Matthew 5:1-12
Raise your hand if you have taken a class in Organic Chemistry. Now raise your hand if you failed said class… oh, good, it looks like I’m in good company. But I will tell you today that failing that class taught me one of the most important lessons of my life, and it wasn’t about chemistry at all. At the beginning of the semester, our professor had given us a study guide he said would prepare us to take the “winner take all” final exam. So we worked in groups to make sure we could answer every question. We studied these guides day and night and went into the exam with plenty of scrap paper and our calculators at the ready. What we received was the shock of our lives… a 100-question multiple choice test with the little bubble answer sheet. Have you ever started an exam and felt like you were going to lose your breakfast? Yeah, it was that bad.We were offered the opportunity to come back at 12:30 to get our grades… the room was almost full. The teaching assistants handed out index cards with our test and lab grades, final exam grade and overall grade for the class. I had a weak C going in. I made a 59 on the test, which meant I failed the class. There was lots of wailing, which I’m sure the professor expected. And he said something that I only began to understand almost ten years later when I was in graduate school. He said, “I don’t teach to the test. I teach for you to understand the broad concepts of organic chemistry so that you can apply them in whatever ways are appropriate. If those of you who failed had spent as much time trying to understand that as you did trying to game the test, you would have understood that this test was actually easier than expected. Some of you will change your major today. For the rest of you, when you take this class again next semester, remember this lesson. It’s about learning chemistry, not about taking the test.”
Jesus didn't teach to the test, either, even though we often act as if he did. We try to figure out the fastest, easiest way to get into the Kingdom of God. We memorize the Ten Commandments, and we try to figure out which rules we really have to keep and which we can skirt around. We align ourselves with theological personalities and institutions which make us feel good about ourselves. We hold people to a high standard that we often cannot meet ourselves. We judge other by our expectations, not in ways Jesus taught. We are most often like the rich young ruler, who told Jesus that he loved God and neighbor with all his heart, but could not find it in himself to give up his fine lifestyle to follow Jesus on the way.
Today’s sermon focuses on the implied question that Geoff left us with last week: What does it mean to be a citizen of the Kingdom of God? The picture is not pretty. The journey is often difficult. Many have suffered for taking Jesus’ instructions seriously. Most end up in places they never expected. Are we willing to follow Jesus on the way, or do we just want to do enough to get our final reward?
I could have used any set of Jesus’ sayings to illustrate what Kingdom citizenship is about - the Lord’s Prayer or the farewell discourse from John’s gospel are equally as helpful. But today I want us to look at the Beatitudes as Jesus’ alternative to checklists of behaviors which will guarantee us admittance into the heaven. The Beatitudes show us the way God’s reign operates, the way reality looks when seen from God’s perspective.
As middle class Americans, we don’t often want to see ourselves as poor, meek or hungry, because when we hear about that, we think that makes us the people that God has forgotten. And we often don’t want to be people of mercy or peace, because we don’t see those as being places of authority or power. And we certainly don’t want to be people who are persecuted for the sake of our faith, because it might feel like our faith didn't really do us any good after all.
But if that’s the way we think about the Beatitudes, then we are looking at them all wrong… as those who live outside of the Kingdom, not as members with privilege. If we take them in the context intended, the Beatitudes show us what the world really looks like. If we want to know what it means to be “blessed”, we will have to risk letting go of our limited, distorted view of reality and step into this vision of Jesus. It is only in our poverty, our grief, our limitedness, and our hunger that we can fully know God’s reign. It is only in pouring out ourselves for others through mercy, love and peacemaking that we can experience true brother- and sisterhood with others. It is only in taking the risk of rejection that we can know how important the love of God really is.
So let us step on to the mountain and begin to understand who Jesus is calling us to be.
In the movie “The Blind Side,” Sandra Bullock plays Memphis housewife Lee Anne Tuohy, adoptive mother of Baltimore Ravens tackle Michael Oher. The book it is based on documents the power of NCAA football within our society. But within this exposé, Michael Lewis shares with us this remarkable story of a black teenager who becomes a son and brother to this white affluent family.
In the movie, the first time Leigh Anne meets Michael, he is walking on a dark, rainy street, carrying all of his possessions in a plastic shopping Walmart bag. She drives by him, thinking for a minute or two about passing him by, but eventually stops to give him a ride. When she learns that he no place safe to go, she brings him to her house and makes a place for him to sleep on the couch. When she figures out that he is going to be a permanent fixture in their lives, she makes up a bed for him in her guest room, and promises him better accommodations in the future. “This is mine?” he asks. “Yes, sir,” she replies. “I never had one before,” he answers. “A bedroom to yourself?” she asks. “A bed,” he replies.
And thus is born a new family. When her friends get over their shock, they commend her for changing his life. Her reply is simple, “No, he’s changing mine.” When they question whether or not it’s safe to have a black teenager living in her home with her daughter and son, she picks up the check for lunch and never looks back.
In his book, I Beat the Odds: From Homelessness, to the Blind Side, and Beyond, Michael Oher said this about being a part of the Tuohy family, written in part to clear up assumptions people had made about the relationship between him and his adopted family.
I didn’t start by staying every night… But the Tuohys starting asking questions. Leigh Ann wasn’t a lady who just lets things go. She asked about my family, and while I wasn’t ready to open up, I did like how she was concerned about me… I liked that she and Sean noticed me. I didn’t feel invisible when I was with them… They didn’t crowd me with emotion, but that also made sure I knew I was always welcome. They didn’t treat me like I was fragile, or with curiosity… They treated me just like they treated everyone else, and I think that helped me feel so at home there so quickly (pp 138-9).The Tuohy’s always wanted Michael to have a relationship with his birth family, and in his book Michael talks about all the ways that they tried to help make that happen. Some things went well. Michael was able to continue to include his mother and several of his brothers in the successes of his football and academic careers. But in the times when the burdens of poverty and addiction came barreling in, Michael has always been able to count on the Tuohy’s as his family.
In their book, In a Heartbeat: Sharing the Power of Cheerful Giving, Leigh Ann and Sean Tuohy give me some hope. They operate under the Popcorn Theory.
‘You can’t help everyone. But you can try to help the hot ones who pop right up in front of your face.’ The Popcorn Theory is about noticing others. It starts with recognizing a fellow soul by the roadside as kindred, even if he doesn’t belong in your gated community and, at six foot five and over three hundred pounds, is the biggest piece of popcorn you ever saw. It's about acknowledging that person’s potential and value. It’s about seeing him, instead of looking past him (p 1-2).I think about this real life relationship between a homeless teen and an affluent family. This family committed themselves to be with this young man for the long haul, officially making him a member of their family when Michael was 19. And I ask myself, could I have done the same? Will I have the courage to take on that kind of responsibility when called to do so? Will I even recognize the opportunity when it comes, or just go on to live my quiet, comfortable life?
In his article, “Four Reasons Churches Stink at Transformation (and What We Can Do About It)” Sean Palmer argues that for being a people who are called into a life-changing ministry, we don’t do change very well. The New Year is the time when many of us take on resolutions for change… I bet that like me, you have decided to “do better” this year… eat better, exercise more, read the bible in a year, spend more time with your kids, or less time on your computer… pick your poison. Statistics say that by February, all of hopes and dreams for a new, better life will be a faint memory for most of us.Mr. Palmer, who trained as a fitness instructor, gives us four ways to get more fit. These ideas work on our spiritual lives as well as our physical ones. And they play right into what Jesus was talking about in how to live faithfully in the Kingdom of God.
Less discussion, more work: If you look up “spiritual growth” on Amazon.com, you’ll get over 81,000 books which have been categorized as related to helping people grow in their faith. The same topic garners over 25 million hits in .26 seconds on Google.com. I have a stack of books in my office which I have been meaning to read, and bookcases full of others which I have read, or at least skimmed, mostly designed to bring me closer to God and to the life he intended me to live. Maybe the same is true for you. We want there to be a magic bullet, the one true book (or article, or podcast or sermon) which will answer all of our questions. Or give us the best, shortest, foolproof method of communicating with God.
But just because a diet pill has sold 20 million bottles doesn’t mean it’s going to help me lose weight. It only means that millions of other people are looking for the same shortcut to fitting into clothes that used to fit. It’s easy to be lured into their promises – “but wait – there’s more”… No matter if it’s in the physical or the spiritual world, thinking, talking and reading will not get us to a place where change can happen. Instead, it’s all about the work that we put into the process that makes the difference.
Conversion is a process: Some faith traditions teach that there is a miraculous change that comes over us at the moment that our faith becomes real to us. Whether we call that being saved or being baptized, it is true that the Holy Spirit makes a new claim on us and puts us on a new path. But that is just the beginning of the process. I often tell newly baptized or confirmed people, “This is not graduation – this is just the first step on the journey of faith. So don’t judge yourself or others by someone else’s standards. Listen to how God is calling you to live in the Kingdom. Even if you take two steps forward and one step back, you’re still going further that someone who is content to stay in the same place all the time.”
It’s easy to get out of shape: I’m sure you have noticed that this train keeps moving. Even when we tired. Even when we’re afraid. Even when we don’t like where we think it’s going… And if we get off at a stop to take a break, it’s hard to get back on the in the same place as before. Either we get distracted and take a path to a place that distracts us from our journey, or we don’t have the stamina to start where we stopped. If you play a musical instrument, you understand this phenomenon. Stop practicing for even just a little while, and it takes a lot longer than you thought it would to get back to the same place. My husband took up his hobby of playing the tuba after taking a 13 year break. Let’s just say nothing said “I’m sure I need something from the grocery store” like seeing the tuba come out of its case for the occasional practice session. It wasn’t until he found a small group to play in that his playing (and our enjoyment) improved. It turns out that working toward a goal and being with others makes staying in shape worth the work.
It won’t be easy. It won’t be painless. It won’t ever be over: The Beatitudes are the living example of this philosophy. Understanding the power of God’s blessing often means that we are in need of something that is bigger than ourselves. When we are in positions of power or wealth or in control of our own destinies, then it is hard for us to experience, or even see the need of the blessedness of God. But when we are poor – in spirit or in wealth, we are able to recognize and need God in a whole new way.
A middle class family stopped off at a Wendy’s for lunch on a Saturday, and noticed an older man paying for items from the 99 cent menu from small change from his pockets. He had gathered enough for a small hamburger and drink, when the mother took a $5 bill and asked the clerk to give him whatever else he wanted for that amount of money. Soon he took a tray with a couple of burgers and fries and a drink to his table, after stopping by to thank them for their generosity. The mother was brought to tears when he uncovered his food, and then bowed to say a blessing over his food before gobbling it all down. They went to Wendy’s to get something healthy to eat. But once inside, they realized that they also had another kind of hunger met – the desire to be present with others in the midst of their need.
This Sunday, United Methodists observe Human Relations Day, a time to make a renewed commitment to social justice and work with at-risk youth. We celebrate those ministries in conjunction with the Martin Luther King, Jr. federal holiday deliberately, because Dr. King’s work was all about social justice, and all about bringing the Kingdom of God to its fullness right here in the USA. Dr. King started as a normal preacher, committed to teaching and preaching the Word and taking care of people. But it did not take long for him to realize that taking care of people meant something more than just being with the people of his congregation. He began to speak out in support of those whose civil rights were being violated, and in the end it cost him his life. Dr. King’s work was never intended to be a political movement, but drew in those who knew that legal and governmental change would be required.Three years ago the MLK memorial opened on the Mall in Washington, DC. And on the same day that we visited this memorial, we also visited the FDR memorial, just down the path, and the Air Force Memorial, just to the south of the Pentagon. I was struck at the similarities between them – not in the way they look, but in the quotes that they shared in order to help people know what each stood for in their work for the country – and for the Kingdom of God.
From MLK: Make a career of humanity. Commit yourself to the noble struggle for equal rights. You will make a greater person of yourself, a greater nation of your country, and a finer world to live in.
It is possible that we look at the Beatitudes and see them as a burden, or maybe as an impossible dream. But maybe that’s what Jesus wanted them to be… an opportunity to shed our old behaviors and expectations and move on to something more important than we could ever have imagined being a part of.
I end today with a reading from Eugene Petersen’s version of this passage from The Message. They are a plainspoken reminder of who God is and who he is calling us to be.
3 “You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.
4 “You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.
5 “You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are—no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought.
6 “You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. He’s food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat.
7 “You’re blessed when you care. At the moment of being ‘care-full,’ you find yourselves cared for.
8 “You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.
9 “You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family.
10 “You’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God’s kingdom.
11-12 “Not only that—count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens—give a cheer, even!—for though they don’t like it, I do! And all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company. My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble.
Peace, Deb
Thanks to the following resources which gave me clarity in my creative process:
“Get the Picture?” by John van de Laar at the website Sacredise: Loving God, Loving the World.
I Beat the Odds: From homelessness, to the blind side, and beyond by Michael Oher, 2011
The Blind Side - Movie starring Sandra Bullock, Quinton Aaron & Tim McGraw, 2009In a Heartbeat: Sharing the Power of Cheerful Giving by Leigh Ann and Sean Tuohy, 2010
“Four reasons churches stink at transformation and what we can do about it,” by Sean Palmer at the website Sojourners: Faith in Action for Social Justice.
