Odds are your classroom is covered in hearts right now. They might be hanging from your ceiling. They are probably scattered throughout your weekly newsletter. Who knows? Maybe you even have them on your classroom windows.

Love is in the air! The hearts are wonderful. The treats are delicious. The parties are fun. This time of year is exciting to celebrate.

When we teach our students about love, we inevitably teach them John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” and 1 John 4:19 “We love because he first loved us”. There are other “love” passages from the Bible that we might memorize with our class as well, but the verse for today, might not be the first one to come to mind.
“Blessed are those whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the LORD.” Psalm 119:1.

Sometimes when we think of the law, we don’t always think of it as loving. When we have this mindset, we miss out on the wonderful privileges that are attached with keeping the law. The law keeps us close to God. It keeps us on the straight and narrow path to righteousness.

When we present our classroom rules at the beginning of the year, they are not to frustrate or make things difficult for our students. No, they are to keep things running smoothly, and make our classroom safe, and to allow us to have fun with each other as we learn.

“Walking in the way of the Lord” can be difficult to do, due to our sinful nature, but “blessed are those whose ways are blameless”. The word translated “blameless” here actually means “complete”. The psalmist is talking about a person who is completely dedicated to the Lord, a person who has fully surrendered themselves to God. In that there is great blessing because we know a life of complete surrender is a life that relies totally on God and his mercy.

That mercy of God, given to us in Christ, is what calls us to love as we walk in his ways. His forgiveness moves us past our failures and renews us to take up the call to love. Our complete surrender leads us to call on God for help even as we encourage our students to do the same. For he loves them and he hears their cries to him.

So let’s joyfully take up the task!

There’s a building on the campus of UC San Diego that looks completely upside-down. UC San Diego has a highly respected school of engineering. The campus library structure is an inverted pyramid. To the novice like you and me, that building makes no sense. It’s a feat of engineering skill and knowledge. (To see the building, search for UC San Diego Geisel Library. It was named for Theodore Geisel who you may know as Dr. Suess.) For the visitor to campus, it’s a must see.

Today’s short reading is from the beginning of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. It comes from the section called The Beatitudes. Each of the eight statements begins with the words, “Blessed are…”. The statements continue with words such a poor in spirit, mourn, meek, hunger and thirst for righteousness, merciful, pure in heart, peacemakers, persecuted. What a mix of ideas! As we consider them, you and I would likely strive to be merciful, pure in heart, a peacemaker. Those are qualities that are admired and respected. As we look at other statements, you and I might wonder what is meant.

For today, let’s focus on the first one—poor in spirit. Why would being poor in spirit be a blessing? This phrase is not referencing someone who is like Eeyore. It’s not talking about someone who is constantly walking around dejected and gloomy. The poor in spirit are those who recognize their own weaknesses and sinfulness. They know that on their own, they can do nothing about their sin. No matter how hard one might work, the perfection that God demands is never attainable. God demands one hundred percent perfection. We are able to provide zero. This doesn’t make us blessed, but God’s grace does. In our weakness we realize our desperate need for a Savior. Through faith God gives us the credit for Jesus’ perfection. The peace of forgiveness and the promise of heaven is ours because of Jesus’ perfect life, his death, and his resurrection. What a blessing!

For us, that’s upside-down thinking. The perfect one, Jesus, pays for the sins of the imperfect, ours. We, the poor in spirit sinners, become rich in God’s mercy. We are blessed beyond words. The Beatitudes are words of comfort and encouragement for the Christian. May the Lord continue to bless each of you as you grow in faith and in the knowledge of God’s grace for us.

One of the things that children love in just about any generation is a hero or superhero. Such people or characters have qualities that can lead to extraordinary acts of heroism. Supernatural strength and superpowers save the day against all odds.

Our reading today talks about Jesus, the one who is above and beyond any superhero we could ever imagine. John the Baptist sees Jesus walking past and says, “Look, the Lamb of God.” But wait. The Lamb? Of all the images in the world, a lamb? That doesn’t sound like a Savior or a superhero. Yes. A lamb.

When we think of a lamb, words like soft, sweet, gentle come to mind. Stuffed animals or a picturesque field with rolling grass and a quiet stream come to mind. If danger crawls into the picture, it’s the shepherd who comes to the rescue, not a mild-mannered lamb.

The lamb had significant meaning for God’s people. In the Old Testament, a lamb was used in sacrifices. The priest would use a lamb that didn’t have any spots or blemishes and sacrifice it on behalf of the sins of the people. The perfect lamb, who had no responsibility for the sins of the people, was offered on behalf of them. God is the one who told the people to do so, and God was pleased with the offering of a lamb. For centuries, this was the custom.

So, when John said to two of his disciples, “Look, the Lamb of God.”, they would have thought of the sacrificed lambs and the promised Messiah. God had promised that one day a Savior would come to take away their sins. Now, here they were, witnessing the promised Lamb. What a stunning moment!
That Lamb is Jesus, our Savior. The gentle, meek one, who without resistance and completely willing took our place. He was the sacrifice that we needed. He lived a perfect life. He lived among us and faced all the trials and temptations that we do. He kept every law of God perfectly. And then, after living that perfect life, he was crucified for us. He truly is the Lamb of God.

Our lives are full of blessings and challenges. Each day we struggle with our sin. We all have guilt with which we wrestle, things that can make us anxious or fearful, discouraged or disappointed. But with hearts of faith, we too can encourage each other to look at the Lamb of God. Our sins are covered by him and our Savior knows and understands our challenges. We can go to him with all our troubles knowing he hears with understanding and is eager to help out of a love for us that is beyond understanding.

Superheroes can be fun. Their amazing feats of bravery and strength make us want to cheer. None can compare with our Lamb of God. Look to him and be reminded of the peace we have with God because of him.