Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven

 

 And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him.  Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:

 "Blessed are the poor in spirit,

For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn,

For they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek,

For they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

For they shall be filled.

 Blessed are the merciful,

For they shall obtain mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart,

For they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers,

For they shall be called sons of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake,

For theirs is the kingdom of heaven." 

 

- Matthew 5:1–10 

 

On Saturday we read that Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.  Then He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men."  They immediately left their nets and followed Him.  Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets.  He called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.  And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.  Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them.  Great multitudes followed Him -- from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.

 

  And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him.  My study Bible tells us that in the Old Testament, only a select few were chosen to hear God directly (see Exodus 19:3-13).  Here, God Incarnate speaks to the multitudes face to face.  The mountain is a place where divine action enters human history, the place where God reveals Himself to humankind (Matthew 17:1; Genesis 22:2; Exodus 3:1, 19:2; 1 Kings 18:20).  To be seated is the traditional Jewish position for teaching with authority.  Some early Christian preachers, such as St. John Chrysostom, sat while the people stood.  

 

 Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying: . . .  According to my study Bible, Matthew mentioning that Jesus opened his mouth emphasizes this teaching is "one-way," that Jesus has come to speak with authority (Matthew 7:29), and the disciples are there not to discuss or debate, but to listen.

 

 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."  To be blessed in this context is meant to indicate heavenly, spiritual exaltation rather than earthly happiness or prosperity.  My study Bible notes that in Hebrew, "poor" means both the materially poor and also the faithful among God's people.  The poor in spirit therefore are those who have the heart of the poor, the same attitude as the poor, and are totally dependent upon God.  

 

 "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted."  My study Bible tells us that those who mourn sorrow over the sufferings of this life (Matthew 9:23), the sufferings of others (John 11:35), the state of the world (Luke 19:41), and their own sins (Luke 7:36-38).   All of these, it says, are comforted by the power of God both in this world and in the age to come.  What is understood as holy sorrow is part of repentance, conversion, and virtuous action, and it is the firstfruit of infinite joy.  This is to be distinguished from ungodly sorrow, which is a sadness that leads to despair (see 2 Corinthians 7:10).  

 

"Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth."  My study Bible explains that meekness is an attitude of being content with both honor and dishonor.  This is in imitation of Christ, who said, "Learn from Me, for I am gentle [meek] and lowly in heart" (Matthew 11:29).  It says that the meek are God-controlled and have mastery over their passions, especially anger.  Additionally, we are to understand that meekness is not passive weakness, but strength directed and under control.  The earth that the meek will inherit is not power or possession in this world, but the new earth, which is everlasting (Revelation 21:1).

 

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled."  Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness see the presence God and God's Kingdom as the most important thing in life.  My study Bible describes this as a desperate craving for what is right before God, comparable to a starving person's craving for food (see Matthew 6:33, also Psalm 42:1).

 

"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy."  What is mercy?  My study Bible describes mercy as love set in motion, expressed in action.  It explains that God's mercy in taking our sufferings on Himself in order to grant us His Kingdom sets us free from captivity to the evil one.  In view of God's mercy to all, we are in turn meant to be merciful to all.  

 

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."  In this context, my study Bible tells us, "pure" means to be unmixed with anything else, unadulterated.  The pure in heart are completely devoted to the worship and service of God and accept no compromises.  With the help of the Holy Spirit, those who achieve purity are described as practicing all virtue, having no conscious evil in themselves, and living in temperance.  This is a level of spirituality which is attained by few, but all people may strive for it.  When the soul's only desire is for God, my study Bible says, and a person's will holds this desire, then that person will truly see God everywhere.  

 

 "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God."  As He is the source of peace, my study Bible explains that Christ found no price sufficient for peace other than shedding His own blood.  In so doing, Christ reveals Himself to us as the Reconciler, the Prince of peace (Isaiah 9:6; Ephesians 2:14-16).  The Holy Spirit gives peace to those who imitate Christ.  So, peacemakers share God's peace with those around them, imitating Christ's sacrificial love and participating in Christ's work.  By God's grace, my study Bible tells us, peacemakers become sons of God themselves.  

 

"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."  Children of God uphold truth, refuse to compromise with the ways of the world, and they give themselves to no other (Matthew 6:24, 33; see 1 Corinthians 6:19-20).  Like Jesus, my study Bible says, these will be persecuted for righteousness' sake (see John 15:18-20).  Christ's kingdom is the crown awaiting the righteous.  

 

 In today's reading we begin what is known as the Sermon on the Mount, which is perhaps the most significant single Scripture passage in which we receive the gospel message of Jesus in "one place," so to speak.  That is, in a single sermon.  The Sermon on the Plain, found in St. Luke's Gospel (Luke 6:17-49), is perhaps the other passage of Scripture in which we find a similar grouping of lessons and teachings on Christ's gospel.  But the Sermon on the Mount is perhaps what we'd call a landmark in New Testament Scripture.  It is the place where Jesus addresses the multitudes and presents His gospel in a fullness not found in a record of a single sermon elsewhere.  Of course, we do not take a single passage of Scripture and expect it to give us the fullness of Christ, His message, and ministry, nor the complete understanding of the Church as to what that means for us and for our spiritual lives and practice of our faith.  However, it's notable that the Sermon on the Mount is given to us so relatively soon in St. Matthew's Gospel, as Jesus has just begun His public ministry, and He's become famous in a rather short period of time.  It's also "early" in St. Matthew's Gospel as a whole.  Here in today's passage we begin with the Beatitudes.  It's possible that these are among the most famous and most quoted teachings of Jesus that we know.  As my study Bible points out, it's important to understand that He's setting out for us what are the blessings of the Kingdom, and what is that "blessed" life He's speaking about.  So often we think about blessings in material terms, but that is not at all the message of these Beatitudes, these blessings that Jesus is teaching us about.  Like so much of the whole of the Bible, and possibly in particular the Old Testament that has come before the New, Jesus' blessings stand the worldly sense of life on its head.  What's exalted on worldly terms is humbled in Christ's terms of blessings, and what is humble in the world's terms is exalted in Christ's teaching.  Jesus teaches that those who are poor in spirit, those who mourn, those who are meek, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, those who are merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, and those persecuted for righteousness' sake are all blessed in His sight, and He gives us the reasons why all of this is true.  We notice how these beatitudes begin and end with the reward of the kingdom of heaven.  As my study Bible puts it, citizenship and belonging in this Kingdom is the crown for those who enter and dwell there.  Lest we misperceive this message, the kingdom of heaven isn't simply an afterlife or a world we might experience after we live our worldly lives.  The kingdom of heaven is one which dwells within us (Luke 17:21).  It's one that grows and expands, and with surprising results and capabilities (Matthew 13:31-32).  It is one that pervades all things and changes their quality (Matthew 13:33).  Additionally, it's a tremendous treasure that's worth the price of everything, and surpasses everything else in quality and preciousness (Matthew 13:44-46).  Moreover, it's one of ultimate discernment, and judgment -- casting all things into their proper places, separating the bad from the good (Matthew 13:47-50).  And, ultimately, the kingdom of heaven is the greatest collection of treasure of all time (Matthew 13:52).  How do we reach and and dwell within this kingdom?  By practicing all the things He says, cultivating all of these qualities He names in today's reading.  We live in a world with tremendous emphasis on the material.  Perhaps in our age we face a great deal more of this emphasis than ever in the past.  Social media tends to amplify the emphasis placed on image, and especially our image within the socially desirable qualities or achievements that are most valued or correspond to social rank.  But Jesus stands all of this on its head, elevating what it is to be poor in spirit, to be meek, to be a peacemaker, to be humble, pure in heart, to deeply desire righteousness before all else, even to be persecuted for one's righteousness.  Those things are a high price to pay within a culture that values material image, status, and social power to the extent that ours does.  But in Christ's words and teachings, the pearl of greatest price -- of highest value -- is life in this kingdom.  And so we find what is worthy of our sacrifice of what's needed in the social order in order to gain what the heart's desire would claim as exaltation and joy that cannot be found otherwise.  This is our choice, and it's the wisdom of life, even our greatest prize.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Beatitudes

And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him.  Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:

"Blessed are the poor in spirit,

For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn,

For they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek,

For they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

For they shall be filled.

Blessed are the merciful,

For they shall obtain mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart,

For they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers,

For they shall be called sons of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake,

For theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

- Matthew 5:1-10

In Saturday's reading, we were told that Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.  Then He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men."  They immediately left their nets and followed Him.  Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee, their father, mending their nets.  He called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.  And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.  Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics, and He healed them.  Great multitudes followed Him -- from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.


And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him.  Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying: . . .  My study bible has notes on today's passage for nearly every verse.  Here, it says, "Seated is the traditional position of Jewish rabbis while teaching.  Some early Christian preachers (St. John Chrysostom, for example) sat, while the people stood.  To understand this sermon is to recognize this Rabbi is the one true Teacher of Israel."

 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."  A note reads, "Blessed in this context indicates heavenly, spiritual blessedness rather than earthly happiness or prosperity.  In Hebrew, 'poor' means both (1) the materially poor and (2) the faithful among God's people.  The poor in spirit, the humble and lowly, have the heart of the poor and their total dependence upon God.  These are truly the 'spiritually rich.'"

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted."  My study bible says, "By means of holy sorrow, we can keep watch over our hearts and learn self-control.  Those who mourn over their sins and the suffering of mankind are genuinely repentant, to be comforted in the new age.  Holy sorrow is part of conversion, the consummation of repentance, the firstfruit of infinite joy.  It is distinguished from ungodly sorrow, a sadness which leads to despair (see 2 Cor. 7:10).  Personally, I think that "mourning" covers a lot of things . Sometimes there are things we lose in life that are precious to us.  But turning to God reveals a better treasure, and comfort -- a different perspective on life that gives us true spiritual gifts for our lives.

"Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth."  My study bible notes here:  "Mourning can extinguish the flame of anger and make a person meek.  Meekness is an attitude of being content with both honor and dishonor.  It is an imitation of Christ who said, 'Learn from Me, for I am gentle [meek] and lowly in heart' (11:29).  The meek are God-controlled, and through their prayers God gives them mastery over their passions -- especially anger.  Meekness is not passive gentleness, but strength under control.  Jesus' promise of future blessings is not for the powerful, the rich and the violent, but for those who are meek and humble:  they will inherit the earth, the new earth which is ever-lasting."  The kind of "meekness" that Jesus is talking about here is centered in a reverence for God and God's will, an acceptance, as my study bible says, even of "dishonor."  This isn't an acceptance of human injustice and bad behavior, but one that places God first in accepting the circumstances in which we find ourselves, and that God is there for us, even if others are not.  There is a way to properly endure and go through those times.  A purely human perspective on "justice" isn't the important thing, but God's perspective on who we can be and become.  It's about caring for the praise of God, more than the praise of men.

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled."  My study bible says, "Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness (Gr. dikaiosune, also translated 'justification') see the presence of God and His Kingdom as the most important thing in their lives (see 6:33)."

"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy."  "Mercy," says my study bible, "is love set in motion, love expressed in action.  God's lovingkindness, His mercy in taking our sufferings upon Himself in order to grant us His Kingdom, sets us free from captivity to the evil one.  In view of God's lovingkindess (Luke 6:36), we in turn are to be merciful to all others."

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."  A note tells us that "to be pure is to be unmixed with anything else.  The pure in heart are devoted to the worship and service of God.  With the aid of the Holy Spirit, they (1) practice all virtue, (2) are not conscious of any evil in themselves, and (3) live in temperance -- a stage of spirituality attained by few in this life.  When the soul is not dominated by sinful passions nor its energy dissipated by the things of this world, its only desire is God.  Then the heart - holding fast to the new life in Christ and contemplating the glory of God (2 Cor. 3:18) - shall see God, through communion with His Son."  To be pure in heart, to my way of thinking, isn't about perfection in some worldly sense of never making a mistake.  It is more about "making your eye [truly] single" (which we'll read in chapter 6), the devotion to God that trumps everything else, even any sacrifice we'd make for this love.

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God."  My study bible says, "Being Himself the source of peace, the Son of God found no price sufficient for peace but that of shedding His own blood.  In doing so, Christ reveals Himself to us as the Reconciler, the Prince of Peace (Is. 9:6; Eph. 2:14-16).  The Holy Spirit gives peace, the sign of God's presence, to those who meditate on Christ and imitate Him.  Peace brings communion with God and concord with all creation, the sign of our sanctity.  Thus, peacemakers share God's peace with those around them, participating in the work of God's Son and becoming, by God's grace, sons of God themselves."  A peacemaker is also someone who is reconciled within themselves; as one dictionary puts it, a person who "bravely declares God's terms which makes someone whole."  This is the "peace" that is shared with others.  This noun for peacemaker (Gr. eirinopoios) seems to be coined for this verse, and is found only here.  Its ending suggests a peace-creator, someone who "makes peace," a true work.

"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for their is the kingdom of heaven."  A note says, "Children of God uphold God's truth and refuse to compromise with the ways of the world.  They give themselves to no other (6:24, 33; 1 Cor. 6:19-20).  It is not surprising then that they, like Jesus, should be persecuted for righteousness' sake.  for Christ's kingdom is the crown awaiting the righteous."

In some sense, what we read in the Beatitudes, these first verses of the Sermon on the Mount, reflects Mary's song at the Annunciation, otherwise known as the Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55).  (We also reflected on this in the previous reading, on Saturday, as Jesus chose the unlikely for the mission of Apostleship.)    In the beginning of her song, Mary also proclaims herself to be "blessed."  We know her life will be one of hardship for this mission, of great distress and suffering.  Yet, what she proclaims is God's lovingkindess or mercy, and the surprising nature of God's work:  God lifts up the lowly, scatters the proud in their conceit.  "He has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted the lowly.  He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent away empty."  So today, we read in Jesus' most famous sermon, these beginning declarations of Blessings, seemingly contradictory:  those who mourn will be comforted, the meek will inherit the earth, the pure in heart will see God (in contrast those who scheme for themselves as they flatter those with power), the poor who have the Kingdom of God, those who hunger and thirst and who will be filled, the peacemakers who are the true sons of the Most High God, and those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, who also inherit the greatest kingdom.  These are the things we take with us, even as Mary's song is in a certain sense a reflection of other songs of other women in Jewish history, such as Hannah, the mother of Samuel.  Mother's Day was yesterday, and I invite everyone to think about mothers and sons, how Mary's song reflects themes in her Son's preaching, and consider how this human woman contributed to Jesus' persona, and the nurturing of the God-man who is our Savior, both divine and human, even as He grew as a human child.  Clearly, the lessons of God's great power to lift up the lowly are here, but also there is so much more:  the promise of the divine Kingdom, a heavenly life here in this world, the presence of this Kingdom in which we may participate and know is with us, right here and right now, even as He promises what is to come with its ultimate fulfillment.  Let us think about the divine insight in these words, the Kingdom inaugurated by Christ in His human incarnation in this world.  Let us consider the one chosen to be His human mother, and the heart that made her fitting and right for this particular Son.  How do we play our role in this Kingdom, whatever is chosen for us?

When you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just

 Then He also said to him who invited Him, "When you give a dinner or a supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid.  But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind.  And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just." 

Now when one of those who sat at the table with Him heard these things, he said to Him, "Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God!"  Then He said to him, "A certain man gave a great supper and invited many, and sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were invited, 'Come, for all things are now ready.'   But they all with one accord began to make excuses.  The first said to him, 'I have bought a piece of ground, and I must go and see it.  I ask you to have me excused.'  And another said, 'I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them.  I ask you have me excused.'  Still another said, 'I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.'  So that servant came and reported these things to his master.  Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind.'  And the servant said, 'Master, it is done as you commanded, and still there is room.'  Then the master said to the servant, 'Go out into the highways and hedges and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.  For I say to you that none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper.' "

- Luke 14:12-24

On Saturday, we read that Jesus had been invited to dine on the Sabbath in the house of a ruler of the Pharisees.   All there watched Him very closely.  There was a certain man before Him who had dropsy.  And Jesus, answering, spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?"  But they kept silent.  And He took him and healed him, and let him go.  Then He answered them, saying, "Which of you, having a donkey or an ox that has fallen into a pit, will not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day?"  And they could not answer Him regarding these things.  o He told a parable to those who were invited, when He noted how they chose the best places, saying to them:  "When you are invited by anyone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in the best place, lest one more honorable than you be invited by him; and he who invited you and him come and say to you, 'Give place to this man,' and then you begin with shame to take the lowest place.  But when you are invited, go and sit down in the lowest place, so that when he who invited you comes he may say to you, 'Friend, go up higher.'  Then you will have glory in the presence of those who sit at the table with you.  For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

  Then He also said to him who invited Him, "When you give a dinner or a supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid.  But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind.  And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just."  My study bible says, "This story of God's compassion toward the poor appears only in Luke.  To share hospitality with the needy is to imitate God's love which welcomes the lowly into the banquet of His Kingdom."  I find often that Jesus presents this kind of equation to us, that what we are willing to forgo in daily or worldly life in service to Him, the Father who sees in secret will repay us.  Here, we are speaking of the justice in including those who cannot repay us in life at our table, our feast, and of course this can be a metaphor for so many things.

Now when one of those who sat at the table with Him heard these things, he said to Him, "Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God!"  My study bible says, "This is an inspirational, although little-known, beatitude.  The purpose of life is to join in the sharing of bread in the kingdom of God, a partaking of the eternal love of God."  And we note here that we are in the territory of blessings, of beatitudes:  Jesus' first statement is that those who invite the outsiders to the banquet, those who cannot repay, are blessed for doing so.  Here, the blessing is to eat bread in the kingdom!  Of course, the resurrection of the just in the earlier verse alludes to the same blessing.

Then He said to him, "A certain man gave a great supper and invited many, and sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were invited, 'Come, for all things are now ready.'   But they all with one accord began to make excuses.  The first said to him, 'I have bought a piece of ground, and I must go and see it.  I ask you to have me excused.'  And another said, 'I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them.  I ask you have me excused.'  Still another said, 'I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.' "  We see illustrated here the business of the world, all the affairs with which we are constantly busy in living our lives, building up what we value, and need, and what we think is necessary.  But Jesus calls us into that question of just exactly what is truly necessary.  There are all kinds of reasons to be excused; excuses for which to put off this work of the banquet.

So that servant came and reported these things to his master.  Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind.'  And the servant said, 'Master, it is done as you commanded, and still there is room.'  Then the master said to the servant, 'Go out into the highways and hedges and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.  For I say to you that none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper.' "  My study bible notes, "This parable exemplifies God's Kingdom, imaged in the ministry of Christ and later in the Church.  The Kingdom is filled with outcasts and Gentiles, while the unresponsive privileged guests shut themselves out with their excuses."  As we note, there is a kind of exchange here; not only are those who make time and effort for those who cannot repay blessed by God in the Kingdom, but those invited to this banquet who fail to make time for the Kingdom in order to pursue blessings in another way will not be blessed in that Kingdom.

We deal with equations often in the Gospels, the kinds of equations Jesus uses.  Often they have to do with a sort of exchange, like, for instance, the exchange of forgiveness -- we give up the "debts" of others to God, so that our justice and reward is in the hands of God.  So, here, Jesus illustrates through parables another kind of exchange or equation of something worldly for something eternal and heavenly.  Perhaps there is none (in terms of equations or exchanges) so vividly and specifically illustrated as the parables in which Jesus focuses on a kind of justice that acknowledges more than meets the eye, that intangible and unseen thing we sacrifice in order to be blessed by God:  forgoing payback by someone who can reward us in this life, the social status we might have attained, the profit we hoped to gain.  Jesus offers us in exchange the Kingdom, a working out of God's law in our lives.  It's similar to the parables He's told about those who give a mere cup of water to one of His children, and it's the same effect as giving one to Him.  In this cosmic/worldly exchange system we acknowledge one thing very powerfully, and that is God's economy.  It's the one where the exchange is something more than currency on worldly terms; it's a currency that crosses boundaries and dimensions, classes, social circles, and even the laws of physics.  It's the currency of the Kingdom that is distributed through the Holy Spirit, through Christ and the Father, and in ways we can't know or determine but we are quite tangibly promised!  So how do you go about making this exchange in your life?  Do you recognize its currency?