Grace Lutheran Church

A sermon is a manner of oral communication and therefore words and sentence structure/order would be added, altered, or deleted at the moment of delivery.

+ In Nomine Jesu +

The Rev. Evan Gaertner

All Saints' Day Observed                                                                                                                 "Blessed"

November 6, 2005                                                                                                                     Matthew 5:1-12

All Saints' Day is November 1^st and is observed by our church on the first Sunday in November. Including in our service is the remembrance of those faithful that have departed in the last church year.

In certain way the reading of names reminds me of the portion of the Motion Picture Academy Awards when they show the pictures of the movie stars and industry insiders that have died in the past year. But of course unlike our service, at the Oscars there is a certain muted applause and murmuring as each picture is thrown up on to the screen.

All believers in Christ in heaven and on earth are saints. Through your faith in Jesus Christ you are blessed. The faith of the faithful in heaven and on earth is a strengthening example. The saints of the church are reflectors of Christ and his holiness and so encourages us as we struggle in this valley of the shadow of death.

The remembrance of all of God's saints who have died and now participate in the unspeakable joys of heaven has been for a long time a point of remembrance.

Consider the role that others have played in your own faith life and you understand the importance of recalling the blessed ones who have died. In the Old Testament the identity of God as the God of your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, was a reminder of who God is by remembering how God has worked in the lives of those in the past.

You and I know who our God is by looking at the way God has been at work. One thing I know is that having God in your life does not mean you suddenly have a silver spoon. God is not a lottery ticket to be cashed in. So called Christian authors and preachers are becoming famous by proclaiming what is called a gospel of prosperity. This message is called by its own participants the Word-Faith Movement. The supporters of this movement believe that faith operates like a mighty power or force. It is taught that through faith we can obtain anything we want by claiming the promises of the grace of God whether they are material goods, health, social position, leadership roles in the church. The reverse is also true the absence of material goods, health, or social position is sign of failing to fully claim the promises that God has for you.

An example of this is a published sermon by Joel Osteen titled "Increasing in Favor" in which he states that every child of God should be receiving "preferential treatment." In this sermon he illustrates how he got pulled over for speeding and did not receive a ticket. He said that the same thing can happen for any Christian who wakes up declaring they have God's favor.

Why do I mention what another preacher is saying? Because it is wrong and it is leading a lot of people away from trusting in the Christ of the cross who forgives and redeems sinners. The idea of what the blessing of God looks like is being redefined into the world's definition of blessing. It is dangerous that a person would question the quality of his faith when he loses his job. It is down right weakening to the faith of the faithful that faith and worldly blessing has been tied together.

Today as we observe All Saints' Day I am reminded that the blessing of God is not found in the way the world satisfies selfish indulgences. Jesus promised, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give you. I do not give you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." (John 14:27).

The peace that Jesus Christ promises is not experienced in the expectations and hopes of a world focused on fame, perfect health, perfect bodies, or power.

The blessing of God is illustrated in today's gospel lesson and we are not given a picture of fancy cars, big houses, cheery smiles, or high class social position.

What would you think if I told you to look signs that God’s blessing work was in action by looking for the:

poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake. 

This is precisely where Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount places the promise of blessing.

Look for those experiencing the cross and you will find hidden in this suffering the glory of God's blessing.

God's saints reflect the light and glory of Christ, but in this world of sin and sadness God's saints will not look too bright. The brightness of this world's success is not what we illuminate through the blessings of God.

As we look at the saints, those knit together by righteousness of Christ, their brightness is hidden by the suffering of the cross. But I don't try to rub off the smudges and stains and tarnishes of suffering, shame, and dishonor, hoping to discover glory and power. It is in fact in the very suffering of Christ that the glory of God shines. As St. Paul wrote to the Romans, "God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)

In the telling of the beatitudes I believe that Jesus during the Sermon on the Mount could look out at the crowds and see a real life situation in each beatitude. The Sermon on the Mount was not an academic, theoretical exercise on the part of Jesus. Matthew records, "Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:"

Jesus saw the crowds and taught the disciples from the pain and experiences that he has seen. Consider the poor in spirit. This is not a negative value but a statement of humbleness. A man who is poor in spirit is no longer prideful enough to look to himself for all the answers. Can you imagine a man on his knees in a country church sanctuary? His hands are worn down from years of work. Life is not complicated for him. He is weary and beaten by the clay and seed that have not worked together. This day he has been brought to his knees and relies upon God alone. He knows it is not by his own hands that the daily bread is brought to his table.

The statement “The Lord is my life and salvation” from Psalm 27 is a statement of faith. The first commandment states, “You shall have no other gods.” The first beatitude is the promise of life lived in faith, that is, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

I want you to understand that the message of Jesus on the Sermon of the Mount was not a theoretical exercise. The word of God reaches into real lives with real words of promise. Faith takes possession of the blessings of God, of life and salvation.

Blessed are those who mourn. See with me a woman who is not ready to discard a son who has died. She is not ready to just move on with her life. She has found no comfort in the diversions her family has placed before her. Jesus promises to this grieving woman, “You shall be comforted.” Jesus’ promise is not an empty or powerless word. Jesus is the Word that is given flesh and reality. The comfort for those who mourn is that sting of death has been removed. The tomb is empty. Jesus promise in the beatitudes is given flesh and reality as he himself becomes one for whom we mourn and yet he lives. We mourn for Jesus upon the cross. Oh the grief that one man must die for the sins of the whole world. A real grief must be felt for the one upon the cross because this grief of the cross is a participating in the grief of every death. Yet our grief in the death of Jesus’ is not in vain, on the third day he lives just as he promised. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

Go personally, meditatively, through every beatitude and give life to that beatitude as you see Jesus going up the mountain and seeing the crowd. I want you to see a person that Jesus sees and learn that story that brought that blessing to life. You may consider your own life being witnessed by Jesus as he went up that mountain to preach. He sees you and knows your needs and well provides for you with words of blessing and promise. These words of Jesus are for you to feast upon and treasure because the words of Jesus are never empty but filled with flesh, life, reality.

Jesus gives these words flesh and fulfilled promise when he himself is betrayed in the garden with kiss by his disciple Judas Iscariot. The crowds yelled, “Crucify, crucify.” Jesus gives to the world the promise of the kingdom of heaven. He is poor in spirit, humble to do only the father’s will, he weeps and mourns for us as we are dead in our trespasses, he is meek on trial and does not seek to self-justify his sacrifice but simply gives without demand for payment, he hungers and thirsts for righteousness to once again be known, he is merciful, he is pure of heart, a peacemaker, and persecuted for righteousness’ sake. Jesus is our hopes and dreams and frustrations in flesh and bones. He is the blessing to our sin-sick souls. He gives a home to those that have been chased out, a blessing to those that have known only suffering and shame and dishonor. Jesus is the blessing that knits us together as a communion of saints.

On this day that we observe All Saints’ Day I want you to consider that the honor and blessing and glory of the kingdom of heaven is going to be found in Jesus and his cross. Each one of the beatitudes is given a reality in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I pray we would become a reflection of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He is the life and blessing that gives shape to our community. May we live in Christ and die in Christ for in Christ is life and salvation.

Soli Deo Gloria

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