January 29, 2017 – Matthew 5:1-12
Matthew 5:1-12
Recognizing Blessedness
4th Sunday after Epiphany [Lectionary 4] – January 29, 2017
First Lutheran Church – Winnipeg, MB
Today Jesus preaches his inaugural sermon in Matthew.
It’s his first public statement and – like President Trump’s recent inaugural speech –
it sets out his vision and his fundamental guiding principles.
Both Jesus and President Trump speak of blessing.
At the end of his speech, President Trump speaks of blessing when he says,
“God bless you. God bless America.”
He concludes his speech by outlining what his vision of blessing is:
strength, wealth, pride, safety, and greatness.
Jesus, by contrast, doesn’t end his speech with talk of blessing,
but rather begins his speech by speaking of blessing.
Unlike President Trump’s speech, though, Jesus doesn’t talk about winning.
Unlike President Trump’s speech, Jesus doesn’t talk about making Israel wealthy again.
He is speaking to his disciples and he is teaching them how to recognize blessedness.
Our culture probably recognizes blessing in the way that President Trump recognizes it:
it is a blessing, we think, to be strong and wealthy and proud and great.
And probably the culture Jesus found himself in recognized the same signs of blessing:
they recognized that God had blessed you if you were stronger than your neighbours and
wealthier than your neighbours and greater than your neighbours.
But Jesus has a different view.
And in a shocking beginning to a shocking speech turns everything we think we know –
as usual – on its head.
Blessed are the poor in spirit, he says, meaning the hopeless.
Blessed are those who mourn.
Blessed are the meek – for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are the peacemakers.
Blessed are the persecuted.
Why are they blessed?
They are blessed, Jesus says, because God intends to do something for them.
They are blessed, Jesus, says, because God will act for them.
Blessed are the poor in spirit with no hope because God’s reign is for them.
Blessed are those who mourn for God will act and they will mourn no more.
Blessed are those without their share of the earth’s resources for when God is reigning
they will inherit their fair share.
Blessed are those who are willing to suffer to see this dream become reality.
This is a recurring theme throughout Jesus’ ministry: those whom God is close to are
the down and out, the suffering, and the sick.
Those whom God favours are the excluded, the reviled, and the imprisoned.
Those whom God honours are the poor, the hungry, and the unjustly treated.
In other words, those we don’t often perceive as valuable are precisely those whom
God chooses to love and honour and bless.
If we were to write a list today, who would be on it? Shout out your answers:
who are the blessed of God?
Blessed are the murdered and missing indigenous women.
Blessed are the foreign migrant workers.
Blessed are the bullied.
Blessed are the lonely.
Blessed are the mentally ill.
Blessed are the addicted.
Blessed are the out of work.
For these are beloved by God – and God wants to do something about their plight.
In God’s reign – when God is ruling – these people have a future, and it is a good one.
That is what Jesus is saying – and that is why Jesus names them blessed.
Jesus shocks his disciples – Jesus shocks us – into seeing those around us differently.
And lest you think the blessing does not extend to you, Jesus at the end of this part of his
inaugural address, looks at you and says, “Blessed are you.”
Blessed are you – just the way you are.
If you are feeling persecuted and between a rock and a hard place, blessed are you.
If you are poor, or hopeless, or mentally ill, or sick, or addicted, or out of work –
blessed are you.
You don’t need to be anything other than you are to be blessed.
Blessed are you.
For you have a place close to the heart of God, and you have a place in God’s reign of
love and justice and peace, and God will act to make you well.
You are blessed.
Jesus speaks and teaches here in order to help us see differently –
Jesus teaches here in order to help us see ourselves differently and
in order to help us see those around us differently.
Jesus teaches here in order to help us see how the God of all love and all compassion
views this world and every person in it.
Jesus teaches here in order to help us see ourselves differently, the world differently,
and our place in the world differently.
What is favoured? And who is honoured?
My inaugural speech was preached here over 16 years ago.
Some of you remember it and some of you even remember what it was called –
Great Expectations.
In it I outlined the Great Expectations we could have of our congregation and
our ministry.
It was called Great Expectations not because of the Great Expectations we could have
of ourselves but because of the Great Expectations we have of God –
who blesses the unexpected.
It was a time when many were questioning the viability of a ministry in this location.
The sermon was prompted in part by that – and in part by a pastor who was asked before me
whether he’d be interested in the job here.
He came down, looked at the building, drove around the neighbourhood, and
promptly told the bishop, “No thanks – I see no future there.”
Well – that was actually a blessing because then they asked me if I’d be interested!
So I came to Winnipeg, and I too was shown the building and shown the neighbourhood but
then – more importantly – I met the people of First Lutheran Church.
And God told me there was a future here.
When I came, this location at Sargent and Victor was considered a liability.
But after a few years, with Kelly Speak’s help, we started hosting a food bank.
And we came to know the people who live and work in this neighbourhood.
And we came to recognize them as beloved children of the same heavenly parent.
And at a council meeting where a guest from the Synod was present, someone said
“We used to see this location as a liability, but actually it’s an asset – because
this is clearly where God wants us to be doing ministry.”
And then we added another food bank, and a Christmas hamper ministry,
and our summer kids club free drop in, and our Community Meal ministry –
and two years ago, our longtime friend and member Jack Goodman –
who has seen it all at First Lutheran Church – stood before you on
a Sunday morning as a stewardship speaker, and
reflecting on all this ministry made the following pronouncement:
It’s a blessing to be here. It’s a blessing to be here.
I often tell this story to people about the evolution of First Lutheran Church in its perception of
its location: from liability to asset to blessing – from liability to asset to blessing.
It’s a blessing to be here.
How many here this morning would say otherwise?
We have formed so many beautiful friendships with people in this neighbourhood.
We have been bound together so closely as a community by working together here and
by struggling together here and by overcoming obstacles together here.
We have come to know what Jesus is talking about when he talks about blessing.
Because you have come to see the blessings of God in your neighbour’s need.
You have come to give thanks that you have been privileged to meet them and meet one another.
You have come to see that we draw very close to God when
we draw close to those whom God is close to.
That is a great blessing, as Jack beautifully reminded us.
It is a great blessing to be here.
If the Spirit of this community of First Lutheran Church were able to take some kind of
bodily, material form it would be one of the most beautiful things you would ever see.
And make no mistake: it is the Spirit of Jesus.
So bless you: bless you for this work.
Bless you for your generosity in giving.
Bless you in your life together.
Bless you in your body and bless you in your soul.
Bless you.
And together let us say, “Amen.”
Pastor Michael Kurtz
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