Outsiders In Being rooted and grounded in love First Mennonite Church of Denver January 29, 2017 Theda Good Matthew 5:1-20, Sermon on the Mount the beatitudes (texted printed at the end) Good morning to each and every-one you! I suspect this has been a difficult week for many, as we take in the news and learn about uncharted political moves each day. As a church with a tax-exempt status we cannot endorse any candidate directly or indirectly from the pulpit; or distribute materials that favor a specific candidate or party. What we can talk about are the issues which impact humanity. As a pastor I can declare support for a particular candidate as a private citizen. I have tried to be cognizant of what is appropriate to say or not to say from this podium. In the days and months to come, as we observe what is happening in our country and in our cities, we will continue to draw heavily upon the example provided in the life and teachings of Jesus. He was a man who constantly and consistently spoke out against the powerful rulers in both government and religious institutions of his day. While the rhetoric before us may give us pause, let us not give up and bury our heads in the sand. What spiritual practices will help us to think clearly, spread kindness, act for justice, and bring peace whenever and wherever possible? To be fair I am not convinced we have any example of a God-fearing political leader who didn t somehow contribute to the plight of the vulnerable in our society. I recently purchased a book, Praying for Justice, a lectionary of Christian concerns. The authors, Anderson Campbell and Steve Sherwood are both on the faculty of George Fox University. They wrote this book along with the help of many others to create a daily, positive, constructive meditation for the next four years. I found some virtuous perspectives from them. Here s a bit of what they have written in their introduction: It s easy to look at the campaign rhetoric during the previous eighteen months and conclude that the next four years are going to be profoundly difficult for the vulnerable in our society. The reality is that, for them, every year is difficult. Most of the Founding [Families] were slaveholders. Franklin D. Roosevelt interred more than one hundred thousand Japanese American citizens. Liberal and conservative presidents led a country that for decades allowed Jim Crow laws to remain in place and denied women the right to vote. John F. Kennedy dragged his feet on civil rights reform. Ronald Reagan s policies on mental health led to an explosion in the number of homeless in our country. Bill Clinton ushered in the mass incarceration of young African Americans. Barack Obama has deported more undocumented immigrants than any president before him. If one is convinced, as we are, that God s heart is uniquely for those without power, without recourse to justice, then there has never been a time in our nation s history when the powers that be, have been in alignment with this passion of God s. (Campbell and Sherwood, 5) 1
I know I do not have to persuade anyone that we live in uncertain times. What I hope I can do this morning is make a few suggestions on how we might stay rooted and grounded in love. We desperately need this. I believe in serendipity, coincidences, or my favorite, the universe is saying something, when things come together in unexpected ways. The text that was pre-assigned for this day is Matthew 5:1-20. It is the beginning of three chapters known as, The Sermon on the Mount. I had been thinking to myself that we need to hear again from this text that has been a bedrock to our Mennonite faith tradition. And serendipitously today, I get to say a few words about this foundational and formational text. First a brief word about Mennonites and our history. This year marks the 500-year anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. Early leaders rejected the grip of church-state control over individuals lives. Their first act of non-resistance was to rebaptize one another as adults. This began in 1525 and the movement was first dubbed Anabaptists, a name many of us still appreciate. This small revolution later became known as Mennonites because of the leadership of Menno Simmons, a Catholic Priest. Mennonites believe in the centrality of the Bible, specifically, the life and teachings of Jesus. We value both our Protestant and Catholic origins and we try to emphasize the connections between faith, words, and actions. We believe baptism and church membership should be voluntary. We also emphasize community, peace, and helping others. Mennonites believe peacebuilding is an achievable way of life. We believe that we are called to live peacefully and that wholeness in relationships is desirable. We believe this is how God intends us to live here and now, and we have been given the necessary tools. Living as peacebuilders when war erupts is not easy because many in our society believe it is foolish to refuse to defend one s country in the face of aggression. Our goal is to live into peacebuilding through service to others in need, rather than taking up arms and serving in the military. While this is a personal decision, we respect those who choose differently. (Third Way, adapted) Let s return to Matthew where some of our beliefs and practices are based. Just a little bit about the authorship of Matthew. The sermon on the mount was likely not a one-time event. A slightly different translation of verse two would go from, and he began to teach them, to reading like this, This is what he used to teach them. The book of Matthew was more than likely not even written by the Matthew we think of as Jesus disciple, who was once a tax collector. Being a tax collector did not make Matthew popular, but it does indicate that he was likely more educated than those disciples who were fishermen. It is plausible that Matthew was the writer behind Source Q that theologians agree is the foundation from which the book of Mark was first written and then the writers of both Matthew and Luke used along with source Q for their texts. Matthew, the disciple, would have had first-hand accounts of what Jesus said and taught. The writer of the book of Matthew does not write from a first-hand account. Now I m getting into the weeds. 2
Palmer Becker in his writings, what is an Anabaptist Christian, says this, about the Sermon on the Mount: Jesus gave guidelines for behavior in God s family. He taught his disciples that true peace comes through knowing truth, repenting of wrong, and treating people in a new spirit. Don t just love those who love you, he commanded. Even the pagans do that much! Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you (Matthew 5:43-48). (Becker, What is an Anabaptist Christian? pp.13-14) The beatitudes, which means blessedness or grace, are, the essence of all that Jesus continuously taught to his disciples. (Barclay, 87) And the message was not meant to be some blessing that they would eventually enter into, but a blessing to engage in while life happens, the hard times with the good. Blessed is not just for the sake of potential joy, but also for the sake of making it through that which will be difficult. (Karoline Lewis/WorkingPreacher.com) It may seem strange to use the word Blessed or God Blesses when you are linking it with emotional words like poor in spirit; mourning; hunger and thirst; and persecuted. Blessed comes from a Greek word (makarios (MAK-AR -EE-OS)), which means God s favor, God s benefits, or to enlarge. Hear in these words a sense of depth and expansiveness. In the first beatitude, God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for God. This is not about material poverty. This is about our realization of what we need or lack. We need relationships; we need to be a part of something bigger than ourselves a part of the larger universal network of creation. The second beatitude refers to those who mourn. Those whose hearts are broken by the suffering of the world and are pained by their own negligence causing harm to others and themselves. The third beatitude concerns the meek. Our common understanding of meek today is more spineless and subservient. This is a good example of why you can t just read the Bible literally. It needs translation and historical context. Some translations use the word humble or gentle. Neither quite capture the essence. Aristotle s method of defining virtues was to say it was the average between two extremes. In between was the virtue itself, a happy medium. He described meekness as the balance between excessive anger and excessive angerlessness. Meekness is the happy medium between too much and too little anger. (Barclay, 96) The next beatitude is hungering and thirsting for righteousness or justice. What are we willing to do to stay alive? Are we willing to work for justice with the same tenacity we would if we were dying of thirst or lack of nourishment? Justice is the work towards healthy relationships between individuals and within communities. Being merciful is our next beatitude. Here the idea is to get inside the skin of someone else, to see things like they see, or feel or experience. In the 1800 s when Queen Victoria was on the throne, she and her husband Albert were close friends with Scottish theologian John Tulloch and his wife. Prince Albert died and soon thereafter so did John. One day unannounced, Queen Victoria paid a visit to Mrs. Tulloch. Mrs. Tulloch struggled to get up from 3
the couch on which she was reclining so that she could offer the proper curtsey when the Queen entered her home. The Queen quickly stated that she didn t need to get up. I m not coming to you today as the queen to a subject, but as one woman who has lost her husband to another. (Barclay, 105) This is mercy, getting into another s skin or as we more commonly say, walking in their shoes. Blessed are those whose hearts are pure and clean. Who can ever live up to this one? It s all about our motives. What is the intention of our hearts? Need I say more! The next one is blessings for those who work for peace. Peace or Shalom (Hebrew) or Salaam (Arabic) is not merely a state of no-conflict. A more complete understanding is wholeness, things-as-they-shouldbe, a sense of health and well-being pervading every element of society. (Campbell and Sherwood, 9) Verses 10, 11, and 12 are about being persecuted for doing right, or those who struggle for justice. Suffering is not typically something we sign up for. In our era of wealth and privilege we have not had to be inconvenienced for what we believe. Some choose a simpler lifestyle, and my guess is that they would not consider it suffering. I wonder, will it continue to be this way for us OR will more be asked of us for the sake of what we believe? There was more read in our text today, but I will stop here with my commentary. These first twelve verses capture the greatest cluster of moral issues which the scriptures expound upon further. How we treat one another economically, socially, and communally matters. It matters a lot! The Bible places issues of social compassion and justice at the moral and ethical center of its teaching. [Don t you think that] we Christians likewise need to center [our] moral and ethical actions in these concerns? (Campbell and Sherwood, 9) It s one thing to hold these teachings as our guide for action. However, we need to also address our need for centeredness and kindness in times like these. There is no greater moment for the use of spiritual practices than now. We need to pause more, breathe more deeply, and meditate more often. Here are a few simple practices that can be spiritually grounding as we go into the unknown. I would encourage you to pick one and try it. 1. Counting our blessings. Name something you are grateful for each day. 2. Practice kindness ~ in the grocery store, as you drive your car, or as you walk 3. Let go of what you can t control 4. Listen to your heart 5. Just breathe Another possibility is to take our text today and meditate on it. Read it slowly, read it again. Pause. Pray. In language for today the Beatitudes could sound something like this 4
O the depth of the One who realizes their utter helplessness, and who has put their trust in the Divine, for out of their weakness will come compassion for others O the depth of the One whose heart is broken for the world s suffering and for their own sin, for out of their sorrow they will find the joy of living. O the depth of the One who is angry at the right time and who has their instincts, impulses, and passions under control. One who has the humility to realize their own ignorance and their own weakness, such a One is a leader of others. O the depth of the One who longs for wholeness and right-living as a starving person longs for food, and a parched person longs for water, for that One will be truly content. O the depth of the One who takes the time to understand what other people are experiencing, for they will find that others who will do the same for them. O the depth of the One whose motives are clear and untainted, for that person will know wisdom and truth. O the depth of the One who produces right relationships among all humanity, for they will make the world a safer place. O the depth of the One who suffers on account of their faith, working for justice for the oppressed, clashing with the powers that be, for they are a part of bringing a little heaven to earth, so there can be more joyous living. Will you join me in spending a little more time in grounding and centering our lives so that we can live with grace, spreading kindness, and working for justice for the vulnerable? Amen! Resources: Barclay, William. The Gospel of Matthew Vol. 1. The Westminster Press, 1957 Campbell, R. Anderson, Steve Sherwood. Praying for Justice. Barclay Press, 2017. Becker, Palmer. What is an Anabaptist Christian, MissioDei, 2008. ThirdWay.com WorkingPreacher.com Matt. 5:1-20 (New Living Translation) The Beatitudes 1 One day as he saw the crowds gathering, Jesus went up on the mountainside and sat down. His disciples gathered around him, 2 and he began to teach them. 3 God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. 4 God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth. 6 God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied. 7 God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 8 God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God. 9 God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God. 10 God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. 11 God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. 12 Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way. 13 You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. 5
14 You are the light of the world like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. 15 No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. 17 Don t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose. 18 I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved. 19 So if you ignore the least commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But anyone who obeys God s laws and teaches them will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven. 20 But I warn you unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven! 6