Epiphany IV
Matthew 5: 1-11
02.02.14
You have just heard what
is commonly referred to as “The Beatitudes”.
It is the beginning of a long sermon Jesus is giving to his
disciples. Jesus and the disciples have
been with massive amounts of people for days of healings and teachings, and now
it is time to pull away and re-group.
The isolation is reminiscent of camp counselor training at bible camp
before the hordes of youth arrive. Jesus
takes the time with his disciples and reveals to them what following this way will
mean for their lives.
Notice that in the
beginning and towards the end of the Beatitudes there is a repeating phrase
“for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”.
Literary buffs in our midst will recognize this inclusio as the framework
that hold this piece of poetry together.
The context for all these blessings and for all the kinds of people
mentioned in the Beatitudes are held in the inclusio “the kingdom of heaven”. Kingdom is one of these words that does not
speak into our immediate context, kingdom brings ideas of a set piece of land
with borders, a land where one is in charge living high in a castle and there
is one rule and many subjects under that rule.
Kingdom surely would have conjured ideas in the minds of the disciples
that day on the mountain – they were looking for political upset, a new kingdom
would have given them confidence in following Jesus as a way into victory,
success and personal security.
It does not take long
when glancing at the words inside the inclusio for disciples, then and now, to
realize the kingdom of heaven is nothing like a worldly kingdom.
The poor
in spirit have the kingdom,
the persecuted for God’s sake inherit
the kingdom.
There is something about
today that cannot be avoided – I have never been one for tip-toeing around the
elephant in the room, so I would like to point out the elephant standing on the
gospel text today. It is super bowl
Sunday, and in a few hours the nation will be riveted to televisions sets
watching commercials that cost, on average, $4 million dollars for a 30 second
spot[i].
A stadium in New Jersey will be jammed
packed with ticket buyers who collective spent, on averages $2000[ii]
to be present for the super bowl. No
cheering for the meek or the poor in a sport that rallies for the most
dominant, the strongest and fastest, no one with means will go hungry, with
players making on average $1.9 million a season[iii]
and spectators who have the means to do so will spend the day feasting and
snacking and drinking in excess.
The kingdoms of this
world and the kingdom of God have met each other, face to face this day.
There is something
satisfying to my self-righteous spirit in imagining this face off just like the
beginning of the big game. On one side
we have the poor, meek, mourning and hungry – limping, leaning on each other,
arms extended in forced humility and longing.
On the other side we have the adrenaline charged, beer chugging, voices
screaming, money throwing side. What’s
up for grabs in the war of the kingdoms? Not the gaudy superbowl ring, rather
they compete for the possession of those blessings promised in the
Beatitudes.
Who will win? Well, any
self-righteous Christian will indigently laugh off the question, for the answer
is clear.
Who will win? Well, the
righteous one will gently shake their head, rejecting the premise of the
question all together.
The blessings that Jesus
speaks of as he begins the sermon on the mount, are not a commodity to be
possessed or a prize to be won by someone and lost by someone else. The Greek word used over and over here is makarios, and there is no perfect
English translation. We could get the
general concept with English ideas like content, satisfied with, happy in a
very grounded sense, that is the sentiment behind all the “blessed be”. That way of life, that way of feeling and
being comes through the relationship one has with God – these blessings are not
a title to claim, being blessed by God is making room for God…filling the
vacancies of our hearts and souls with the holy love of God and nothing else.
The NFL face off
happening today is treacherous ground because it encourages us to fill up the
emptiness that we feel with a whole lot of nothing: beer, competition, wealth,
athletic prestige, all things bigger and better and stronger and more
powerful. Spending a life time, or a
healthy part of your budget to invest in these ever failing gods will not fill
the vacancies, and in their failure to do so the blessings are squandered
too. And of course, its just a little to
easy to villinize the NFL and overlook the myriad of self-made gods I have
created, or all the different ways we destructively pursue these false gods as
if…as if that grounded-happiness, that satisfaction of the blessed be could be
granted any other way.
There is no face off
today between the kingdom of God and the NFL, I’ll have to quiet my
self-righteousness somehow. Remember,
the kingdom of God does not have clear borders with powerful rulers and subjects
– the kingdom of God is a moving ministry, a way of living that follows
Jesus…and let’s look again at the beatitudes to see where Jesus would like
those followers to hang out.
To be poor in spirit,
disciples of Jesus are attending to the suffering of those around them.
To be one who mourns
means to be close to the dying.
To be meek, one must
choose humility over power.
To be hungry and thirsty
one knows simplicity over excess.
To be merciful one is in
nations, companies, communities that function on arrogance and so the merciful
are given an opportunity to be merciful.
To be pure in heart one
is close to God in every area of their daily lives.
To be peacemakers, one
must stand on the front lines of war.
To be persecuted, one
must be speaking for all these just mentioned and testifying to God’s
love…loudly.
Jesus is painting a
beautiful, clear picture saying this is relationship with God. And because of Jesus’ life on this earth we
are invited into this life to search for these blessings and carry them all
over the world. Into poor neighborhoods,
through the village and campuses and workplaces and homes…and
self-righteousness be quiet…even into football stadiums.
Transformation, such as
the likes of the kingdom of God, comes slowly and quietly and
powerfully. The “Souper bowl of caring”
(with soup-er spelt S-O-U-P-E-R) is a perfect example. This ministry began slowly and quietly and
powerfully with a Presbyterian youth group from South Carolina– they did not
want to dismiss the craze of the superbowl out of hand, but be transformative
vessels in the midst of it. They asked
their church to bring money or canned goods to their church on superbowl
Sunday…that one youth group started a movement that is carried throughout the
country. Since its beginning in 1990 the
organization has raised $90 million for soup kitchens and food banks.
Bono is challenging the
superbowl this year too. He asked Bank
of America to sponsor a commercial where they will premiere a song, “Invisible”
– during the commercial the 100 million viewers will be prompted to buy the
song on itunes and proceeds will go to Bono’s organization RED which fights to
eradicate malaria and tuberculosis in Africa.
None of it is perfect,
but all of it transformative.
So, cheer your hearts out
this afternoon and look around you and look within so that we all may be
attentive to the Spirit who will carry us into the places of the
Beatitudes. Remember the false, empty
gods who will fail, and the one and true God who promises blessings such as
this…
Blessed are the poor in
spirit: for they are the sad and depressed, those who feel lonely and outcast,
whose illnesses cannot be easily measured…
Blessed are the poor in spirit for
they need God and God will not leave them solitary.
Blessed are those who
mourn: for they know loss so deep that grief is their constant companion
Blessed are those who mourn for they
need comfort and companionship and God will not leave them.
Blessed are the meek: for
they are looked over and bullied
Blessed are the
meek for they will be noticed and loved and inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who
hunger and thirst for righteousness: those
not so provided for that provision becomes an entitlement, those who physically
work and long for the ways of God upon the earth
Blessed are those
who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be filled with the bread
from heaven and drink from the cup of salvation.
Blessed are the merciful:
for they give and rarely receive,
Blessed are the
merciful for God will return all they have given away for Love’s sake.
Blessed are the pure in
heart, for they will see their God.
Blessed are the
peacemakers: for peace is never easy, it is slow and ambiguous.
Blessed are the
peacemakers for they will inherit God’s bounty.
Blessed are those who are
persecuted for righteousness’ sake: those who give something up, those who
stand in harm’s way for the sake of another, those who give voice for the meek,
food for the hungry, hugs for the grieving, mercy to the evil ones, love to
those who hate, peace to the declarers of war.
Blessed are you for you are in need of God, for there is
room for your life for the love of another, for the work of Jesus’
ministry…blessed are you.
Amen.
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