“Blessed
Saints” (Matthew 5:1-12)
On
All Saints Day we give thanks to God for all who have died trusting
in Christ, those who were marked with the Holy Name of the Triune God
in baptism, and who now rest from their labors. Who are you thinking
of right now? The apostles? Augustine? Luther? Walther? Mother
Teresa? Maybe it’s someone closer to home. Your grandmother. Your
father. A sibling who preceded you in death. A child who preceded
you in death.
It
is appropriate to consider their faithful example and seek to emulate
them. This does not mean they were without sin. It does not mean
that they were perfect. Rather, they were forgiven. They were
perfect in the sight of God because of the merits of Jesus that were
applied to them. They did good works as the fruit of faith, not to
earn their own salvation. A little later, we will name those from
our congregation who have joined the Church Triumphant since last All
Saints Day.
By
the way, contrary to popular opinion, you don’t have to wait to die
to become a saint. Nor does doing good deeds in this life make you a
saint. What makes you a saint is the fact that you are holy and
righteous because God has declared you so in Christ Jesus. In
Christ, you are forgiven. He suffered and died on the cross for your
sins. In Christ, you are holy. Therefore you are a saint … a
sinner, too, in this life, yes. But still a saint. Simul justus
et peccator, as Luther put it in Latin. Saint and sinner at the
same time. But you lose the sinner part when you die.
In
today’s Gospel reading, Jesus describes the blessedness of those
who follow him. “Blessed are…” he says to his disciples as he
begins what has come to be known as the “Sermon on the Mount.”
“Blessed are…” and then he proceeds to describe those who are
blessed.
What
do we normally think of when we say that we have been blessed? Good
health. A nice home. Peace and safety. A generally happy life.
Americans like to talk about how the United States has been blessed
as a country. In the Declaration of Independence, the “pursuit of
happiness” is included as one of the unalienable rights with which
we have been endowed by our Creator. Many people equate a blessed
life with a happy life, a life free of disease, a life free of
problems, a life full of pleasure.
Yet
how do you feel when economic woes strike your nation? Your
community? Your family? Not feeling so blessed now, are you? How
does it feel when a disaster strikes your region? We still remember
how Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast. Now the tragic images
of Hurricane Sandy are being broadcast. You may not feel very
blessed when your home has been washed away by winds and waves. You
don’t feel very blessed when tragedy strikes you in any shape or
form. Is it even possible to say that
you are blessed when everything in your life has been taken away from
you?
What
is the world’s definition of being blessed? The world looks at
power, prestige, pride, strength, might, glory, wealth, riches as
signs of being blessed. These are the things that bring happiness.
I’m afraid that many in the church have bought into this idea, too.
Here are the titles of some recent books by popular authors sold in
Christian bookstores…
- Every Day a Friday: How to be Happier 7 Days a Week
- It’s Your Time: Activate Your Faith, Achieve Your Dreams, and Increase in God’s Favor
- Become a Better You: 7 Keys to Improving Your Life Every Day
- How to Succeed at Being Yourself: Finding the Confidence to Fulfill Your Destiny
- Look Great, Feel Great: 12 Keys to Enjoying a Healthy Life
- Prepare to Prosper: Moving from the Land of Lack to the Land of Plenty
In
contrast to this prevailing opinion even from within the church, C.S.
Lewis had this to say. ... “I didn’t go to religion to make me
happy. I always knew a bottle of Port would do that. If you want a
religion to make you feel really comfortable, I certainly don’t
recommend Christianity.”i
You
see, Jesus has a different idea of what it means to be blessed. It
may, in fact, involve poverty, mourning, humility, discomfort,
suffering, and persecution. It's not about being happy. In fact,
being blessed should be equated more with the blessings of salvation
and redemption that we have in Christ. And we have those blessings
right now. Notice the phrase that frames the list of these
“Beatitudes” … “theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” The poor
in spirit are blessed because “theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Not “will be.” “IS.” And at the end of the list we have
this: those who are “persecuted for righteousness' sake” are also
blessed because “theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Not “will
be.” “IS.” They are the ones who “possess the blessings of
the reign of heaven” right now: “forgiveness, Baptism into
Christ, the power of the Holy Spirit for faith and obedience, the
nourishment of the Eucharist, the fellowship of the redeemed.”ii
The
“poor in spirit” are those who recognize their utter poverty
before God. They know that they have nothing to offer God ...
nothing that merits his grace and mercy. In repentant trust, their
lives are molded and shaped by their Master Jesus. Jesus mourned
over the sin and evil in the world ... so do we. Jesus humbled
himself and took on the form of a servant … so do we. Jesus
declares us righteous through faith in his death and resurrection ...
we hunger and thirst for that righteousness. Jesus was merciful ...
having received his mercy for us, he empowers us to be merciful.
Jesus was pure in heart ... through his Word and Spirit he purifies
our hearts so that we can look to our Triune God alone for all our
good in this life and the next. Jesus is the great peacemaker who
made peace between us and God through his blood shed on the cross.
Adopted into his family as sons of God, we now declare his peace and
seek to reconcile with those with whom we are at odds.
But
the truth is, the more the Church imitates Jesus, the more the Church
will be opposed. Don't be surprised when you see the Church
persecuted, reviled, slandered, and lied about. We will be tempted
to soften our message and accommodate the culture. But this is not
an option as we seek to be faithful to the Lord's Word. And Jesus
says it will be bring persecution. If it happened to the prophets,
it will happen to you. If it happened to Jesus, it will happen to
you. In John 15, Jesus said, “A servant is not above his master.
If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you” (John 15:21).
And St. Paul wrote to Timothy, “Indeed, all who desire to live a
godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Tim. 3:12). It's
possible that if all you hear from the world about the Church is
flattery and flowery complements, maybe we're doing something wrong.
Remember,
though, what our Lord Jesus said. Yours IS the kingdom of heaven. You
enjoy the blessings of heaven right now. There is a “now and not
yet” character to being a saint in Christ. You are forgiven. You
are baptized. You have the Holy Spirit. You get to eat and drink
the Body and Blood of Christ. But there are still some things
awaiting you, some things that the saints who have gone before you
are enjoying right now. Here's how the elder in St. John's vision
described them: “They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore;
the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb
in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide
them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear
from their eyes.” (Revelation 7:16-17 ESV)
Happiness
may be elusive for you. But as God's baptized, repentant, trusting
child, you are blessed. Jesus' words describe the blessedness of the
Church … the now and not yet nature of the Church. The saints in
heaven are enjoying their blessing right now … no more tears … no
more sorrow … comforted … satisfied … seeing God. The saints
on earth await the final blessedness promised to them … while
declaring to those around us that they, too, can share in that
blessedness through faith in Christ.
You
can always tell an angel, some people say. Just look at any icon.
Look at any work of Church art. Angels have wings. Frankly,
Scripture makes clear that isn’t always true.
You
can always tell a saint, some people say. If you look at paintings,
they’re the ones with a halo. And since presumably neither you nor
I have seen anyone of late walking around with a halo, the question
arises: No saints? And if not, what happened to them?
Looking
at the Beatitudes, sainthood is to be defined not like a bravery
medal on someone’s chest. Rather, it is holiness one has in
Christ, and that results in a personal inner motivation to be ever
more like the Redeemer, to follow the Lord’s footsteps, and to pass
on to the people around us the blessings Christ so richly bestows.
That’s a saint. That’s what it means to be “blessed.”iii
iiJeff
Gibbs, Matthew 1-11, p.
240-41. Some of the other descriptions of the blessed condition of
the saints are also taken from Gibbs' commentary.
iiiLast
three paragraphs borrowed from Wilhelm Torgerson in Concordia
Pulpit Resources 23:4 page 17.
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