jn_en_2020_01_15
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mental processing. One two three, the group, the rest. | mental processing. One two three, the group, the rest. | ||
+ | It is very interesting to observe the role of ranking. People get into jobs, because they have been | ||
+ | ranked top in some selection list. People get invitations, | ||
+ | get particular attention and acknowledgement, | ||
+ | depend strongly on the ranking mechanisms. And it is everywhere. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Of course, we all know that the ranking is only looking at one particular talent or ability. We all have | ||
+ | our friends, we all know how it is when we love someone. We forget the ranking. We forget the talent. | ||
+ | We might love this or that particular strength, but usually when it comes to love and friendship, we | ||
+ | are no longer bound to the particular talent of a person, but we love the person itself, his or her | ||
+ | character, him just as he is, her just as she is. Love does not make talent useless, but it puts it | ||
+ | into place. Love is more than talent. | ||
+ | |||
+ | And I have another proposition. All people have their particular talent. They all have their particular | ||
+ | combination of strength and abilities. For some the combination is one highly prominent talent. For | ||
+ | others it is a combination, | ||
+ | Some might be good in admiring others. They give love and acknowledgement to others. Some do not | ||
+ | forget things which need to be done. They take care, they do not forget people, they remember problems. | ||
+ | There are so many talents which are very valuable, but rarely in our public league tables of special | ||
+ | talents! We should open our eyes to the full breadth of talent, which is needed for our community. | ||
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** Jesus' Ranking ... ** | ** Jesus' Ranking ... ** | ||
+ | There is another important point. Jesus is changing our rankings. When you read the gospels, you find | ||
+ | his monumental speech given on the mount, see Matthew 5-7. It starts with a revolution, with changing | ||
+ | the ranking mechanism we usually work with. Read it, Jesus says: | ||
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+ | Jesus talks a lot about the kingdom of heaven. He talks about the community with God, the creator, the | ||
+ | beginning and the end. The kingdom of heaven is a term pointing to the original and eternal community | ||
+ | with the God who made all what is. This community is described as good, as holy, as full of truth, | ||
+ | love, faithfulness and purity. Blessing points to everything which comes from the eternal heavenly | ||
+ | community. Heaven points to God who is beyond our world. This location is not within our world, but | ||
+ | far away. At the same time, God is there in the middle of our world. He came as a human | ||
+ | in Jesus. And he wants to have community with us through the Holy Spirit. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Our ranking is not valid when it comes to God. Who is able to get into the community with God? We are | ||
+ | not getting there by our talent. We do not get there by our achievement. We do not get into this | ||
+ | community by using our money, or our fame, or our status. All of this does not help us. | ||
+ | But being poor before God, being poor in spirit, that is the starting point to address him. He made | ||
+ | everything anyway. Being poor in spirit means that we acknowledge that all talent is merely a present | ||
+ | and gift of the most high. We have nothing we could give to buy anything from him. But we can receive | ||
+ | his love, his truth, his mercy. We can acknowledge him as the creator, as the origin and purpose of | ||
+ | the creation. Here, when we start to look at him as those who are poor indeed, we find an open door to | ||
+ | enter his community. It is the door he created in Jesus. | ||
+ | This door can be yours and it can be mine today and each and every minute. | ||
(Roland Potthast) | (Roland Potthast) | ||
jn_en_2020_01_15.1579070982.txt.gz · Last modified: 2020/01/15 07:49 by potthast