Blessing and Honor

Sermon by Carrie Eikler
Micah 6:1-8, Matthew 5:1-12
January 30, 4th Sunday of Epiphany

Our adult Sunday School class has just finished watching a four-part series on the Crusades. Many of you have heard us talk about the narrator and producer of this documentary, Terry Jones. Jones was one of the founding members of Monty Python, who if you don’t know, was a British comedy troupe from the 60s and 70s. They became popular in America with their films “The Life of Brian” and “The Search for the Holy Grail.”

I confess. I love Monty Python. In fact, I am a self-proclaimed Monty Python nerd, even going to the lengths in college to memorize bits of their films, to banter back and forth with others .
Of course, now being a pastor you will assume I am above such foolishness.

Well, I’m not.

In the film, “The Life of Brian” a couple stands around in a field amid great crowds, listening to a man, we can only assume to be Jesus because he is saying very familiar words: “How blest are the sorrowful. They shall find consolation. How blest are those of gentle spirit. They shall have the earth for their possession. [Blest are the peacemakers…]”

Kim: [I can’t hear him…] What was that? Martin: I think it was 'Blessed are the cheesemakers.' Kim: Ahh. What's so special about the cheesemakers? Martin: Well, obviously, this is not meant to be taken literally. It refers to any manufacturers of dairy products. Kim: [OK OK…shh. What’s he say?] You hear that? Blessed are the Greek. Martin: The Greek? Kim: Mmm. Well, apparently, he's going to inherit the earth. Martin: Oh, it's the meek! Blessed are the meek! Oh, that's nice, isn't it? I'm glad they're getting something, 'cause they have a [heck] of a time.

Now one reason I love this bit is not just because it is funny, which it is, but because it reveals something to me about these words we all know and love: The Beatitudes. Even when we have heard them clearly many times in sermons, or pored over them in bible studies…these words can be hard to understand. Or perhaps more accurately, we often misunderstand the purpose of these words. We don’t quite catch the radical nature of them.

This description of the eight blessedness we call the Beatitudes, start off the Sermon on the Mount. Now for those of you who are new to the Church of the Brethren, I can tell you a few of historical realities: we like peace, we’re supposed to like washing each other’s feet (whether we do or not is debatable), and we love the Sermon on the Mount. And if you look at the three chapters that make up the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew you’ll understand why.

From the Beatitudes to love your enemies to do not judge lest you be judge to do not store up treasures on earth….the Sermon on the Mount is a rhetorical and philosophical marvel.

It’s no wonder Matthew concludes these three chapters with the words “Now when Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were astounded at his teaching.”
[pause]

The Sermon on the Mount is astounding. It is packed full of social and spiritual guidance and Brethren and Mennonites love. Some have referred to this as the Brethren’s canon within the canon, our gospel within the gospel, that if we had to boil it down only a few sections of the Bible to guide us, it would be the Sermon on the Mount.

And it all begins with the Beatitudes. Those beatitudes many of us memorized as children. Those beatitudes that tell us about God’s notion of blessing
And because we have heard it so much, it all seems pretty clear. Here is a list of people: meek, pure of heart, peacemakers, the sorrowful. Given what we know about other lists in the Bible, such as the Ten Commandments, it is easy for us to think about the Beatitudes in the same way.

We might think what do I need to do to inherit the kingdom of heaven? If I was just persecuted more, or more people reviled me, or if I mourned more…
OK, that sounds extreme.

But who hasn’t thought, I should just be more merciful, work more for peace, if only all of my motives were pure…I think we’ve all desired those things once in a while. It’s easy to see the Beatitudes as a “to be” list.
I had an entire class on the Sermon on the Mount in seminary (really, we love it so much seminarians take a class on it.) And the first two things I learned, and remembered, were these:
• the beatitudes are not a list of Christian virtues and
• they are not a design for human happiness

They are often seen as these. One author even wrote a book called the “Be-Happy Attitudes.”

I think Jesus would challenge him on that title.

When Jesus speaks of these people as blessed, Matthew uses the Greek word ma-ka-ri-os, which means not only blessed, but brings with it a sense of being honored. We have a lot of preconceived notions about the word blessed, don’t we? It is easy to spiritualize and personalize “blessed” which is not much in keeping with Matthew’s theology.

For so long we have seen these people Jesus speaks of as people of virtue, because it’s obvious they are going to get good things! But in Jesus’ day these people were considered weak. By thinking of these people as not just blessed, but also honored, we are forced to reexamine what it is Jesus is doing.

These people Jesus talks about were shamed, looked down upon, pitied (which was a form of shaming). Matthew shows Jesus giving honor to those who have been pushed to the margins. He is describing who God is and what God is doing to those already feeling crushed by defeat.

It’s easy for us in our Western world with our notions of self-improvement and individualism to jump on the Beatitudes as something about “me,” my “how to be-happy attitudes.” But step back. Take yourself out of the picture for a moment. Try not to be the one Jesus is talking about, but listen to him talk about God. Listen to him talk about the others.

Who is it in our society that is shamed? Looked down upon? Who would you hesitate to welcome into your home for a meal because of how they looked, or talked, or smelled, or dressed? If you saw how they spent their money? If you knew some of the choices they made.

These are the people Jesus would likely be talking about if he gathered us all together today. These people, and a whole lot more.

To be sure, I don’t mean to say none of you here are mourning, or have put a lot on the line for what you believe in, or have felt defeat. We have all experienced something like we see in the beatitudes. The last time I preached I talked about claiming God’s call of blessedness on your life, that recognition that comes with baptism. And as Christians we need to recognized it and believe it.

And once you do, maybe it’s onto the second step of claim God’s blessing. What would it look like to join Christ in blessing those whom God blesses?

What would it look like to honor those whom God honors?

So yes, you do have a place in the beatitudes. There is a reason that, on this particular Sunday, the beatitudes are coupled with Micah’s call: do justice, love kindness, walk humbly with God. Can you hear, not a list of things to be…but perhaps an invitation? Perhaps we’re hearing cheesemakers when Jesus is saying peacemakers, and perhaps we’re hearing a prescription when what Jesus is doing is giving you an invitation, and perhaps…that invitation is to join him in the work he’s already doing.

When we attended Mennonite Convention in Columbus two summers ago, we had the opportunity to hear Shane Claiborne speak. Shane has long dreadlocks…and a southern drawl. He lives in inner-city Philadelphia and practices what he calls “the new monasticism.” He blends evangelical Christianity with radical discipleship with missional mindset with social justice. At times, he seems like a walking conundrum.

I don’t really remember the focus of Shane’s sermon. I had six-month old Alistair with me, so my memory is patchy. But I do remember this story.

Shane had a friend who was trained as a massage therapist. We’ll call her Claire. As Claire completed her training she was deciding where she should take her new skills. Now as many of you know, a massage is a luxury. It is something that, I believe, every body needs but few bodies get. They can cost between 40-100 dollars an hour depending where you live. Some massage therapists work in hospitals, but the majority are found in private spas or massage studios. Claire wanted to use her skill, her gift, but she also felt called to something other than the ordinary.

Claire lived in a neighborhood in Philadelphia that you could say…wasn’t the best in town. Inthe walk to her apartment she passed drug dealers, drunks, and prostitutes. This was her community. These were her neighbors. So she decided to use her gifts to serve some of them.

Claire began a service where she gave free foot and leg massages to the female prostitutes in her neighborhood. Feet that stood for many hours a day, in very uncomfortable shoes. Feet that took women into situations that most did not desire, nor enjoy, but situations born out of desperation, misfortune, perhaps addiction. These are people who are the opposite of honored. These are people who are shamed.
And Claire blessed them. She honored them. She didn’t dismiss them or avoid eye contact or toss money at them. She didn’t pity them.

She honored them. She blessed them.

The Beatitudes give us a portrait. Who might we start with when we begin living out the call in Micah? One way we do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly is to honor those who have been shamed around us.

Who is around you?
Whose feet will you massage?
Whose mourning are you comforting?
Whose embarrassment are you responding to with encouraging words?
Whose persecution will you accompany?

From the baptismal waters we hear God call us blessed.

From the mount, we hear Christ asking, “In whose desperate situation can you be God’s blessing?”