A Sermon for the Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany
Text: Matthew 5:1-12
Now, O Lord, take my lips, and speak through them. Take our minds, and think through them. Take our hearts, and set them on fire. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
A couple of weeks ago after church, I met a gentleman from the community who had come to the parish office looking for some assistance.
He told me his name, and he shared with me some details about his life. He had been homeless for some time and was now living with someone else from the community who offered him a place to stay.
He also told me he had a job at a local restaurant and needed a way to get in touch with his employer in case they wanted him to come in and take some extra shifts at work. So, he asked if there was a way that the church might be able to provide a phone for him to use.
At first, I didn’t think there would be a way for us to help, but then I realized that we might be able to at least provide him one of those pre-paid cell phones—one that wouldn’t require a monthly plan.
So, I told him, “I think we can help.” And, we got in my truck and drove down the road to the Dollar General Store where I bought him an inexpensive phone and a 30-day, prepaid phone card.
On the way back to the church, he shared with me a few more details about his life.
He told me that all of his family members were gone and that he didn’t really have anyone in his life. He told me that he really hoped that this new job would help him get back on his feet.
And, then the conversation turned to God.
He said to me, “You know, I really don’t think God gives us more than we can handle.” And, then he paused, and I could tell he was waiting for me to say something.
So, I took a deep breath, and I said, “ I don’t think God causes bad things to happen to us. I really believe that God loves us and wants what’s best for us in our lives.”
He listened to what I had to say, and then the conversation turned to something else.
I don’t know if he believed what I said, but I hope—at least on some level—that a seed of grace was planted and that he could start to believe that God wasn’t responsible for all the bad things in his life.
I hope—at least on some level—that he could start to believe that God loves him more than he could possibly imagine, despite the tragic circumstances that left him homeless and without any family to take care of him.
When we got back to the church, he thanked me again for my help, and we went our separate ways. And, in that moment, I stopped to give thanks to God for putting me—and our church—in a position where we could help a stranger in need. It wasn’t much, but it was something. And, sometimes, all it takes is a little something to change someone’s life.
Now, I didn’t share this story with you today to draw your attention to something I did.
I shared it with you to draw your attention to something God did through me and our parish.
Think about it for a moment.
It was God, through the guidance and power of the Holy Spirit, who put it into the hearts and minds of the people of St. Mary’s to call a full-time rector to come and serve this parish and this community.
And, it’s God, through the love and example of Jesus Christ, who continues to inspire the people of St. Mary’s to give generously of their time, talents, and resources to support the ongoing mission and ministries of this parish.
Through your faithfulness and commitment to service, we were able to help someone in need—someone who might not have been cared for otherwise.
It’s not something I did or that we did on our own. It’s something God did, through us. Apart from God, we wouldn’t be able to do anything. God is love and the source of every ounce of love we have to give.
Through the power of the Holy Spirit, God has equipped us and empowered us to proclaim the Gospel through our words and actions, and that, my friends, is something worth all of our thanks and praise.
Today’s Gospel lesson from Matthew is a helpful reminder that God loves each and every one of us and that he cares deeply about what happens to us in our lives—especially the most vulnerable among us.
But, it’s more than just a helpful reminder of God’s love. It’s also a call to action for those of us who have answered God’s call to follow Jesus.
At the beginning of our lesson this morning, Jesus is gathered with his disciples on top of a mountain.
And he begins a long series of teachings—spanning three chapters in Matthew—commonly known as the Sermon on the Mount.
The first part of the sermon—which we call the Beatitudes—is one of the most well-known passages from Scripture and one of the most important teachings of Jesus.
In it, we hear Jesus share with his disciples what it means to truly be blessed by God.
Of all the ways Jesus could’ve begun his Sermon on the Mount, he chose this particular way—by telling his followers about the love of God overcoming death and despair and by offering hope to those who had none.
The Beatitudes set the stage for everything that would follow in Jesus’ life and ministry. It was his way of preparing his disciples and showing them that his ministry would be like no other.
It was also his way of saying that the Kingdom of Heaven has come near.
Now, before I continue on, I want to take a moment to clarify something that’s often misunderstood or misinterpreted in the Gospels.
When Jesus refers to the “Kingdom of Heaven” (as he does in our Gospel lesson this morning) or the “Kingdom of God” (as he does in other Gospels), he isn’t talking about some far-off place where God is and we aren’t, and he isn’t talking about the place where we go after we die.
When Jesus preaches about the “Kingdom of Heaven” or “Kingdom of God,” it’s his way of describing God’s dream of a world redeemed in love—a world where all of God’s children are treated with dignity and respect, a world where no one goes hungry or worries about whether or not they’ll have a warm place to sleep at night.
The Beatitudes of Jesus teach us that this dream of God isn’t just some far-off dream or something that will happen a long time from now. The Beatitudes teach us that God’s dream is becoming a reality—here and now—and that God’s dream is being accomplished through us.
We—all of us who are sitting here today—are part of God’s plan to help bring healing and wholeness to the world God created.
To illustrate this better, I want to share with you a slightly different version of the Beatitudes, which was written several years ago by Archbishop Desmond Tutu in his storybook Bible, Children of God.
The title at the beginning reads, “Jesus teaches the secret of happiness.”
One day, Jesus told his followers about God’s dream of a world where all the children of God are loved and cared for, and no is left out.
Blessed are you who are poor, for all God’s world is yours.
Blessed are you who are hungry, for God will feed you.
Blessed are you who are sad, for God will comfort you and you will laugh again.
Blessed are you who feed the poor, for you are the hands of God.
Blessed are you who comfort the sad, for you are the arms of God.
Blessed are you who work for peace, for you are the voice of God.
Blessed are you who are loving and kind, for you are the heart of God.
I love this version of the Beatitudes because I think it brings it all home and helps us better understand the true meaning and significance of the Scripture.
Not only does God promise to restore this broken and sinful world, but he blesses those of us who have answered the call to help make it a reality.
We are the hands and arms of God. We are his voice. We are his heart.
May we answer the call to serve faithfully, and may we always remember that it’s God, working through us, who is able to accomplish these things. Amen.
The Rev. Eric Mancil 