Preaching text: Matthew 5:1-12
One of the more striking moments in the recent Inauguration was the recitation of the very passage we have as our Gospel lesson today. It was striking for a couple of reasons. One is because there is a common argument used whenever the question of whether the USA is a “Christian Nation” or not comes up. If so, some argue, why is it that there are no proposals to post the Beatitudes in public places like there are proposals to post the Ten Commandments? I always found that a good question, since if we see ourselves as a Christian nation, one would think we’d value the words of Christ more often. But no, it's usually Old Testament all the way.
Fast forward to 2:17 to see the Beatitudes.
The second reason the presence of the Beatitudes in the Inauguration ceremony was striking is simply thus. No government, no society, no civilization on Earth even remotely looks like the world described by Jesus in this text. It’s a utopia almost beyond our comprehension, let alone our achievement.
Come on. Think about it. Blessed at the poor in Spirit? We are constantly bombarded by the expectations and judgments of the hyper-religious. People who at least act like they’ve got this whole God thing down pat and unless you become just like them, God won’t love you. In such a world, there’s no room for questions or doubts or contrary theologies. If you don’t believe like they do, or if you don’t think like they do, or if you lack their fervor, well, say hi to Satan when you get to hell.
People like this guy.
Blessed are the meek? Do I even have to go into this one? Say what you will, good or bad, about our new President, but one thing he is not is “meek.” Truth be told, there are pretty much none of the powers-that-be that are. Not Trump. Not Hillary. Not Obama. Not Paul Ryan. No one in elected office. None of our captains of industry and technology. Not one can really be described as meek or humble. They wouldn’t have gotten as far as they have if they were.
Blessed are the peacemakers? What is that meme I see from time to time? In the 200+ years of our nation’s existence, we have seen only about 21 years of peace. We’re always involved in some international conflict somewhere. We’ve just come out of the longest war we’ve ever fought and that’s only if you don’t count the fact that “military advisors” are still present in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Add to that the skirmishes and conflicts within our society, whether it be the crime of our cities, the domestic violence hidden away in our homes, or the fearful worship of firearms and violence in many of our rural areas.
And it’s not just us Americans. No one’s going to describe Putin or Netanyahu as meek. The British Empire once spanned the globe and you can’t tell me it got that way peacefully. The French produced Napoleon and the Japanese the samurai. And what is ISIS if not the hyper-religious of the Islamic faith?
To our credit here in America, our ideal is that we have a society and a government that is “of the people, by the people, for the people,” as Abraham Lincoln once so eloquently put it in his Gettysburg Address. Truth is, we don’t really live up to that ideal and we have a society (like so many others) that is for, by, and of the wealthy, the strong, and the fanatically devout.
And that is why Jesus’ words are so striking and so oddly out of place in a celebration of our society as it is. He’s describing the kingdom of heaven and it is utterly unlike anything we’ve seen here on Earth. Because quite frankly, the world we live in worships success, strength, cleverness, money, and fanaticism and is utterly hostile to being human.
If you could sum up the Beatitudes in one sentence, it would be thus: “Blessed are you for being human.” Poor in spirit? Well, of course, we are. There’s so much about God that is beyond our human comprehension. We’ll never get it all right, no matter how much we might pretend otherwise. We’ll never be devoted enough. Never be right enough. Never be knowledgeable enough. And that’s okay.
Blessed are those who mourn? Who doesn’t? Death comes to us in so many ways. There is the physical loss of life, the end of brain activity, the ceasing of the heartbeat, the departure of the soul. But there’s also the loss of jobs, opportunity, health, dreams; these too are a form of death and we mourn them also.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness? Again, who doesn’t? We want our world to be fair and just. We want to have the opportunities given to others, the same chances, the same lucky breaks. And when we come before a judge or jury in a criminal or civil proceeding, we hope that no extenuating circumstance will tip the scales unfairly, such as our economic status or race.
Blessed are the pure in heart? Most of us have little ambition beyond a peaceful life, food on the table, and good opportunity for our children. What is more pure than that?
Peacemakers? Who doesn’t want peace to seek those simple pleasures of life? Again from our founding documents, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Blessed are the persecuted? Doing good when it is not popular or politic is a dangerous thing in this world. The annuls of history are filled with the names of martyrs who died for doing the right thing. Standing up for what is right should be rewarded, even though it often isn’t.
But here’s the catch. Those things that you desire, a life without pain and death, a life of peace, a life of simple pleasures. That’s what God wants for you too. That’s why Jesus came. It’s why he went to the cross. It’s why he rose again. This is all about the kingdom, the kingdom we hunger for, the kingdom we desire above all other things.
And it will be ours. God has seen to that. It doesn’t really matter to him if we’re successful or strong or powerful or rich or fanatical. What matters is that you are you. I quote the late Brennan Manning a lot in these sermons, but what he said proves true. “God loves you as you are, and not as you should be, because you’re never going to be as you should be.” God loves you as a human being and not some paragon of what this world values. God loves you as you are and he sent Jesus for you as you are. And he will give you the kingdom as he promised. You are human and to God that is the greatest thing of all. Amen.
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