All Saints’ Day

Sermon for All Saints’ Day November 1, 2020 | By The Rev. Beth A. Schlegel |

Matthew 5:1-12 and Revelation 7: 9-17

Matthew 5:1-12

¹When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. ²Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:
³“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
⁴“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
⁵“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
⁶“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
⁷“Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
⁸“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
⁹“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
¹⁰“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
¹¹“Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. ¹²Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

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Jesus is just getting started.

It was only a few months since his baptism and trial in the wilderness.

Now, he has settled in Capernaum and is beginning his public ministry in earnest.

He is preaching the good news of the kingdom of heaven in all the synagogues and throughout the towns and villages in Galilee.

He is healing the sick and casting out demons. He is restoring those with epilepsy and mental illness to their right minds and giving new mobility to those with paralysis and arthritis.

His fame and reputation is growing beyond the borders of Galilee, and people are now traveling great distances to receive his teaching and healing.

Crowds are now following him wherever he goes.

So, Jesus hikes to the top of a nearby mountain so he can speak both to his newly called disciples, Peter, Andrew, James, and John, and to the crowds below him.

The Beatitudes, as we call them, are the beginning of his Sermon on the Mount.

But what are these words?

They are familiar in format.  The Psalms and Proverbs often begin with “Happy is the one who….” Or “Blessed are they…”

In this wisdom tradition, to be happy is a result of a particular circumstance.

This is different from our American understanding of happiness as something to be pursued on our terms.

Instead of saying to ourselves, “If I have a hot fudge sundae, I will be happy”– and then eating a hot fudge sundae,

Wisdom might say, “Happy is the one who resists temptation.”

I may not feel happy when I am driving past the ice cream parlor – I may actually feel resentful, angry, frustrated, weak, exasperated, and envious.

But, I am happy when the scale tips a bit lower because I did not eat the ice cream.

In the Bible, happiness is a gift from God that occurs when God is present.

This is the tradition Jesus draws on to begin his sermon.

These phrases that begin “blessed are” or “Happy are” describe those who are included in God’s kingdom.

They are not a recipe for sainthood, but a description of who the saints are as God sees them.

The Beatitudes are not a resumé for celebrities. Nor are they a prescription for holy wannabes.

They are a view of humanity from God’s perspective that generates a change in our spirit.

In contrast to the world’s view of humanity, which rewards pride and arrogance, wealth and status, which notices the famous and infamous, and which designates some as superior and others as inferior,

Jesus notices the underdogs, the marginalized, the mediators and outcast and declares them rewarded by God and happy.

God is present where people least expect God to be.

God is present with those whose spirits are at their lowest, and God’s presence with them is the kingdom of heaven for them.

An example of such a saint – for let’s call them saints who are happy because of how God is present in their lives – is Regina. Regina was wheelchair-bound because of severe cerebral palsy and epilepsy. She could not speak, but she smiled most of the time, liked being around people, petting her cat, and listening to the organ at church. Although she died several years ago, she is remembered faithful woman poor in spirit who was happy in the Lord.

It seems strange to say “happy are those who mourn” – but from God’s point of view, those who grieve are precisely the ones who are open to divine comfort and hope – cause for happiness.

They are not happy because they are suffering a loss, but because they are aware of God’s presence in the midst of their grief, pointing them gently toward the dawn of a new day of life with hope because of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead.

Thinking about the meek, the merciful, and those yearning for righteousness, I recently came across a story Florence Berkheimer told me about her childhood. Floss grew up on a farm—they had 130 acres, 20 milk cows, and pigs to slaughter in winter. They had 3 chicken houses and one of her jobs was to gather and weigh the eggs. She used a stick to lift the hens to get the eggs.

She told me her father would share with their poor neighbors – eggs, scrapple, meat, and he would even look the other way when they would steal chickens.

Floss suggested to her father that the neighbors could help pick beetles from potatoes to pay back the chickens, but her father was adamant in wanting to protect his neighbors’ dignity rather than call attention to their poverty. He was a merciful man and raised a merciful daughter.

Mercy is the opposite of cruel revenge.

Jesus demonstrates mercy toward those who hurt him, those who consider him of no value, those who threaten him and even execute him.

Father, forgive them for they don’t know what they are doing, he cried from the cross.

When we follow in his way, we are also merciful toward others.

Toward those who disagree with us

Who are of the other political party

Whose faith is different

Who put us down and make fun of us

Who take credit for our work

Who hurt us and disappoint us

It is hard to be merciful. It is hard to see others as God sees them. Yet the promise stands:

Happy are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

But even more pointed are Jesus’ words about persecution.

Blessed are YOU when   others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Be of good cheer and leap for joy, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets before you.

Our lives following Jesus will put us on a collision course with those who see the world as a game of thrones to be played with power and ruthlessness.

We may experience life as an ordeal in which the wicked seem to get the upper hand, as with Jesus.

But with him, we will not only be delivered but, victorious in the final battle against death itself, we will never face suffering and death again.

We will be gathered with all the saints  of every tribe, race, language and  nation, before the eternal  throne of the triune God, shouting joyfully:  “Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

This is the horizon Jesus is focusing our attention on as we face a challenging election on Tuesday.

There are no perfect candidates and no perfect outcome.

Some will be distressed by the outcome, whatever it is.

But Tuesday is not the important horizon for people of faith.

The day of Christ’s coming is the horizon toward which our gaze is fixed.

As we journey toward that goal, we embrace the happiness that comes to the vulnerable, downcast, merciful, peacemaking, persecuted followers of Jesus who know God’s presence in the messiness of this life.

And we look to the heavenly throne, where Jesus the Lamb at the center of the throne will be our shepherd,
and he will guide us to springs of the water of life,
and God will wipe away every tear from our eyes.”

Amen