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All Saints Sunday, 11/06/2011
Sermon on Matthew 5:1-12, by Samuel D. Zumwalt
1Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2And he opened his mouth 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 shall be comforted. 5"Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. 6"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. 7"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. 8"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. 9"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. 10 "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 "Blessed are you when others 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 so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
ICONS
In the name of the Father, and of the +Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
To His disciples then and to His disciples now, the Lord Jesus teaches: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
They had been frugal all of their lives, and nobody knew how much money they had. In fact, for most of their lives, they lived in the same modest home and drove modest cars. They bought good quality clothes at closeout prices. They rarely ate their meals out, and, when they did, they never went to expensive restaurants. They took an occasional trip but always getting the most value for every dollar spent. They didn't buy on credit. They saved for every purchase and saved for rainy days and invested their money for the greatest return with the least risk. They were active in their congregation and participated in everything they could. And they were always generous with their congregation and were generous with their relatives. But no one ever knew how much money they had. After they had gone to heaven, their will indicated their intent to continue to provide generously for their congregation and important ministries of the Church. And their will gave very clear directions about how the money should and should not be used.
They never drove a Mercedes or other luxury car, although they certainly could have afforded one. They never had a big boat or lived in a beachfront home, although they certainly could have had both. They never flashed money or acted in any ostentatious way, although they could have done so. In short, they never forgot that everything they had was on loan from God, and they were His managers. And so, they were poor in spirit, for heaven was their home, and they knew they were beggars before the throne of God.
To His disciples then and to His disciples now, the Lord Jesus teaches: "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted."
She went three times that year to the cemetery. First, her beloved mother died. Then her oldest son died of AIDS. Then her youngest son stuck a shotgun against his chest and pulled the trigger with his toe. The next year her husband died after years of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Then her only remaining son, an alcoholic, was sent to prison for multiple DWIs, driving while intoxicated.
Just one of those losses might have sent any number of people into deep despair and depression. Just one of those losses might have sent any number of people into a kind of bitterness that resulted either in the loss of faith or in a kind of seething anger projected onto others.
But she was a prayer warrior, and so she spent countless hours on her knees, pleading with God for help and for grace. She pressed on, attending worship weekly and Bible study and her prayer group. One day, at the pastor's grief support group, she said: "I have been reading what St. Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 4: ‘But we do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, about those who have died, so that you may not grieve like other people who have no hope.'" She said: "That helped me, pastor. As a friend of mine told me, ‘You can get bitter, or you can get better.' With God's help, I'm getting better. And I know I am going to see my family again someday in heaven."
To His disciples then and to His disciples now, the Lord Jesus teaches: "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth."
They went on the mission trip to the Third World to help the poorest of the poor. They had heard the call of the Holy Spirit and had saved money and vacation time so that they could build houses for those who had lost theirs in a hurricane. They wore matching tee shirts on the plane and carried boxes of clothes and Bibles and toys to share. They brought money to purchase building materials. They were vaccinated and carried with them various remedies for dealing with an environment dangerous to gringos like them. They were excited and anxious and prayerful and as prepared as they could be to go to do God's work.
But they found that God's work was already being done there. They were amazed to find devotion to family and neighbor and God and church. They had assumed that they were going to be bringing God to these helpless poor people, and, instead they found that it was the meek of the earth that had lives that money could not buy. Each evening as the mission group shared devotions together, they were filled to overflowing by what they were receiving. One woman who had lost many things through a divorce brought on by her former alcoholic lifestyle said: "I never knew I was so rich until I came here." Others remembered grandparents and even parents that had lived much simpler and less affluent lives than they enjoyed back home. When their trip was over, someone asked: "Why didn't you just send money instead of going there?" And someone said: "God wanted us to go, so that we would be changed by those so-called poor people."
To His disciples then and to His disciples now, the Lord Jesus teaches: "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied."
He had grown up with anything he wanted. It had just been given to him. Indeed there had never been a time that he couldn't have anything he asked for. And so he went to the best schools and had the best of everything money could buy. And he continued to live that life after he began to join the family business. But there was this hollow place inside that nothing could fill. Women threw themselves at him, and he took what he caught and then threw them away. And no matter where he went, so did the emptiness.
One day he was invited to visit a monastery for a weekend. It was something he had never tried. The only speaking was the saying and singing of prayers and hymns or the reading of Scripture, sermons, and devotional works. For the first time, he knew what would fill the empty place in his soul. He went and sold all that he had and gave it to the poor. He became a monk and lived a contemplative life that changed those that later came to read and hear his words.
To His disciples then and to His disciples now, the Lord Jesus teaches: "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy."
Some people who have had loved ones murdered seem to think that watching the execution of the murderer will heal them. Some that have buried someone killed by a drunk driver seem to think that watching the handing out of a lengthy jail sentence to the drunk driver will heal them. But it is not so. The punishment of others is never healing.
Being devout Christians never prepared the parents for that horrible phone call that came one night. Being devout Christians never prepared the parents for the terrible visit to the morgue to identify their child. Being devout Christians never prepared them for the raging emotions that bombarded them after an arrest had been made and their child had been buried.
But being devout Christians had prepared them in unimaginable ways. They knew they would see their child again in heaven. They knew they had a community of believers surrounding them with prayers and encouragement. They knew that each Eucharist they were united again with their child who was numbered among the saints of God. And they knew the Lord Jesus' words: "forgive us and we forgive."
They wanted to hate the one that had taken their child from them. They wanted to see that one hurt. They even thought they would want that murderer to fry in hell. But instead they prayed to forgive as God forgives, and finally, they looked the murderer in the eyes across the courtroom and said: "We know that you must be punished for your crime, but we want you to know that we are praying for you, and we forgive you as God in Christ forgives us." And the murderer wept to hear their words.
To His disciples then and to His disciples now, the Lord Jesus teaches: "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."
He was a mentally retarded adult. No euphemisms could hide the fact that he could not live on his own. And so he lived in a group home with adult supervision.
He had been raised in church, baptized as an infant, attending Sunday school and worship weekly, and having been instructed and confirmed with other youth his age. After high school, he took a job at a grocery store. And he took great pride in his work, painstakingly attending very carefully to each little detail of bagging and carrying out groceries. His attitude and his personality drew repeat customers to whichever line he was working. Each night he read his Bible and said his prayers. Each Sunday he went to church and Sunday school.
His congregation had a ministry with mentally retarded adults. And, when the church convention was held in their hometown, the church bus took these men and women to the big church service. He came forward to receive the body and blood of Christ and heard the pastor's words: "The body of Christ for you." With bright eyes and a big smile, he said: "Yes, I know." And the pastor stood there weeping.
To His disciples then and to His disciples now, the Lord Jesus teaches: "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God."
She joined the military, because she believed that peace had never come through appeasing the cruel or leaving the evil free to strike wherever they would choose. She went as a Christian who believed that love of neighbor might indeed entail laying down one's own life to save the lives of many. She had been taught gun safety and how to hunt as a child. She knew that one never drew or pointed a weapon unless one was prepared to use it. And yet, she wondered if she would be able to kill an aggressor intent on harming others.
She was on patrol with her unit when she saw the suicide bomber walking toward a crowd of civilians. She never thought about it. She simply threw herself from her vehicle at the bomber. There was a bright flash and debris everywhere. She saved countless lives that day and was awarded the highest decoration posthumously.
To His disciples then and to His disciples now, the Lord Jesus teaches: "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
While we were yet unrepentant sinners, God became human in Jesus Christ to share our lot in life. Though He was born of the Virgin Mary, the Lord Jesus and His mother were both maligned as an illegitimate child and His adulterous mother. Though He was tempted in every way like us, the Lord Jesus never sinned. Though He was completely obedient to the good and gracious will of His heavenly Father, the Lord Jesus was maligned as a liar, as demon-possessed, and as a heretic. Though He was God in the flesh and the One through whom all things were made, the Lord Jesus was rejected, cursed, mocked, beaten, and crucified as the worst sort of criminal with the full complicity of the religious leaders of that day. All of this He did, as Luther says, that each of us may be His own (through the washing of Holy Baptism), live under Him in His kingdom, and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness.
Indeed even this day, though none of us deserves it, the Lord Jesus still says: "Come to me and let me take your sin and death. And I will give you eternal life and my own righteousness as a free gift." Indeed even this day, though none of us deserves it, the Lord Jesus still says: "Take and eat, take and drink, this is my body and this is my blood, given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins."
To His disciples then and to His disciples now, the Lord Jesus teaches: "Blessed are you when others 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 so they persecuted the prophets who were before you."
And with joy and thanksgiving, God's people said: "Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy upon us."
In the name of the Father, and of the +Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.