Epiphany 4 / Presentation of Our Lord, 02/02/2014

Sermon on Matthew 5:1-12, by Carl A. Voges

The Passage

"Seeing the crowds, he (Jesus) went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds ofevil against you falsely on my account.
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you." [English Standard Version]

"For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." [1 Corinthians 1.18]

In the Name of Christ + Jesus our Lord

Making our way through this Epiphany season, the Lord's baptized people have been seeing the ways in which the Life of the Incarnate Son intersects with the world's life.

Such seeing causes us to notice realities like the world's obsession with wrong (notice how it gets worked up about the greed of wealthy individuals and then suggests it can undo or prevent such wrong!) or the world's obsession with spending huge sums of money (notice the costs for the advertisements during the Super Bowl and its belief this is good for the culture!) or the world's obsession with celebrities (follow the entertainment shows on television and their belief that they can serve to inspire or motivate us!). Such seeing, however, also brings us into contact with other realities, realities reflected in today's Gospel.

When we step into the passage, we notice that as the Life of our Incarnate Lord crosses the world's life, it is strikingly different from what we usually know and understand. This passage begins a three-chapter section that is known as Jesus' "Sermon on the Mount". As we turn into it, there is a reference in the first verse to "mountain". Biblically speaking, this refers to our Lord's presence. Such presence today is outlined by the holy places of Lord's Baptism, Scriptures, Forgiveness and Supper.

It is in that presence where our Lord teaches his disciples and where he teaches us. As we turn into this section, note, too, that the word, "blessed," in front of Jesus' sayings, has a distinctive meaning. The world understands "blessed" as something that results from gains or goals we have along with our abilities to accomplish them; in today's culture it is often spoken as a charm or mantra. The Scriptures understand "blessed", however, as the Life of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit pouring in on lives of their baptized people; thus, it is much more than a mantra or a charm. With these two words in mind, then, "mountain" and "blessed," let us look, in depth, at each of our Lord's sayings in the passage.

The Life of the Triune God floods those persons who are poor in spirit - these are the people who recognize they do not live on their own, but in total reliance and dependence on the Lord God. By contrast, the life of the world overtakes and dominates those individuals who believe their lives depend exclusively on themselves. Have you noticed how they will comment, "I will make it with the Lord's help?"; they should be saying, "With Lord's help, I will make it!"

The Life of the Triune God floods those persons who mourn - these are the people who are willing to let their lives be shattered and destroyed. By contrast, the life of the world overtakes and dominates those individuals who work at intense levels to hold off any potential wreckage. Have you noticed how well such attempts work?

The Life of the Triune God floods those persons who are meek - these are the people willing to let their lives be shaped and guided by the Lord God. By contrast, the life of the world overtakes those individuals who take control of their lives and assert them at every opportunity so they can do the shaping and guiding. Have you noticed how deeply satisfied such people are?

The Life of the Triune God floods those persons who hunger and thirst for the Lord's Life - these are the people recognizing it is only Life that counts and they are eager to have it streaming into their lives constantly. By contrast, the life of the world overtakes and dominates those individuals who commit themselves to the gods of their creating and maintaining. Have you noticed how unhappy and how restless such people are?

The Life of the Triune God floods those persons who are merciful - these are the people who realize how self-centered and messy their lives are and, yet, the Lord is still pouring his Forgiveness into their lives. By contrast, the life of the world overtakes and dominates those individuals who pretend such self-absorption does not exist. Have you ever wondered how people can get by without being forgiven?

The Life of the Triune God floods those persons who pure in heart - these are the people whose first commitment is to the Lord God. By contrast, the life of the world overtakes and dominates those individuals who are committed to their many gods and who attempt to juggle them on equal basis. Have you noticed how secure and settled the lives of such people are?

The Life of the Triune God floods those persons who are peacemakers - these are the people who are brought into the Lord's eternal Life through Baptism and are powered to reflect it in their own lives. By contrast, the life of the world overtakes and dominates those individuals who look at situations from their own perspectives and who attempt to create their own solutions. Have you noticed how such solutions are permanent?

The Life of the Triune God floods those persons who are persecuted for the sake of the Lord's Life - these are the people who realize they don't live as the world demands. By contrast, the life of the world overtakes and dominates those individuals who are hounded because they insist on living the way everybody else lives. Have you noticed the absence of tension in their lives?

The Life of the Triune God floods those persons who are reviled, persecuted and have nasty things said about them because they have been baptized into the Lord God - these are the people who sense they really don't fit into the world life and ways. By contrast, the life of the world overtakes and dominates those individuals who reward, build up and say good things about those persons who are concerned only for themselves. Have you noticed the absence of anxiety in such lives?

As the Life of the Triune God floods our own, Jesus calls on us to rejoice and be glad.

This joy and gladness reflects the realities of his crucified and resurrected Life that poured into our lives at Baptism. These are the realities that surface in our daily living, realities that will be completed when we pass through death into eternity.

This passage makes it clear that the differences between the Lord's Life and the world's life are striking. The Lord's Life carries us to construction and permanent Life. The world's life carries us to destruction and permanent death.

May those differences swirl around our lives in this Epiphany season as we notice the realities of people setting themselves up for condemnation by insisting life has to be lived their way or the lack of real contact that people have with our Lord's Baptism, Scriptures, Forgiveness and Supper or people untroubled by their desires to walk away from the Lord's Life.

The differences between our Lord's Life and the world's life are enormous and vital.

Through the mysterious and merciful workings of the Lord God, may we always see that he is rescuing us and all the world's people through the realities of the Son's dying / rising!

Now may the peace of the Lord God, which is beyond all understanding, keep our hearts and minds through Christ + Jesus our Lord.

Pr. Carl A. Voges
Columbia, SC
E-Mail: carl.voges4@icloud.com

(top)