Today's Sermon

 

"This Is The Day"

 

Psalm 118:1-9, 21-24
O give thanks to the Lord, for God is good; God’s steadfast love endures forever! Let Israel say, “God’s steadfast love endures forever.”  Let the house of Aaron say, “God’s steadfast love endures forever.”  Let those who fear the Lord say, “God’s steadfast love endures forever.” Out of my distress I called on the Lord; the Lord answered me and set me in a broad place. With the Lord on my side I do not fear. What can mortals do to me? The Lord is on my side to help me; I shall look in triumph on those who hate me. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to put confidence in mortals. It is better to take refuge in the Lordthan to put confidence in princes. I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation. The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Luke 6:17-26
Jesus came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea, Jerusalem, and the coast of Tyre and Sidon. They had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. And all in the crowd were trying to touch him, for power came out from him and healed all of them.
Then he looked up at his disciples and said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice on that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets.
“But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. Woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry. Woe to you who are laughing now, for you will mourn and weep. Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets.”

At first glance, this passage from Luke’s Gospel sounds very much like the more famous “Beatitudes” passage from Matthew’s Gospel.  In both, Jesus lifts up various people as blessed … people that one absolutely would NOT expect to be blessed – the poor, the hungry, the reviled.  Frequently, sermons on the Beatitudes focus on Jesus turning the culture of his time – and really of our time, too – upside down. Jesus encourages the people to think again about their hierarchical power structures and who they assume is or is not a recipient of God’s favor. 

I was thinking I would go that route today, about Jesus turning assumptions upside down, until I heard Rob’s sermon last week.  If you missed it, I encourage you to look up the video on YouTube or the transcript on our website.  In it, Rob talked about the importance of both service and justice.  Yes, it is important to feed people who are hungry … and it is also important to work to address the reasons why so many people in our world don’t have enough to eat.  It is important to offer people emergency shelter … and it is also important to work to ensure everyone has permanent housing.  Service and justice.

After hearing that sermon, I read this passage from Luke’s Gospel with some fresh insight.  I also began to take note of the important differences between this passage and the Beatitudes in Matthew.  Take a look – in Matthew, Jesus states, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”  In Luke, Jesus says, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of heaven.”

Again, in Matthew, Jesus says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”  In Luke, it’s, “Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled.”

Do you see the differences? Matthew’s Beatitudes are much more universal.  In fact, he could be talking about any of us.  Sure, we are all poor in spirit at one point or another.  Yes, I hunger and thirst for righteousness.  I must be blessed!  Luke, on the other hand is much more concrete.  It is those who are poor and hungry right now who are blessed. This is not a universal declaration about everyone.  This is a very specific pronouncement about very specific people.  Note also the use of “you” rather than “they.”  This is personal. 

And, lest those who were listening still not quite understand Jesus, he continues with a series of woes … woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. (Basically, you’ve already gotten all you’re going to get.)  Woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry.

My goodness, Jesus, that sounds pretty harsh.  But, no one ever accused Jesus of holding his tongue!  He always said what was on his mind.  And this particular message is certainly not a comfortable one for those who are not poor or hungry. 

I love the question Lutheran pastor Sarah Henrich asks about this passage - Does God only love us when we are miserable?  Of course not.  But, when we are suffering, what good news it is to hear that God sees us, loves us, and is intent on our thriving.  And, when we are thriving, these words are an important reminder that we are called to live with attention and generosity toward our neighbors, just as God is attentive and generous.[i]

This is where we loop back to Rob’s sermon last week.  We are called to live with attention and generosity … we are called to live with service and justice.  It is a theme we see again and again in the Gospel of Luke, as well as in the book of Acts, which Luke also wrote.  We are called to share our money and goods and time and talents for the good of one another.  And we do this, not some day in the amorphous, undefined future, but this day, right now. 

The Psalm we heard today ended with, “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”  Yes, definitely, each day is a gift and it is good to remember to rejoice in each and day. And, each and every day is an opportunity to offer service and to work for justice.  Jesus makes it very clear in this passage that we don’t know what tomorrow brings.  Even though we are full now, we may soon be hungry.  Even though we are laughing and feeling good now, we don’t know when that will change.  But rather than getting nervous or upset about that, let’s be inspired by it. Right now, in this moment, we can be of service.  Right now, in this moment, we can work for justice.  This is the day that the Lord has made.  Let us not wait until tomorrow.  This is the day.

I’ve been thinking a lot about how we take that first step. How we might begin to offer the blessing that Jesus promises to those who are poor and hungry and weeping and excluded.  My spouse, Camie, and I were talking about this just the other day.  We agreed that we are relatively good at offering service … doing those one-time things that will help someone in the moment.  But, we agreed that we could do better on the justice front.  As I mentioned before, justice is much harder.  Justice often means giving up some of our own comfort for another.

Rob and I were able to witness both the joys and the struggles of justice work last Tuesday morning as we tuned in to the Board of Supervisors meeting via Zoom. As we mentioned last Sunday, the supervisors were deciding about whether to accept a state grant to turn an abandoned building in the Greenbrae/Larkspur area into housing for the chronically unhoused. Lots of people showed up both in person and online to comment on the project.  As we listened to the comments, Rob and I noticed a specific theme spoken over and over again by those opposed to the project.  They were nervous that the residents would be a bunch of people suffering from addiction and mental illness who would be unsafe neighbors for them their children.

Now, I understand that this new thing might be troubling for people.  Having this kind of housing in a community that has not had it before can be a big step out of one’s comfort zone.  I was not surprised that people opposed this effort.  I know we as human beings have different opinions. What surprised and bothered me was the way in which many of the speakers demonized the future residents.  It was as if this faceless mass of people was going to infiltrate the community with the sole purpose of causing harm.  The fact that some of the future residents might have a mental illness or an addiction automatically made them bad people to be feared.  I will admit that rhetoric was hard to listen to.

Thank goodness for Westminster member Joan Brown, who spoke about her experience with the REST program.  She described getting to know on a personal level the men who slept on our floor in Findlay Hall every Sunday night, hearing their stories, and valuing their humanity.  Recognizing that they are not a scary mob, but human beings just trying to make it through each day like the rest of us.

Maybe that is a first step of justice work – the realization that each of us are precious human beings.  Each with our gifts and talents, and flaws and shortcomings.  Some of us are currently in a position to work for change – not for a faceless and scary mob – but for individuals who are beloved and blessed children of God.  This is the day to do just that.

One more housing-related story.  Last Tuesday evening, I had the chance to join the weekly dinner hosted by the Street Chaplaincy up in San Rafael.  This is a free meal available to anyone who wants or needs it.  They actually call the event a “Wellness Gathering,” because it is about more than just food.  Before the meal, everyone gathers in a circle and each person has a chance to share.  I could tell what a moving experience this was for those gathered.  When someone is living on the street, they are often quite isolated and alone.  The opportunity to share with others was such a gift.  The sharing is confidential, so I am not going to use names, but I want to tell you about the very last person to share.  He said, with obvious joy, that he had received keys to an apartment that week. I’m actually not sure who was more joyful about this news – this man, or Nick Morris, who is the director of the Street Chaplaincy.  Apparently Nick had been making several phone calls in support of this man getting into permanent housing, and Nick was over the moon happy when it finally happened.

Nick was over the moon happy, because this was the result of justice work.  Not only Nick making these specific phone calls, but all the work he has done in support of the Housing First initiative.  All the work that so many people in this county have done to get people off the street and into housing with wraparound services. Not for the faceless scary masses, but for that man sitting with me in that circle – and so many others.  This is the day.

We all approach this work from different places, so I want to leave you with a poem, written by the Rev. Anna Blaedel –

blessed are you who are raging.
blessed are you who are mourning.
blessed are you who feel numb.
blessed are you who feel sick. and tired. and sick and tired.
blessed are you who refuse to turn away.
blessed are you who need to turn away.
blessed are you who keep breathing deep.
blessed are you who are tending to your own needs.
blessed are you who are tending to the needs of another.
blessed are you who have been calling.
blessed are you who have been organizing.
blessed are you who have been testifying.
blessed are you who have been hearing.
blessed are you who have been resisting.
blessed are you who feel broken open beyond repair.
blessed are you who are raw beyond words.
blessed are you who are working hotlines and crisis care centers and bearing witness to the forces of violence and trauma unleashed and unloosed.
blessed are you who are marching.
blessed are you who are weeping.
blessed are you who know deep in your bones that you are good. and beautiful. and beloved. and sacred. and worthy. and believed. and held. and capable of healing beyond your wildest imagination.
blessed are you who remind others they are good. and beautiful. and beloved. and sacred. and worthy. and believed. and held. and capable of
healing beyond their wildest imagination.
blessed are we when we stay tender.
blessed are we when we stay fierce.
blessed are we when we dare to imagine repair and transformation.
blessed are we when we labor together to make it so.[ii]

This is the day. Amen.

 

[i]https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/sixth-sunday-after-epiphany-3/commentary-on-luke-617-26-2

[ii]http://www.multifaithpeace.org/index.php?topic=FrontPage&page=4