Hebrew prophets called Israel back to faithful living by bringing covenant lawsuit against them on behalf of God.  Isaiah, Jeremiah—most of the prophets—metaphorically hauled the kings, the nobles, the Temple religious elite, the rank and file ordinary citizen into court, telling them where they fell short in living as God intended them to live.  Not because God needed anything from them, but because by living faithfully, their lives were fuller and more abundant.  In these prophetic lawsuits, God is judge.  God is also plaintiff (the injured party), prosecutor, defense attorney, jury, and executioner.  When the Messiah finally appears, he’s the bond agent and then he serves the sentence on behalf of the accused.  Us.  The lawsuit continues.  In fact, court is now in session.  [Bang!]  The Creator versus The Church People.  Prosecutor, read the charges.

Prosecutor:  Plaintiff charges that the Accused did maliciously fail to live—

Defense [quickly]:  Objection, Your Honor!  Not “maliciously.”  The Accused has no other recourse, as humans, than to fail.

Judge:  Sustained.  Strike “maliciously.”

Prosecutor [sighing]:  Very well.  Plaintiff charges that the Accused did . . . fail to live in accordance with the conditions spelled out in the Beatitudes of Matthew 5:1-12, hereinafter known as Beatitude Living.

Judge:  Surely not all of the Beatitudes, Prosecutor?

Prosecutor:  As the Law stands, if the Accused fails in one Beatitude, the condition of Beatitudes Living has not been accomplished.
 
Judge:  Surely we are not going to hear evidence on all ten Beatitudes?

Prosecutor [sighing]:  All right.  Just the four under consideration today.  Those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, the merciful, pure in heart, and peacemakers.

Judge:  Proceed with the evidence, Prosecutor.

Prosecutor:  Your Honor, the Accused are impossible to buy Christmas gifts for.  Not only do they have everything they need, what they want they immediately get.  They do not put off the acquisition of material goods, the consumption of food or beverage, the engaging in any activity.  And they do it to excess.
 
Judge:  Tsk.  This is no crime.  It’s not even a misdemeanor!

Prosecutor:  By so doing, Your Honor, the Accused does not experience the heightened sense of taste that comes of fasting, nor do they stand in solidarity with those who hunger and go without.

Judge:  You’ve got a point.  What do you say, Counselor?

Defense:  Your Honor, it’s Lent.  Many of The Church People have given up things for Lent.  Chocolate.  Television (except for the news).  Some have even given up shopping and fancy drinks at Starbucks.

Judge:  I see your point, Counselor, but in what of substance have the Accused fasted, something that would cause them to stand in solidarity with those who suffer? 

Defense [pondering]:  There is the custom of the One Great Hour of Sharing offering during Lent, wherein children (and even some adults) daily put coins into cardboard fish banks as they learn about those around the world who go without.

Judge:  Laudable.  Prosecutor, the next Beatitude.
Prosecutor:  The Church People overlook wrong-doing, as if it’s mercy, so that they won’t be called on the carpet. 

Defense:  A weak argument, Your Honor.  You have noted in previous hearings that this is the only tit-for-tat Beatitude.  Just the other day, I saw a woman of limited means drop all of her grocery money at the store and not notice until the checkout counter, by which time the money had been lost.  She is on Social Security, has a sick husband, and had no means of making up the cost of the groceries until next month.  All her life this woman had fed other hungry people, going without to give away to others. 

Judge:  Get to the point, Counselor.

Defense:  As she stood in line, weeping at her loss, total strangers reached in their pockets to pay for her groceries.  What goes around comes around.  Mercy for mercy.

Judge:  Hmm.  Let’s move on, Prosecutor.  What else do you have? 

Prosecutor:  The Accused overbooks their calendar. 

Judge:  Hardly a criminal offense, Presecutor.

Prosecutor:  The Accused takes on more projects than they can complete, embracing every great new opportunity, even before completing the previous one.

Judge [sarcastically]:  Heinous.  Are you telling me The Church People are spreading themselves too thin?  We’ve got a whole world to save out there!

Prosecutor:  Yes, Your Honor.

Judge [light dawning]:  Ah, the old “busy, busy, busy” excuse, a responsibility avoidance ploy.  I seem to recall Jesus pointing this out to Martha of Bethany.

Defense:  Your Honor, even Jesus didn’t eliminate global hunger; he only fed one crowd.  Even Jesus didn’t eliminate disease and disability; he cured people one by one.

Prosecutor [throat clearing]:  Finally, Your Honor, have you noticed how many wars are fought in Your Name?  

Judge [exasperated]:  Religious wars have been around since the beginning of time, Prosecutor.  I fail to see The Church People taking the fall for all of them.

Prosecutor [smug]: Because, Your Honor.  It is fitting because Jesus told them to be peacemakers. Every time they fight a war claiming “God is on our side,” they undermine his message.

Defense [sharp outrage]:  Objection, Your Honor!  There is real evil in the world!  Surely my colleague is not asking the Accused to accept injustice.  Peacemaking is caring for the most vulnerable, feeding the hungry, visiting the sick and imprisoned, working for fairness, even if it means taking risking hurt oneself.

Prosecutor [dismissive]:  Mere words, Your Honor.  My colleague hides behind abstractions.  The Accused fought the Crusades.

Defense [one-uppping]:  Your Honor, if peacemaking is learning to see from your enemy’s point of view, consider the many Church People engaged in inter-faith conversations with Jews and Muslims.

Judge:  Oh, stop quibbling!  There is sufficient evidence for a decision at this point.  The Accused is guilty as charged.  [Cheer from Prosecutor]  Before you rejoice too heartily, Prosecutor, I remind you that the Accused is human.  Humans are not cell phones.  Everyone knows that cell phone batteries last longer if they are allowed to run down before recharging.  For some reason I don’t need to explain (because I am the Creator and not a techno-geek), a cell phone battery that is not allowed to completely discharge wears out more quickly.  Humans are not cell phones.  It is in the nature of being human to fail, so failure at Beatitude Living is in the nature of being human.  However, not being cell phones, humans will last longer if their batteries are replenished as they go along.  On a physical level this means daily meals, sleep periods, liquids.  On a spiritual level, the Accused will find themselves failing less at Beatitude Living if they are continuously plugged in to the Power Source, rather than allowing their batteries to run to empty.

Therefore, I sentence the Accused to daily re-charging at the Beatitude Power Source, namely Jesus the Christ.  Guilty as charge, they are “condemned” to a lifetime of hungering and thirsting for righteousness, of showing and receiving mercy, of pursuing one right thing, of making peace.  Case dismissed.  Now, get back to work!