Readings
for Feast of All Saints/C:
Mt. 5:1-12
November 7, 2004
The Rev. Karen Siegfriedt
St. Jude the Apostle Episcopal Church, Cupertino,
CA
Today we celebrate feast day of "All the Saints" who do not have an official feast day of their own. In the Anglican tradition, we also celebrate those who have had a profound effect on our lives, even if they have not been made an "official saint" by the Church. You know who they are! During the prayers of the people, we will be reading the names of those whom we have lost but continue to love, many of whom have lived an exemplary life. These are the godly people; those who have been mentors and nurturers, having offered us great wisdom and healing throughout the years.
One of these saints, who come to my mind, is our brother, Ward McCabe. Ward was a mentor to me, especially during my first few years as rector of this parish. He taught me a lot about economic justice, power structures, and moving forward in the face of defeat. One time, when I was discouraged about the state of the world, the state of humanity, and the state of life in general, I asked Ward how he kept motivated in the face of disappointment. He replied that "sin was alive and well, and far more powerful than we give it credit." He told me that every morning when he got up, no matter how bad the state of the world was, he would re-enlist as a worker and follower of Christ. His advice to me was to do the same. I have never forgotten his guidance and it continues to serve me well.
Today, I would like to focus my attention on the spiritual discipline of guidance. Guidance is the discipline of attuning to and allowing the influence of the Holy Spirit to direct our lives. It begins with awareness that our passions and desires can deceive us when making decisions, even if we want to do the right thing. The discipline of guidance makes way for embracing a wisdom that is greater than ourselves, greater than our wounded, narcissistic egos. Guidance from the Holy Spirit can come in many forms. For those who are humble and pure in heart, this guidance can come from within. These are the people who are able to make decisions from a place of sacrificial love. It includes those who operate from a place of compassion, inclusivity, justice, mercy, forgiveness, peace, humility, and generosity. For those who are not fully humble and pure in heart, we need a more corporate sense of guidance. This corporate sense of guidance can come from the wisdom of the Church, the Holy Scriptures, from respected leaders, prophets, spiritual teachers, and from the exemplary people who have gone before us.
As Christians, we place our full confidence on being guided by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who revealed to us (in concrete terms) what we need to do in order to be fully human. Jesus was free of the ingrained bondage of sin that keeps a person from a posture of sacrificial love. That is why Jesus' guidance is of utmost importance. Being free, he was able to resist fear and thus offer us a wisdom that frees us to continue to love and have hope in the face of resistance. Our morality needs to contain the core of his wisdom.
In today's gospel, we read the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount. The Sermon on the Mount contains Jesus' most profound and life giving guidance on how to be the people of God. It begins with the beatitudes, a list of blessings on those who are committed to the values of the kingdom of God. In these 12 verses, Jesus reverses the general value system of this world by pronouncing blessings on the poor, the hungry, and those who weep. The beatitudes are not practical advice for successful living. The beatitudes do not advise us to increase our military strength, limit the rights of those on the margins, or divide the people of God. They are prophetic declarations made on the conviction that someday, the way of God (rather than the way of fear) will be the way of the world. When love, rather than fear, rules our hearts, minds, bodies, souls, and politics, then we know that the kingdom of God has fully arrived.
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God. The poor of Jesus' time, not only refers to literal poverty, but also connotes the lack of arrogance. [Lord, make us humble in spirit and inspire us to become agents of change in regard to the poverty in the world today.]
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. One of the characteristics of the true people of God is that they lament the present condition of God's people and God's program in the world. Those who mourn are truly heartbroken over the condition of humanity and society. [Lord, soften our hearts and give us empathy for those who mourn. Teach us not to be afraid to look at the pain, suffering, and human depravity, caused by human sin. Make us agents of healing.]
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. These are those who are aware of their identity as the oppressed people of God in the world. Yet in spite of their oppression, they have renounced the violent methods of worldly power to accomplish justice. [Lord, take away our tendency to strike out with violence and retribution to those who hurt and oppress us. Give us a heart as lowly and humble as yours.]
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. These include the political and religious activists who are willing to sacrifice their own comforts and success in life in order to strive for what is right and what is of God. [Lord, teach us to thirst after righteousness. Transform our hearts so that we do not strive only for what is best and most comfortable for our own families. Instead, make us aware of the deeper issues in society, so that righteousness will prevail in the fabric of our society.]
Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. These are the ones who do concrete acts of mercy, even at risk to their own well being. Mercy is a posture of reaching out, even to those who don't deserve it, or to those who have hurt us. [Lord, open our hearts with love to all our brothers and sisters. In this time of war and uncertainty, teach us to err on the side of mercy rather than on the side of retributive justice.]
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. These are the ones who have purified themselves of fear. They see the world as God's sees it. [Lord, purify our conscience, enlighten our minds, open our eyes, and fill us with your love.]
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. The peacemakers are not those who carry signs of protest and yet have anger in their hearts. Peacemakers are not those who put their heads in the sand in order to avoid seeing the horrors of conflict in the world. True peacemakers are those who are willing to take the longer road, and address conflict through diplomacy, personal sacrifice, and positive acts of reconciliation. [Lord, make us channels of your peace.]
Blessed are they who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven...Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven. The kind of rejoicing that is called for here is not a martyr's persecution complex. It is the joyful acceptance of belonging to the people of God who are out of step with the current value and power system of this age and are willing to suffer and strive for the Kingdom of God. [Lord, make us strong in suffering for the kingdom of God.]
The beatitudes teach us that Christianity is not a philosophy of life that can make people successful or powerful. Christianity is not a scheme to make us feel better, reduce stress, lose weight, advance one's career, preserve us from illness, or protect us from acts of violence. Christian faith is a way of living based on the firm and sure hope that meekness is the way of God, that righteousness and peace will finally prevail, and that God's future will be a time of mercy and not cruelty. So, blessed are those who live this life now, even when such a life seems foolish, for they will in the end, be blessed by God.
The Sermon on the Mount [Matthew, chapters 5-7] is perhaps the highest reach of New Testament thought. It contains the core of what is most important in forming one's moral character. It contains the core of what it means to be a Christian. To be a Christian, means to desire to be transformed into the image of Christ. It means to be guided by Jesus' commandments and spirit. So, after reading the Sermon on the Mount and preparing for today's homily, I am even more perplexed on why the majority of Christians in America voted as they did. Did they consider Jesus' words in the Sermon on the Mount as they cast their ballots? And if not, where did they turn for their guidance?
The Jesus that I follow was conceived by an unmarried woman. He himself remained unmarried. I don't know what his sexual preference was, but Jesus did not think it important enough to speak to the issue of homosexuality nor to the issue of abortion. He did however speak abundantly on the topics of poverty, hunger, suffering, sharing one's resources, and encouraged his disciples to have compassion for those on the margins of society. While he never laid out a national security plan to deal with terrorism, he did speak about peace, justice, mercy, and loving one's enemy. He challenged acts of aggression, dominance, revenge, fear, and arrogance, even to the point where he was led like a sheep to the slaughter. As he hung on the cross, he asked God to forgive those who persecuted him. This is the Jesus that I worship and preach and long to be transformed into his image. It is his guidance that I try to embrace when I make important decisions.
What then has happened to this voice of the Good Shepherd? Why is his message not being preached in many of the Christian Churches of America? Who will show the face of Christ to the world? Who will speak his radical message? If not you, then who?
We are the ones who have promised in our baptismal covenant to proclaim by word and example, the Good News of God in Christ. If we want change in the world, we need to become the change that we wish to see. So get out there and lift up your voice. Allow Christ to guide your heart. Show the world that there are Christians who are not fearful, bigoted, or shallow in their understanding of complex issues. Be a reflection of God's love and grace. Blessed are you who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for you will be filled. Blessed are you who are pure in heart, for you will see God.
| Updated 11/12/04 |
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