4. Sunday of Epiphany, 01/30/2011

Sermon on Matthew 5:1-12, by David M. Wendel

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. [2] Then 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. [12] Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Humor In Preaching

It was a great joy for me, to join together with several other local clergy, and a handful of parishioners, to celebrate the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity last Sunday afternoon at St. Mary's Cathedral, hosted by Bishop Sheridan. This is the second annual gathering, which we're hoping will grow each year--which seems impossible when the Sunday during the Week of Prayer is inevitably the NFL conference playoff Sunday!

Nevertheless, it was good to worship together, and to pray for Christian unity. Although I have to say that I was somewhat put-off by the sermon, which began with a joke. And not a good-hearted, self-deprecating joke, but a joke aimed at, and at the expense of--the good bishop who was hosting the service! Which I'm sure bothered no one but me, and my somber, serious, lack-of-humor personality. I'm joking about that, of course, because I like a good joke and a good laugh as much as the next pastor-guy. It's just that I've come to not like them in sermons, because they so often are strained, don't have anything to do with the Scripture for the day, and in fact, usually detract from the sermon. So why do preachers so often tell jokes in their sermons? Because it panders to the crowd. Everyone loves a "jokey" sermon, it seems. A good sermon, these days, is light-hearted, funny, and laughable. So, for preachers, there is a great pull, I might even say a sometimes overwhelming temptation for preachers, me included, to want, every week, to begin the sermon with a few jokes to lighten things up. My guess is most would like that, and I'd get lots of comments like, "that was a great one, pastor", and folks would say to their friends, "You've got to come hear our pastor--he's hilarious!" On the one hand, there is that very real temptation--to "entertain" the audience. On the other hand, when you read a Gospel lesson like the one for today, where's the humor in that?!

A Not-Very-Humorous Gospel Text

Our reading from the gospels today is from Matthew 5, which is part of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. In particular, we have as our text the Beatitudes, which is somber, and serious, and full of the realities of life, such that when you hear the Beatitudes, they kind of hit you in the gut, and take the breath out of you. And not because you're laughing so hard, either! It's because in the Beatitudes, Jesus is speaking honestly and straightforwardly about what the life of a disciple, a follower of Jesus will be like.

And consider that Jesus is preaching this sermon early on in his ministry. He was preaching the nearness of the kingdom of God, to people who had felt distant from God. He was calling people to come, follow Him. Yet, in one of his first sermons, He tells his would-be followers that being his disciples would involve some pretty challenging realities. Sure, Jesus talks about his disciples being poor in spirit, mourning, being meek, but these are aspects of life that all people experience, disciples or not. Then he talks about his followers hungering and thirsting after righteousness, being merciful, being pure in heart, being peacemakers. Most would see these as honorable, valuable pursuits--even though they are counter-cultural and, some might say, "radical". But then, Jesus gets to the final beatitudes, and there, what he says might cause anyone to balk--for there, Jesus says, "blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." And, "Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account...rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

Blessed When People Revile and Persecute You

Well, there's nothing at all funny, or humorous, or lighthearted about any of that. And yet, Jesus says this will be the lot of his disciples. Yes, Jesus says you will be blessed because of these--but first, you will be persecuted and reviled--first, people will utter all kinds of evil against you falsely. And though that's not funny or humorous, you would have to agree, there's a certain foolishness about it. It's foolish to think that blessings come to those who are poor in spirit, mourning, meek, merciful and pure. It's foolish to think that those who are persecuted, reviled and lied about, will be blessed. It's foolish to link blessings, with these things--and it's foolish to think that anyone would want to become Jesus' disciples, when discipleship brings with it, what society, and most people consider--negatives. Who would want to be Jesus' disciple, when that means you will be persecuted and reviled? Who would want to be Jesus' disciple, when that means people will utter all kinds of evil falsely about you? You would be a fool to become His disciple, knowing that--wouldn't you? But then, that's exactly what St. Paul tells us, in our reading from First Corinthians.

Wisdom and Foolishness

Paul tells us that it is the wisdom of the world, that God makes foolish--and it is the foolishness of God, that is truly, wise, in God's kingdom. Paul writes, "the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing--but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God." And what is at the heart of this divine foolishness? Paul says, "but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God. For God's foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God's weakness is stronger than human strength."

And isn't that just what Jesus is getting at in the beatitudes? Paul is, in fact, echoing Jesus' words in the Sermon on the Mount, when Paul says that the foolishness of a man, dying on a cross to save the world--that Christ crucified, is now the power that turns things upside down. Paul says that it is the very wisdom of God that puts his own Son to death on the cross, to give life to the world that also brings blessing to those who are poor in spirit, blessing to those who are mourning their dead, blessing to those who are persecuted and reviled for Jesus' sake. All in all, the world looks at God's plan and calls it foolishness. Some in our world even laugh at God's wisdom and scoff, thinking it some kind of big, cosmic joke! But, Paul says, to those who have been called--to us who are being saved, the message of the cross is not foolishness, but the very power of God, for salvation. And that is the power that God offers to us. That is the blessing that God gives to us.

The Message of the Cross

It is the message of the cross, the gift of Christ crucified, that speaks to us, and calls to us, and draws us to the foot of Jesus' cross, where all the negatives in life, where all the pain and suffering and persecution and rejection, where all the mourning and grieving, dies on the cross, with Christ, and is raised with Him, anew, every Sunday morning--every time we come together, on Sunday morning, our weekly Easter morning, to celebrate, the utter foolishness of God--to celebrate the fact that, hey, the joke's on us! That what the world sees as the foolishness of God, is actually wisdom beyond imagination--that the Son of God, dying on the cross, is actually the power of God for salvation--that the sacrifice of God's only Son, has become new life, and eternal life, for those who are His disciples. And while that may not seem, funny; while that may not have you in stitches--I hope that this is what you will remember, most from this sermon...that God doesn't call us to be wise; that God doesn't care if we're smart by worldly standards--but we are called to be fools for Christ--even if that means we will be persecuted, and rejected, and reviled. We are called to grab hold of God's foolishness, the cross of Jesus Christ, and never let go--because it is His power for salvation, and it is the only message we are commissioned to preach and teach...Christ crucified, the power of God and the wisdom of God. We are to be God's own fools, proclaiming this message--and we are truly, blessed, because of it! So, as Jesus says, "rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets before you!"

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The Rev. Dr. David M. Wendel
Colorado Springs, Colorado
E-Mail: pr-wendel@saintlukes-cs.org

Bemerkung:
Lessons: Micah 6:1-8; I Corinthians 1:18-31;

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