There will be a
football game tonight... The winning team will receive the Vince Lombardi
trophy which is created by Tiffany's of New York. The Super Bowl was watched by an estimated
166 million people last year. It is a contest of superlatives: the fastest, the
strongest, the most powerful, the most determined. Besides the game there will
be enticing commercials which are usually unique and fun to watch. The commercials are quite a display of all
the things in the world that are said to bring us happiness: cars, beverages, Doritos...
It is ironic that the designated Gospel
reading for today is from Matthew 5 and is commonly called the Beatitudes,
which mean blessing or happiness.
What does bring us happiness?
The disciples and
others had gathered around Jesus to hear his message. In Jesus' day as in ours, the marks of
success were usually one's position in society, one's wealth, one's family,
one's achievements.
Happy are those who
have, and especially those who have the most! These are the folks who are
considered blessed, who are in the
spotlight.
Jesus however looks
at his listeners and speaks of them being favored by God and he doesn't mention
any of the usual terms of success.
His list goes in a
different direction because it deals with the heart and one's relationship with
God and with others. Words jump out at
us: poor, meek, thirsty, grieving, persecuted,
merciful, peace seeking, pure.
Jesus is describing those who are part of his
kingdom, those who are trying to follow him. This is their reality. This is our
reality. He shares that God is with us
whether our lives are empty or full.
Even in brokenness,
there can be blessing!
Let's look at each of
these 8 sayings: what is it like to participate
in God's kingdom?
What
is in store for those who look to God
for everything ?
I
once read an article about manor houses in England. (Think Downton Abby) One
residence stood out among those featured. On the corridor walls were hung
portraits of those who had been part of the estate. In this house, the
portraits were of their servants. Thru the years, generation to generation,
the ones chosen to be honored were the ones who had served: the butlers, the
maids, the gardeners. The Beatitudes are
the hall of fame for God's kingdom,
portraits of those who serve God.
As
we look at the Beatitudes, are there ones that reflect your life?
-Honored are the poor in spirit: There is good news
for those who see the emptiness of their
lives, and their need for grace. The people who know how frail they are and so
they put their whole trust in God. They
will not be disappointed.
-Honored are those
who mourn: there is good news for those whose hearts are broken by their own
loss and the tragedies of the world. In their vulnerability, they know their
need for God and will in turn receive strength, and deeper empathy for others.
-Favored are the
meek: there is good news for those who realize who they are in God's eyes, who
are unassuming and have humility that gives them power.
Henri
Nouwen , an author and professor taught
at Yale and Harvard. He left teaching and went to be a part of the Daybreak
Community near Toronto, Canada. The
Community is made up of folks with mental
and physical handicaps along with those folks who care for them. Nouwen said that he experienced an identity
crisis because people at Daybreak had not read his books, did not know his
reputation or that he was famous. This forced him “ to recognize his true
identity.” His accomplishments did not
matter. What was important is that he could give and receive love as a child of
God.
-Honored are those who hunger for righteousness to
prevail. There is good news for the one
who yearns for suffering to end, and justice to come.
-Favored is the one
who is merciful. There is good news for the one who sees what others see and
feels what they feel, and responds with
mercy. You will find others will show mercy to you.
-Honored are those
who are pure in heart. There is good news for those who are earnestly seeking
to know God and to know themselves, who do the right things for the right
reasons.
-Honored are those
who are the peacemakers. There is good news for those who restore
relationships between people. They are reuniting God's family.
-Favored are those
who are persecuted: there is good news
for those who are treated badly for
doing good. Their dreams will come true.
For the 1964 World's
Fair in New York, an artist,Sister Mary Corita , produced a banner which was
40' long and featured the Beatitudes. Amid all the advances of technology at
the Fair, (some of the first computers were on display) her banner proclaimed the joys of God's
kingdom. This is her translation which was written on the banner:
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Happy are those who feel their
spiritual need for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. Happy are the gentle for
the whole world belongs to them, Happy are those who hunger and thirst for
what is right for they will be satisfied. Happy are those who show mercy for
mercy will be shown to them. Happy are those who know what sorrow means for
they will be given courage and comfort. Happy are the single-hearted for they
will see God. Happy are those who make
peace for they will be known as the sons of God. Happy are those who have
suffered persecution for the causes of goodness for the Kingdom of Heaven is
theirs.
|
Last week we were extended invitations
to be part of God's kingdom, to come to the party, to be a follower of
Christ. The Beatitudes show us who said
yes to the invitation. I hope that we find ourselves in that company of famous
and unknowns, of timid and brave hearts.
Barbara Lemmel is a UM pastor and she tells of driving her son Micah (who
was 3) to day care. Micah was studying
his reflection in the mirror on the sun visor. She played a game with him and
asked
“Who is in the mirror? “ Is it
Daddy? Uncle John ? An elephant?
Is it Jesus? You know whenever you look
in a mirror you see Jesus a little bit. Jesus is always in you a little bit.
“
Micah was silent as he pondered that.
And then he said “I need Jesus to be in
me a lot.”
I
would join Micah in his evaluation of
our human condition. Micah also
captured the essence of each of the Beatitudes: when we have compassion,when we
are humble,when we are merciful, when we are peacemaking, when we are grieving
, when we are ridiculed, when we are desperate to know God in every facet of
our lives- then we are reflections of
Christ! Living the Beatitudes helps us
see our true identity.
Yes,there is a football game tonight.
If you do watch the Superbowl, I hope you have some yummy snacks and
that you enjoy the game. When the
cheering is over, the pizza is gone, and all the awards are given, remember
that the greatest honors and the deepest joys in this life will come from
following Christ and from being part of
God's kingdom.
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