blessed are the troublemakers

Dear Milo,

I took this picture of you the other day.

You look adorable. But I started to think. If peace signs are "cool," cool enough to put on baby onesies & baby hats, then I'm not sure we're teaching you the right things. Because, Milo, being a peacemaker is so much more than wearing a peace sign.

A few weeks ago I went to church without you & the sermon was about the Beatitudes. You're too little right now, but some day Mama will teach you about the Beatitudes. Because they might be one of my favorite parts of the Bible.

The sermon was good, but something that was said during the children's moment has really bothered me. I'm not trying to pick on the person who did the children's moment. After all, talking about things in the Bible in a way that kids can understand them is really, really hard to do.

The thing that bothered me is that, when explaining the beatitude "blessed are the peacemakers," the kids were told that this means God likes it when we don't cause trouble.

And it got me thinking.

I started thinking about peacemakers. The ones I've read about & the ones I know personally. And, Milo, I think almost every single peacemaker who came to mind has been arrested. Maybe not all of them, but most of them. Not because they are bad people, but because they were, indeed, causing trouble.

You see, Milo, there are lots & lots of things in our world that aren't right. There are lots of things that are unfair. And sometimes, in order to make things fair, in order to make things right, you have to cause a little trouble. And the reason the Beatitudes are so ridiculous is because Jesus is saying the very opposite of what the storyteller during the children's moment was saying. Jesus says "blessed are the peacemakers," but he really means, "blessed are the people who get in trouble trying to make things fair."

Before you were born, Mama & two of her friends went to the Sea of Galilee & climbed up Mt. Beatitude. Here is Mama on Mt. Beatitude:

It was really special to be at the Sea of Galilee & to be in the place where Jesus said, "blessed are the peacemakers." But, Milo, being there was scary. We went there to be with people who get in lots & lots of trouble because they are trying to make things more fair. We even got into some trouble ourselves. It is hard, hard work to be a peacemaker, Milo.

In a few weeks, you will be baptized. Mama & Daddy will stand up with you at the front of the church & present you for baptism. Your grandparents will be there, too. And then the pastor will baptize you with water that Mama collected from the Sea of Galilee.

I still remember taking off my shoes & socks, wading out into the chilly water, leaning over & collecting water from the Sea in an empty water bottle. I didn't have you yet, but I was hoping for you.

And I still hope for you, Milo. I hope that, on the day of your baptism, you will know that you are loved. I hope you will grow up confident in your identity as a child of God. And, I hope you will always remember the water that baptized you. The water that holds the whispers of a promise...

Blessed are the troublemakers, for they shall be called the children of God...

Love,

Mama