Transfiguration of Our Lord – 27 February 2022 – Year C

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen

The text for this meditation is written in the 9^th Chapter of the Gospel according to St Luke: Verses 28–36:

Now about eight days after these sayings he took with him Peter and John and James and went up on the mountain to pray. ²⁹ And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was altered, and his clothing became dazzling white. ³⁰ And behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah, ³¹ who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.³² Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, but when they became fully awake they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. ³³ And as the men were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah”—not knowing what he said. ³⁴ As he was saying these things, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. ³⁵ And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!”³⁶ And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and told no one in those days anything of what they had seen.

 

 

This morning we have come to the Feast of the Transfiguration of our Lord.  This day in the church year acts as a gateway.  It is not only a fairly spectacular epiphany, but it also points us to the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross.  It really fits in well with both the season of Epiphany which comes to and end this week and the season of Lent which begins this coming Wednesday.

 

Earlier in Luke’s Gospel Jesus ended with these words: ^{(Luke 4:43–44)} “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose. And he was preaching in the synagogues of Judea". These words are a reasonable description of the first part of Jesus’ ministry as it is recorded in the four Gospel accounts.  At first, Jesus revealed Himself to the people.  That is what epiphany is all about, the Lord revealing Himself to the people.  This was a time of teaching and a time of signs.  As Jesus taught and performed these signs, more and more people came to see Him as the promised Messiah or Christ.  As we see in the account of the feeding of the 5,000, Jesus drew thousands to His message.

The Hebrew word Messiah and the Greek word Christ both mean “The Anointed One.”  The culture of the day expressed many different ideas about what it meant the Jesus was The Anointed One.  Most of them were wrong.  As more and more people began to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ, the Anointed One, He began to teach more and more about what that really means.  He began to say, ^{(Luke 9:22)} “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.” Jesus taught that the vocation of the Messiah was to suffer, die, and rise from the dead.

 

This prediction of His suffering, death, and resurrection, confused and frightened the disciples.  They simply could not understand the idea that the Anointed One would conquer sin, death, and the power of the devil by suffering and dying.  Their total inability to comprehend this led to bewilderment, frustration, and fear.

 

Not only did Jesus speak of His own cross, but He also said to all, ^{(Luke 9:23)} “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” Jesus not only taught that He had a cross in His future, but that the life of His followers would be one of daily cross bearing.  That is, the same faith that gives you an eternal connection with Jesus, will also add daily trials to your life.  This is also a confusing teaching.  Our natural instinct is that doing things right should improve our daily lives.

 

So it is that as we start today’s reading from the account of Luke, we learn that Jesus led a very confused and bewildered Peter, John, and James up on the mountain to pray. ^{(Luke 9:28–29) “}Now about eight days after these sayings he took with him Peter and John and James and went up on the mountain to pray. And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was altered, and his clothing became dazzling white”. Here is the experience that gives the phrase “mountain top experience” its meaning.  This was a small peek into the glory that Jesus always has, but that He kept hidden in His state of humiliation.  Once again, here is a sign that shows Jesus as true God, the Son of God the Father.

 

Jesus was not the only one who was shining in glory on the mountaintop. ^{(Luke 9:30-31)}  “Behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah, ³¹who appeared in glory”. This conversation was pretty amazing because Moses and Elijah had been dead for centuries.  In fact, we have an account of Moses’ death and burial in the Old Testament book Deuteronomy 34.  Their appearance indicates that Moses and Elijah enjoy close fellowship with God in heaven.  Peter, James, and John not only get an epiphany of Jesus in His glory, but they also get a glimpse of two very important people from Israel’s history.

The appearance of Moses and Elijah also give an opportunity to learn about the main topic of conversation in heaven.  Moses and Elijah ^{(Luke 9:30–31)”} appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem”. This was Luke’s gentle way of telling us that they were talking about Jesus upcoming death in Jerusalem.  The disciples were bewildered by Jesus’ upcoming death, but Moses and Elijah spoke of it openly.  It was the topic of their conversation with Jesus.  It was the topic of conversation in heaven.  Peter, John, and James heard Jesus talking with Moses and Elijah about His upcoming death in Jerusalem … a conversation about what it means to be the anointed one of God … the Christ … the Messiah.

Peter, John, and James had done what they usually do when they were alone with Jesus while He prayed.  They went to sleep.  When they woke up, they saw Jesus lighting up the mountain top and talking with Moses and Elijah.  Peter did what he usually did when he was in a confusing situation … he began talking before he began thinking.  Peter said to Jesus, ^{(Luke 9:33)} “Master, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” Luke then added that Peter did not know what he said.

 

God the Father interrupted Peter as he uttered this foolishness. ^{(Luke 9:34–35)} “A cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. ³⁵And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!” It is almost as if God the Father is saying, “Peter, I gave you two ears and one mouth.  You should listen twice as much as you talk.  You should especially listen to My Son.  When He says, ‘The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised,’ pay attention!”

 

Peter, the rest of the disciples, and all the people who listened to Jesus teach had a similar problem.  They were not looking for a saviour who would die for them.  The saviour who lit up the mountaintop fit right into their plans.  A saviour on His way to die in Jerusalem did not.

 

It is part of our fallen human nature to want a saviour who is spectacular.  We like this show of glory that lights up the mountaintop.  We like fireworks.  We like light shows.  We like fancy, showy displays that grab our attention.  They are fun.  They are entertaining.  They make us feel good.  This is the saviour that we think we want.

 

Here is the problem.  We would be in big trouble if the spectacular display that lit up the mountaintop was the only god we knew.  If the spectacular display that lit up the mountaintop was the only god we knew, then our relationship with God would be a relationship of punishment.  God is holy and just.  He must punish sin.  We are wretched sinners.  Therefore, God must punish us.  That is, He must punish us if the spectacular display that lit up the mountaintop was the only god we knew.

 

The transfiguration is a mountaintop epiphany that reveals Jesus as the Holy Son of God from heaven.  He is indeed the Christ, the Son of the Living God and that means He is the Christ who will go to another mountain near Jerusalem and die to take away all our sins.  God must punish sin, but will not punish us.  Instead this very Christ will take our sin onto Himself and the punishment for sin will rain down on Him.  In this way, He will stand in our place and satisfy the justice of holy God.  This is the saviour that we see on the mountaintop as He talks with Moses and Elijah.  God the Father identifies this saviour and tells us to listen to Him.

 

Jesus taught that He would suffer and die.  He also taught that He would rise on the third day.  He kept these promises.  He battled sin, death, and the devil as He suffered on the cross.  He followed death into death and with His death He conquered death.  Jesus is our true saviour.

 

We know that Jesus conquered death because death could not hold Him.  Jesus returned to life.  He promised us that even though we die, He will raise us as well.  When that day comes, those who rejected Him will have to deal with the full glory of the justice of God and they will try to flee from Him.  The Jesus who lit up the mountaintop will terrify them.  Those who trust the saviour who went to the other mountain and died for them will rejoice in the presence of God’s love.  They will live forever with their saviour who loves them.

 

The Transfiguration prepares us for Lent.  As it fulfills its role as a true epiphany of Jesus, it also identifies Jesus as the one who must journey to the cross and sacrifice Himself for the sins of the world.  It also identifies Him as the saviour who will conquer sin, death, and the power of the devil and rise from the dead.  The Transfiguration informs us of the journey to the cross … the great theme of Lent.

 

In the Transfiguration we learn that Jesus is indeed the reign of heaven on earth.  He is the answer to the prayer, “Thy Kingdom come.”  We also learn that He is the one who journeyed to Jerusalem so that He could suffer, die, and rise so that we could enjoy the presence of the reign of heaven forever.  Amen

 

The love and peace of our Great Triune God that is beyond all human understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen

Epiphany 7 – 20 February 2022 – Year C

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen

The text for this meditation is written in the 45^th Chapter of the Book of Genesis: Verses 3 – 15:

Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?” But his brothers could not answer him, so dismayed were they at his presence.

⁴ Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come closer to me.” And they came closer. He said, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. ⁵ And now do not be distressed, or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. ⁶ For the famine has been in the land these two years; and there are five more years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. ⁷ God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. ⁸ So it was not you who sent me here, but God; he has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt. ⁹ Hurry and go up to my father and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph, God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not delay. ¹⁰ You shall settle in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children’s children, as well as your flocks, your herds, and all that you have. ¹¹ I will provide for you there—since there are five more years of famine to come—so that you and your household, and all that you have, will not come to poverty.’ ¹² And now your eyes and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see that it is my own mouth that speaks to you. ¹³ You must tell my father how greatly I am honoured in Egypt, and all that you have seen. Hurry and bring my father down here.” ¹⁴ Then he fell upon his brother Benjamin’s neck and wept, while Benjamin wept upon his neck. ¹⁵ And he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them; and after that his brothers talked with him.

 

There was a great temptation to preach on the Gospel today. It makes for good Christian instruction. Jesus tells us to love our enemies, be generous, be charitable and most importantly do not be judgemental. I thought, I prayed, and then when I read the Old Testament reading, I was blessed by the insight of the message of the Gospel as written in Genesis 45: 3 – 15.  Here is the Gospel message played out in real time and real circumstances to which we can all relate.

 

There Joseph stands, in front of his brothers who’ve fled starvation back home to journey to Egypt, where they’ve heard there was bread to be had, . . . only to find the man holding the loaf to be the brother they had hated and tossed aside like trash. There they stand, powerless; he, strong and dangerous as a stormy sea. Would he enact revenge, or would he be benevolent? No one would question either decision—his word would be obeyed no matter what he said—and his brothers, for a moment that felt like a lifetime, thought their fate was hanging in the balance so delicately that maybe something as small as a grain of the flour they sought could shift it. They’d come in desperation to Egypt. They’d hoped to find bread. But they’ve found guilt and the end of a story they didn’t realise was still being written. What would Joseph choose to dispense? Life or death? Bread . . . or revenge?

 

So often, what I would wish for, my brothers and sisters in Christ, is that we’d all be able to stand in the shoes of these biblical figures. You, me, all of us. That we could hear the sound of the silence that follows a stilled storm, that we could see the joy on the face of a healed leper from up so close that it would feel dangerous to be there, that we could stand where the disciples stood that near to Jesus, place our feet in their shoes, and watch God work. But here’s the thing: we aren’t ready this day to stand in Joseph’s shoes. Not yet anyway.  And, trying too soon—well, I don’t mean to make a big deal about it, but standing in Joseph’s shoes if you aren’t ready could lead us astray. And this might all just sound silly to you, but I believe truly that whether you know it or not, we’ve secretly longed to be in his place. This place, as described in our reading.

 

And his place is this: Joseph, the de facto ruler of Egypt, one of the most powerful men in the world, stands before his brothers, holding their well-being in his hands, the power to give life or the power to take it away. Clothed in the finest that the world had to offer. His hands are heavy, but not with work or tiredness. Heavy with jewellery. A gold signet ring wraps around a finger on his tanned hand, a signet which means he can make decisions in the Pharaoh’s name. Could command his army, sign a treaty, give life and give death with just a word. That ring gives power.

 

And maybe you don’t covet Joseph’s power (Some of us do!), but those who don’t aspire to power, might still be inclined to wish for his prosperity and privileged circumstance. Other rings on Joseph’s fingers say, “I’m rich enough for this; my life is lavish enough for that.” Joseph, he wants for nothing, and those shoes I mentioned earlier—shoes that we aren’t yet ready to stand in—they’re the best that money could buy. Whatever was fashionable that year in the Nile River Valley—crocodile skin or alligator or whichever might swim there.

 

And maybe none of that means anything to you; you’re preferring just power enough over your own life and concerned with only living simply and humbly. But even if we covet none of those things, here’s something for which I think we’ve all wished humbly and constantly: Joseph sees clearly the plan of God for his life. While his brothers watch his face begging for a response, Joseph thinks back over a life and sees God’s hand in every place, each crevice he tripped on, each darkness he hid in. In each and every place, he sees the hand and the guiding of God. God has a plan for Joseph, and though we all know that’s true for him and for us, Joseph sees it, the plan of God. And wouldn’t we like to know what it is for us?

 

Do you covet that about him? Wouldn’t you like to replace all that angst and all that stress and all that wondering of “what if” and “maybe I could have”? Wouldn’t you rather sleep soundly, knowing that you stand today exactly where God wanted you to be? Wouldn’t you wish that you could look back on your life this moment and see God’s hand, how he guided you to be the woman you are or the man you are and how he brought you to this moment for a reason? Maybe you think you do know, but my guess is that if you’re being honest with yourself, you’d have to admit that when you’re caught saying that something you’re involved in is God’s plan, you really mean it’s your plan and you’re praying it’s his too, because God’s plan can seem complicated and annoyingly unclear at times—for you, for me, but not for Joseph. For Joseph, it’s now clear.

 

The reason, of course, that Joseph’s brothers wondered about their fate, standing there when Joseph reveals himself—guilty and desperate as they were—is because many years ago they were so mad at Joseph, and so frustrated that he was their father’s favourite, that they decided to kill him. They tossed him into an empty pit, and while they plotted how to murder him, they found what struck them as a better option. They sold him into slavery—dragged behind a cart off to Egypt, hands tightly bound, sand burning his feet.

 

Joseph then worked in the home of a rich Egyptian, as a servant. Potiphar was his name. Soon enough, Joseph caught the attention of Potiphar’s wife, but he didn’t return her attention, choosing character and honour over comfort or desire. She wasn’t fond of being turned down, and so she lied and destroyed his name and any shred of reputation he might have had left. And so he who was once the favourite of the father had lost everything. His family, his freedom, his reputation.

 

There he was, sitting in prison. Maybe etching the days in the wall, who knows? But he makes friends of any he can around him, and he guides them by means of a God-given wisdom and ability to interpret their dreams and see the future. When, as he advised them, they move up and out of that dank dark place, sadly the one who returns to Pharaoh’s service neglects any memory of him. All it would’ve taken was a mention to the boss, and he might be free. But he forgot him there. Abandoned, despised, his character crucified, and forgotten in a prison that might as well have been a tomb. But for some odd reason, even in the dark, Joseph always seemed to sense the flicker of light and hope, so he didn’t give up the faith.

 

And one day he finds himself standing in front of Pharaoh himself, the most powerful man in the world, and Joseph’s gift of interpreting dreams makes him indispensable. He sees these times of goodness as moments when laurels shouldn’t be rested upon, but rather stashed away because a downturn was coming. He led an amazing food program in Egypt where the plenty of today was stored for the coming days of none.

 

And soon enough, who should come a-knocking’ to Egypt? With longing in their mouths and hunger in their stomachs? None other than those brothers who began this whole course of pits and prisons and false allegations of impropriety. “Joseph, remember us when you come into your kingdom! For the sake of our father, pity us and help us!”

 

And Joseph, what will he do? Well, he gives them life, and the scales didn’t tip that way by just a grain or two; they were fully tipped, by mercy. And more than mercy, it was the result of Joseph looking back on all the places he’d been and realising that all of it led to now. “You needn’t fear me,” Joseph says. “I’ll take care of you. What you did, you meant for evil, but God, he meant it for good. God sent me here to preserve life,” Joseph says, “not to take life away.”

 

And the reason why it’s important to remember all this, as Joseph remembered all this, is because if you were to desire to stand in his shoes too soon, you might not recall that hardship has first calloused his feet. Beatings and imprisonments—imagine that they’ve caused him to limp. Likely under those robes are the scars of slavery. And that isn’t just the cost of knowing God’s plan; it’s the steps taken to live God’s plan. And the necessary hurts to take him from a bratty child who thought he held the world in his hands to an instrument of life in God’s hands. All of which is to say that if you wish to know as Joseph knows, to know God’s plan for you, to stand with him in this moment when all things make sense, and you see God’s weird and complicated way of working on you to bring good, you need to know that only years of struggle gave him the eyes to see, in faith and with character, what God was doing.

 

In our eyes, so many times Joseph could have claimed victimhood. Life and those who were supposed to care for him had beaten him down. But instead, Joseph chose to wait patiently for the day when God’s victory would be revealed to him. That’s faith and character at work there.

 

And if we squint when we watch Joseph limp victoriously through life, we might be reminded of another who was despised by his brothers, the favourite of the Father. Who entered the pit and proclaimed in prison, who had his righteous character publicly crucified along with the rest of him, and who chose to give life instead of death, to give his bread for our hunger, and offers mercy rather than revenge, who tips the scales in our favour by his favour. And, of course, he asks nothing of us who’ve been the recipients of that grace other than the impossible, which is to forgive others as he forgives us. (No one forgives as perfectly as he does!) And as wounded as we’ll be from forgiving, from humbling ourselves and how you feel lowering ourselves before another, in the end we’ll be able to hold our head up high, because through the agony of It all, like Joseph, in Christ, we’ll be living God’s real plan for us.

Not intent on climbing ladders toward the top, but ones, like Joseph, lying at the bottom of the pit, with trust in our heart and a patience born of faith, that God can lead us through whatever challenge each day brings too, and like Joseph glorify us in His eyes according to His will for us. Amen. 

 

The love and peace of our Great Triune God that is beyond all human understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen                  

 

Epiphany 6 – 13 February 2022 – Year C

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen

The text for this meditation is written in the 6^th Chapter of the Gospel according to St Luke: Verses 17 – 26:

He came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea, Jerusalem, and the coast of Tyre and Sidon. ¹⁸ They had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. ¹⁹ And all in the crowd were trying to touch him, for power came out from him and healed all of them.

²⁰ Then he looked up at his disciples and said:

“Blessed are you who are poor,
    for yours is the kingdom of God.
²¹ “Blessed are you who are hungry now,
    for you will be filled.
“Blessed are you who weep now,
    for you will laugh.

²² “Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. ²³ Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets.

²⁴ “But woe to you who are rich,
    for you have received your consolation.
²⁵ “Woe to you who are full now,
    for you will be hungry.
“Woe to you who are laughing now,
    for you will mourn and weep.

²⁶ “Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets.

 

 

 

Last week, our gospel focused on call.  It specifically focused on Jesus’ call to Peter and the disciples.  Today, Jesus addresses the disciples, those who have chosen to follow him, those who have made a real commitment to follow him.  Today, as Jesus comes down from the mountain to the plain to speak, it is clear the writer of Luke’s gospel wants us to know that Jesus’ words today are spoken to the disciples, to the church, to those who follow him.  

As Jesus looks out on the followers who stand before him, he sees the poor, the weak, the oppressed, the women, and the slaves, and he begins preaching a radical sermon proclaiming the promise of a new society. 

This Great “Sermon on the Plain” is a call to a radical way of discipleship, a way of living in the world that turns the way of the world upside down, because what he is essentially saying is, “Blessed are all of you who are disregarded by the powerful, for you are God’s beloved community.”  In this sermon, as Jesus lays out his vision of a new community, he blesses history’s losers!   The blessings he proclaims were truly a protest against injustice!   

No wonder it was radical.  And, no wonder it is still radical today!

Can you imagine a proud a self-righteousness Pharisee being told by Jesus that he was on the bottom of God’s blessings list? Ever been to one of those opulent city Cathedrals where the pews are filled with some of the most powerful people in Australia? I wonder how they feel about today’s message.

Before we begin to look at what Jesus is saying, it is important that we understand what the word “blessing” means as used here in scripture.  The Greek word for “blessing” ascribed to Jesus in these Beatitudes is makarios. 

This word means both “happy” and “favour.”  In the Christian scriptures, the word specifically means God’s favour, often called “grace” or “abundance.”  

So, what Jesus is saying is “Favoured are the poor.”  He is not saying “Be happy for poverty.”  

Essentially, he is saying to the people, “God privileges the poor.  If you are poor, you are favoured by God.  God’s gifts are with you.”  

In the culture of that time, this was shocking, and I must say it is still shocking in our time because our social structure is really not all that different from prevailing Roman culture and society at that time.  In this Sermon on the Plain, Jesus turns things upside down and drives home this rather controversial statement regarding the order of things in God’s kingdom. 

 Jesus is speaking directly to the disciples and each one of us as he invites us into His holy venture to live out our faith. Jesus is not describing an ideological agenda or a political platform.  He does not provide us with an abstract or empty definition of discipleship or sainthood.  He is not listing for us qualifications describing some “how to” method to get into heaven.   Jesus is describing a vision of God’s reign which he totally and completely represents.  

 What he is doing is calling all of us to become faithful and effective agents of God’s reign right here and right now.  And, quite frankly, for those of us who live in middle class to upper class Australia, his words to us are so very, very challenging.  The “rules of engagement” of Jesus’ reign stand in sharp contrast to the presumed rights of the prosperous as he talks about wealth, abundant food, the good stuff of life and all that we consider blessings.

 Jesus’ words and vision are simply at odds with the way things are in our lives and in the world.  Jesus knows that we are possessed by our possessions and the so called “blessings” we feel we have and enjoy.  Quite frankly, most contemporary people have a very different idea of what makes a blessed life.  Theologian, Diana Butler Bass, when talking about this passage, in her book on this subject, describes the contemporary line of thought most people have of blessings in this way:

“Blessed are the rich, for they own the best stuff.  Blessed are the sexy and glamorous, for everyone desires them.  Blessed are the powerful, for they control the kingdoms of the earth.  Blessed are those who get everything they ever wanted; they alone will be satisfied.  Blessed are the famous, for their reward is eternal life.  Money, beauty, power, achievement, and fame – we hold these things in esteem.  If only we had them, or just one of them, we would be blessed”.  (Grateful: The Transformative Power of Giving Thanks, pl 140.)

 Yes, these aspects of life are what we tend to name as “blessings.”   But, Jesus sees these as characteristics of the lost and proclaims woe to any of us who find ourselves looking at life in this way.  

 By proclaiming woe to this way of life, Jesus announces the evil and injustice in our way of living and thinking.  Jesus says the poor and the hungry are the ones who are blessed, for their fortunes are going to be reversed.  He says, “Are you weeping?  You are blessed because you will laugh.  Do people hate, exclude, and revile you on account of the Son of Man?  Jump for joy, for your reward is great in heaven; you know your persecutor’s grandparents hated and excluded the prophets of old as well.”  

Jesus is saying God is not impressed with what we consider blessings.  In fact, all that we consider “blessings misrepresent his message.  

 Oh, yes, Jesus is again turning this world, our thinking and even our conventional assumptions about religion upside down.  Jesus blesses those who suffer, and he curses those whose wealth, comfort, and prestige are built upon this same suffering. 

 Now, quite honestly, as we live in the cushioned environment of our so called “blessings,” many of us would probably say, “I am not poor, but I identify with the poor,” or “I work with the poor,” or maybe even “I send money to the poor, I care about the poor.”  We might even want to quibble about the definition of “poor,” or “hungry” or “weeping.”  Surely, we the faithful, are among the blessed.   So, if we are honest with ourselves, we need to ask, “If we are not the poor, the hungry, the weeping, or the excluded, what are we to hear from this so-called “good news” message?

 Theologian Laura Sugg, in her book, when asking this question, suggests:

“Luke’s Jesus is fulfilling God’s compassion for the oppressed.  Jesus’ first words to people in Luke’s Gospel repeat the words from Isaiah ^(4:18a): “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.” Throughout Luke’s Gospel, Jesus lives this out by talking with those on the margins, challenging the status quo, and convicting those who feel certain they are righteous”.  (Feasting on the Word, p. 240.)

 The kingdom of God that Jesus expresses is not some abstract theological term that we find it hard to relate to, set in a time and place the world has never known.  Jesus is calling us to be faithful agents of God’s reign right here and right now.  God’s kingdom, God’s reign, breaks through when we love our enemies.  It takes hold when we do good to those who hate us.  It comes alive when we bless those who curse us.  It shines brightly when we pray for those who abuse or mistreat us.  It shows up when we honour the request of the beggars.  

When we live our lives by the principle of “do unto others as you would have them do to you,” and when we love all others as God calls us to love, we truly live out our citizenship in God’s kingdom and bear witness to God’s reign. 

 I must say, living this kind of life is not easy.  In fact, it is very difficult.  It means we must become vulnerable and that is a condition most of us would rather avoid.  But the thing is, Jesus is always unsettling us and, as he tells us that the order of things in God’s rule is reversed, we discover that life with God means knowing what poverty and hunger and sorrow and being cursed look like.  It means knowing how it feels to be overlooked and discounted.  It means knowing what it is like to be hated.  And, it means allowing ourselves to become vulnerable, living in solidarity with all others, and admitting our total dependence upon God.

 Listen again to Diana Butler Bass’ words about this passage.  She writes:

“When Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor,” he overturned the politics of blessing.  He preached that blessings were more than happiness.  They were a social vision.  God gives gifts to everyone, but especially to the vulnerable and those at the bottom of society.  Gifts are not only for the few, but wildly distributed for all.  And the people at the bottom?  The losers?  God’s favour resides with them.  God has uniquely blessed them”.  What is the proper response to gifts?   Blessing is an invitation to give thanks…..a blessed community is a grateful community.  “When Jesus spoke to the people on that day, that gathering started as a crowd, and the way opened for them to become a society formed by gratitude”. (Grateful: The Transformative Power of Giving Thanks, pl 142.)

The very nature of that society; the Christian Church and the crux of the message from St Luke is well explained by St Paul in 1 Corinthians 9: 19 – 23:

^“For though I am free with respect to all, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I might win more of them. ²⁰ To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though I myself am not under the law) so that I might win those under the law. ²¹ To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law) so that I might win those outside the law. ²² To the weak I became weak, so that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that I might by all means save some. ²³ I do it all for the sake of the gospel, so that I may share in its blessings.”

 

Jesus calls us to live out this social vision of a blessed community as he speaks to us today.  He calls us regardless of our wealth or status, to be like Paul, all things to all people.

 The world desperately needs such grateful, inclusive, open, blessed Christian communities.   I pray God continually forms us and shapes us into this kind of community of grace and gratitude, that we may be instruments of ‘true Christian blessing’ in the lives of those around us. Amen

The love and peace of our Great Triune God that is beyond all human understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen