A Sermon On Matthew 5:1-16

Written by Pastor Shellie Brook

For First Congregational Church, Westminster

 

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

5 “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, 

for they will be filled.

7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, 

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 “Blessed are you when people 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 in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, 

how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, 

except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 

15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
 

SERMON Because I Said I So

 

Jesus teaches that we are blessed. That is the prophetic reality Jesus is speaking into being. And we must lean in, we must be attentive to the Spirit of God and the light of Christ here among us so that we do not miss it. This amazing, wondrous message of radial grace, ever-widening welcome & continuing testament that Jesus extends to us as He declares we are blessed. Jesus says to your heart, to mine “you are blessed. Simply because I said so.” Come journey with me. 

 

There are many ways to examine, to study, to teach this passage. Thousands of pages of commentary have been written on what we call the Beautitudes, the Sermon the Mount. Here where Jesus offers a description and declaration of this “upside down” kingdom of God where the poor, the meek, the hungry, those who mourn — will inherit, will be filled, will be comforted. And there is an important nuance to mention here — in those thousands of pages of commentary, this scripture has sometimes been used to in some way justify that the poor ought to be content with their poverty, with their hunger. Friends, there is no theology to be found here with Jesus that the poor, the meek, the hungry are being righteously judged by God for their sins. Remember with me that even when his disciples ask if the blind man is blind because of his own sins or the sins of his parents — Jesus corrects this way of thinking. And here we see the same — Jesus does not say that the poor, the meek, the hungry — are being judged or punished. He does not say that those who mourn deserve their grief, their suffering. No. It’s quite the opposite. Jesus says they are blessed. We are blessed. My hope today is to take a closer look at the word most used, most repeated here in what we know as the sermon on the mount — blessed. And it's more than a hashtag. 

 

More than a hashtag #Blessed 

Let’s take a closer look at this word. 

What it means... And what it doesn’t.

What is blessedness. 

 

We see here in this passage that Jesus teaches his disciples… 

and friends that includes us today — our blessedness is not conditional.  

As my kids often hear me say, there is no but in God’s love. 

These blessings are not conditional.

Our blessedness is rooted in the covenantal love of God. 

 

And a common misunderstanding… This is not about being happy. 

Happy comes from the word happenstance. 

Essentially meaning that we are pleased with what is happening to us, in our lives. We are glad because of the conditions & circumstances in our lives at any given moment. Happiness in this way is fleeting, it quickly fades as soon as our conditions & circumstances change. Happiness depends on conditions & circumstances — not covenant & identity.

 

On the other hand — blessedness is deeply rooted in a holy knowing that we are loved & beloved of God and that God’s love continues to stretch out wide to us, NO MATTER our circumstances. 

 

Yes being blessed is more than a hashtag or a highlight reel on social media. It is not unexpected gifts, time off work, a new car, a vacation, or a forced positivity. 

 

Let’s take a look at the Greek word for blessed here. It is makarios.

Why does that Greek matter? The idea behind makarios is that something is made "larger or "lengthy, stretched wider, all-encompassing. 

 

When God "blesses" 'us, God reaches out, stretches wider 

with love & peace that carries, holds & keeps us.

 

With a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, God’s love endures forever. 

 

As we read together this morning:

By the resurrection promise of Christ Jesus, 

We are raised to new life, new hope, new songs. 

We are not un-welcome, unworthy or unwanted

For the full embrace of God always extends to all of us… 

And to all parts of us. We are called by name. 

We are called beloved. 

 

By faith we are made children of God. 

And as children of God we receive God's extended, relentless grace.

Surely goodness & mercy will follow after me, relentlessly pursue me —

All the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. 

 

Jesus declares us blessed and gives us an imperative, 

a way to live in this world as a response. 

 

Rejoice and be glad. 

Jesus invites us to rejoice and be glad not as a condition of being blessed.

But as a response to how we are blessed.

 

Jesus continues to teach His disciples then and us today 

“you are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world.” 

Let your light shine before others. Shine on.

 

And something I’ve been pondering: is there a place for us/others in the Gospel or a broader, ever-reaching, ever-widening WE, as a community. WE.  All of us. Those of us here inside the church building, those of us who have experienced the light of God’s love calling us out of the darkness & those who are still dwelling in a land of deep darkness, waiting for the Light to shine, perhaps even shine through us. As Jesus says the salt & light. So that others become neighbors. So that “they” becomes “we,” extended community. It’s worth reflecting and assessing, where we have the opportunities in our lives for “they” and “others” to be invited to be part of “we” and “community.” Here at Westminster. In this faith family and the wider church. 

 

We are blessed to be a blessing

From creation — our sacred story is a story of blessing. 

From Genesis. From the very beginning. From the first light of the first dawn. 

Before morning has broken like the first morning. 

The world is brought forth by the Spirit of God, the breath of God, the word of God that brought light from the darkness. And all creation is blessed with the words from God — God said “it is good.” And when we hear our sacred story, found in holy scriptures & in our lived witness of Love in the world — we breathe in the graces of each moment. Breathing in that truth — I am blessed. 

 

Psalm 23 You anoint my head with oil. My cup overflows. 

Even in the valley of shadows. 

Even in the valley of dry bones.

Even there you hold me fast. You are with me. 

And the psalmist says. My cup overflows. 

Blessings runneth over. 

Not because of where we find ourselves, not because we find God with us — 

in every part of the journey — our God is the God who journeys with us.

 

SO WHAT? How then shall we live? 

Jesus says “you are blessed because I said so.” 

Even when the world says you are nothing. When those who are called to love you wound you more deeply than words can say. In the places of grief beyond weeping. 

At the tomb of all you hoped for. In the dust, the ashes, the ruin. 

When there is only defeat & despair. 

When your own internal narrative says you are worthless.

When you are not at home within yourself. 

 

When we look at the conflict outside of us & within us. 

When we forget who we are. When we forget whose we are. 

 

We need to lean in and hear Jesus say 

“you are blessed. Because I said so. 

I call you by name. I call you beloved. You belong. You are blessed.” 

 

AND we need to remind each other “God calls you by name. God calls you beloved. 

God says you belong. You are blessed because I said so, lol and I said so because that’s God’s word of life-giving, hope-filled truth. Our sacred stories are not just stories we listen to — but promises we live into. And those promises, the truth of Gospel, the Good News, embodied in our words and deeds change the world. 

 

Today my hope is that we look forward to how we can create an ever-widening welcome to all those who have been pushed to the margins of society. To embody LOVE in the way of Jesus who sees each of us our most authentic selves, who enters into our stories with humility and care. That we might spend our days committed to being champions of their honor & dignity and be the light no matter the darkness that reminds everyone we meet that they are worthy of being seen, celebrated & respected for who they are. That our lives would be filled with words of blessing for everyone we meet. Those words of blessing are how we are salt & light. 

 

We remember together — Jesus declares we are blessed “because I said so” — because God is reaching out, stretching wider, with love & peace that carries, holds & keeps us. And we embody this message of blessing others, when we we reach out, stretch wider to declare the fully expansive love of God, the peace of Christ that carries, holds and keeps us. And in so doing — we bring about the kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven. Hallelujah & Amen. 

 

SERMON RESPONSE — 

Blessed To Be A Blessing by Lenora Rand @The Many 2020 

 

From Genesis to Revelation

Blessings are falling like rain like manna like fire

From that moment when God says to Abram 

I will bless you so you will be a blessing. 

There is so much blessing going on

 

Yes, we are blessed to be a blessing.

Say it with me. 

ALL: We are blessed to be a blessing.

 

There is so much blessing going on

From Genesis to Revelation

Blessings given and received.

Blessings whispered and shouted and showered,

fountains flowing and winds rushing with 

blessing, blessing, blessing. 

 

Deserts growing blessings. 

Stones in rivers that remember blessing. 

That carry blessing. From generation to generation.

Children dressed in colorful coats of blessing.

Young girls birthing impossible blessing.

Dead bodies resurrecting blessing.

 

Our holy book, our holy lives, 

our whole lives drenched in unspeakable blessing.  

 

We are blessed to be a blessing.

Say it with me. 

ALL: We are blessed to be a blessing.

 

And to be Blessed is to be reminded that we are

Bless-ed. Loved and adored and chosen.

Loved and adored and chosen to be exactly 

who we are created to be. To be who God created us to be. 

On this blessed earth. 

 

To be Blessed is to be reminded that we are 

Bless-ed not because we are perfect or righteous 

or right or qualified or credentialed or gifted

but because we are. 

Like jagged pieces of glass, 

broken yet complete in grace and beauty...

 

we are 

and we are here 

and we are listening

and we are saying Yes

 

ALL: We are blessed to be a blessing.

 

and we are not giving up 

and we are being welded together into a blessed mosaic

of God’s own wild, untamed imagination. 

God, crafting an ending for a story that isn’t over yet.  

 

ALL: We are blessed to be a blessing.

 

Bless-ed and chosen and woven 

into more than we could ever be alone, 

woven into a mantle of blessing, a holy embrace, 

a blessing of healing and wholeness, justice 

and restoration and good, good news, 

for this whole broken and bless-ed world. 

 

Yes. Say it with me. 

ALL: We are blessed to be a blessing.

 

Say it with me. 

ALL: We are blessed to be a blessing.

 

Yes. Say it with me. 

ALL: We are blessed to be a blessing.