Mike Paget and Erica Hamence explore what it means to be "poor in spirit" and how the empty-handed find fullness in the kingdom of God.
We can understand what it is like to hunger and thirst for food and water, but how do these feelings relate to our longing for righteousness?
In today's teaching, Karina Kreminski – Missional Lecturer at Morling Theological College – reflects on how those people who are longing for righteousness, peace and justice find fullness in the Kingdom of God, as they participate with God's in making right the injustice in our world.
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they shall be filled."
We need only look around to see that our world is grieving and groaning, longing to be made right as God works to bring justice and healing. Jesus invites us to hunger and thirst, to connect to our deep longings and needs, to grieve and groan with our world, and to call on God to act justly and bring peace and wholeness to our world.
When we're surrounded by so much injustice, it can be easy to become numb or indifferent to the pain around us. But God calls us to long for righteousness by living it out in our love and kindness shown to our neighbour, particularly those marginalised in society. This will be a deeply uncomfortable experience, challenging our superficial culture that calls us to attend to our own comfort. Yet it is in this place that Jesus declares we are blessed, happy, joyful, and in which we find fullness.
What does it look like for you to hunger and thirst for righteousness in your own neighbourhood? Take some time this week to listen to Karina's reflection, then share this video for others to identify their own hunger and thirst for God to make right the brokenness in our world:
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Daily Readings: Feb 28 - Mar 6
Throughout Lent we will be providing you with daily readings relating to each of the Beatitudes. This week, we're reflecting on what Jesus is teaching on "hungering and thirsting for righteousness" through the following passages:
| Wed, Feb 28 | Matthew 5:6 (our Beatitude for this week) |
| Thu, Mar 1 | John 8:3-11 (what does hungering for righteousness look like in this passage?) |
| Fri, Mar 2 | Isaiah 61:1-3 (what might righteousness look like?) |
| Sat, Mar 3 | Luke 4:16-22 (what was Jesus’ program of righteousness about?) |
| Sun, Mar 4 | Isaiah 53:10-12 (what does the righteous servant do?) |
| Mon, Mar 5 | Isaiah 25:6-10 (how will our hunger be met?) |
| Tue, Mar 6 | Matthew 6:25-34 (What does it look like to seek God’s kingdom?) |
| Wed, Mar 7 | Our next teaching will be published |
More readings will be provided with our next video on March 7th
Spiritual Practise: Prayer & Fasting
In Australia we are often not aware of hunger, as Karina explored in her reflection, we rarely pay attention to our physical hunger, let along our desires for justice & righteousness. Set aside time this week to leave out one meal and use the time you would usually use for the meal, to reflect on the righteousness you hunger for and how you can be an instrument in God’s world. If you need some prompts, why not explore some of the different justice needs we’re hungering for at Common Grace.
With Your Church: Repent & seek righteousness
Our churches need to be places of righteousness. Use this week to repent of the church's failure to care for the vulnerable among us - children, the elderly, women facing domestic violence. Pray that your church would hunger for righteousness and consider how you could put these concerns on your church’s agenda. Common Grace’s new resource on domestic & family violence, Safer, came out last year, a good place to start your church’s journey in considering the challenge of domestic and family violence.
Karina Kreminksi is the Missional Lecturer at Morling Theological College and lives in the inner city in Sydney where she is starting a missional community.
This video was filmed by Daniel Fewchuck and edited by Daniel Christiansz, with music licensed from The Brilliance.
This series has been produced by Common Grace and Bible Society Australia.
