Here he is—God
sitting on a hill
men and women looking at him
waiting.
It’s his opening class,
as it were,
his very first public lecture,
the launch of his ministry.
“He began to teach them”
—God begins to teach us
in a human voice,
face to face.
And how does he start?
What does God say, first?
Blessed are the poor in spirit
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
If you are here looking at me
says Jesus
and think I would never pick you,
because of what you know
about yourself:
how unqualified you are
how unfit
how inadequate
for God.
Think again.
What you know
about everything
is barely anything.
You can’t see
the shining kingdom
that fills the hills around you
like chariots of fire,
like a sparkling stream in a blazing desert,
like a world aflame with glory.
You can’t hear its song.
But it’s more real
than what you do see.
And God, the King
wants to share it.
He is looking
for those who think
he’s not looking for them
—who think he
would never go looking
for them.
He is.
In fact, he won’t share his kingdom
with anyone
but them.
And that
is one of the first things
God on the hill
wants us to know.
It’s okay to be who you are.
God’s not looking for heroes.
He is hero enough
for all of us.
Lorrie Spinney 