All Saints Day A
image: "Sermon on the Mount" By Laura Jones (Vanderbilt Divinity Library)
Matthew 5:1-12
Initial Thoughts
The Beatitudes by the Life of Brian (explicit words warning)
One of the most well known and most confusing/misunderstood pieces of scripture
Warren Carter Interview- 10:51-12:02 includes “The beatitude is actually an intensification of poverty rather than a spiritualization The poor spirit are those who are literally poor and facing the devastating impact of poverty, not just externally, but in their very being.”
Bible Study
“Beatitude” - Latin
Makarism (Greek) - happy, in a privileged circumstance, well-off, fortunate.
Religiously known as Blessed by God
“A statement in the indicative mood beginning with a form of the adjective makarios declaring certain people to be in a privileged, fortunate circumstance.”(W. Carter, NIB VIII)
Occurs in Jewish and pagan literature
Happy or Blessed?
Not a subjective feeling of happiness but a declaration of an objective reality - hence “Blessed”
Marks of the Church - declaration of what is: indicative, not should be: imperative
Indicative - declaration of a simple fact or statement
Imperative - command
Read a great commentary on this by David Lose, “God Bless You”: “There is a trap hidden in the Beatitudes that I know I have fallen into countless times, and perhaps you have, too. The trap is a simple as it is subtle: believing that Jesus is setting up the conditions of blessing, rather than actually blessing his hearers.”
Richard Rohr, (adapted from Jesus’ Plan for the New World) - “The Eight Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3 - 12) offer us a more spacious world, a world where I do not have to explain everything, fix everything, or control anything beyond myself, a world where we can allow a Larger Mystery to work itself out through us and in us. These things are done to us more than anything we can do. The Beatitudes are about changing me, not changing other people. Wonderfully, it is not about being right anymore. Who can fully do the Beatitudes “right”? It is about being in right relationship, which is a very different agenda.”
Eight Blessings:
Poor in spirit - is - kingdom of heaven
Literal poverty and a lack of arrogance and sense of one’s own need rather than endless desires
The poor in Spirit are those who find their identity in true relationship with God, not in material possession or self aggrandizing.
Mourn - will be - comforted
Not personal grief, but those who lament the current state of the world and how far we are from the fullness of God’s kingdom.
Cf. Isaiah 61:1-11 and Matthew 9:15 (personal mourning is not a blessed characteristic)
Meek - will - inherit the Earth
Right out of Psalm 37:9, 11
Not about being a holy doormat
Meekness identifies “those who are aware of their identity as the oppressed of God in the world, those who have renounced the violent methods of this-worldly power.” (W. Carter, NIB VIII)
Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness - will be filled
Righteousness - actively doing the will of God
Not a foolish hope- their desire to see the Kingdom of God will be satisfied
Merciful - will be - shown mercy
Mercy- eleamon refers to acts of mercy, not an attitude of mercy
Example of mercy includes 1:19- Joseph’s merciful act
Pure in heart - will - see God
Psalm 24:3-4
Purity of heart is not in response to being impure, but rather pure as in refined and focused and undiluted - single minded devotion to God
Peacemakers - will be - children of God
Peacemaker and Son of God was given to Roman Emperors who established the pax romana through brute force and domination
This is a new peacemaker and son of God who works through acts of mercy, devotion to God and anticipation of the Kingdom for acts of reconciling justice and grace.
Persecuted for righteousness - is - kingdom of Heaven
What about vs. 11-12? Not considered a separate blessing but a commentary on the eighth beatitude
Eschatological:
“It is first and foremost a blessing promised by God to those people who already are what the beatitude describes. The meek, the mourning, the merciful hear the text as a word of encouragement and reassurance… The blessings are eschatological, and yet in terms of the eschatological perspective of Matthew, they are not entirely future.” (Charles Cousar, Texts for Preaching, Year A. p. 125)
The first and last of the beatitudes are historical declarations of the culminating, emerging kingdom of God - the middle six are eschatological vision of what that Kingdom will (not could, but will) be.
The Beatitudes “do not describe nine different kinds of good people who go to heaven, but are nine declarations of blessedness, contrary to all appearances, of the eschatological community living in anticipation of God’s reign. Like all else in Matthew, they are oriented to life together in the community of discipleship, not to individual ethics.” (W. Carter, NIB VIII, emphasis added)
Thoughts and Questions
Who in your congregation needs to hear that they are blessed when all else seems to declare them cursed?
Many of us find ourselves on the endless treadmill of “should”. The Beatitudes are not a list of should but a declaration to be responded to - not how can I be a peacemaker, how can I become poor in spirit, but rather- what does it mean if the true reality of the world is a place where those who mourn are blessed? Where those who are meek inherit the earth? How does that change my view of the world given these 8 statements of fact?
Clear rejection of the prosperity gospel. Note the verbs: are and will be. Those who are living in Christian community (poor in spirit, focused on God, anticipating the kingdom, working for reconciliation, showing mercy) will receive vindication eventually, but not now.
1 John 3:1-7
Initial Thoughts
Opening words from the United Methodist Book of Worship liturgy for a Service of Death and Resurrection, p. 141.
No surprise that these words would be used as words of hope in a time of mourning, but in a way, using this reading at a funeral misses the point.
1 John is a “letter” about living in a community with Christ. It is very much rooted in this world, and how to live and act as followers of Christ.
Bible Study
Love and Light
These are the twin themes of 1 John that matter the most. God is light and God is love.
God is light, so we should remain in the light.
Remain in the truthful teaching of this particular community.
Other communities are focused on the wrong thing, and deny that Jesus is the Christ.
God is love, so we should love one another.
Remain in relationship with Jesus by loving each other as Jesus loved.
Remain in love, so that when he comes, you can be sure of his love.
Remaining in the light is of utmost importance, and the way to do that is to love one another.
God’s children.
Those who recognize that Jesus is the Christ are called children of God. Those that don’t recognize that are in darkness.
Author has little room for gray area - same as Gospel of John. Many dichotomies can be troubling, but also demand response.
Avoid deception (stay in the light) by being righteous
Right understanding of the nature of Jesus leads to right relationship with God, leads to right relationship with each other.
Being a child of God means that you will live a particular way - the way of love.
Sin is acting out of motivation that is not of love.
“Christian Perfection,” is not about being mistake-free. It is about allowing the love of God to be the motivating factor in all you do.
Be sinless.
1 John 3:6 “Every person who remains in relationship to him does not sin. Any person who sins has not seen him or known him”
Seems to be a direct contradiction to 1 John 1:8 “If we claim, ‘We don’t have any sin,’ we deceived ourselves and the truth is not in us.”
So, are we deceived if we claim to be without sin, or are those who abide in Christ sinless?
Tense suggests a habit of sinning. So is it okay to just sin at random times?
Some suggest while we are with Christ, it is impossible to sin, but we step out of relationship when we sin. So are we constantly stepping in and out of relationship like a bad boyfriend?
“There is a genuine tension, both within the text of 1 John and within the experience of the church, regarding the reality of sin on the one hand, and life as God's children on the other. What is clear is that the author will allow neither self-delusions of sinlessness nor a casual acceptance of sin within the lives of God's children.” (Brian Peterson, from Working Preacher)
Thoughts and Questions
The grounding of who we are is in God’s love as revealed through Jesus. Everything we do as a Church and as Christians, must be read through the lens of the love of the Father. This is the only ground on which we can stand. Righteousness then, is living as a reflection of that love.
What exactly that will look like is still not known. It has been revealed to us. We have a glimpse of what it is to live in perfect love. That glimpse is Jesus Christ. We are called to do the same, but it has not been fully revealed. As people following Christ though, we are called to live it out as much as possible. We are called to be pure as Christ is pure. We are called to love as Christ loved, to forgive as Christ forgave, to invite as Christ invited. When we cease loving, we are no longer following Christ.
Revelation 7:9-17
Initial Thoughts
Revelation and the End of All Things by Craig Koester
All Saints Day reading
What about chapter 6?! Chapter 6 is chapter of the 7 seals
Seals 1-4 are the four horsemen
Seal 5- the multitude of the martyrs dressed in white
Seal 6- earthquake, sun turns black and moon like blood and the stars fell to the earth
V.17 - who can stand? No one can be saved
Bible Study
Leads into chapter 7 - “Salvation belongs to God!”
A New Seal - the seal of the living God holding back the four winds of destruction
Chapter Seven can only be understood in light of chapter 6 and 7:1-4
The 144000
Interpreted by Jehovah’s witnesses to be the faithful who must be converted in order to prepare for the end time
Pre-millenial Dispensationalists believe the 144000 must be composed of 12000 of each of the 12 tribes
Anti-semitic to demand the conversation of these Jews
It never actually says they convert, but rather that 12000 will be taken from each tribe
Perhaps this is a recognition of the place of Jews within God’s plan of salvation - a direct contradiction of more conservative interpretations
12000 from each of the 12 tribes is not necessarily an exact accounting but rather a symbol of completeness that all of the 12 tribes will be redeemed
So is it 144000 or a great multitude? YES
The grace of God is offered to the all the Jews (144000) and all the Gentiles (a great multitude)
Who are the ones in White?
Those who have accepted the saving grace of God
The ones who have suffered (6:9-11)- and yet have remained faithful throughout their suffering
Those who cry out in lament also sing praises to God (cf. Ps. 22)
Those who worship God continually
Those who are spared the trials and wrath of God
NOT spared from suffering though- just spared from suffering at the hands of God
Rev. 11:7; 12:11; 13:7-10
Echo of prophetic salvation
7:15 and Ezekiel 37:27 - “My dwelling will be with them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.”
7:16-17 and Isaiah 49:10 - “They won't hunger or thirst; the burning heat and sun won't strike them, because one who has compassion for them will lead them and will guide them by springs of water.”
7:17 and Isaiah 25:8 - “He will swallow up death forever. The LORD God will wipe tears from every face; he will remove his people's disgrace from off the whole earth, for the LORD has spoken.”
So what?
Chapter 5 - Lamb power over Lion power
Chapter 6 - Everything you have placed your confidence and trust in: nations, wealth, food, health will fall away and lead you into destruction
Chapter 7 - Those who place their confidence in God and accept God’s offer of loving grace and salvation will be saved/redeemed
Thoughts and Questions
Where do we place our trust, our energy, our time and resources? Health, Wealth, Gluttony (in various forms) What would happen if that same amount of energy were spent loving God, neighbor and self?
Trust in God
What is the purpose of hope for the sake of hope? What can hope inspire us to do or to refrain from doing?
GOOD SHEPHERD SUNDAY CONNECTION:
On Sunday morning the “saints” gather for worship and some have “been through the ringer”, they have lamented, are now asked to sing God songs of praise, only to go back into a broken world of suffering (like the Saints in this passage) how do we reconcile this juxtaposition
It is the Lamb- who died at the hands of human sinfulness and suffering who will now Shepherd the faithful through their own journeys of faith in the world.
Erik Heen - “It is this very same victim of human sinfulness who, in an odd reversal, has become the Shepherd who leads the faithful through their own encounters with evil.” Feasting on the Word: Preaching the Revised Common Lectionary - Feasting on the Word – Year C, Volume 2: Lent through Eastertide.
Marvin Ellison, Feasting on the Word: Preaching the Revised Common Lectionary - Feasting on the Word – Year A, Volume 4: Season After Pentecost 2 (Propers 17-Reign of Christ) - Excellent list of 7 preaching points- here are two:
“How might the reality of suffering, even martyrdom, be recognized as the lived experience of many in a broken, unjust world, but without slipping into a glorification of suffering? Battered women, for example, need a theological response to imposed suffering that calls for resistance and change, not merely for endurance and patience.”
“Are saints "churchy" persons who are strictly observant religiously, or are they those who take responsibility for the world and actively resist evil and injustice, as Jesus did?”
THANK YOU FOR LISTENING AND GET IN TOUCH:
Thanks to our Psalms correspondent, Richard Bruxvoort Colligan (psalmimmersion.com,@pomopsalmist). Thank you to Scott Fletcher for our voice bumpers, Dick Dale and the Del Tones for our Theme music (“Miserlou”), Nicolai Heidlas (“Sunday Morning”,"Real Ride"and“Summertime”), Paul and Storm (“Oh No”) and Bryan Odeen for our closing music.