During the summer, I have been thinking a great deal about the Beatitudes, the opening statements of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew, Chapter 5. In many ways, these statements are the bedrock attitudes of the Christian faith. I think we tend to give lip service to them but often do not understand them.

In previous weeks, I have talked about "the poor in spirit...the truly humble", and "those who mourn... able to empathize with the pain of another."

Today is "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." Let's look at three words, "blessed,"  "meek," and "inherit."

The Greek word for "blessed" means "joyous, spiritually prosperous, life of joy, finding satisfaction in God's favor." It is more than happy, more than joyful. Often they are for the moment... blessed is for the long haul. It is that inner spiritual connectedness that sustains us through the good and the bad; the light and the dark; the fulfilling and the empty. It is that essential oneness with God.

We do not like the word "meek" in our culture. It suggests weakness, sadness, powerlessness, almost non existence. However it is not that in the Bible. It is letting go of narcissistic importance in the presence of God's greatness. There is no need to call attention to self... what matters is giving and loving. It is the opposite of aggressive... not harsh, not self assertive. It is concerned with duty, not the claiming of rights. It is working in quiet godliness, not calling attention to self. It is openly giving of one's self and therefor being open to life.

But it is more than that. It does not need to own and control. It appreciates and relates. My mother in law was an extraordinary person. She loved nature, beauty, mountains, flowers. She had no need to own it... to cut the flowers and bring them home; or to put a fence around her flower garden. It was all God's gift to her which she openly shared with all. You see, owning, controlling, holding are products of our culture, and tend to give us tunnel vision.

To inherit the earth is now. Not future. Not inheritance in the sense of ownership. To inherit the earth is to stand on the south rim of the Grand Canyon totally unable to take it all in. It is a flock of migrating butterflies stopping for the night in a maple tree appearing to add a thousand additional leaves to the tree.  It is the innocent, blue eyed smiling face of a one year old. It is the giant ball of brilliant red sun against the backdrop of purple clouds slowly lowering itself into Cape Cod Bay.

You see, the "meek" really see the world. It is my prayer that as you walk through this summer, you will truly see the world that God has prepared for you.