"As God Was Then, So God is Now"
Matthew 5.1-12
Sunday, November 1, 2020
All Saints' Day
Grammatical Caveat: Because sermons are meant to be preached and are therefore prepared with the emphasis on verbal presentation (i.e., are written for the ear), the written accounts occasionally deviate from proper and generally accepted principles of grammar and punctuation. Most often, these deviations are not mistakes per se but are indicative of an attempt to aid the listener in the delivery of the sermon.
Growing up, I loved Halloween. Not only because of the candy but mostly because I got to dress up as my favorite superheroes. It was Batman one year, the next, it was my favorite baseball player, and another year I went as The Crow.
Halloween is the one day [before covid] where we were encouraged to wear masks. Gen-Z folx probably still remember their little faces on fire after spending a night breathing through plastic masks while the rubber band wrapped around their head dug into their scalp. It is also a bit bizarre that it takes a night wearing masks [before covid] to get us out to visit with our neighbors.
How we celebrate Halloween now isn't unlike how it began in the Celtic tradition. All Hallows Eve was a night when the community would gather around a bonfire, dress up to ward off ghosts and tell stories of those they loved who have died. Eventually, it became the Church holiday known as All Saints' Day, which we celebrate today, November 1.
At First Presbyterian Church, All Saints' Day is a time when we make space to remember the saints in our lives. Of course, by saints, we mean those who have gone before us. We remember our spouses and significant others; our loved ones and best friends, and we remember those who, even in the smallest ways, had a role in shaping who we are as a person. As a church, we rejoice for those on whose shoulders we stand who had the vision of ministry. We give thanks for the faithful stewardship of their hearts, hands, and resources. Because of their saying 'yes' to God, we can continue God's ministry today.
Ultimately, All Saints' Day reminds us that we are part of one continuing, living communion of saints. We express gratitude for all who in ages of darkness kept the faith, for prophetic voices who have called the church to be faithful in life and service, for all who have witnessed God's justice and peace in every nation. All Saints' Day points our attention back to God, who sends the church into the world to offer good news!
We must not forget that us living saints still have work to do. And yes, I mean work. The Church is Christ's body on earth. What does this mean, pastor? It means to commit as a community to living faithfully as God's agents of love. Where do we turn to find out how to do this? We begin with the Beatitudes. If you're like me, even after reading the Beatitudes as long as I have, they still throw me off. Why? Because they go against everything society teaches us. More than that, the Beatitudes are not transactional, nor are they commandments, and neither are they moral injunctions. Instead, they are God's normal. They are Christ's reality.
What are the implications of the Beatitudes for us today? First, they challenge us to ask fundamental questions. We may want to ask, "What am I doing to warrant God's blessing?" The Beatitudes, which are from the inaugural address from Jesus, push us beyond our comfort zone to ask, "Do I trust God's description of reality as accurate?" In a culture that promotes selfishness over selflessness, individualization over the community, the Beatitudes could better bother us.
In the Beatitudes, Jesus claims that the poor, the mournful, the meek, the hungry, the merciful, the pure-hearted, the peaceful, and the persecuted are "blessed." They are the fortunate ones. The lucky ones. The ones whose lives align with the heart and character of God. They are the ones who will enter heaven, experience comfort, inherit the earth, be filled, receive mercy, see God, and be called the children of God.
How does this contrast to how our current reality defines 'blessed?'
Here's the thing, friends. God's 'normal' is not the normal we know. We exist in a world where the loudest, strongest, wealthiest, and most privileged people prey on the "less fortunate." We live in a world where greed and selfishness pay big time, while meekness, mercy, and mournfulness earn little more than contempt.
I think Frederick Buechner captures the contrast between realities beautifully. He writes, "The world says, ‘Mind your own business,’ and Jesus says, ‘There is no such thing as your own business.’ The world says, ‘Follow the wisest course and be a success,’ and Jesus says, ‘Follow me and be crucified.’ The world says, ‘Drive carefully — the life you save may be your own’ — and Jesus says, ‘Whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.’ The world says, ‘Law and order,’ and Jesus says, ‘Love.’ The world says, ‘Get’ and Jesus says, ‘Give.’ In terms of the world's sanity, Jesus is crazy as a coot, and anybody who thinks he can follow him without being a little crazy too is laboring less under a cross than under a delusion."
The Beatitudes remind us that as Christ's body, we are to offer a different reality. We are to bring God's reign on earth as it is in heaven. Jesus announces a prophetic blessing—using words that indicate its reality and its fulfillment in the future. The blessing is here; God's favor is now. But its completion — its perfection — still lies ahead.
The exciting reality is that we get to work with God in bringing about the fulfillment of the Beatitudes. One way we do this is how we, as a church, get to help in the world's unmasking. I know what you're thinking; this sounds a bit dramatic. It isn't. Here's what I mean. One of my favorite writers and theologians once said, "To be a saint means to be myself." He used the analogy of a tree. A tree was created by God to be a tree. When they are a tree, they give glory to God. The difference between a tree and us is that we have a choice—to be ourselves or to be something entirely different.
Thomas Merton says, "We are at liberty to be real or to be unreal. We may be true or false, the choice is ours. We may wear now one mask and now another, and never, if we so desire, appear with our true face." We don't need to wear masks to attain our worth. Instead, our worth is beneath all the personas we put on to fit in. God loves you as you are right now. God calls each of us to help lift the negative messages that mislead people into thinking they aren't enough off the backs of each other. God doesn't need another Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King Jr., or some other saint from our lives. God needs, wants, and desires you!
Today is a special day in the life of the church. We remember those who have completed their baptism and give thanks for their witness to God. It is also the day we are a part of a great cloud of witnesses—surrounded by both the saints in heaven and the living saints on earth. We get to co-create with God in bringing about a new reality—one where we can live freely as our most real selves.
This freedom is what God wants. Freedom in Christ means we are free to be ourselves. The Spirit poured out onto us at our baptism gifts us this freedom. And this is what we, by the power of the Holy Spirit, must continue to do. When we do, we will realize that our blessings come not in wealth, health, and happiness. No, we will find our blessings in the wants for peace, mercy, and justice. In bearing witness to the wanting found in the Beatitudes, we will discover we have all that we will ever need—community.
The best part of this work? No masks are required [except during a pandemic]!
