Sunday, January 29, 2023

The Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany
Micah 6:1-8
Psalm 15
1 Corinthians 1:18-31
Matthew 5:1-12

For you see your calling, brothers, that not many are wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, and not many noble; but God chose the foolish things of the world that he might put to shame those who are wise. God chose the weak things of the world that he might put to shame the things that are strong.

We all know that the internet is a place where it is easy to get into a battle over the simplest things. I saw a post this weekend about how to cut a sandwich. Some people like to make triangles, others prefer to make rectangles. The comments beneath the post were funny. Some people talked about how triangles make the sandwich bigger. There were all sorts of posts showing the math, with equations proving the point. Others suggested that the triangles are bigger because there are more bites. It was a silly conversation, and I’m sure most of the people were arguing because it was funny. There were, however, some who were taking it seriously.

I confess I’ve had my moments when I’ve argued online. I’ve learned to be more careful, even when the subject lends itself to humor. People have a hard time distinguishing between humor and earnestness. I have explained the joke too many times online. Most people accept their error and laugh, but even then, some continue to argue. It is like there are people who argue for the sake of arguing, and it has become much more obvious online. We could probably use a few more peacemakers on social media.

St. Chromatius of Aquileia preached, “If you can see how great the merit of the peacemakers is, when they are no longer called servants but children of God. This reward is fully justified, since the love of peace loves Christ, the author of peace, to whom Paul the Apostle even gives ‘peace’ as a name: ‘He is our peace,’ he says. Someone who does not love peace goes in pursuit of discord, for he loves its author the devil. In the beginning the devil caused discord between God and the human race by leading the first man to violate God’s precept. The reason why the Son of God came down from heaven was to condemn the devil, the author of discord, and to make peace between God and the human race by reconciling its members to God and making God propitious to them. We must therefore become peacemakers so that we may deserve to be called children of God. Without peace, we lose the name not only of children, but even of servants, since the apostle says to us: ‘Love peace, for without it none of us can be pleasing to God.’”

“We must become peacemakers.” I know this seems like an impossible demand. There are a million reasons why we should fight, many of the worthwhile. The world is unfair, we should fight for fairness. We must fight for justice. We have the right to fight for what is ours. We should fight for the truth and for what is right. We believe in an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. We believe that if we don’t fight back, then we’ll be nothing but a doormat and the world will take advantage of us.

“Blessed are those who have been persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.”

We fight because we do not want to suffer. We don’t deserve to suffer. We are afraid to suffer. It is not right for us to suffer. Yet Jesus tells us that we are blessed when we suffer for doing what He asks us to do. We must become peacemakers. There’s something very absurd about a person arguing about how to cut a sandwich. The same can be said about most of the arguments we

We disagree with at least half of what we see and hear as we scroll through our Facebook timelines and listen to the media. We disagree because we see the world in a different way, and we expect the others to see it as we do. We demand our way without even listening to the other. We expect the world to bend to our opinion or our point of view and we become angry when it doesn’t. Yet, we haven’t even taken the time to listen to the other point of view. I’m guilty of this, but we all have to admit that it is often difficult to listen when everything is confrontational. We’d rather fight than be a peacemaker.

Peacemakers don’t win. As a matter of fact, Jesus promised that the peacemakers will be persecuted.

On this fourth Sunday after the Epiphany of our Lord, we look at the beginning words of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. As we consider the texts for this day, I’m taken by the number of ways we can understand them. There are perhaps dozens of different ways through which the Beatitudes might be preached. Some may see them with a purely social gospel understanding, others might consider the spiritual implications. There are those who consider these words a call to a certain type of behavior and others might think they are an unattainable ideal.

In the past few years, I have referenced the Beatitudes multiple times, from different points of view. I don’t think any one of these ideas is necessarily right or wrong. Each one simply fit the circumstances of that time and our needs. Take, for instance, the first beatitude. Should a pastor preach exactly the same sermon to the victims of a natural disaster as he would to a congregation of wealthy businessmen? No, because in one sermon he would need to project a message of hope to a people who have none and in the other he would need to speak to the congregation about their role in helping make a difference. One sermon would be about how God overcomes our tragedy and the other would be about how we respond and participate in God’s work.

Jesus had a way of turning the world upside down; He makes us look at the world in a whole new way. We think of blessedness as being successful, being a winner. But in today’s Gospel reading Jesus defines blessedness in ways we would never expect. The blessed are not those who deserve to be rewarded, but rather those who see that which God has done and is doing in the world. The poor in spirit do not appear blessed because they seem to have no hope, but they are blessed because God has given them the kingdom of heaven. Those who mourn have no joy, but they are blessed because God will give them comfort. Those who are humiliated will be raised and those who are hungry and thirsty will be fed. They are blessed because God has promised to save those who trust in Him. Blessedness is an attitude that looks to God for its fulfillment.

John Stott wrote of the Beatitudes, “These characteristics do not describe eight separate and distinct groups of disciples. There are not some who are meek, while others are merciful, yet others called upon to endure persecution. These are eight qualities of the same group who at one and the same time are meek and merciful, poor in spirit and pure in heart, mourning and hungry, peacemakers and persecuted. They are the characteristics of the common, everyday Christians.”

The Beatitudes emphasize who we are rather than what we do. The Kingdom is not of this world. The beautiful attitudes and the blessings of the Kingdom are not economic but spiritual. Some may be called to lives of poverty, but the beatitudes refer to spiritual states. The eight blessings are given to every Christian. God favors the humble, those who trust in Him rather than their own strength. These humble people are those who yearn for God above all else. They become wholly dependent on God. Martin Luther wrote, “These eight beatitudes are nothing else than a teaching about the fruits and good works of a Christian, which must be preceded by faith, as the tree and main body or sum of his righteousness and blessedness, without any work or merit, out of which these beatitudes must all grow and follow.”

None of the eight Beatitudes are highly regarded by the world as being particularly blessed. Poverty, pain, humility, hunger and thirst are not signs of a blessed life; they are more likely to be considered woes or curses. The merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers and the persecuted are more likely to be viewed as foolish rather than as blessed.

When we are poor in spirit, in mourning, humiliated and hungry, it is difficult to be participants in the overcoming work in God’s world. Sadly, in today’s world it is often used as an excuse to be angry and to fight. We think we are justified in demanding that others make things right. We seek worldly solutions to our pain and suffering and expect our neighbors to save us. Yet the real salvation will only come when we fall into the arms of God’s grace. Blessed are those who look to God in their poverty, mourning, humiliation and hunger because they will be satisfied.

Jesus does not call us to overcome our troubles or wallow in them, but rather He encourages us to live in an attitude of trust and confidence that God is faithful to His promises. The beatitudes are the attitudes of God’s people living in faith. The students for today’s lesson were not the great crowds of people; Jesus was speaking to the disciples. This lesson is not given for those who are trying to earn their way to heaven but for those who believe in the work of God. The lesson is given for us, the Christians who have been saved by the cross of Christ.

It doesn’t seem like a wise lesson, does it? After all, it makes more sense to be strong in spirit, to celebrate life, to be assertive, and to satisfy our own needs. We would much rather be comfortable and happy. We would much prefer a life of wealth, health and popularity. However, Jesus never promised us a rose garden; He promised Himself. We can find blessedness in poverty and in mourning, not because there is anything good about these things but because we turn to grace in our suffering. Physical blessedness is found in pain because the pain makes us look to the One who can heal us. Spiritual blessedness is found in suffering because it makes us look to God.

On the face of it, Christianity is foolishness. Paul is right when he says so in today’s epistle lesson. After all, what good is it to believe in a God who can die on a cross? Why have faith in a system that allows an innocent man to take the consequences of the whole world’s sin upon His own shoulders? Is God so weak that He can’t protect His people from suffering? Is He so incompetent that He can’t save us in some other, more civilized way? The Jews wanted to answer these questions with wisdom that came from the tradition of their faith, and the Greeks wanted answers that could be studied philosophically.

The Christian message is viewed as foolishness because we are called to submit to the God that the world claims does not exist. We are called to love our neighbor, and yet the world says that we should love our selves. The Gospel tells us that God in flesh died so that we might have life. What foolishness! Yet, God is wiser and more powerful than anything we can imagine, and we know that He loved His children so much that He did everything necessary to reconcile us to Him.

We often ask the question “What must I do?” in our relationships. What must I do to be your friend? What must I do to earn your trust? What must I do to receive your forgiveness? What must I do so that you’ll love me? Perhaps this sounds odd to you; perhaps you don't think that there should be any “must do” in our relationships, and yet how often do we do we do this with our relationship with God?

In the passage from Micah, the Lord speaks of all the wonderful things that He has done for His people. And how do they response? “What must we do?” Israel responded by trying to find some way to make up for the sin against God; they looked for some act that would earn God’s mercy. They thought that bowing before God or giving some sort of offering would be enough to cover their sins. They listed a number of sacrificial measures in the hope that they would provide God with the necessary actions to earn His mercy and grace. “What sort of offerings would be suitable? Should the offerings be burnt? Thousands of rams? Rivers of oil?” The list even included sacrifice of the first born, a religious practice among the pagan peoples among whom God’s people had dwelt. Does God require those sacrifices? Does God even approve of those sacrifices? He has proven over and over again that He is merciful and that He loves His people, and yet they still want to control their own salvation.

Our answer to the question “What must I do?” does not include child sacrifice, but we do have our list of things we think God requires. Do I have to go to church every Sunday? Do I need to serve on a committee? Give a certain amount of money? Volunteer in a certain way or place? Do I need to choose a certain community of believers? Perform certain rituals? What must I do to receive God’s grace? We know that there is nothing we can do to receive God’s grace, but do we live fully in God’s grace without trying to earn it?

The answer to “What must I do?” is not what we choose, but that which has been revealed to us: to do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with God. Even this can only be done with God’s help.

So, this opens us up to a few more questions. What does it mean to do justice? What is mercy? What is humility? These are much harder questions to ask than “What must I do?” We do so much better if we have a checklist to follow. Once we mark all the steps, we can just slip it in the mail or push the send button. But in matters of faith, it isn’t quite so easy. The most ruthless conversations happen over these differences People on every side of those questions that rattle us today firmly believe that they have God’s intention on their side. They firmly believe that they are doing what is right. They believe that their understanding of justice is what God means. Perhaps I should say “we” instead of “they” because we all fall into the trap of believing that we are the ones with the answers.

Micah reports God’s testimony about the good things He has done for His people, and yet they still ask the question. We are no different. We can read the story of what God has done for us, know Jesus, and understand the work God has done for our sakes and we still ask, as if our actions will make God’s work real. Oh, there are things we can, and should, do as Christians, but none of our actions will ever make us right with God. We are right with God because of what He has done. And when we are right with God, we naturally respond with justice, mercy and humility.

In the Psalm for this week, the congregation asks a different question, “Who shall dwell in your sanctuary?” This was used as part of their liturgy. The people waited by the gates of the Temple and did not enter until they heard the conditions. The liturgist responded, “He who walks blamelessly and does what is right, and speaks truth in his heart; he who doesn’t slander with his tongue, nor does evil to his friend, nor casts slurs against his fellow man; in whose eyes a vile man is despised, but who honors those who fear Yahweh; he who keeps an oath even when it hurts, and doesn’t change; he who doesn’t lend out his money for usury, nor take a bribe against the innocent.”

How does anyone enter with such strict requirements? Do we all walk blamelessly? Do we do what is right? Do we speak the truth from our hearts? Are our tongues free of slander and our actions free of evil? Do we always refrain from speaking ill of our neighbor? Do we hate evil and honor those who love God? Do we always keep our promises, give without expecting something in return or act for the sake of others above ourselves? Of course not.

So, who can dwell in the tent of God? In the ancient days, the only person allowed in the Tent of Meeting was Moses, and even he had to follow certain rules to enter into God’s presence. Was Moses perfect? Did he always do everything right? Did he always trust God’s word and walk humbly before Him? No, Moses failed, and because he failed, he suffered the consequences. He did not enter into the Promised Land with the people of God. He died on the other side of the river. Yet, despite his imperfection, Moses is called righteous and blessed by God, and he was able to enter into God’s presence and live there because he believed in God and trusted in Him.

Paul asked, “Where is the wise?” The wisdom of God is found in that upside down world of Jesus, where He was crucified for the sake of those who believe. We see God in hope and faith, but those divine attitudes are often invisible in the lives of those who are poor in spirit, mourning, meek and hungering and thirsting for righteousness. Strength and power are not expected to be found in those who are merciful, pure in heart, peacemakers or persecuted. God turned the world upside down and brought blessedness into the lives of those whom the world has rejected. He is the foundation of our faith, the source of our blessings and the only One deserving of the glory. Paul continues, “Because of him, you are in Christ Jesus, who was made to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption: 31 that, as it is written, “He who boasts, let him boast in the Lord.”

The Christian faith is foolishness, because it makes no sense in a world that honors the powerful, promotes the strong, encourages the self and puts the great onto pedestals. However, God has chosen to bless those who humble themselves before Him, beginning first with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. As we follow His path, and live as He lived, we might seem to have a life that is far from blessed. But God will shine through our weakness; through our poverty, mourning, meekness, hunger, thirst, mercy, suffering, humility and rejection He will be glorified.

God has expectations and He spells them out in the scriptures so that we can try to live up to them. But our salvation is never dependent on our ability to do so. God’s love and mercy does not demand anything from us. God’s love and mercy elicits a response: He has transformed us for a purpose. We are blessed to be a blessing. We who are foolish, and weak, and humble are chosen to be heirs to the Kingdom of Heaven, to live in that Kingdom according to God’s Word. So, instead of asking what we should do, we wonder what it means to be blessed. The answer is counter to our expectations.