February 2, 2014

          For fans of musical theatre, there is no moment quite like the one when house lights lower, the audience gets quiet, you hear the tap of the conductor’s baton, and the orchestra begins to play the overture.   A spirit of anticipation quickly races through the audience, as for the first time, one hears some of the melodies that will be heard again that night, lengthened and expanded, during the show.

          In a way, today’s Gospel lesson, the Beatitudes as recorded by Matthew, are the overture for both the Sermon on the Mount and in fact, for all of Jesus’ teaching ministry.    For the first time, those who gathered that day, heard the signs and promises of things to come.   Hearing for the first time, that the kingdom of heaven is coming, to those who were certainly not in their current circumstances, among those feeling favored by God.   The poor in spirit, the mournful, those struggling for righteousness and purity in their daily lives.  

          For this morning, I’d like to focus on the lessons about the lessons and the timeliness of these words for us today.   It seems in recent years, that increasing numbers of people who I meet use the word “blessing.”      And do so to describe the good things and good fortune in their lives. 

          I am encouraged when people acknowledge that all that they have and know in their lives come from the goodness of God.   And so, increasingly, people acknowledge, “I am blessed with good health, we’ve been blessed with such great children.”    “Thanks for your kind words about our home, we’re very blessed to live here.” 

          I have certainly said many times in the past five months how blessed I am to have the chance to serve this very special church, graced with such faithful and dedicated lay leaders.    And what a blessing I find it to be a part of this incredible church staff, as a group the best I’ve ever been a part of, all of them gifted, motivated, and driven to a high quality of shared ministry.

          And yet, to hear Jesus’ words today, we are wise to give thought to just how we use the word “blessing.”   For in the Beatitudes, take note that no blessing is either material or physical.   No one is blessed for what they have or what they have achieved.   In fact, blessings seem to come to those who are lacking—those who are poor in spirit, heavy in heart with grief or what they struggle to know in their lives—purity of heart, mercy, righteousness.

          Inherent in these radical words of Jesus is the message that the quality of the blessings one will know in life will not come from without, but from within.   And one will be truly blessed by knowing God in the living of our days as fully as possible.

          The mournful will be comforted, the merciful will know mercy and the pure in heart will see God.  So for today, let us be mindful that the blessings of God come from within rather than from without.

          The second lesson about the lessons is this.   If the Beatitudes are the overture for the symphony known as the Sermon on the Mount, the first beatitude, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” is the overture within the overture, the one Beatitude that seems to encompass all the others.    In a way, each of the Beatitudes, is a variation of being “poor in spirit.”   I’ve always found Eugene Peterson’s translation of this, found in his book The Message, particularly engaging.   There, Peterson writes, “You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope.   With less of you, there is more of God and his rule.”

For many times it takes times of brokenness and struggle to remind us again of the importance of the blessing and presence of God.   Those are the times of special priorties, when the normal annoyances of daily life fade so quickly, in the face of heartfelt struggle.   Those are the times when all the myths that we so often surround ourselves with—independence, being self-made, “doing it my way”—fade quickly in the face of our awareness of our dependence on others and God in the living of our days.

          There’s a new commercial for Smilow Cancer Hospital, a very upbeat one that focuses on those who have survived cancer.   And the last testimony in it, proclaims what is true for some, but unfortunately not yet for all, with the proclamation, “I got more from cancer than cancer ever got from me.”    Let us pray and work toward the day when all who are struck with disease can make that claim for themselves.

          But for this morning, let us remember that times of brokenness and struggle do indeed force us to our knees in the course of our days.   But in the ways of God that Jesus has come to proclaim, blessedness also comes to us.

          The words of contemporary poet Leonard Cohen say it so eloquently.  “Ring the bells that still can ring, Forget your perfect offering.   There is a crack, a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.”

          The well-lived life will know all the circumstances listed here—doubt, feeling lost from God, grief and mourning, struggling to seek peace in the midst of violence.   And with time and perspective, many come to realize that these are the moments when the light gets in, into the deepest parts of our heart.   There’s an ancient Arab proverb that declares, “All sunshine and no rain makes for a desert.”   And not much that we want grows in the desert.

          Growing through life’s struggles greatly enriches both our life and our awareness of our need for God, and when we can stay strong in faith, they can become times of blessing.   And so, the second lesson for today, is that the times of struggle and brokenness in our lives that force us to open ourselves for more of God’s love and grace to enter in.

          Lastly, many times the power of Scriptures comes when it speaks to us where we are on any given Sunday.   In a few hours, about fifty miles from here, there’s going to be a football game.  

          Football fans will likely recognize the name Steve Sabol.   The Sabol family started and continue to run NFL Films, a company which produces documentary like films about big football games, sometimes focusing on the game and sometimes, focusing on the athletes.   The quality, the scripts, and film footage used by NFL Films has greatly helped to promote the popularity of football in recent years.

          Steve Sabol was once asked why the Super Bowl is so popular in America.   He responded that the Super Bowl is the “pinnacle of American culture.   Because it has the four pillars of modern American culture, all bound together in one event.”   And the four pillars he listed are: violence, action, celebrity and noise. (2X)

          I believe Sabol has summed up quite well what will attract so many, including my family and our friends, to watch tonight’s game with such anticipation. 

          And yet today, the juxtaposition of Jesus’ declaration of the blessed life in the kingdom of God and Sabol’s declaration of the four pillars of modern American culture could not be more stark.

          If we ever wonder about the struggle of church in America today, look at what we offer.   Today we gather seeking inner peace in contrast to the violence which is worshipped and celebrated throughout our culture.   We gather seeking rest, a time apart from the busyness of our days and lives, in contrast to the action promised to us tonight, beginning at 6:30 pm.   We gather seeking to embrace humility in our lives, living as stewards of God’s goodness, recognizing that all we have and all we are is indeed a blessing of God.    And realizing what a contrast that is to our celebrity focused world today.   And we seek out times of silence, times to slow down enough to hear and sense the presence of the One who has gifted us to know the wonder of life,  a silence that stands in such contrast to the celebration of noise that resonates throughout our culture.

          The overture begins and our hearts leap in anticipation of what is to come.   Today’s overture is a radical one-proclaiming that good news and blessings will come from within, that the well lived life will include times of sunshine and times of rain with the reminder that it is in the cracks to the shells we so often build around us, that the light and wonder of God seeps into our minds and hearts.   And that on this day, when so many will eagerly pursue and celebrate, what one dares to call, the pillars of modern American culture, we stop in the middle of our busyness to remember God.   And to open our minds, hearts. And lives to the promises of blessing that can be ours.  

          May we live into the fullness of life that Jesus speaks of in the living of our days.   Thanks be to God.   Amen.