Matthew 5: 1 When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying: 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 righteousness' sake, 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.
There is a great African proverb which states, “If you
want to go fast, go alone; If you want to go far, go together.”
“Together” is the way God has
chosen for humanity to function. God began in the Garden of Eden by filling it
with animals as companions, and man and woman as lovers. God continued it when God
promised Abraham descendants enough to form a great nation that would become a
light to the world, declaring they would be blessed to be a blessing (Genesis
12.2). Over time that nation would be torn apart over and over again due to war,
famine, and rebellion yet God would always call forth someone to bring them
back together again.
The history of God’s action
in redeeming this world is centered around togetherness. The invitation to be
part of God’s community means we willingly enter into the space of others and
there find our place as children of God. It makes sense therefore that one of
the first things Jesus does in his ministry of salvation is to invite others to
join him in the journey that lies ahead. The road to redemption for the world
is a long one, the brokenness and distance between God and humanity so deep
that we have far to go to be reconciled. Jesus knew the path of God - “if you
want to go far, go together.”
Together Jesus called his
disciples and they went upon the mountain where he began to teach them about
the character of the community to which they had been called; a community that
would be defined by the highest standards…almost impossible standards really…but
standards that are found throughout the Psalms and prophets of the Old Testament.
These Old Testament virtues would be the bedrock of the New Testament community
called the Church, made up of folks who are blessed in glorious ways…
Blessed are the poor in spirit
– those among us who lack arrogance or ego and senses their own inabilities and
dependence upon God.
Blessed are those who mourn –
those among us who lament the present condition of a broken world; those who
deeply feel empathy and compassion for that brokenness.
Blessed are the meek – those
who identify with oppression and injustice and renounce the world’s violence.
Blessed are those who hunger
and thirst for righteousness – those who yearn for God’s Kingdom in the here
and now, and actively seek to do God’s will.
Blessed are the merciful – those
who teach us about forgiveness and grace.
Blessed are the pure in heart
– those with single-minded devotion to God whose allegiance isn’t split; who
declare God first always.
Blessed are the peacemakers –
those who engage in positive acts of reconciliation and never in acts of
division.
Blessed are the persecuted –
those who are ridiculed, attacked or misunderstood for their commitment to
Kingdom living.
It is a tough list to live up
to and while it is a list we should all strive to emulate Jesus seems to be
saying that all these virtues are already present in the community of faith he
has called together. Each person may not have ALL the characteristics but they
probably had at least one and that brought blessing upon the entire community.
They were blessed as individuals but they were also blessed as community
because they understood from Abraham’s promise that the purpose of blessing is
to be a blessing to others.
Within the walls of our
church are people blessed with each of these virtues and we all benefit from
their presence. We have those who empower us to be more kind and merciful. We
have those who through their teaching and example invite us to live more
faithful and Christ-like lives. We have those who keep the peace and we have
those who rile things up by lamenting brokenness and pointing out needs. We are
blessed and through our blessing, others are blessed.
This is the way God works. It
has always been the way God works - by blessing what God has called together
for the long journey of saving the world.
Jesus said that for those who had been gifted with these blessings there
was eternal consequences: as a result of these blessings we would know a taste
of heaven right here and now; that we might find comfort and joy, a glimpse of
a renewed and redeemed earth, a peek of God’s glory and a whisper of a father’s
love.
It is out of this blessedness
that our mission and purpose, both as individuals and as community, is
born. However, we must be aware that
every mission has a shadow mission that can easily derail our purpose.
Rev. John Ortberg explains
shadow mission as:
“A shadow mission is an authentic mission that has been derailed, often in imperceptible ways. Part of what makes the shadow mission so tempting is that it’s usually so closely related to our gifts and passions. It’s not 180 degrees off track; it is just 10 degrees off track.” ("Overcoming Your Shadow Mission" by John Ortberg)
So how can our blessing
become a shadow mission? One way is if we let the blessing become about “us”
and not about “others.” Dr. Stanley Hauerwas
warns, the message of the Beatitudes cannot be separated from the one who
delivers it for the minute we take the blessing but try to leave out the Christ
we are headed for trouble. ("Matthew"
by Stanley Hauerwas)
To turn our blessings into shadow
mission is dangerously easy, all it takes is the small movement of holding
those blessings too tightly to our self. It happens, for example:
If we decide we are so poverty
stricken in spirit that we dare not share God’s spirit with the desperate and
downtrodden.
If we decide we ourselves are
so endangered by brokenness that we only have enough tears to mourn our own
predicament and can’t spare any for the rest of the world.
If we become so meek we can only
imagine our own oppression and become blind to the oppression of others.
If we seek righteousness so
devoutly that, like the Pharisees, we lose our compassion for those who aren’t
yet righteous.
If we decide we can’t afford
to risk being merciful.
If we decide being pure in
heart for God alone isn’t all that necessary because others need our allegiance
as well?
If we fail to be a peacemaker
and instead promote self-serving division.
If we decide persecution is
too great a burden to take on.
If we try to hold all of
God’s blessings within ourselves because it is just too dangerous to risk
letting it go.
You see how small the
movement is? The blessing – the gift from God - is there but we simply lose
sight that the purpose of the gift is to be passed or shared with another. When
that small, easy shift happens our shadow mission kicks in and the purpose of
our blessing gets derailed. Sadly, we
could go on for a while and never even notice but Jesus warns this too has
eternal consequences.
Jesus warns his disciples
that despite the blessing of God there is the risk that they will fail to live
into it. Matthew 5:19-20
Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
We are blessed to be a blessing.
Our blessing cannot be understood apart from the togetherness to which we are
called: together with Christ, together with one another, together with all the
world. In this space of togetherness we are less apt to slip into shadow
mission for we have others to offer us the accountability and guidance to stay
on track and keep our mission pure. This is one of the reasons that church or a
community of faith is so vitally important to the Christian walk.
We have a long way to go to
bring Christ to all the world. If we want to go far, we must remember to go
together.
Let us pray:
God, our redeemer! We praise
you for the blessings that abundantly fill our church and are poured out upon
your people. However, we also acknowledge how easy it is to focus on our own
needs, our own safety, and our own security, in ways that cause us to enter the
dark shadow of purpose. When we become centered on self we lose sight of who
you have called us to be and in that shadowy place the light we are supposed to
cast fails to reach the world we are called to reach. Forgive us for our shadow
living. Bring us back into the realization of your blessing so that with
righteous-seeking devotion we would come together with our Christ once more to
serve the present age. Amen
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