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

Today, All Saints Day, we recognize and celebrate an important spiritual reality.  That for those of us who are in Christ, we are different from those who are not.  Scripture speaks of this in various ways.  John often contrasts believers with “the world”, that is, the wicked, the unbelieving world.  Rather, we are “beloved children of God”.  Revelation pictures the church in glory – a great multitude clothed in the white robes of Christ’s righteousness.  Other places in Scripture consider the church a royal priesthood, a holy nation.  The New Israel.  The sons of light, called out of darkness.  Or even – the saints, that is, the holy ones of God.  The righteous who live by faith.  And so on, and so on…

But another way to consider the Christian is through the lens of this beloved Gospel reading from Matthew 5 – commonly called, “the Beatitudes”.  Perhaps you’ve seen this passage on a Christian poster or stitched in to a wall-hanging at Grandma’s house.  Maybe you’ve even memorized it.  It’s some of Jesus’ own poetry, and a beautiful passage at that, aesthetically pleasing in its own right.  But even better, it teaches an important truth about us as Christians – we are blessed.  We are bless-ed.

Make no mistake, Jesus is speaking here to Christians, specifically.  For while others may meet some of the criteria here – or fit into one of these beatitudes – for instance, there are plenty of non-believers who mourn, or are poor or meek.  Yet context is key.  Jesus speaks here to his own followers, believers, as part of his famous Sermon on the Mount.  And by the end of the passage he’s talking about being persecuted for his name’s sake – which is something that only a Christian would ever dare endure.  Indeed, the Beatitudes are for Christians.  He’s speaking here, to the saints.  To you and me.

We are blessed.  And the very nature of the blessing is that it is a gift.  It is not earned.  It is by grace.  It is something God gives to us without our earning or deserving it.  These beatitudes must therefore, by definition, be seen not as rewards for a job well done or prizes for feats accomplished.  Rather, always and only from the pure and free grace and mercy of God in Jesus Christ.  Just like all our blessings – without any merit or worthiness in me or you.

Also, before we dig into them – we must say that though in general these beatitudes poetically describe the Christian and the Christian life – they don’t do so perfectly – for we are not perfect.  We may be poor in spirit, for instance, in our repentance – coming to God claiming nothing.  But even our repentance is always tinged with sin and self-seeking.  We hold back.  We hedge.  We plan to do better, but always seem to know we don’t really, fully mean it.  We mourn, but we don’t always mourn what we should, when we should, and sometimes we mourn what we ought not.  And so forth…

So must we be without these blessings?  Do we fail to measure up to the standard, to receive the kingdom of heaven?  To be comforted?  To inherit the earth?  To see God and be called Sons of God?

Dear Christian, just like always, Jesus is the answer.  All of these blessings are our in Christ.  For he fulfills it all perfectly.  And he gives of himself freely.  And so we do come undeserving, incomplete, beggars looking for crumbs that fall on the floor.  And gives what we don not deserve, completes us, and feeds us with a lavish feast even of his own body and blood.  The saints are holy, only in Christ.  The dead are alive, only in Christ.  The lowly are raised, the hungry are satisfied, the empty are filled, the mourning are comforted, the poor are rich, and the wretched are blessed with all good things – all blessings in Christ.

With this clear – we can look at the beatitudes and find in them the great blessings Jesus intends us to receive.  And we can further rejoice that we – all the saints and children and people of God – we are truly blessed in Christ.

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

Poor in spirit.  Humble and knowing our need. Only thus do we receive the kingdom of heaven.  If we claim to be rich, then we have no need.  But if we are poor, then he comes with his riches, his blessings. 

Jesus knew poverty, and emptied himself for us – even unto death.  He, the king of kings, set his throne aside to take up the throne of the cross for us, to be mocked as king of the Jews and crucified under earthly authorities.  So the blessings of his kingdom come to us, in him.

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

What do we mourn but our sin and its wages?  What do we mourn but all the troubles and turmoils life in this great tribulation brings?

But here is the promise for the blessed:  a place in that great multitude of white-robed worshipers around the heavenly throne.  Waving our palm branches, and singing God’s praises, as he spreads a tent over us, dwells with us, and comforts us.  That God himself would wipe every tear from our eyes.  Yes, we will be comforted, here by faith – and there in all fullness, for all eternity. 

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

The meek, the lowly, those who in this world seem so bereft of honor, will see the great reversal when Christ returns in glory.  They will, we, the blessed will, inherit the earth.  But this only happens in the new creation – the new heavens and the new earth will be our eternal dwelling, and that with God himself.  For to inherit we must be made heirs upon death – and so we are God’s children in Christ.  And so has Christ died to win us the inheritance.  And so we are blessed.

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

We have many hungers and thirsts, and not all are good.  We have many wants in this life – and some never seem filled.  This isn’t a promise of daily bread – for man does not live by bread alone.  This is a promise for fulfillment of our greatest yearning and need – righteousness.

But the blessed are righteous!  We have a righteousness that comes from God, through faith in Christ.  And Christ feeds us!  He fills us with the forgiveness that comes by his body broken and his blood shed for us and for many.  He satisfies us with such a feast even today.  Who can be as blessed as we?  And yet even this is but a foretaste of the feast to come.  When we will not only by faith, but in fullness commune with all the saints and with angels and archangels and all the company of heaven.

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

“Lord have mercy,” the blessed pray, for then know who to turn to for mercy.  “Christ have mercy” the center of the mercy sandwich – the source of all grace and mercy .  “Lord have mercy”, we pray a third time for mercy, in the great Kyrie Eleison repeated by the saints for millennia.  It is a prayer of confidence, knowing the merciful One who hears the prayer has already answered it.

And so we show mercy.  Just as we forgive trespasses against us because our trespasses are forgiven.  Just as we forgive our debtors knowing our price has been paid.  And we are blessed to do so.

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

We have no purity of heart, instead Jesus says the heart is the source of all kinds of wickedness. It’s what comes out of a man, out of his heart, that makes him unclean, impure. 

But Jesus makes the unclean clean, with a touch, a breath, a word.  And only in such purity can we stand and face our God.  For as Job said, “I will see him in my flesh, I and not another” In a resurrected body, you too, will see God face to face.  What a blessing.

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

Like Father, like Son.  And when the Son makes you an heir, and a son, when you receive the peace that Jesus lives and breathes, that passes understanding.  When your warfare with God is over in Christ, then you are shod with the Gospel of peace and you leave its tracks wherever you go.

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

And perhaps strangest of all, Jesus counts us as blessed, even in persecution.  You’re in good company, then, for so they persecuted the prophets before you.  Even so they persecuted the ultimate prophet, the Son of God himself.  But no persecution or trouble or danger or nakedness or sword pointed at us can ultimately avail.  For the kingdom ours remaineth.  And we are blessed of God, blessed in Jesus Christ.

Blessed are you, dear Christians, on this All Saints Day.  Blessed – by the grace of God in Jesus Christ.  All blessings are from him, and all praise, honor and glory and might be to him, now and forevermore.  Amen.