Wednesday, November 04, 2020

Sermon - All Saints' Day - Matthew 5:1-12


“Blessed Saints”

Matthew 5:1-12

A blessed All Saints Day to you.  This is a very old Christian observance, dating back to at least the 700s AD.  It is marked in different ways by different denominations and in different countries around the world.  But the common theme is the recognition of the saints of God – all the holy people who have gone before us, especially, into glory.  We Lutherans, in particular, take note that saints are not just the most holy Christians, the cream of the crop – but that every Christian is a saint – a sinner and a saint, simultaneously – and we wonder at such a great tension and mystery.

Our readings for today show forth different perspectives on all the saints.  In the book of Revelation, we see several pictures of the saints, and here in chapter 7, the church is pictured in her final glory.  A gathering from every nation, victorious, waving palm branches, singing God’s praise (in a song we echo today), and clothed in white robes washed clean in the blood of the Lamb. We might point out that this is a timeless picture of an eternal reality.  Therefore in that crowd is every Christian, including you. 

Then of course you have 1 John 3.  The All Saints connection there is in John’s description of Christians as beloved children of God.  They are also the ones who are purified in Christ – much like the robes of the multitude in the Revelation reading.  Loved by God are all the saints.  Children of God are all the saints, purified by Christ.

But today let’s focus on the Gospel reading, from Matthew 5.  The beginning of the Sermon on the Mount.  The well-loved passage of Christians everywhere – the beatitudes.  Here, the key descriptor of God’s people, the key word that applies to all Christians is:  Blessed.

It may strike us as strange.  For the conditions Jesus describes, at least in some of these verses, we might not think of those sorts of people has having a blessing.  The poor in spirit?  That doesn’t sound so good.  Those who mourn?  Who wants to do that?  The meek?  No, we admire the bold, the brave, the proud.  And hungering and thirsting for something surely means a lack, not a blessing.  And let’s not even bring up those who are persecuted.  That’s more of a curse than a blessing, at least according to our way of thinking.

As for the merciful, pure in heart and peacemakers – well those seem like things that we should be – but things that we don’t always live up to.  These blessings seem more like accusations, standards to meet that remind us of our failures.  Blessed are those – sure – if we could be them.  We’re not as merciful and peace-making as we ought to be.  And we’re surely not pure in heart.

No, at first blush, these beatitudes don’t make sense for a number of reasons.  Jesus seems to be on an entirely different page – disconnected from reality.  The people who are blessed or bless-ed are supposed to be the people who are happy, have everything, the rich and famous, the powerful and the good.  The people we admire, who have it all.  “They’ve been so blessed”.  The super-Christians or the super-happy Christians or the super-successful Christians and what have you.  Not us miserable, wretched, sin-plagues people who have nothing to offer but our own neediness. 

But here is the beauty of his kingdom.  Here is the wonder of his grace.  Here is the true blessing of Jesus, that he doesn’t see it that way. 

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Poor in spirit.  While being poor doesn’t sounds desirable to us, Jesus says spiritual poverty is a blessing.  But he doesn’t mean in and of itself.  Rather, this is the Jesus who came as a physician for the sick, not the healthy.  He came to save sinners, not the righteous.  So if you are rich in spirit, if you have it all (or think you do), then you don’t need Jesus.  But blessed are you if you recognize your poverty and need.  Blessed are you because Christ Jesus comes with blessings for just such beggars. 

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

In a similar way, no one aspires to be a mourner.  Mourning supposes death.  And no one likes to face that.  Not the death of a loved one.  Not my own death either.  But death means sin, the wages and the cause, the horse and the cart.  And only those who bring their sins to Jesus, who mourn their sins, despise their sins, repent of their sins – only those receive his comfort.  If you celebrate your sin, if you embrace it, if you find comfort in your sin – then he has no comfort for you.  But blessed are those who mourn, for no one has better comfort than Jesus.

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

The meek, not the proud, shall inherit the earth.  It’s the opposite of how we see it now – when arrogant men with huge egos and prideful boldness tend to win the day.  Alpha dogs who don’t let anyone stand in their way and who “get things done!” 

But the meek?  Who are they, even?  They are the humble, the lowly, those who don’t make much of themselves.  Not the Pharisee who prays for all to see but the tax collector who beats his breast and prays hiding in the closet.  The meek shall inherit the earth – the new heaven and new earth will dawn, and the proud will be left outside.  The humble and lowly will enter the eternal kingdom. 

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

We know little, these days, of hunger or thirst.  About the closest we have gotten may have been in the early part of the coronavirus panic this year, when store shelves had a hard time keeping up with demand.  Thanks be to God he spared us from a famine on top of disease. 

But Jesus speaks here of a hunger and thirst for righteousness.  A deep yearning for that which we don’t have and which we desperately need.  If you hunger and thirst for righteousness, that means you admit you don’t have it of yourself.  It means you can only hope to receive it from the one who feeds and gives drink to his people.

Ah, and he satisfies.  He gives us the food and drink of his word – the rich diet of law and gospel that trains and equips us for righteousness.  And just as much – he gives an actual meal of heavenly fare, a feast for the body and soul, the bread and wine that is Christ’s body and blood, given and shed for you – for forgiveness.  What could be better?

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

These next three hold out some ideals for us Christians.  So far the beatitudes have described what we truly lack, if we can only see it.  Now we hear what we ought to do and be, if we could only attain it.  We want to be merciful, but are we?  Rather, do we find ourselves holding out on mercy, looking instead for just desserts?  Wanting the person who wronged us to pay, and pay dearly? 

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

Pure in heart.  There’s a standard we’ll never attain on our own.  Jesus says out of the heart come sinful thoughts, desires, and all kinds of evil.  Our hearts are corrupt, not pure.  But we would pray with David, “Create in me a clean heart, Oh God, and renew a right spirit within me.”  Jesus comes to restore and renew even the heart, the very innermost source of our corruption is cleansed, purified, made holy in him.  It’s as complete as the death and rebirth of our baptism.  It’s as sure as his promise and declaration on the cross, “it is finished”. 
Thus purified by him, we are fit to stand before God, in his presence, to see God.  As Job said, “with my own eyes…” even “after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will stand”

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

Again, we would attain to be peacemakers and see ourselves fail.  We can make conflict fairly well.  We can join in the fray with ease.  We can sit on our high horse of pride and let the conflict fester, because I didn’t start it and he or she is in the wrong, and they need to come crawling to me…. But peacemaking is not so easy.

Unless you’re Jesus, who makes peace between us and God.  Who brings a peace which passes all understanding.  Peace not as the world gives, does he give to you.  A peace that is rooted in the gospel, the rest for your soul.  A peace that empowers you to make peace with your brothers and sisters and with all.

10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Now finally, persecution.  Not a very blessed state of being, most of us would say, especially when you find yourself in it.  Not something we aspire to.  But also not something that shows a lack in us.  Rather, according to Jesus, a cause for rejoicing.  What?

Yes, because it puts you in good company.  So they persecuted the prophets before you. Rejoice.  Great is your reward in heaven.  Rejoice.  When they revile you Christian, when they say nasty things about you, Christian, when they speak all kinds of evil against you, Christian – it’s really because of Christ.  It’s for the sake of righteousness – the righteousness that he earned, that he has, and that he gives to you freely as a blessing. 

None of these beatitudes make sense from a worldly point of view.  But in Christ, it all comes together.  We are blessed saints of God in Jesus Christ.  Though we lack our own merit and work, our own good works surely fail to measure up, and though we find ourselves even persecuted and hated…  blessed are we, blessed are you, in Jesus Christ, here and now, and there in eternity.  Blessed, with all the saints in glory, blessed forever and ever amen.  In Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

 

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