Of the many things that I am bad at, writing thank you cards might just be number one. I don’t know why. Well, I guess that’s not entirely true. The reason why is because I am both disorganized and thoughtless. But, throughout the years, in my selfish effort to justify myself for not being better at writing thank you cards, I have realized that most people probably don’t really need to be thanked or even want to receive thanks for what they’ve given. They probably don’t really even care once they’ve opened up the thank you card I sent them. They just want to know I sent it. I bet that many people don’t really care about being thanked—they just want the recognition.
What do I mean by recognition? Well, since I usually get chewed out by my grandparents for not writing thank you cards, I’ll have to base my observations primarily on their responses. Why do they want a thank you card? So that they know that the package arrived safely. It makes me wonder how many packages they have lost in the mail that they are so worried about all of mine! Or, they want a thank you card so that they know that I know that a certain gift was from them. I guess that they just don’t trust my ability to read the card or the To/From label. And so year after year, birthday after birthday, Christmas after Christmas, I am forced to remember, as if I could ever forget, and be reminded that I am a horrible and ungrateful child/friend/grandson and nephew. Why? Because I am bad at writing thank you letters.
But, contrary to popular belief, I am actually very, very thankful for all of my gifts. It’s true. I may seem like an ungrateful and selfish man when it comes to writing thank you notes, but when I open up my money cards, my sweaters and the various knick-knacks that come my way, I often have warm fuzzy feelings creep into my chest! I smile. If truth be told, I am thankful . . . but still no one gets their cards on time. Why? How is this possible?
I find it rather funny to be preaching on Thanksgiving on this text from Luke about the healing of ten lepers because nobody really seems to focus on the leper who said thanks. His thanks you’s are drowned out by the deafening silence of the other nine who just leave their leprosy behind them and go on with life. And yet, on Thanksgiving, we celebrate the fact that 10% of these healed lepers take the time to give Jesus a thank you note. I’m sorry, but that just isn’t very inspiring to me. I can relate better to the 90%.
But, let me tell you a little secret about the 9 horrible and ungrateful lepers since they and I are kindred spirits. The text says that they were made clean. That’s right, they were all healed. And so, believe it or not, I think we can all be assured that they were, in fact, very thankful. They were outcasts from their society and now they would be reconciled. They were sick and now they were healthy. They were itchy and now they weren’t. They were bad at saying thank you. Just like me! But, they were indeed all thankful, they were just really bad at recognizing the giver of their gift.
I believe that this is why we hear Jesus make such a strange comment at the end of the passage. The one leper returns praising God and prostrating himself at Jesus’ feet (by the way, I think my Grandma would REALLY like that!) but Jesus doesn’t even tell the leper you’re welcome! Jesus says, “Get up. Go, on your way! Your faith has made you well.” And here I thought today was just about giving thanks! Jesus makes it about faith!
Martin Luther once made the argument that because God created everything and is everywhere at all times, everyone is worshipping God, the Father of Jesus Christ, whether they are Christian or not! If they are worshipping trees, God is there. If they are worshipping a rock, God is there. But, Luther said, they still have no excuse because they are blaspheming God’s name and calling him by a name he has not given them. Perhaps this fear is why I get those phone calls asking if I’ve received a gift. They are worried I’ve just sent the thank you note to the wrong person.
When God sent Jesus Christ to Earth, God gave us his name so that we might know and recognize the Savior of our lives, the forgiver of our sins, the creator of our Universe, the giver of our gifts, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend in heaven and on earth and under the earth and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. God knows that you may be thankful, but he wants to be recognized as the giver of your gifts. The other nine lepers were obviously thankful. They were healed! But while they may have thanked their good luck, or even the priest they were sent to, they did not recognize who the true giver of their healing was. They had no faith in Jesus and this is a problem.
According to Hebrews, “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Why is faith in Jesus Christ important? Because when you put faith in someone or something, you look to them and trust them to provide you with gifts. A child has faith in his or her mother to provide him or her with food and shelter. An employer has faith in her workers to provide a certain number of productive hours and her employees have faith that she will provide them will a paycheck at the end of each pay period. A Christian has faith in Jesus Christ to provide them with every good gift this earth and eternal life have to give. Without faith in Jesus, we all might be thankful, but we don’t know where to look for hope, for health and for salvation.
God doesn’t just want you to be thankful tomorrow on the Thanksgiving holiday. He doesn’t just want you to live with an attitude of thankfulness throughout the upcoming year. He doesn’t just want me to get better at sending thank you notes to my grandma. God wants you to thank him. To recognize his authority over you. To recognize him as the author of your life and faith. To recognize Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, the way, the truth and the life. Thanksgiving is a great holiday, but God wants your faith. For, as Paul says, we are justified by faith apart from works—apart from any great thanksgiving on our part.
As you can imagine, this revelation puts me in a very scary predicament. If I can’t even remember to write my thank you notes to my Grandma several times a year, what are the chances I will succeed in remembering to thank God, the Father of Jesus Christ, for all the good gifts I am provided with on a daily basis? What are the chances you will recognize the giver of your gifts like you are supposed to? The Bible gives us our clear answer—not even ten percent of us will remember. None of us will recognize God as the giver of everything we have. “For no one will be justified in the sight of the law.”
But here is my favorite part of the story. Before Jesus tells the thankful leper to go away Jesus asks him a very wonderful question, “Were not ten made clean? But the other nine? Where are they?” You can almost hear him salivating! Like Jesus is just finishing the appetizer before his thanksgiving feast! Where are they? Go away. You’ve been made clean. I’ve got bigger fish to fry. I’ve got to go find the others now! For you can be sure that when there is even one lost sheep, one lost leper or one lost human being on this Earth, Jesus is after them so that they might recognize who the author of their life and their faith truly is. If you are lost, he is after you. So that you might know the name with which to address your thank you notes. And so, we give thanks tonight not just for all that we have, but to Jesus Christ who has given us all that we have. Let us pray . . . Amen.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Sermon for November 23rd
Last week I told you about the abundance of God’s gifts. The Christian life is not about giving, it’s about receiving. Receiving God’s gifts. God is giving you everything. Your money, your time, your life. Even your daily bread doesn’t just show up in your pantry at the beginning of the week, it comes in the hands of your neighbor who runs the grocery store who received it from the hands of the bread maker who received it from the hands of the farmer who received it through the efforts of the sun, rain and seeds received from God.
But, still this is hard for us to imagine, especially in America where we have the mindset not of receivers but more like, well, takers. There are many reasons for this, but just think for a moment about a grocery store. When I go grocery shopping I can take anything with the right amount of money. In fact, when I go and they are out of the brand of chicken-apple sausage I get, I get frustrated. I can’t get what I want and that’s not right! Last week, they were out of our kind of bread. What did Kristy say when she opened up the new kind? “This bread smells funny!” We’ve got an attitude of takers—I can’t get what I want and that’s not right!
Now, think about something just a little bit different—like a farmer’s market. You want to buy butternut squash in June? Tough luck. Gotta wait. Strawberries in October? Sorry, but probably not. At the farmer’s market, you have to accept what is there and receive what is given. At the farmer’s market, it’s just easier to see that food is a gift and not just something else to buy.
Now, I’m not implying that farmer’s markets are more moral than supermarkets. That’s not the point. It’s an illustration of what life looks like when you realize God is giving you everything. A pastor friend of mine described a grocery trip he went on with a man who had just arrived from Ethiopia. My friend had gone into the grocery store to pick up a few things and thought this Ethiopian man might like to see what grocery stores looked like in the United States. But after the pastor had walked through the aisles picking things up he realized that his friend hadn’t said a word since they came into the store—he realized his companion had been crying, silently, the entire time. “What’s wrong?” the pastor asked? “I’ve never seen so much food in my life.” His friend said. “Just a small portion of this would feed my entire village. And here it all is. Just sitting here on the shelves for the taking. While people in my country are starving.” That’s a grocery store through the eyes of a receiver—seeing all that food as a gift and imagining the possibilities of how to use it.
What would you do if all your money, your time and your life were gifts? The Bible says that they are. “All look to you to give them their food in due season; when you give to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are filled with good things. When you hide your face, they are dismayed; when you take away their breath, they die and return to the dust. When you send forth your spirit, they are created; and you renew the face of the ground.” God is giving you everything. But how might you live your life with God’s gifts? That’s the focus of today’s sermon—the second part of the parable of the talents.
What is the difference between the three servants in the parable? The first two doubled their money, the third gave back exactly what he was given. Could it be that the first two were both financial wizards while the third guy was simply average? Is Jesus making a statement about how we should get better at growing our money and investing in order to make a profit? Does Jesus prefer rich people? Is stewardship simply about getting rich?
The Bible talks about money a lot. But it doesn’t seem to care so much what people buy or how they invest. In other words, you’ve got a lot of freedom in how you use your money. I don’t even see anything that would create the impression that God thinks you to should rich rather than poor. However, God seems to care a lot about whether you are using your money or being used by your money. This is the most important question you need to answer today: Are you using your money or are you being used by your money?
Money, in the Bible, is often talked about surrounding two themes: giving and borrowing. God likes giving but he never talks very nicely about borrowing. But can’t you see why? When you are giving money, you are its master. Just like the kids this week, they were free to choose anything to do with their gift as long as it made a difference in the world, in their community or in the life of someone. It didn’t matter how much they had to give; the point was they gave.
On the other extreme is borrowing money. I’m not saying that you are a sinner because you borrow money (you are a sinner for a lot of other reasons besides that!); what I am saying is that God doesn’t like it when you make money your master. And that is exactly what happens when you have to borrow money all the time and get deeply into debt. It’s hard to think of anything else when everything you earn is already earmarked for a loan or credit card. Instead of seeing money as a gift to be used, money becomes something you’d rather not think about.
But hear this good news: God is giving you everything. Money isn’t scary. It isn’t evil. It is simply a means to an end. Money is only a gift, to be used and nothing more. Money is not to be worshipped. Money is not to be hoarded and never used. It’s only a gift. A MEANS to an END. It’s not that important! And money is also not to be spent frivolously—it is a GIFT FROM GOD! It is a means to an end. It can be USED! It has importance. This is the joy of budgeting down to every last cent. You see both the importance of money and realize that you are its master—not the other way around.
“To all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away.” You might have nothing. You might be out there in the outer darkness weeping and gnashing your teeth crying out to God for help. You might feel like everything you have is being taken away from you. Through foreclosure. Through bankruptcy. Through credit card debt. Through car accidents. But even in these difficult times, God keeps giving you everything. No matter where you are financially, nothing will separate you from God’s love and God’s gifts.
Jesus suffered for you. Jesus died for you. Jesus went to hell for you. Jesus loves you completely and will find you even if you are in the deepest darkness of financial poverty. The prophet Samuel says, “The Lord kills and makes alive, he brings down to the grave and he raises up. The Lord makes poor and makes rich; he brings low and he also exalts. He raises up the poor from the dust; he lifts the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor.” It is true that God makes the rich richer. He likes to give and keep on giving until you have an abundance. But Jesus was born to give you all the riches of salvation that surpass any monetary amount. And no matter how far you have fallen into debt, he has already paid the ransom for you. He will not abandon you nor will he give you up. Whether you are rich or poor you may trust in Jesus Christ to give you everything he has.
How might you live your life with God’s gifts? Use them and remember who gave them to you. God is giving you everything. Money is a gift, but it is only a gift. The Bible does has money advice: it encourages you to give and it discourages you from borrowing, but all these rules are simply to help you live a happier life and to love your neighbor more fully. Following these rules won’t save you. Following this advice might not even make you rich! A huge pile of money is not finally God’s goal for your life—though God promises to give you what you need. God wants your love and he wants you to love your neighbor. So he gives you his love. He gives you his gifts. And then he gives you the greatest gift of all—Jesus Christ your Lord and Savior. He gives you your money, your time, your life and your salvation. God is giving you everything.
But, still this is hard for us to imagine, especially in America where we have the mindset not of receivers but more like, well, takers. There are many reasons for this, but just think for a moment about a grocery store. When I go grocery shopping I can take anything with the right amount of money. In fact, when I go and they are out of the brand of chicken-apple sausage I get, I get frustrated. I can’t get what I want and that’s not right! Last week, they were out of our kind of bread. What did Kristy say when she opened up the new kind? “This bread smells funny!” We’ve got an attitude of takers—I can’t get what I want and that’s not right!
Now, think about something just a little bit different—like a farmer’s market. You want to buy butternut squash in June? Tough luck. Gotta wait. Strawberries in October? Sorry, but probably not. At the farmer’s market, you have to accept what is there and receive what is given. At the farmer’s market, it’s just easier to see that food is a gift and not just something else to buy.
Now, I’m not implying that farmer’s markets are more moral than supermarkets. That’s not the point. It’s an illustration of what life looks like when you realize God is giving you everything. A pastor friend of mine described a grocery trip he went on with a man who had just arrived from Ethiopia. My friend had gone into the grocery store to pick up a few things and thought this Ethiopian man might like to see what grocery stores looked like in the United States. But after the pastor had walked through the aisles picking things up he realized that his friend hadn’t said a word since they came into the store—he realized his companion had been crying, silently, the entire time. “What’s wrong?” the pastor asked? “I’ve never seen so much food in my life.” His friend said. “Just a small portion of this would feed my entire village. And here it all is. Just sitting here on the shelves for the taking. While people in my country are starving.” That’s a grocery store through the eyes of a receiver—seeing all that food as a gift and imagining the possibilities of how to use it.
What would you do if all your money, your time and your life were gifts? The Bible says that they are. “All look to you to give them their food in due season; when you give to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are filled with good things. When you hide your face, they are dismayed; when you take away their breath, they die and return to the dust. When you send forth your spirit, they are created; and you renew the face of the ground.” God is giving you everything. But how might you live your life with God’s gifts? That’s the focus of today’s sermon—the second part of the parable of the talents.
What is the difference between the three servants in the parable? The first two doubled their money, the third gave back exactly what he was given. Could it be that the first two were both financial wizards while the third guy was simply average? Is Jesus making a statement about how we should get better at growing our money and investing in order to make a profit? Does Jesus prefer rich people? Is stewardship simply about getting rich?
The Bible talks about money a lot. But it doesn’t seem to care so much what people buy or how they invest. In other words, you’ve got a lot of freedom in how you use your money. I don’t even see anything that would create the impression that God thinks you to should rich rather than poor. However, God seems to care a lot about whether you are using your money or being used by your money. This is the most important question you need to answer today: Are you using your money or are you being used by your money?
Money, in the Bible, is often talked about surrounding two themes: giving and borrowing. God likes giving but he never talks very nicely about borrowing. But can’t you see why? When you are giving money, you are its master. Just like the kids this week, they were free to choose anything to do with their gift as long as it made a difference in the world, in their community or in the life of someone. It didn’t matter how much they had to give; the point was they gave.
On the other extreme is borrowing money. I’m not saying that you are a sinner because you borrow money (you are a sinner for a lot of other reasons besides that!); what I am saying is that God doesn’t like it when you make money your master. And that is exactly what happens when you have to borrow money all the time and get deeply into debt. It’s hard to think of anything else when everything you earn is already earmarked for a loan or credit card. Instead of seeing money as a gift to be used, money becomes something you’d rather not think about.
But hear this good news: God is giving you everything. Money isn’t scary. It isn’t evil. It is simply a means to an end. Money is only a gift, to be used and nothing more. Money is not to be worshipped. Money is not to be hoarded and never used. It’s only a gift. A MEANS to an END. It’s not that important! And money is also not to be spent frivolously—it is a GIFT FROM GOD! It is a means to an end. It can be USED! It has importance. This is the joy of budgeting down to every last cent. You see both the importance of money and realize that you are its master—not the other way around.
“To all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away.” You might have nothing. You might be out there in the outer darkness weeping and gnashing your teeth crying out to God for help. You might feel like everything you have is being taken away from you. Through foreclosure. Through bankruptcy. Through credit card debt. Through car accidents. But even in these difficult times, God keeps giving you everything. No matter where you are financially, nothing will separate you from God’s love and God’s gifts.
Jesus suffered for you. Jesus died for you. Jesus went to hell for you. Jesus loves you completely and will find you even if you are in the deepest darkness of financial poverty. The prophet Samuel says, “The Lord kills and makes alive, he brings down to the grave and he raises up. The Lord makes poor and makes rich; he brings low and he also exalts. He raises up the poor from the dust; he lifts the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor.” It is true that God makes the rich richer. He likes to give and keep on giving until you have an abundance. But Jesus was born to give you all the riches of salvation that surpass any monetary amount. And no matter how far you have fallen into debt, he has already paid the ransom for you. He will not abandon you nor will he give you up. Whether you are rich or poor you may trust in Jesus Christ to give you everything he has.
How might you live your life with God’s gifts? Use them and remember who gave them to you. God is giving you everything. Money is a gift, but it is only a gift. The Bible does has money advice: it encourages you to give and it discourages you from borrowing, but all these rules are simply to help you live a happier life and to love your neighbor more fully. Following these rules won’t save you. Following this advice might not even make you rich! A huge pile of money is not finally God’s goal for your life—though God promises to give you what you need. God wants your love and he wants you to love your neighbor. So he gives you his love. He gives you his gifts. And then he gives you the greatest gift of all—Jesus Christ your Lord and Savior. He gives you your money, your time, your life and your salvation. God is giving you everything.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Sermon for November 16th
What would you do with one hundred dollars? What would you do if you were given one hundred dollars and you were asked to make a difference in the world, in your community or just in the life of one individual? Wouldn’t that be awesome? Just to know that you could do whatever you wanted to do to help someone, to make their day or to give them peace during this difficult time of financial crisis in the world. What would you do with that kind of a gift?
I don’t expect any of you to go look at your checkbook, but think about the balance that is in it right now. And, if that balance is very low, which is quite possible, think about the bills that you recently paid. Where’d that money come from? Where’d your job come from? Where’d your talents and abilities come from? What would you do if your money, your abilities and your job were just given to you as gifts?
What would you do with your life? The heartbeat, breath, functioning kidneys and lungs, the consciousness, the whole nine yards! What would you do with your life if it were just given to you as a gift? What would you do with your life if it were just given to you and you were asked to make a difference in the world, in your community or in the world one solitary person. Wouldn’t that be awesome? To know that you could do whatever you wanted with your life to help someone, to make their day or give them peace during a difficult time of financial crisis in the world.
Today and next Sunday, we are going to look at and talk about your life and your money. These sermons will cover the same passage from today’s gospel reading: the parable of the talents. I figured that you might be interested in what the Bible has to say about money and your life since everybody else in the country has something to say about it. Every time I turn on NPR there is somebody new talking about Credit Default Swaps or sub-prime mortgages, or why, how and if the government should give car companies 50 billion dollars to bail them out. They say that you don’t have enough money to pay your bills, that your life is getting more stressful and that the government wants to help you out and give you hope. Well, the government is not the only one. God has some specific help and some specific hope to give you during this financial crisis.
This week we are going to focus primarily on what God is giving you. Next week we are going to focus on how you might live your life with God’s gifts. Today, at the children’s sermon, we handed out God’s gifts. Next week we are going to hear what those gifts have done in real life.
In the book of Acts, Jesus says that, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” You’ll be hearing that a lot in the upcoming month and a half with Christmas just around the corner. But that still doesn’t change one important fact for you and me that is as true at Christmas time as it is every single day of the year: The Christian life is not about giving, it is about receiving.
That’s right! Clap your hands quickly over your kids’ ears now before it is too late and I ruin all those hard fought lessons you have tried to teach them. The Christian life is not about giving, it is about receiving! You started this life dirt poor and you’ll end it poor and in the dirt. And in between, the part between life and death, I’d like you to realize that everything you have is simply a gift. A gift from God. God is giving you everything.
You don’t have to share these gifts. They are all yours. There are no poison pills or contractual obligations for these gifts. You don’t have to feel bad about how much they cost. In fact, there are not strings attached—you don’t have to give anything back to God in return. These gifts are for you and these gifts are free.
But what are they? What are these gifts? Well, take a deep breath . . . there it is. Breath. Gift number one. But God doesn’t just stop there does he? No. God is giving you everything. He doesn’t hold back. He gives you food and clothing. House and home. Fields and flocks. Money and property. A devoted family. An orderly community, good government, favorable weather, peace and health, a good name, and true friends and neighbors. When you open up the envelope of your life and see some of those good gifts in it, you can trust that God is the giver. And this might be a very big disappointment for you. Because all these gifts from God are things you’ve already got! Exactly!
What would you do with one hundred dollars? If it was just given to you? Well, it has been given to you and, probably a lot more than that. I know that I have a lot more than $100 dollars! A lot more! And so do you. No matter how poor you think you are. But, what if you were given all that money and you were asked to make a difference in the world, in your community or in the life of an individual? Wouldn’t that be awesome? Just to know that you could do whatever you wanted do to help someone, to make their day or give them peace during this difficult time of financial crisis in the world. Well, that’s just it. You were. You were asked. We all were. God has given us everything and he has entrusted his gifts into our hands.
The gospel for today tells this story about a master giving money to his slaves and it sounds almost like a fairy tale to us. Like something that could happen to us one day if we were lucky. But it has already happened. It’s already happening. God has given you his gifts and he is still giving them abundantly. And when Jesus returns to Earth what will he think? What are we doing with everything he has given? If we say that we have not sinned we deceive ourselves.
But still, that doesn’t change the fact that the Christian life is primarily about receiving. Not giving—receiving! We have to receive everything from God’s hands. When it comes to our relationship to God, we receive his blessings and have absolutely nothing worthwhile to give back in return. But, what happens when the money is in our hands? Or in our bank accounts. You and I do not only have a relationship with God; we also have relationships with other people and with the world around us. You can only become a giver in your relationship with others once you realize that you are simply receiving when it comes to your relationship to God. You’re only giving what’s already been given to you.
This is why, finally, God, being the generous giver that he is, must give one final gift to each and every one of you. This is why, finally, even Christmas is NOT about giving, it is about receiving. God Almighty has come down for you because your only hope of eternal life lies not in your 401k, Roth IRA or in a government bailout. Your only hope lies in God alone—a burping, bouncing, bubble-breathing, baby boy named Jesus. He’s got the whole world—and your only possibility for eternal life—in his itty bitty hands, “For in Jesus all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, (that would include you) by making peace through the blood of his cross.” The Christian life is finally about receiving and God is always the giver. God gives and you receive forgiveness of your sins and a new life.
During this financial crisis, our society and the media tempt us to focus on what we do not have. We are constantly reminded that the Dow Jones is falling lower and lower. Our banks don’t have faith to lend out their money anymore. We don’t have faith in our financial institutions or in our government anymore. We all start feeling and acting like that unfortunate slave in today’s story who was given his money and is scared to death of using it or losing it or getting it taken away!
But what would you do if all your money, your time and your life were given to you as a gift? What would you do if you were asked to make a difference in the world, in your community or in the world of one person? To know that you could do whatever you wanted with your life to help someone, to make their day or to give them peace during a difficult time of financial crisis in the world.
God says, “You may not be able to trust the stock market at the moment, but you can always trust me to pay out abundantly.” God says, “If you have lost faith in your financial institutions, you may put your faith in me, the creator and giver of all things.” God says, “If you have finally realized that you are bankrupt, heart, mind and soul with sin, come to me, for I give beyond measure and with no strings attached.” God says, “I give you a new life, a new heat and a new spirit for your portfolio. Here is my only Son, Jesus; he is yours forever. I give you all I have, withholding nothing. Everything I have I give to you. Take my gifts: you are free to use them; What might you do? I entrust all this to you.”
Amen.
I don’t expect any of you to go look at your checkbook, but think about the balance that is in it right now. And, if that balance is very low, which is quite possible, think about the bills that you recently paid. Where’d that money come from? Where’d your job come from? Where’d your talents and abilities come from? What would you do if your money, your abilities and your job were just given to you as gifts?
What would you do with your life? The heartbeat, breath, functioning kidneys and lungs, the consciousness, the whole nine yards! What would you do with your life if it were just given to you as a gift? What would you do with your life if it were just given to you and you were asked to make a difference in the world, in your community or in the world one solitary person. Wouldn’t that be awesome? To know that you could do whatever you wanted with your life to help someone, to make their day or give them peace during a difficult time of financial crisis in the world.
Today and next Sunday, we are going to look at and talk about your life and your money. These sermons will cover the same passage from today’s gospel reading: the parable of the talents. I figured that you might be interested in what the Bible has to say about money and your life since everybody else in the country has something to say about it. Every time I turn on NPR there is somebody new talking about Credit Default Swaps or sub-prime mortgages, or why, how and if the government should give car companies 50 billion dollars to bail them out. They say that you don’t have enough money to pay your bills, that your life is getting more stressful and that the government wants to help you out and give you hope. Well, the government is not the only one. God has some specific help and some specific hope to give you during this financial crisis.
This week we are going to focus primarily on what God is giving you. Next week we are going to focus on how you might live your life with God’s gifts. Today, at the children’s sermon, we handed out God’s gifts. Next week we are going to hear what those gifts have done in real life.
In the book of Acts, Jesus says that, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” You’ll be hearing that a lot in the upcoming month and a half with Christmas just around the corner. But that still doesn’t change one important fact for you and me that is as true at Christmas time as it is every single day of the year: The Christian life is not about giving, it is about receiving.
That’s right! Clap your hands quickly over your kids’ ears now before it is too late and I ruin all those hard fought lessons you have tried to teach them. The Christian life is not about giving, it is about receiving! You started this life dirt poor and you’ll end it poor and in the dirt. And in between, the part between life and death, I’d like you to realize that everything you have is simply a gift. A gift from God. God is giving you everything.
You don’t have to share these gifts. They are all yours. There are no poison pills or contractual obligations for these gifts. You don’t have to feel bad about how much they cost. In fact, there are not strings attached—you don’t have to give anything back to God in return. These gifts are for you and these gifts are free.
But what are they? What are these gifts? Well, take a deep breath . . . there it is. Breath. Gift number one. But God doesn’t just stop there does he? No. God is giving you everything. He doesn’t hold back. He gives you food and clothing. House and home. Fields and flocks. Money and property. A devoted family. An orderly community, good government, favorable weather, peace and health, a good name, and true friends and neighbors. When you open up the envelope of your life and see some of those good gifts in it, you can trust that God is the giver. And this might be a very big disappointment for you. Because all these gifts from God are things you’ve already got! Exactly!
What would you do with one hundred dollars? If it was just given to you? Well, it has been given to you and, probably a lot more than that. I know that I have a lot more than $100 dollars! A lot more! And so do you. No matter how poor you think you are. But, what if you were given all that money and you were asked to make a difference in the world, in your community or in the life of an individual? Wouldn’t that be awesome? Just to know that you could do whatever you wanted do to help someone, to make their day or give them peace during this difficult time of financial crisis in the world. Well, that’s just it. You were. You were asked. We all were. God has given us everything and he has entrusted his gifts into our hands.
The gospel for today tells this story about a master giving money to his slaves and it sounds almost like a fairy tale to us. Like something that could happen to us one day if we were lucky. But it has already happened. It’s already happening. God has given you his gifts and he is still giving them abundantly. And when Jesus returns to Earth what will he think? What are we doing with everything he has given? If we say that we have not sinned we deceive ourselves.
But still, that doesn’t change the fact that the Christian life is primarily about receiving. Not giving—receiving! We have to receive everything from God’s hands. When it comes to our relationship to God, we receive his blessings and have absolutely nothing worthwhile to give back in return. But, what happens when the money is in our hands? Or in our bank accounts. You and I do not only have a relationship with God; we also have relationships with other people and with the world around us. You can only become a giver in your relationship with others once you realize that you are simply receiving when it comes to your relationship to God. You’re only giving what’s already been given to you.
This is why, finally, God, being the generous giver that he is, must give one final gift to each and every one of you. This is why, finally, even Christmas is NOT about giving, it is about receiving. God Almighty has come down for you because your only hope of eternal life lies not in your 401k, Roth IRA or in a government bailout. Your only hope lies in God alone—a burping, bouncing, bubble-breathing, baby boy named Jesus. He’s got the whole world—and your only possibility for eternal life—in his itty bitty hands, “For in Jesus all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, (that would include you) by making peace through the blood of his cross.” The Christian life is finally about receiving and God is always the giver. God gives and you receive forgiveness of your sins and a new life.
During this financial crisis, our society and the media tempt us to focus on what we do not have. We are constantly reminded that the Dow Jones is falling lower and lower. Our banks don’t have faith to lend out their money anymore. We don’t have faith in our financial institutions or in our government anymore. We all start feeling and acting like that unfortunate slave in today’s story who was given his money and is scared to death of using it or losing it or getting it taken away!
But what would you do if all your money, your time and your life were given to you as a gift? What would you do if you were asked to make a difference in the world, in your community or in the world of one person? To know that you could do whatever you wanted with your life to help someone, to make their day or to give them peace during a difficult time of financial crisis in the world.
God says, “You may not be able to trust the stock market at the moment, but you can always trust me to pay out abundantly.” God says, “If you have lost faith in your financial institutions, you may put your faith in me, the creator and giver of all things.” God says, “If you have finally realized that you are bankrupt, heart, mind and soul with sin, come to me, for I give beyond measure and with no strings attached.” God says, “I give you a new life, a new heat and a new spirit for your portfolio. Here is my only Son, Jesus; he is yours forever. I give you all I have, withholding nothing. Everything I have I give to you. Take my gifts: you are free to use them; What might you do? I entrust all this to you.”
Amen.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
November 9th Sermon
“Alas for you who desire the day of the Lord! Why do you want the day of the Lord? It is darkness, not light; as if someone fled from a lion, and was met by a bear; or went into the house and rested a hand against the wall, and was bitten by a snake. Is not the day of the Lord darkness, not light, and gloom with no brightness in it?”
What is the “Day of the Lord”? I guess the best way to translate this into our way of speaking would be to call it “Judgment Day.” The “Day of the Lord” is the last day of the world. When God sits on his throne and puts all the nations under his feet as a footstool. When God makes his final decision about you once and for all.
And according to the prophet Amos, the Israelites loved to talk about the Day of the Lord. Judgment Day what something they were looking forward to. It was the day that they would finally be embraced as God’s chosen people and all the troubles in the world would be over. There would be a new heaven and a new earth—a new Jerusalem! They were the descendents of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. They were confident of God’s decision and his choice. They looked forward to the day when everyone else could see that they—THEY—the Israelites, were right after all! What a glorious moment that would be! The Day of the Lord. Judgment Day. When believing in God all those years would finally pay off!
Sometimes we are so focused on the law and following it that we miss the mark completely! Instead of loving our neighbors, the thing the law wants us to do in the first place!—we end up becoming self-righteous like the Israelites Amos was preaching to. We try to follow the law so completely that we end up breaking the law. By demanding that our neighbors follow the law we forget to love our neighbors. Pointing out sins is fine as long as you remember that sin is a universal condition. We cannot simply point out sin, we must pray, love and forgive sinners just as we have been prayed for, loved and forgiven.
However, in our day, it’s tough to be quite as self-righteous as the Israelites seemed to be when Amos was talking to them because God doesn’t seem to have the stomach for judgment at all anymore. He seems too progressive, too loving and too tolerant for all that stuff the Old Testament talks about. At seminaries, in casual conversations, in the news, in the movies, the Day of the Lord, Judgment Day, is often talked about with joyful anticipation. We get around the darkness of the Day of the Lord in a new way now. It’s called “Universal Salvation” or “Universalism” and it sounds pretty darn nice if you ask me.
Christian Universalism says that since God loves all people everyone will be saved no matter what. If there were such a thing as hell, which there probably isn’t Universalists would argue, that would mean that God is not a loving God at all but a vindictive God. A mean God. And that doesn’t sound right. What about all the Buddhists or Muslims or Hindus who never were told about Jesus Christ or who never had a chance to believe in him? If God were not going to save everybody then why would he let them be born into a different religion? An all knowing and all powerful God wouldn’t act like that. That wouldn’t be fair!
So, the Universalist argument looks at scripture. The gospel of John points out that, “God so loved the world that he gave his only son that whoever believes in him may not perish but have eternal life. But Jesus also says, “No one can come to Jesus unless drawn by the Father who sent him”. Therefore, as scripture also clearly says, God will draw all people to himself so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” According to Christian Universalists, everyone is saved by God. Everyone is loved by God no matter what they do. No matter what they believe. Everything will come out alright in the end. That’s the Day of the Lord and it doesn’t sound so darn bad if you ask me.
If everyone will be saved in the end then we shouldn’t be worried about the Day of the Lord should we, no matter what Amos says. We certainly don’t need to worry about what we do in this life. Morals, ethics, forgiveness and loving your neighbor don’t really matter. Who needs it? You’ll be fine no matter what you do. That’s the love of God, Universalists would say. But that’s not quite the same as a Savior who forgives sinners and creates a new creation. Universalism says that we are all saved without becoming new or changed. We are all forgiven without repentance and without a changed life. Finally, Universalism undermines the very proclamation we are called to give to people about Jesus Christ. For if everyone is saved in the end, why bother them with Jesus? At best Christianity will confuse people and at worst it might break up families, cultures and start a war.
Jesus was never tolerant, but he was always forgiving. He was understanding, compassionate, loving, peaceful, giving and fought against injustice wherever and whenever he saw it. But no one left his presence unchanged. No one left feeling that they were tolerated, as if that would be a loving thing to do. I mean, if someone tells you that they are tolerating you, does that make you feel very loved? Tolerance is not the same thing as love. With Jesus, you are either convicted of or forgiven for your sins. Jesus is never tolerant, but Jesus is always forgiving.
Alas for you who desire the day of the Lord! Why do you want the day of the Lord? It is darkness, not light; as if someone fled from a lion, and was met by a bear.” You and I worry about being called intolerant or legalistic and we run from those labels like they were going to eat us alive! But, in doing so, we find ourselves in a society where faith, belief and morality don’t mean very much. Perhaps this is why, in America at least, it is considered extremely bad form to criticize non-Christian religions in public, but it is more than acceptable to criticize Christians and Christianity in public. We flee from the lions of intolerance and, ironically are eaten by the intolerant bears of society.
Or course, tolerance is important, but it is not the gospel of Jesus Christ. Tolerance doesn’t free anyone from anything. It leaves the old creation old and nothing new happens. One of the biggest problems with making tolerance a doctrine of the church is that, often, the most tolerant people just don’t tolerate intolerant people! How ironic! But here is the truth of the gospel. God expects both the tolerant and the intolerant to repent of their sins—one is not better than the other. God offers forgiveness both to recovering addicts and to addicts who have no intention of recovering—everyone needs forgiveness.
“Alas for you who desire the day of the Lord! Why do you want the day of the Lord? It is darkness, not light; as if someone fled from a lion, and was met by a bear; or went into the house and rested a hand against the wall, and was bitten by a snake. I hate, I despise your festivals, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; and the offerings of well-being of your fatted animals I will not look upon. Take away from me the noise of your songs; I will not listen to the melody of your harps. But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.” God waited for his chosen people, the Israelites, to follow his laws. He waited for them to do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with Him as their God. He waits for you to do the same thing, but it never happens. So God has now fulfilled Amos’ prophecy in Jesus Christ for you. “But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an everflowing stream.”
He rolls Jesus Christ all the way down from heaven to you like a flood of waters upon your head, drenching you in the promise of baptism and saturates you with His righteousness from head to toe. He forgives your sins over and over again and he makes living waters of faith gush forth from your heart in an ever-flowing stream. The Day of the Lord will still be a day of darkness for you, but you will not be alone on that day. The light of the world, Jesus Christ himself, will be standing there shining his salvation upon you even in the deepest darkness. And nothing, not even the Day of the Lord with all it’s lions, snakes and bears will be able to snatch you from the hands of Jesus. Amen.
What is the “Day of the Lord”? I guess the best way to translate this into our way of speaking would be to call it “Judgment Day.” The “Day of the Lord” is the last day of the world. When God sits on his throne and puts all the nations under his feet as a footstool. When God makes his final decision about you once and for all.
And according to the prophet Amos, the Israelites loved to talk about the Day of the Lord. Judgment Day what something they were looking forward to. It was the day that they would finally be embraced as God’s chosen people and all the troubles in the world would be over. There would be a new heaven and a new earth—a new Jerusalem! They were the descendents of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. They were confident of God’s decision and his choice. They looked forward to the day when everyone else could see that they—THEY—the Israelites, were right after all! What a glorious moment that would be! The Day of the Lord. Judgment Day. When believing in God all those years would finally pay off!
Sometimes we are so focused on the law and following it that we miss the mark completely! Instead of loving our neighbors, the thing the law wants us to do in the first place!—we end up becoming self-righteous like the Israelites Amos was preaching to. We try to follow the law so completely that we end up breaking the law. By demanding that our neighbors follow the law we forget to love our neighbors. Pointing out sins is fine as long as you remember that sin is a universal condition. We cannot simply point out sin, we must pray, love and forgive sinners just as we have been prayed for, loved and forgiven.
However, in our day, it’s tough to be quite as self-righteous as the Israelites seemed to be when Amos was talking to them because God doesn’t seem to have the stomach for judgment at all anymore. He seems too progressive, too loving and too tolerant for all that stuff the Old Testament talks about. At seminaries, in casual conversations, in the news, in the movies, the Day of the Lord, Judgment Day, is often talked about with joyful anticipation. We get around the darkness of the Day of the Lord in a new way now. It’s called “Universal Salvation” or “Universalism” and it sounds pretty darn nice if you ask me.
Christian Universalism says that since God loves all people everyone will be saved no matter what. If there were such a thing as hell, which there probably isn’t Universalists would argue, that would mean that God is not a loving God at all but a vindictive God. A mean God. And that doesn’t sound right. What about all the Buddhists or Muslims or Hindus who never were told about Jesus Christ or who never had a chance to believe in him? If God were not going to save everybody then why would he let them be born into a different religion? An all knowing and all powerful God wouldn’t act like that. That wouldn’t be fair!
So, the Universalist argument looks at scripture. The gospel of John points out that, “God so loved the world that he gave his only son that whoever believes in him may not perish but have eternal life. But Jesus also says, “No one can come to Jesus unless drawn by the Father who sent him”. Therefore, as scripture also clearly says, God will draw all people to himself so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” According to Christian Universalists, everyone is saved by God. Everyone is loved by God no matter what they do. No matter what they believe. Everything will come out alright in the end. That’s the Day of the Lord and it doesn’t sound so darn bad if you ask me.
If everyone will be saved in the end then we shouldn’t be worried about the Day of the Lord should we, no matter what Amos says. We certainly don’t need to worry about what we do in this life. Morals, ethics, forgiveness and loving your neighbor don’t really matter. Who needs it? You’ll be fine no matter what you do. That’s the love of God, Universalists would say. But that’s not quite the same as a Savior who forgives sinners and creates a new creation. Universalism says that we are all saved without becoming new or changed. We are all forgiven without repentance and without a changed life. Finally, Universalism undermines the very proclamation we are called to give to people about Jesus Christ. For if everyone is saved in the end, why bother them with Jesus? At best Christianity will confuse people and at worst it might break up families, cultures and start a war.
Jesus was never tolerant, but he was always forgiving. He was understanding, compassionate, loving, peaceful, giving and fought against injustice wherever and whenever he saw it. But no one left his presence unchanged. No one left feeling that they were tolerated, as if that would be a loving thing to do. I mean, if someone tells you that they are tolerating you, does that make you feel very loved? Tolerance is not the same thing as love. With Jesus, you are either convicted of or forgiven for your sins. Jesus is never tolerant, but Jesus is always forgiving.
Alas for you who desire the day of the Lord! Why do you want the day of the Lord? It is darkness, not light; as if someone fled from a lion, and was met by a bear.” You and I worry about being called intolerant or legalistic and we run from those labels like they were going to eat us alive! But, in doing so, we find ourselves in a society where faith, belief and morality don’t mean very much. Perhaps this is why, in America at least, it is considered extremely bad form to criticize non-Christian religions in public, but it is more than acceptable to criticize Christians and Christianity in public. We flee from the lions of intolerance and, ironically are eaten by the intolerant bears of society.
Or course, tolerance is important, but it is not the gospel of Jesus Christ. Tolerance doesn’t free anyone from anything. It leaves the old creation old and nothing new happens. One of the biggest problems with making tolerance a doctrine of the church is that, often, the most tolerant people just don’t tolerate intolerant people! How ironic! But here is the truth of the gospel. God expects both the tolerant and the intolerant to repent of their sins—one is not better than the other. God offers forgiveness both to recovering addicts and to addicts who have no intention of recovering—everyone needs forgiveness.
“Alas for you who desire the day of the Lord! Why do you want the day of the Lord? It is darkness, not light; as if someone fled from a lion, and was met by a bear; or went into the house and rested a hand against the wall, and was bitten by a snake. I hate, I despise your festivals, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; and the offerings of well-being of your fatted animals I will not look upon. Take away from me the noise of your songs; I will not listen to the melody of your harps. But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.” God waited for his chosen people, the Israelites, to follow his laws. He waited for them to do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with Him as their God. He waits for you to do the same thing, but it never happens. So God has now fulfilled Amos’ prophecy in Jesus Christ for you. “But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an everflowing stream.”
He rolls Jesus Christ all the way down from heaven to you like a flood of waters upon your head, drenching you in the promise of baptism and saturates you with His righteousness from head to toe. He forgives your sins over and over again and he makes living waters of faith gush forth from your heart in an ever-flowing stream. The Day of the Lord will still be a day of darkness for you, but you will not be alone on that day. The light of the world, Jesus Christ himself, will be standing there shining his salvation upon you even in the deepest darkness. And nothing, not even the Day of the Lord with all it’s lions, snakes and bears will be able to snatch you from the hands of Jesus. Amen.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Sermon for November 2nd
My favorite TV show is Heroes, on NBC. I love the fantasy, the drama, the science fiction. I like to see lightning bolts fly out of people’s fingers, people going invisible and then going superhumanly fast and those things are all a part of this show. There’s no doubt some psychological reason for my interest with this type of genre, maybe I am an obsessive overachiever or am constantly losing my grip on reality. Maybe I just like special effects? Who knows? But, whatever the reason, I like to imagine what it would be like to have super powers. To be the strongest, the smartest and the fastest person in the world. The best of the best. To be special, both in my own eyes and in the eyes of others.
I carry this attitude with me into everyday life as well, like it or not. I like to be the best I can be and, if truth be told, I wouldn’t mind being the best in the eyes of others as well. I like to be told I am really good at what I do. It strokes my ego and makes me smile. I want to be a hero just like on the TV show even if I can’t create fire in the palm of my hand or fly around town. My parents called this attitude “self-confidence”. Others along the way have called this attitude “cocky”. Most psychology books would call this attitude “unrealistic”.
But I’d like to know what God thinks about my attitude? Is he happy that I am so focused on being the best that I can be? Being a hard worker must count for something. A hero, by definition, would help others out and, well, that is certainly biblical: “love your neighbor as yourself”. Does God praise these wonderfully traits of mine or does he notice them at all? What would it take to be a hero in God’s eyes?
I remember daydreaming when I was younger about the possibility of Jesus coming back to earth and finding disciples to walk across the countryside spreading the gospel message. I thought, “What if Jesus came to my door when my dad was gone and said follow me? I’d follow him right away!” I thought! “How cool would that be, right! And so I told my dad that if I was ever just gone one day he shouldn’t worry. Jesus probably just came back and asked me to be his disciple. I’d probably show up on the news that night.”
I wonder if that’s how the twelve disciples felt when they were asked by Jesus to come and follow him. I mean, they believed he was their Messiah! The awaited Savior of the Universe! The king of the Jews and he was asking them—them of all people!—to walk around with him and spread the news and do good deeds. They could be heroes! How wonderful!
Our gospel reading today sets the scene at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry where the disciples follow Jesus up a mountain after the crowds have gone home. They had just been called out of their ordinary lives, lives full of catching fish or counting silver coins, to a life of extraordinary faith and adventure! And now, Jesus sat them down for a pep talk. No doubt, Jesus was about to tell them what a great job they had done already and what great expectations he had for them!
Jesus begins by saying, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” You can imagine their surprise. “Pssst. Hey Matthew! Did Jesus just say the poor in spirit? Who’s he talking about? Jesus continued, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” “Uh, hey Jesus. I’m actually really happy to be here . . . not sad at all!” Blessed are the meek,” Jesus said, “for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness; sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
You’d have to imagine that the disciples felt a little gypped at this point. Heroes aren’t meek! They aren’t meek at all! They eat meek for breakfast! Heroes aren’t peacemakers! They have swords and shields and defend damsels in distress! I guess heroes are pure in heart, but they shouldn’t be persecuted. No, no, no, no! Jesus has this all wrong. Blessed are the heroes! The best of the best! The hard working, faith confessing, evil whupping, Messiah following disciples! The twelve special ones, you know. Who were these poor in spirit people? “We’ve got spirit, yes we do, we’ve got spirit, how bout you?”
For many of you, when you first heard the list detailing the kinds of people who were blessed by God, you might not have found yourself on the list. And for good reason, right? No one wants to be known as mournful, meek, poor in spirit person! That doesn’t sound good at all. A few of these things sound like positive traits, in a churchy, religious kind of way, but none of them seem THAT exciting. Who wants to be merciful? I want to be Mr. wonderful! I want to be a hero.
It is a strange thing really. When Jesus hands out his blessings, nobody really wants them. It’s not that we don’t want to be blessed, it’s just that we want to be blessed for our achievements and our hard work. Noble things. Heroic things. We want to be rewarded for our faith, not blessed because we have none. We want to be honored for our efforts, not blessed because we have to hunger and thirst for righteousness. We want Jesus to bless us on our terms. We want Jesus to praise us for our extraordinary abilities. Jesus wants us to utterly despair of our own abilities and to praise God’s name alone for our salvation.
Later on in the gospel of Matthew Jesus says, “I have come not for the healthy but for the sick. Not for the righteous but for the unrighteous.” At first, that can sound very upsetting if you feel good and think you’re doing alright in God’s eyes. But if Jesus has come to bless the poor in spirit, and he’s talking to you, perhaps you are more poor in spirit than you thought. Maybe it’s not something to be ashamed of. Perhaps, that righteousness you thought you had wasn’t much to look at after all.
God’s blessings are for you in fact, even if you don’t want them at first. You and I want to be heroes, not merciful meek peacemakers. But when you try to make yourself look so hot in God’s eyes you tend to move farther and farther away from his blessings. The more you trust in your own abilities, your own faith, your own understanding, the more you turn your back on God and his promises. You forget that everything is God’s and God’s alone. You forget that God wants you to fear, love and trust him above anything else. Above ANYTHING else, even above yourself and your heroic ambitions.
This passage describes what God values over and against what we think is important. It shows us that there are many in this world that are blessed in God’s eyes even though they are seen as second-class citizens to the rest of us. However, what I find most amazing is that these blessings are for you and for me, even though we never wanted them to be. We want to be heroes, but in God’s eyes we all come in second to Jesus Christ and his glory. The more you find yourself trusting God’s will for your life and trusting his values instead of your own, the more you will realize the hero Jesus was for forgiving your sins and blessing you with eternal life. Like it or not, these blessings are yours. You’re not the hero. Jesus is your hero.
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness; sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Rejoice and be glad! Yours is the kingdom of God.” Amen.
I carry this attitude with me into everyday life as well, like it or not. I like to be the best I can be and, if truth be told, I wouldn’t mind being the best in the eyes of others as well. I like to be told I am really good at what I do. It strokes my ego and makes me smile. I want to be a hero just like on the TV show even if I can’t create fire in the palm of my hand or fly around town. My parents called this attitude “self-confidence”. Others along the way have called this attitude “cocky”. Most psychology books would call this attitude “unrealistic”.
But I’d like to know what God thinks about my attitude? Is he happy that I am so focused on being the best that I can be? Being a hard worker must count for something. A hero, by definition, would help others out and, well, that is certainly biblical: “love your neighbor as yourself”. Does God praise these wonderfully traits of mine or does he notice them at all? What would it take to be a hero in God’s eyes?
I remember daydreaming when I was younger about the possibility of Jesus coming back to earth and finding disciples to walk across the countryside spreading the gospel message. I thought, “What if Jesus came to my door when my dad was gone and said follow me? I’d follow him right away!” I thought! “How cool would that be, right! And so I told my dad that if I was ever just gone one day he shouldn’t worry. Jesus probably just came back and asked me to be his disciple. I’d probably show up on the news that night.”
I wonder if that’s how the twelve disciples felt when they were asked by Jesus to come and follow him. I mean, they believed he was their Messiah! The awaited Savior of the Universe! The king of the Jews and he was asking them—them of all people!—to walk around with him and spread the news and do good deeds. They could be heroes! How wonderful!
Our gospel reading today sets the scene at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry where the disciples follow Jesus up a mountain after the crowds have gone home. They had just been called out of their ordinary lives, lives full of catching fish or counting silver coins, to a life of extraordinary faith and adventure! And now, Jesus sat them down for a pep talk. No doubt, Jesus was about to tell them what a great job they had done already and what great expectations he had for them!
Jesus begins by saying, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” You can imagine their surprise. “Pssst. Hey Matthew! Did Jesus just say the poor in spirit? Who’s he talking about? Jesus continued, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” “Uh, hey Jesus. I’m actually really happy to be here . . . not sad at all!” Blessed are the meek,” Jesus said, “for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness; sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
You’d have to imagine that the disciples felt a little gypped at this point. Heroes aren’t meek! They aren’t meek at all! They eat meek for breakfast! Heroes aren’t peacemakers! They have swords and shields and defend damsels in distress! I guess heroes are pure in heart, but they shouldn’t be persecuted. No, no, no, no! Jesus has this all wrong. Blessed are the heroes! The best of the best! The hard working, faith confessing, evil whupping, Messiah following disciples! The twelve special ones, you know. Who were these poor in spirit people? “We’ve got spirit, yes we do, we’ve got spirit, how bout you?”
For many of you, when you first heard the list detailing the kinds of people who were blessed by God, you might not have found yourself on the list. And for good reason, right? No one wants to be known as mournful, meek, poor in spirit person! That doesn’t sound good at all. A few of these things sound like positive traits, in a churchy, religious kind of way, but none of them seem THAT exciting. Who wants to be merciful? I want to be Mr. wonderful! I want to be a hero.
It is a strange thing really. When Jesus hands out his blessings, nobody really wants them. It’s not that we don’t want to be blessed, it’s just that we want to be blessed for our achievements and our hard work. Noble things. Heroic things. We want to be rewarded for our faith, not blessed because we have none. We want to be honored for our efforts, not blessed because we have to hunger and thirst for righteousness. We want Jesus to bless us on our terms. We want Jesus to praise us for our extraordinary abilities. Jesus wants us to utterly despair of our own abilities and to praise God’s name alone for our salvation.
Later on in the gospel of Matthew Jesus says, “I have come not for the healthy but for the sick. Not for the righteous but for the unrighteous.” At first, that can sound very upsetting if you feel good and think you’re doing alright in God’s eyes. But if Jesus has come to bless the poor in spirit, and he’s talking to you, perhaps you are more poor in spirit than you thought. Maybe it’s not something to be ashamed of. Perhaps, that righteousness you thought you had wasn’t much to look at after all.
God’s blessings are for you in fact, even if you don’t want them at first. You and I want to be heroes, not merciful meek peacemakers. But when you try to make yourself look so hot in God’s eyes you tend to move farther and farther away from his blessings. The more you trust in your own abilities, your own faith, your own understanding, the more you turn your back on God and his promises. You forget that everything is God’s and God’s alone. You forget that God wants you to fear, love and trust him above anything else. Above ANYTHING else, even above yourself and your heroic ambitions.
This passage describes what God values over and against what we think is important. It shows us that there are many in this world that are blessed in God’s eyes even though they are seen as second-class citizens to the rest of us. However, what I find most amazing is that these blessings are for you and for me, even though we never wanted them to be. We want to be heroes, but in God’s eyes we all come in second to Jesus Christ and his glory. The more you find yourself trusting God’s will for your life and trusting his values instead of your own, the more you will realize the hero Jesus was for forgiving your sins and blessing you with eternal life. Like it or not, these blessings are yours. You’re not the hero. Jesus is your hero.
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness; sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Rejoice and be glad! Yours is the kingdom of God.” Amen.
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