An Unfinished Sermon

I have a busy day ahead of me, so instead of posting this sermon after worship, I'm posting it before.  But my sermon is unfinished.  I have the first 3/4 written here, maybe even the first 9/10.  But it is missing the final paragraph and I just haven't figured out how to wrap things up.  But I'm going to leave it to the Holy Spirit and know that in the moment I'll be able to tie this sermon on Luke's Beatitudes (Luke 6:20-31) with the fact that today is All Saints Day and with what the people need to hear.  


Well enjoy what is here of the sermon and I hope the Holy Spirit guides you to finish it with what you need to hear/read.





People love the beatitudes! This piece of text that we have today. But maybe the reason why it is loved so much has nothing to do with what it says, especially this version from Luke, than the poetry and niceties that it envisions.

Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled.
Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.
Blessed are you when people hate you

Isn’t that just beautiful?

But the meaning, oh lets not go there. (But I am)

If given the choice between poor and rich I would have to put myself in the rich category. Yes I don’t drive the nicest car. I’m not able to take weekend getaways to Europe nor do I own a vacation home. And I don’t wear designer clothes that are all from this season. But I have a home. I have clothes, more than I need really. I am able to take time off and I have a job in which to take time off from. And I have a car. Therefore in the broader scheme of things I’m rich.

And between hungry and full, I am full. The only time I have gone a whole day without anything to eat has been when I have been sick. I never wonder where my next meal is coming from unless I’m trying to decide which restaurant I should go to for dinner.

And between weeping and laughing, I laugh much more than I weep. Granted I have wept. I have had moments of sorrow, of pain, of despair, of mourning. But overall I tend to have more things to laugh about that to weep about.

And I hope people speak well of me and not hate me, I have friends. Though I’m sure there are a few people who try to avoid me as much as possible.

What about you? Would you say that you are poor or rich? Hungry or full? Weeping or laughing? Do people speak well of you or do they hate you?

I guess we better all take cover because woe is coming upon us.

So does that mean that if we just a little poorer, God would care for us more? Or if we ate less often Jesus would save of from sin more than he already does? Or if we weep more often the Holy Spirit will become a greater presence in our lives? Or if people hate us then it means that God love us more? NO! NO! NO! and NO!

That is not the meaning of the beatitudes. That is not what Jesus is trying to tell us. Because Jesus is not describing us, Jesus is describing God. Jesus is telling us that even in poverty, God is there. Even in the midst of hunger, God feed us. Even in moments of sorrow and weeping, God is comforting us. Even in the middle of being hated, God loves us.

And the second half of today’s gospel which starts: “love your enemies, do good to those you hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.” Those are things that we cannot do without God, the God who is with us even in the horrible moments of life. We are not able to love our enemies unless we realize that God first loves us. We are not able to do good to those who hate us unless we know all the great things God has done for us. We are not able to bless those who curse us unless we have first accepted the fact that Jesus is the one who blesses us. We are not able to pray for those who abuse us until we realize that in prayer we are asking God to help our abusers, not us.

Jesus is with us. Jesus allows us to love, do good, bless, pray, turn the other cheek, give away the shirt off our own back, give to everyone who begs from us. Jesus is who helps us do to others as you would have them do to you.