Sermon preached at First Christian Church, Slidell, Louisiana, June 21, 2020
I would like to begin this morning by wishing all of the Dads watching a Happy Father’s Day and by sharing personal story about my father. I am not sure who else can relate to this, but my Dad has always been always been very persnickety about the lights. Ultra conservative might be a better word, but since we are living in this politically-charged era, I am going to stick with “persnickety.” Everyday, I heard it: “Who left on that light?” “Turn off the lights.” “Why is every light on in the house!” “Son, is there really a need to turn on the hall lights to walk a few feet to your bedroom?”
When I was learning to drive with my learner’s permit, I will never forget daddy ingraining it me that the headlights of the car should never be done until the sun set, until all of it completely disappeared over the horizon. If it was getting dark before sunset, only the parking lights were permitted. Turning on the headlights before the sun went down was a waste of valuable light! My father was, and probably still is today, a light-miser.
Jesus was also persnickety about light, but he seemed to be persnickety in the opposite direction. What I mean is that I am pretty sure no one ever called Jesus “a light-miser.” In fact, Jesus said that he was light, and not only light, but he was thelight. “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life” (John 8:12).
I believe Jesus was all about light because it was his life’s misson to get us to see something special in the darkness: the truth of who God has created us to be, of how God has created us to live.
I think it is interesting that Jesus actually spoke less about how we sin and more about how we see. Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment so that those who do not see may see…” (John 9:39).
Throughout the gospels, Jesus asks: “Do you have eyes and fail to see?” (Mark 8:18) “Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye?” (Matthew 7:3) “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see!” (Luke 10:23) “Prophets and kings desired to see what you see but did not see it!” (Luke 10:24)
Over and over Jesus talked about importance of seeing something that most people have difficulty seeing.
And what is it that we have so much trouble seeing? What is the truth that God wants us to see?
I believe the answer is in Jesus’ first recorded sermon.
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Jesus wants us to see the truth that God favors the “poor in spirit.” Not the religious, the devout, the pious, or even the spiritual. Not the pastors, the elders and the deacons, not even the church member who serves every week in the soup kitchen. No, God favors the ones who have come to be served at the soup kitchen. They are not the ones with something to give. They are the ones with nothing to give. Jesus says the ones who are blessed, the ones who are blessed by God are those who, spiritually speaking, are completely destitute and needy. Their very spirits have been broken. And notice that Jesus uses the present tense. Not willbe blessed. Not mightbe favored. They are, right now, right here, blessed. And their future is the kingdom of heaven. Can you see it?
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Jesus wants us to see that God favors the mourners. Not only those who may be mourning the death of someone, but maybe especially those who are mourning over their own lives, those who are wondering if their lives have any value. They remember how their fathers and mothers, their ancestors, were valued by this world. They consider how they are valued by this world. And they look into the eyes of their children and grandchildren, and they grieve. They cry out in the streets for their lives to to matter, yet Jesus calls them blessed and promises comfort. Can you see it?
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
The meek are favored, says Jesus. Not the strong. Not the ones with the personalities or the confidence or the physical ability or the privilege to do whatever is necessary to overcome all sorts of adversity and make it to the top. Jesus says, blessed are the ones who never seem to get ahead. It is the last, says Jesus, not the first, who survive and inherit the earth. Can you see it?
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be filled.
Not the ones who are righteous, but the ones on whose behalf the prophet Amos preached: “Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream” (Amos 5:24).These are the ones who are unjustly judged, mistreated, shunned and bullied by society, even by communities of faith. They suffer grave injustices simply because of who they are.
They have been beaten up so badly by the world that they hunger and thirst for justice and righteousness like a wanderer lost in a hot desert thirsts for water. Jesus says that they are blessed, and they are the ones who will not only be satisfied, but will be filled, their cups overflowing. Can you see it?
Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
Not the perfect and the proud, the boastful and the arrogant. Not the ones who never admit any mistake. But God favors the ones who are fully aware of their imperfections, the ones who have made mistakes, terrible mistakes, and they know it. Thus, when they encounter others who are also suffering from unthinkable errors in judgment, they have mercy and compassion, and in their hearts, there is always room for forgiveness. They give mercy, because they need mercy for themselves. And because they are favored by God, they will receive it. Can you see it?
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Not the pure, but the “pure in heart.” Not the ones whose outer appearance and abilities suggest that they have the best genes. No, God favors the ones with obvious disabilities and who are viewed by the world as genetically flawed. We are reminded of the words of 1 Samuel “for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). God will see the pure beauty of who they truly are and they will see God. Can you see it?
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Not the ones who have necessarily found peace for themselves. But the tormented, disturbed and restless, who, because they are so continuously in chaos, seek to make peace whenever and wherever they can. Blessed are those who are without stability, but seek it, because they will find a home, a place of security, rest and a peace that is beyond all understanding, within the family of God.[i]
And this, Jesus pronounces, is not a prescription of how things should be or how things could be. Jesus asserts that this is how things are! Can you see it?
If not, then maybe more of us need to stop being light misers and get up and turn on the lights! Every light in the house!
Jesus announces: “I have come as light, as the Light of the World, to help you see it, to give all who are blind to it, the sight to see this world as God sees it.”
And not only that, Jesus says, you who seek to follow me, you who seek to do the things that I do, you who want to go to the places that I go, are also the Lights of the World. And you are called not to hide or conserve or be persnickety with your light, but to shine your light on what is the truth, so all may see the world the way God sees it.
We are to shine our lights by lifting up, accepting and caring for all people, but especially those the world leaves behind. We are to light it up by loving, accepting, and caring for the least among us: the poor, those who are crying out for their lives to matter, the weak and the underprivileged, those who need mercy, the marginalized who hunger and thirst for justice, the obviously flawed but pure in heart, and the spiritually or mentally troubled who yearn for peace.
Will we be despised for it? You bet. Will people say that the way we accept and love and affirm others is socially and even theologically unacceptable? It’s likely. Will we be demeaned and even persecuted by others, even by those in organized religion? Most certainly.
But here is the good news:
Jesus also said, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you[notice the change in person] when people revile youand persecute youand utter all kinds of evil against youfalsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
So while some continue to live as persnickety light-misers in the twisted, dark worlds that they have created, a world where they blindly believe that it is the rich, the prosperous, the privileged and the powerful that are blessed and favored by God,
let us commit ourselves to living in the world created by our gracious, loving God, in the world that Jesus, the Light of the World, came to help us see.
And let us, as lights of this world, for the sake of this world, keep lighting this world up, keep turning on every light in every house, until the day comes when the eyes of all are finally fully opened.
COMMISSIONING AND BENEDICTION
Go now into the world and light it up!
So the poor will know that they are blessed.
Light it up,
So all who cry out for their lives to matter will be comforted.
Light it up,
So that the underprivileged will know that they are favored.
Light it up,
So that those who ache for justice will be satisfied.
Light it up,
So that the obviously flawed but pure in heart will see God.
Light it up,
So that those you yearn for peace will know security as God’s beloved children.
Light it up,
Knowing that if you are persecuted, yours is the Kingdom of Heaven.
Light it up,
Until the day comes when the eyes of all are finally fully open, and all may know love of God, the grace of Jesus Christ and the communion of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
[i]Inspired by Frederick Buechner. Whistling in the Dark: An ABC Theologized (New York: Harper Collins, 1988), 18.
Just Love 