Jesus will ultimately lead you into 00:27:04.660 --> 00:27:07.640 poverty of spirit, whether you, like, find yourself 00:27:07.640 --> 00:27:09.240 naturally there or not. You might have all of 00:27:09.240 --> 00:27:11.920 that money, but you're still suffering inside. 00:27:12.319 --> 00:27:14.660 Some people have so much and they're suffering, 00:27:14.799 --> 00:27:17.640 they're suffering. So, yeah, like, that poverty 00:27:17.640 --> 00:27:23.579 is so wide and so vast. Yeah. It's... Yeah. But... 00:27:23.599 --> 00:27:26.220 Jesus meets us there and says this is good. This 00:27:26.220 --> 00:27:29.440 is okay. You know, this is actually the way of 00:27:29.440 --> 00:27:34.819 Jesus in the midst of that And through that in 00:27:34.819 --> 00:27:38.660 the present and into the future we receive the 00:27:38.660 --> 00:27:43.039 kingdom of God Which is mind -blowing actually. 00:27:43.039 --> 00:27:48.859 It's pretty cool stuff yeah so when you think 00:27:48.859 --> 00:27:51.519 about like receiving the kingdom of God we sort 00:27:51.519 --> 00:27:53.500 of talked about this like it is this thing that 00:27:53.500 --> 00:27:56.099 we sort of do in the present but like what does 00:27:56.099 --> 00:28:02.779 that look like for the pouring spirit if you 00:28:02.779 --> 00:28:05.460 were yeah what does it look like right now to 00:28:05.460 --> 00:28:07.640 receive the kingdom of God and also then to like 00:28:07.640 --> 00:28:10.500 wait for it because it is this like now and not 00:28:10.500 --> 00:28:22.390 yet mm -hmm right I think there is at least part 00:28:22.390 --> 00:28:24.170 of it goes back to I think part of what you said 00:28:24.170 --> 00:28:25.950 before was like this like gathering around a 00:28:25.950 --> 00:28:29.029 table together yeah and some of that like yeah 00:28:29.029 --> 00:28:32.529 like reparations and reconciliation that happens 00:28:32.529 --> 00:28:38.039 at that table I I think something that you know 00:28:38.039 --> 00:28:39.900 maybe another way we can also look at the poor 00:28:39.900 --> 00:28:43.500 in spirit as well is people who may feel a lot 00:28:43.500 --> 00:28:46.920 of shame and guilt and feel downtrodden by their 00:28:46.920 --> 00:28:49.460 sin and by the things that they've done and now 00:28:49.460 --> 00:28:51.579 they're holding on to that and they're carrying 00:28:51.579 --> 00:28:54.519 that and perhaps when they give their life to 00:28:54.519 --> 00:28:57.200 Jesus and surrender to Jesus and Jesus says you 00:28:57.200 --> 00:29:00.980 know has forgiven you of your sins perhaps that's 00:29:00.980 --> 00:29:04.430 a way that people do inherit the kingdom because 00:29:04.430 --> 00:29:07.210 they are feeling that freedom, you know, they're 00:29:07.210 --> 00:29:10.390 being broken from the chains of their sin, the 00:29:10.390 --> 00:29:13.650 chains of their guilt and their shame. So perhaps 00:29:13.650 --> 00:29:15.630 that's one way to look at it. Yeah, yeah, yeah, 00:29:15.630 --> 00:29:17.690 no, for sure. This whole conversation is reminding 00:29:17.690 --> 00:29:23.450 me of my last year of undergrad. My phone broke 00:29:23.450 --> 00:29:26.490 on the screen. It was like, I think it was Lent. 00:29:27.349 --> 00:29:31.230 And our campus pastor had told us to like, you 00:29:31.230 --> 00:29:34.430 know, for Lent, give up something outside of 00:29:34.430 --> 00:29:38.609 just like food and sugar. Give up something. 00:29:39.069 --> 00:29:41.990 And I had said I wanted to reduce my time for 00:29:41.990 --> 00:29:45.069 like social media and Netflix and all that stuff. 00:29:45.789 --> 00:29:50.950 And I was struggling with it. And then my phone 00:29:50.950 --> 00:29:54.849 just like conked. The screen went... The Holy 00:29:54.849 --> 00:29:58.269 Spirit intervened. Yeah. I was like, I know you're 00:29:58.269 --> 00:30:02.049 not going to do it. So the phone just like, yeah, 00:30:02.109 --> 00:30:06.670 it went black. And I was in Alberta, central 00:30:06.670 --> 00:30:09.410 Alberta, the closest spot for us to go to get 00:30:09.410 --> 00:30:12.160 our phone. Like I was like... I could see cows 00:30:12.160 --> 00:30:14.839 from my campus. So like, the closest spot to 00:30:14.839 --> 00:30:17.920 get like to get my phone like repaired or to 00:30:17.920 --> 00:30:21.299 get a new one was like an hour drive where I 00:30:21.299 --> 00:30:23.099 didn't have a car. I had to wait for someone 00:30:23.099 --> 00:30:27.400 else to drive me. And I spent this like, I guess 00:30:27.400 --> 00:30:32.420 a couple of days without a phone. And I saw well 00:30:32.420 --> 00:30:37.970 why no one could call me. I couldn't get onto 00:30:37.970 --> 00:30:40.190 social media like I was struggling. I couldn't 00:30:40.190 --> 00:30:42.430 like message people except I'm going onto my 00:30:42.430 --> 00:30:45.710 laptop and browser work is just ugly. So I wasn't 00:30:45.710 --> 00:30:48.890 doing it. And I found I had this like something 00:30:48.890 --> 00:30:53.930 opened up in my time. Something opened up in 00:30:53.930 --> 00:30:59.470 like in prayer and in just being like being aware 00:30:59.470 --> 00:31:03.269 of myself, but also being aware of God's presence 00:31:03.269 --> 00:31:08.390 around me. And I thank God for breaking up that 00:31:08.390 --> 00:31:11.809 phone. Like, because if I didn't have that opportunity, 00:31:11.869 --> 00:31:14.109 I wouldn't have been aware of what I needed to 00:31:14.109 --> 00:31:17.170 be aware of, what God was calling me to pay attention 00:31:17.170 --> 00:31:20.509 to. And it set me up for something that was, 00:31:20.509 --> 00:31:21.710 I guess it set me up for the rest of my life, 00:31:21.730 --> 00:31:25.049 because it really did center me in a way that 00:31:25.049 --> 00:31:30.099 I didn't know I needed to be. um and so I guess 00:31:30.099 --> 00:31:34.259 what I'm saying is like sometimes in the decrease 00:31:34.259 --> 00:31:39.019 of, or even maybe the distress or the challenge 00:31:39.019 --> 00:31:42.740 that we're going through, there can be an opportunity. 00:31:43.039 --> 00:31:45.440 And I say this with the caveat of God was in 00:31:45.440 --> 00:31:48.440 the mix. God has to be in the mix. Some people 00:31:48.440 --> 00:31:50.720 go through really dark things and God is not 00:31:50.720 --> 00:31:53.000 in the mix, or they are not aware of the presence 00:31:53.000 --> 00:31:57.079 of God. And that just leads even further down 00:31:57.079 --> 00:31:59.700 into distress. Because at one point I was like, 00:31:59.700 --> 00:32:01.200 oh my gosh, I don't have my phone. I don't have 00:32:01.200 --> 00:32:04.039 my phone. What am I gonna do with my life? And 00:32:04.039 --> 00:32:05.319 then I was like, wait, I don't have my phone. 00:32:05.400 --> 00:32:09.059 I don't have my phone. Okay, I can pray. I can 00:32:09.059 --> 00:32:11.019 do that Bible study. I've said I was supposed 00:32:11.019 --> 00:32:12.839 to, I always say I'm gonna do and then I never 00:32:12.839 --> 00:32:15.819 do. Or I could just take this time to just surrender. 00:32:15.960 --> 00:32:17.180 Like, I don't know what God, what you're holding 00:32:17.180 --> 00:32:21.839 me back from, but I accept it. And yeah, like, 00:32:21.880 --> 00:32:24.380 so I think there's like also these moments where 00:32:24.380 --> 00:32:29.299 if we are tapped, if we are tapped in, then. 00:32:29.750 --> 00:32:33.609 when things do go however way they go, wherever 00:32:33.609 --> 00:32:37.869 the wind blows, we're not leaning onto the things 00:32:37.869 --> 00:32:40.769 or to the energy of other people, but we're leaning 00:32:40.769 --> 00:32:44.049 onto God. And that, I think, can get us through 00:32:44.049 --> 00:32:46.009 the storm and get us through whatever, but it 00:32:46.009 --> 00:32:47.630 also just connects us closer to the kingdom. 00:32:48.710 --> 00:32:53.869 Yeah. Yeah, totally. Yeah. And while you were 00:32:53.869 --> 00:32:56.400 kind of talking about... You know, sometimes 00:32:56.400 --> 00:33:00.819 like those unfortunate situations are ways where 00:33:00.819 --> 00:33:03.819 God comes in and God's grace is coming in. And 00:33:03.819 --> 00:33:06.180 sometimes I also think, too, you know, if we're 00:33:06.180 --> 00:33:08.519 talking about how can Christians kind of, you 00:33:08.519 --> 00:33:13.119 know, have action in this world today, perhaps 00:33:13.119 --> 00:33:15.869 that's ... you know, going to the poor in spirit 00:33:15.869 --> 00:33:18.589 right now in our community anywhere. Again, they're 00:33:18.589 --> 00:33:20.789 not choosing that. Unfortunately, like you said, 00:33:20.829 --> 00:33:24.150 life happens and we will often find ourselves 00:33:24.150 --> 00:33:28.569 in a poor in spirit season. However, maybe inheriting 00:33:28.569 --> 00:33:31.210 the kingdom could be us praying and us being 00:33:31.210 --> 00:33:35.210 like, God, how can we be a light in this world 00:33:35.210 --> 00:33:39.009 and be representatives of who you are in your 00:33:39.009 --> 00:33:43.150 church? And I think maybe that's a way that those 00:33:43.150 --> 00:33:45.289 poor in spirit could inherit the kingdom and 00:33:45.289 --> 00:33:48.289 also just, yeah, like going through really, really 00:33:48.289 --> 00:33:51.089 hard times. Ultimately, when you surrender yourself 00:33:51.089 --> 00:33:55.210 to God, right, you see such amazing things that 00:33:55.210 --> 00:33:57.549 you're right, but that if you're broken your 00:33:57.549 --> 00:33:59.109 phone or anyone's going through a hard time and 00:33:59.109 --> 00:34:01.789 you don't have God, like it's just going to be 00:34:01.789 --> 00:34:05.539 even harder. But if you do have God, then that's 00:34:05.539 --> 00:34:08.199 a way that you can see his light and his work 00:34:08.199 --> 00:34:10.599 and his grace in a different way. And it can 00:34:10.599 --> 00:34:12.500 change your life and bring you closer to it. 00:34:12.500 --> 00:34:16.079 Yeah, totally. Yeah. That's I mean, that's so 00:34:16.079 --> 00:34:18.500 helpful. I think especially that phrase that 00:34:18.500 --> 00:34:20.820 you said, like when when God is in the mix, then 00:34:20.820 --> 00:34:23.820 like good things happen. Right. Like whether 00:34:23.820 --> 00:34:27.059 we are going out to serve and to care for the 00:34:27.059 --> 00:34:29.219 poor in spirit or whether we find ourselves poor 00:34:29.219 --> 00:34:33.559 in spirit, if God is in the mix, it's OK. Like 00:34:33.559 --> 00:34:36.360 that song, with Jesus in the vessel, you could 00:34:36.360 --> 00:34:40.219 smile at the storm. There's a dance move with 00:34:40.219 --> 00:34:44.980 it. Regardless of what you're going through, 00:34:45.219 --> 00:34:49.159 even in the good times or the bad times, if Jesus 00:34:49.159 --> 00:34:52.260 is in the vessel, if Jesus is in that boat with 00:34:52.260 --> 00:34:55.980 you, you could rest assured. Not to say that... 00:34:55.719 --> 00:34:58.320 It's going to snap. Jesus is with me. The genie 00:34:58.320 --> 00:35:01.019 in the bottle. Okay, great. Everything's going 00:35:01.019 --> 00:35:03.980 to be turned around. But I know because there 00:35:03.980 --> 00:35:08.920 is this kingdom presence around me that regardless 00:35:08.920 --> 00:35:11.980 of what happens today, I'm confident of my tomorrow. 00:35:12.159 --> 00:35:15.860 I'm confident of what God will do and has done 00:35:15.860 --> 00:35:20.059 and will continue to do in my life. And that 00:35:20.059 --> 00:35:22.739 doesn't mean that things will change. You probably 00:35:22.739 --> 00:35:25.820 will still be in the storm. Um, it's very likely 00:35:25.820 --> 00:35:29.019 that it will continue to rage but but god is 00:35:29.019 --> 00:35:34.239 with you. Yeah. Yeah Amen. Yeah Yeah, well, thank 00:35:34.239 --> 00:35:37.059 you so much folks. This has been a really I think 00:35:37.059 --> 00:35:41.460 fun conversation, but also just like really um, 00:35:41.460 --> 00:35:44.219 yeah thought provoking like bring us into like 00:35:44.219 --> 00:35:47.179 What is this actually mean right now? And what 00:35:47.179 --> 00:35:50.500 is jesus actually about? And I'm really looking 00:35:50.500 --> 00:35:52.380 forward to the next, like, seven or eight weeks 00:35:52.380 --> 00:35:54.940 as we keep going through this verse by verse 00:35:54.940 --> 00:35:57.760 and figure out who's part of this kingdom and, 00:35:57.760 --> 00:36:01.039 like, how do we get to make it happen. Yeah. 00:36:01.059 --> 00:36:03.699 This is great. Thank you. Thank you very much. 00:36:04.119 --> 00:36:06.739 And thank you for tuning into this week's episode 00:36:06.739 --> 00:36:10.099 of Trinity Talks. I hope that you have been inspired, 00:36:10.119 --> 00:36:13.380 whether you find yourself poor in spirit or whether 00:36:13.380 --> 00:36:16.460 you see that in the people around you. Trust 00:36:16.460 --> 00:36:19.039 that God is in that. Trust that the Kingdom of 00:36:19.039 --> 00:36:22.579 God is coming here and now and into the future. 00:36:23.179 --> 00:36:24.360 And we'll see you again next week.