Who is Blessed?
Posted on Nov 06, 2016 by David Whetter
Grace and peace to you from God, our Creator, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, who abides in each of us.
“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….” (Luke 6:20-21). What kind of nonsense is that? I wonder how many of the poor in Jesus’ day, or today, feel blessed? I wonder how many of those people who go hungry every day and have to find food at food shelters, or soup kitchens feel blessed? Since when do we think of poverty as a blessing? In fact, in Jesus’ day, and in ours today, wealth was considered a sign of God’s blessing. So, what is Jesus talking about today?
Well, let’s begin by agreeing that Jesus is not listing the qualifications to "get into heaven." He is not saying if you are poor you are going to heaven and if you are rich, you aren’t. Jesus is, however, calling anyone that will listen (6:27) to seek to be faithful and effective agents of God's reign in the here and now. That is to say the ways of this world are not God’s ways. You might think the rich are blessed because this world acts that way, but that’s not God’s way. Remember, for the most part, Jesus is speaking to those who are poor, those who are hungry, those who are being persecuted and he is telling them, and us, that God’s mercy, God’s love, God’s forgiveness, God’s grace is theirs and for the rich and the powerful who try to hold them down or try to make them believe that they are somehow not worthy of God’s blessings and mercy, well then, woe be to them.
To put it in a language that we might better appeal to today, particularly as we come to the end of this very long and surly presidential campaign, Jesus is imaging for those who will listen a new and improved form of government. This new “government Jesus is describing is one in which the poor, the hungry and the persecuted are found to be so important that they are cared for and protected, not cast out or thrown outside of the walls where only the elite or privileged can live. This new “government” is found in God’s Kingdom.
In this sermon Jesus completely flips the social norm upside down and proclaims that God’s blessings are for those to whom the world has cast aside and left out. Jesus proclaims that God’s Kingdom stands in sharp contrast to the presumed rights of the wealthy of this world and woe to any of us who attempt to live otherwise.
Today, as we celebrate All Saints Day, we hear Jesus proclaim to those who will listen, “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. Do to others as you would have them do to you” (6:27-31). In other words, live the opposite of how the world says to live.
Saints are those who look at this world and see the brokenness in it and then go love, do good, bless, pray, and live generously. Saints are not perfect people, but people who know that they are broken and yet, can live in the ways God has shown us to live. Yes, we are sinners, but when we can take time to listen to Jesus, to come to know God’s word so it is upon our hearts as we heard last week, then, even though the world says differently we can be those saints who go and love those who are our enemies. We can find ways to live generous lives, even when the world says the problems of the poor are not our problems and they can care for themselves. We can find ways to respond to violence with peace and not more violence. Yes, in our brokenness we, too, can treat others as we desire to be treated.
All Saints Day is a witness to God's way of blessing the world. It is a day that we witness to all those saints who have come before us and give thanks for their faithful witness. It is a day when we can give thanks for those who will come after to carry on God’s ways in this broken world. Today we give thanks for this faith community, too, for this community is filled with saints who daily seek to make God’s Kingdom a reality in some small way right here. In fact, many of you have shared how these small acts have effected you here at Salem. I’d like you to take a look at how some people here have experienced this. (VIDEO #4, Amy, Bob, Nicolas, and Kelly).
Saints are those who give hugs and make families like the Roy family realize that this faith community can be a home for all. For Bob, Salem is a place where teens and adults work together and help each other grow in their faith. For Nicholas Salem is that place that with joy allowed him to share his gift on Christmas Eve and supported and praised him. For Kelly, this is a place where she learned what family is all about and it is is a place of safety for her family. Theses are actions of the saints and these are actions that Jesus says give us a glimpse of God’s Kingdom. But the hard part of doing these things, is not doing them here in the safety of our faith community. No, the hard part is treating people this way out in the world.
In a few moments, I will| invite all of you to come forward as you desire to this cross and to light a candle. You can do so individually, or as a family and as you light your candle I encourage you to offer a prayer for whomever, or whatever, you wish to light the candle for. You may be lighting a candle for a loved one who has died, or for a loved one or friend who is ill. You may wish to light a candle for peace, for justice, or for whatever is lying on your heart. But as you light this candle and as you offer your prayer, my hope is that you think about Jesus’ words today. My prayer is that as you do this that you might remember that today Jesus has offered as a new way to see the world and I pray that you might be willing to listen to his words and go forward to be one who seeks to bring about God’s Kingdom, just a little piece of it, each and every day, for you are blessed. Amen.