Few things are as polarizing as the Sermon on the Mount. We either want to embrace it as the heavenly picture of how we truly ought to be, or we want to repel it as some unreachable judgment on which once and for all reveals how dreadfully out of touch Jesus of Nazareth was with humanity.

In Dallas Willard’s amazing book The Divine Conspiracy he helps re-imagine the Sermon on the Mount. His take is that Jesus isn’t imposing a new, intensely more severe pathway to God that we could never reach, but rather, He’s simply shining a light on the way it is when God’s rule finds its way into the here and now. Jesus calls it the Kingdom of God, or the Kingdom of the heavens. Here’s how I read Matthew 5:3-12 in this light…

The crowds gathered and Jesus, sensing a teachable moment sat down and called His disciples to Him. Seeing those He had called and those who were willing to gather – fishermen, blue-collar working stiffs, the marginalized of society – He started to teach about the Kingdom where God’s rule is the present reality.

He said, ” In this world we walk around in, don’t be mistaken, the ones who are blessed are ones who spiritual bank account is absolutely empty. They’re absolutely poverty stricken in spiritual matters, but they’re blessed because even right here today God’s Kingdom has come to them (He said that knowing that He was proof of what He was talking about).

When you go around and you encounter those who are mourning, don’t be overwhelmed with grief and hopelessness, the blessing of God is on them as they find comfort in Him.

You’ll walk right by the timid ones who are quietly trying not to be noticed, never making a stir. Pay attention over the long haul and you’ll see that in the Kingdom economy, the timid and mousy ones are blessed as the Father is plased to bequeath all cration on them, just as a gift.

There are some who are trying and failing to some degree or other to make it with their own goodness. They care about what God says is right and wrong. Some are tangled in a web of self-righteousness and some can hardly lift their heads from guilt & shame. Still, they want wants important to God (They may be misguided, but it makes no difference to the Father) and so god calls them the blessed ones because He’s made provision for what they want most.

You say that you’ve got to look out for #1, and make sure everyone gets theirs. God says the ones who give a hand up to the down and out are the ones who truly receive blessing and live blessed.The day is coming and has come already when those will be shown mercy above and beyond what you can imagine.

You know that guy who you snicker at? Well, the one you call a prude and uptight and holy roller, from my perspective and the way Father sees it, that guy has paid a huge price, so the King bestows great blessing on him. He, in his purity, gazes into the very face of the King.

The ones who build bridges instead fo picking sides, their blessing is that they are heirs by birth, children of the Royal Family.

Then there are some who pay a higher price. Some are beaten and whipped, made fun of, cast out and utterly reviled. Those will experience things that you can’t even imagine because of me. Trust me when I say those, like the spiritually bankrupt, my father will bless with the Keys to the Kingdom.

This is countercultural stuff. It’s not a matter of doing these things, it’s a matter of letting them be a part of you. It’s realizing that even when others cursed you and your condition because of what comes from following me, you’re in good company. the greatest of men and women, the very heralds of God received the same. Rest assured, God see’s blessing differently. You are of a coming Kingdom. Learn to see it and live within it…”

So, how then shall we live? Twenty-first century realities reach and stretch and try with all their might to reduce this message to irrelevance. More than that, society as a whole has rejected much of what Jesus seemed to teach. Granted, it’s a difficult pill to swallow.

Time keeps coming, and we’ve got to choose how we’re going to face it. Culture stands, a fortress on the horizon, and on the hill above is a dying man, beaten and whipped by a mighty government system and a well entrenched secular and religious culture.

We all have chosen and continue to chose the lenses through which we interpret the world and what happens in it. My hope is to see and discuss what the world could look like through lenses where blessing is pronounced upon the least of these.

Most things in life rise and fall on leadership. Concepts like “facism” are most easily linked with names like Mussolini. It’s a simple enough concept that most things will tend toward the status quo, especially when there’s authority or power involved. I work in the non-profit world of churches. The great reality is that a church begins it’s descent into irrelevance exactly at it’s pinnacle. All of a sudden, there is something to lose. At that moment, things begin to deteriorate. You may not notice it for a bit, but it’s coming.

There has been s a vacuum of leadership in conservative circles of the Republican party for years. My guess is that it started to happen sometime around 1998, with a brief respite of decline around the beginning of 2002. Gingrich and associates rallied the country against the onslaught of Clintonian liberalism with their contract with America. When 9/11 came, the country again rallied around our conservative leader in an impressive show of solidarity against the world.

In the elections of 2004, there was no impetus for change at the organizational level (the RNC) because we had an incumbent in office during war time. The Republicans solidified their control of the House and Senate but the grand unraveling was on the horizon. By 2006, the tide was beginning to turn. Under the leadership of rebuffed presidential candidate Howard Dean, the Democrats mounted an impressive overthrow that came to full fruition just a few days ago. The RNC should have seen the signs and retooled the machine in 2006. The fact that they didn’t indicates… a lack of leadership.

This years defeats have proved too much to swallow for the Republicans. RNC chairman Mike Duncan appears to be on his way out, and it seems that there are 3 names apparently in the running.

1. Newt Gingrich:   Probably the most well known name among the three horses in the race. Newt’s rise to fame came as the author and primary mover behind the “Contract with America” that helped the Republican’s regain control of the House. Because of the overwhelming success of the Contract, Newt was elected Speaker of the House. Newt resigned from the Speakership and the House just days after the 1998 mid-term election. Newt is currently the founder and chairman of  American Solutions. Newt is a proven successful conservative with new ideas, and instant name recognition.
2. Michael Steele:   The formere Lt. Governor of Maryland, Steele is currently the President of GOPAC. Steele was the first African American to serve in a state wide office in Maryland and when he became Lt. Governor, he was the highest ranking African American in the United States. Steele failed to capture a seat in the U.S. Senate, losing to Democrat Ben Cardin. Steele has risen through the conservative ranks as a conservative African American, and as an excellent public speaker who gave the Republican response to Barak Obama’s keynote speech from the DNC.
3. Chip Saltsman:  Most recently, Chip was the campaign manager for Mike Huckabee’s presidential campaign. Prior to that, he was head of the GOP in Tennesee and helped keep TN “in the red” (politically speaking) against Al Gore in 2000.

So… what? First, I like Newt. I think he’s a true conservative who knows how to win elections. He’s a proven leader who’s had time to grow and age from his mistakes in the late ’90’s. Granted, I know significantly more about him than I do the others.

Still, we have to figure out if this is important. If it’s not important for the broad masses, then it’s probalby not that important in reality. I’m encouraged for a couple of reasons…

• Change is coming – I can’t believe I said it. If you’ve wondered how in the world a liberal like Obama could be elected, unfortunately I think we have to begin searching at home. I’m encouraged because it seems that “the party” is taking notice. Each of these is a tried and true conservative. I see these names as indication that we’ll be moving back to where we’ve come from.
• We have something to talk about – I spoke with a lady this weekend who is certain that God has forsaken America and we are on the fast track to Cuban communism. Take heart, don’t be afraid… be proactive. We lost this election because we lost the battle for values and ideas. We lost this election because Barak Obama was able to connect with a center-right population. We can begin talking about conservative values again, we can begin the discourse and we can claim what seems to be the hot button issue… change.

There is hope on the horizon, but a new national chairman is hardly the sexy thing that will win back seats in 2010. What will win back seats is you and I getting the people we know to believe that America can be great again. Not the America in Washington D.C., but the America in the middle states. It’s up to us. Start talking to people you know who voted for Obama. Find out why. Engage in civil discourse. Use all the tools at your disposal. Start a blog, join facebook, volunteer at your local GOP office… just do something.

You don’t have to bear the burden yourself, and even if you don’t feel like you know everything… you know something. Talk about that and learn about the rest. If you have questions, ask them here. I’ll do the legwork and let you know what I find out. Share your stories of what you’re seeing, who you’re talking with and where it’s going.

We’ve got some work to do. We oughta start right now. Let’s go.

*NOTE: it seems that the field has narrowed.