Re:Verse passage – Matthew 5:1-12 (day four)
I love that while we wait with anticipation for the birth of Christ during this season of Advent, we’ll get to read some of his most famous words. What a uniquely Christian opportunity, to get to hear from our Savior even while we prepare our hearts to receive him. This is the spiritual reality in which we live: Christ has come, Christ is here, and Christ will come. Christ has come – he walked this earth, preached this sermon, died on the cross, and rose again. Christ is here – he is constantly in our midst through the power of the Spirit, interceding for us at the right hand of God. Christ will come – we live with confidence that Christ will return for his bride just like he said he would. All of these are mysteriously true at the same time, and reading the Sermon on the Mount during Advent makes us all the more aware of this reality.
As we prepare our hearts to celebrate that Christ has come, we may find that Jesus is describing us in this sermon. If you find yourself poor in spirit or at the end of your rope, grieving, or trying to move through the world with gentleness and mercy and peace but struggling with the harshness of the world – be encouraged. Jesus is giving us a picture of the Kingdom reality that he came to establish. We experience this reality now through the Spirit, and we have assurance that this reality will be established in full when Christ comes in glory.
As we celebrate what Christ has done, may it strengthen us today and give us hope for tomorrow.