“Jesus came down with them and stood on a level place.”

That’s where Luke’s gospel begins this powerful teaching—not on a mountaintop removed from reality, not in the temple behind sacred walls, but down on level ground. Jesus descended to stand with the disciples, with the crowd, with ordinary people like you and me.

In the teachings of Jesus on Level Ground, we find powerful insights about love and community.

This moment reflects the essence of Jesus on Level Ground, where love and community thrive among all people.

This detail matters more than we might think.

Jesus Meets Us Where We Are

The scene in Luke 6 is chaotic, messy, and beautifully real. A great crowd has gathered from all over Judea, from Jerusalem, from the coastal cities of Tyre and Sidon. Some came to hear Jesus teach. Others came desperate for healing. People pressed in just to touch him because power was flowing from him.

And right there—in the middle of the noise and need—Jesus plants his feet and begins to teach about the kingdom of God.

In this context, Jesus on Level Ground challenges us to reconsider our assumptions and embrace one another.

But notice how he starts. He doesn’t speak about “them”—those poor people over there, those hungry folks you read about, someone else’s tears. Instead, Jesus looks directly at his disciples and speaks in the second person: “Blessed are YOU.”

The Beatitudes That Bless and Challenge

“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.”

Then come the woes—equally direct, equally uncomfortable:

“But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. Woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry. Woe to you who are laughing now, for you will mourn and weep.”

Let us recognise that being on Level Ground with Jesus invites us to share both blessings and burdens.

It feels like Jesus is drawing battle lines, dividing people into categories: the blessed and the woe-ful, the poor and the rich, the hungry and the full.

But here’s what we can’t miss: Jesus is speaking to all of us at once.

We’re all standing on that level ground together. Our lives are bound up in one another’s. My wholeness is connected to yours. My blessing is tangled up with your struggle, and vice versa. This isn’t about “them”—it’s about us. All of us.

Love Your Enemies: The Impossible Command

Then Jesus goes even further: “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.”

Not tolerate them. Not avoid them. Not defeat them. Love them.

This sounds impossible. Exhausting. Maybe even ridiculous in our conflict-torn world where cycles of retribution and revenge seem endless.

But Jesus isn’t just giving advice—he’s creating a new reality. Throughout Luke’s gospel, salvation happens “today”: “Today this scripture is fulfilled.” “Today salvation has come to this house.” “Today you will be with me in Paradise.” The blessing isn’t someday—it’s now.

Practicing Radical Hospitality (Yes, Even on Halloween)

Here’s the surprising truth: we’ve already practiced this kind of radical love. Think about Halloween and trick-or-treating. For one night, we open our doors to everyone—cute toddlers, awkward teenagers, kids who forget to say thank you, even neighbors we usually avoid.

We don’t ask questions. We don’t check credentials. Someone rings the bell, they get candy.

As we walk with Jesus on Level Ground, we embody what it means to love without conditions.

Sure, there’s tension sometimes. The kid who comes back six times. The neighbor who points out your broken steps. But what if trick-or-treating is actually practice for what Jesus asks of us?

Celebrating All Saints Sunday reminds us that we are all cherished members of Jesus on Level Ground.

In this community, Jesus on Level Ground teaches us that our connections with others deepen our understanding of love.

What if keeping the door open, keeping the bowl full, and giving freely—even when it’s inconvenient—is exactly what kingdom living looks like?

Through the lens of Jesus on Level Ground, we see how we are all linked in our humanity.

To follow Jesus on Level Ground means to actively seek ways to love and support one another.

In essence, we are all fed by the same grace that flows from Jesus on Level Ground.

Each communion we share echoes the love Jesus on Level Ground extends to everyone.

We’re All Saints on Level Ground

Standing together on Level Ground, we embody the spirit of unity that Jesus exemplifies.

On All Saints Sunday, we celebrate the communion of saints—not an exclusive hall of fame, but a motley crew of imperfect people made equal by standing with Jesus on level ground.

Our commitment to one another reflects the heart of Jesus on Level Ground.

In the Protestant tradition, we are all saints, not because we’ve earned it, but because God’s mercy claims us over and over again. We’re saints together—no costume required, no perfect résumé needed.

And here’s Jesus’ radical teaching: Our wholeness is bound up in one another’s.

Let us remember that Jesus on Level Ground calls us to love without limit, reaching out to all.

What does it mean to be full while others are hungry? What does it mean to laugh while others weep? What does it mean to be rich while others lack? Your neighbor’s poverty is your problem. Your enemy’s humanity is your responsibility.

This isn’t popular in our pull-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps culture. We want to believe we’re self-made, independent, self-sufficient. But Jesus says: No. You’re connected. You’re all in this together.

Fed for the Journey

How do we live this way? How do we love enemies, bless those who curse us, and pray for those who mistreat us?

We’re fed for this. When we gather at the communion table, we receive God’s mercy through Jesus. We eat at a table that extends into eternity, connecting us with saints who’ve gone before and those yet to come. And when Jesus feeds us, he gives us enough—enough to make it through the blessings and woes together.

God’s grace is like that bowl of Halloween candy you kept refilling—except it never runs out. Not for you. Not for the person who came back three times. Not for your difficult neighbor. Not even for your enemy.

Standing Together on Level Ground

On All Saints Sunday, we remember those who showed us how to love when it was hard, who kept the door open when it would’ve been easier to turn off the porch light. But we also look beside us at the saints still breathing, still trying, still showing up on level ground.

Jesus already came down to meet us here. Jesus is already with us in our grief, our hunger, our tears. And he calls us to stand on that same level ground with each other—with the people we’d rather avoid, with the ones who drive us up the wall, with enemies and friends alike.

Because the treats—the mercy, the grace, the love—they’re for everyone.

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Does this message resonate with you? Share this post with someone who needs to hear that Jesus meets us on level ground, right where we are. And remember: we’re all saints together, called to keep the door open and the bowl full for everyone who rings the bell.