For goodness sake - cheer up

Yesterday, we started a series on the Sermon on the Mount, looking at Matthew 5:1-12 - a passage known as the Beatitudes, although we really only had time to look at v3, 'blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs in the kingdom of God'. Instead of rushing through the other seven 'blessed are the...' yesterday we're going to look at each one over the rest of the week - starting today with 'blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted'.

The kingdom that Jesus is announcing certainly is an upside down kingdom. It is the sort of place where those who mourn are blessed - something that is the very opposite of what we might assume. How can this be?

I wonder if you've ever been in a church where the person leading the service has criticised the congregation for looking too miserable or not singing enthusiastically enough - being told to smile, look like you're blessed by God, clap ...

There are times when those who are mourning and therefore who don't want to sing, or clap, or put on a fake smile may actually be closer to God than all those singing at the tops of their voices with their hands in the air. It is often when we reach our low points that we are able to become aware of the presence of God and be comforted by Him.

There are different reasons why we might be mourning. Sometimes our mourning is as a consequence of being poor in spirit - aware of our sins and failings all we can do is humble ourselves before God and cry out to Him e.g. Psalm 51, James 4:7-10. Often our mourning is a result of some loss, even a death. But even here for the Christian there is hope. So whilst mourning is a right response it is mixed with hope e.g. 1 Thessalonians 4:13.

And God can use all that we go through to shape us into the people He wants us to be. Those who have never experienced any hardship, struggle or loss are not the best people to come alongside those who have - everything is theoretical rather than personal. But when we have been through these struggles and started to come out the other side God is able to use us to bring His comfort and love to others, e.g. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4.