EDITOR'S NOTE: On Oct. 23, 2021, I was ordained as a minister of word and sacrament in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and installed as pastor at Faith Lutheran Church in Wolverton, Minn. I also served the same church for four years from October 2017 to October 2021 a synodically authorized minister. The journey together these past four years has been an amazing one, full of learning, growing and a deepening of my theological mind. This sermon took place on Nov. 5, 2023.
This week's gospel: Matthew 5:1-12
The Beatitudes
5 When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 And he began to speak and taught them, saying:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
5 “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people 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 in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
The message:
When I was in high school, there were a series of posters that you’d find in every school building. I’m sure you’ve seen them.
In our school they were plastered all over the walls outside our counseling office and down the hall in the principal’s office.
And these posters which were all designed the same, contained inspirational messages. … You remember them: A big symbolic photo in the back, with one bold word printed over the foreground.
For instance, one familiar one was the poster inspiring “hope.” … There was this photo of a sad looking kitten with just its head and front paws shown, as the kitten clung to the backside of this branch. … Hope, right? … As in, this kitten is hoping it isn’t going to fall!
And there were many more. … Perseverance … with a photo of a runner crossing the finish line of a race.
Strength … with a photo of some guy deadlifting an insanely heavy bar full of weights.
And on and on. … It seemed there was a never-ending string of these posters.
And what was the intention? … Well, of course, the posters were symbolic, right? … Meant to teach teenagers the values they should be striving for.
All good stuff, and rightfully in line with what is celebrated in our broader society. … Because high schools are nothing if not designed to produce good citizens. …
They’re just smaller microcosms of our adult world, after all. And what do we celebrate in our adult world? … Strength … power … wealth … fame … perseverance.
Just look around us in any of our sectors of society, be it the media, work, school, sports … art and culture. All of it points to a celebration of those on top, not weakness.
A celebration of those in control, not those who lack control. … A celebration of success and achievement, not of those who suffer.
Now, let’s contrast that with today’s gospel text in which Jesus holds up what the kingdom celebrates …
Blessed are the poor in spirit … blessed are those who mourn … blessed are the meek … those who hunger and thirst for righteousness … the merciful … the pure in heart … the peacemakers … and those persecuted.
Now, can you imagine … a similar line of inspirational posters like the ones that hung in my high school halls based on the beatitudes?
No, really … think about it …
You know, a poster with a big photo of someone grieving … with “MOURN” written across it.
Or, or … a big photo of a meek person … with “MEEK” written across it.
And on and on. … We could do an entire series of new posters based simply on the beatitudes that Jesus discusses here in today’s gospel.
And now … imagine the response that series of posters would receive in larger society. … Right?
Can you imagine the uproar from the parents … if they found out their children’s high school was lined with a series of posters that were inspired by Jesus’ beatitudes.
Oh, there’s a poster about being poor in spirit. … There’s another about being merciful. … And one about being a peacemaker.
Not quite in line with the virtues that we celebrate in our culture, now are they? … Not in this 21st century.
Well, coincidentally neither were the beatitudes in line with the culture of the first century either.
After all, this was a culture that was oppressed by the Roman Empire, which was celebrated for its strength and power … its dominance. … I mean the Roman Empire did conquer much of the world as it was known in the first century.
And underneath the layers of the Roman Empire on the secular level, you had the laws of hundreds of years of Hebrew culture on the religious level too. … Which celebrated obedience … and structure … and commandments … and purification.
So it seems that what the broader society in Jesus’ first century valued … wasn’t much different than the virtues that our broader society today in the 21st century celebrates.
Which makes Jesus’ pronouncement of the beatitudes that much more shocking … Faith Family.
Just think about it. … These weren’t just platitudes that Jesus was talking about to the people on that mountainside who had amassed to hear him speak. … Jesus wasn’t just speaking niceties or talking about delusions of grandeur.
No … he was telling these followers … look, this world is leading you astray.
Jesus was saying … all of these virtues that you are celebrating in your leaders, in your media, in your government, in your pop stars, in your homes … none of those virtues are what is celebrated in the kingdom of heaven.
But you know who is celebrated … Jesus said …
The poor in spirit, those who mourn, those who are meek, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful … the pure in heart … the peacemakers
All of the folks whom this world tends to step on … to oppress. … That is who receives God’s favor in the Kingdom of Heaven.
And can you imagine how mindblowing that must have been for all of those sitting in the grass on that mountain.
I mean, imagine … this young, upstart rabbi … this man whom others say is the actual Son of God … this mortal human whom others say is the Messiah … is telling you, an unseen cog in the greater Roman Empire … that you matter. You!
That, you the slave … that, you the woman … that, you the child … you who hasn’t an heir to pass on your worldly goods … you who doesn't own land or other personal possessions.
All of you, who in the eyes of the larger society are told that you don’t count … that you don’t matter … and here is the Son of God … telling you that you do.
And not only do you matter in the eyes of your father … your heavenly creator … You are actually the ones whom God celebrates.
God doesn’t celebrate the emperor, or the local Roman governor, or the master of the house … It’s not they, who will receive his favor in the next kingdom, God’s kingdom. … It will be those whom this world shuns and has forgotten that will receive their reward.
Faith Family … Can you imagine how radical that must have sounded to those masses sitting on the grassy hillside listening to Jesus preach?
Nothing in history up to that point would have compared to it. … Because up until then, all of human history would have celebrated those with power and dominance, wealth and control.
And here is this crazy, hippie … radical rabbi … all of 30-some years old … who comes along to tell the powerful of this world -- both secular and religious -- that it was not their values that God celebrates.
Talk about turning the earthly kingdom on its head, right?
As I prepared for this week’s service, I had fun playing with that notion in my imagination. … I mean, can you imagine the Sermon on the Mount playing out in today’s world … in our very own 21st century?
Can you imagine Jesus … the one whom others are calling the savior … stepping to the microphone during an election debate and saying, “Nah I’m not worried about the powerful ones, the wealthy ones … the ones who are secure.”
“My pitch is to take care of the poor, the homeless, our seniors, those without … those who are struggling. … They should be our first priority.” … How do you think that campaign message would go over?
Or imagine if those others we celebrate spoke Jesus’ words today. … Our sports athletes, the media elite, the powerbrokers in the business world …
Imagine any of them using their soapbox to glorify the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, the merciful, the pure in heart … the peacemakers?
Seems far fetched, right? … And that is why Jesus’ message in the beatitudes is that much more important Faith Family.
Because when we walk out those double doors of our beautiful church later on this morning, the messaging we will be surrounded with in our broader world will not sound like Jesus’ message. … It will not sound like the beatitudes.
And so the question is … how do we resolve the conflict for ourselves? … Which message do we choose to follow? … After all, we have the same challenge that the people of the 1st century did.
Faith Family … we can trust those who make the posters hanging in the high school hallway … those who are in power today … who tell us that none of the beatitudes matter.
Or we can trust in Jesus’ message in which he assures us that those in this world who are tread upon, who suffer who are unseen … are actually the ones who are blessed with God’s favor.
And that is the Good News for this All Saints Sunday … Nov. 5, 2023. … Amen.
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