8-6-17 “Hero Central" Series “God’s Heroes Have Power!"

8-6-17 “Hero Central Series”   “God’s Heroes Have Power!"

   So if we agree that God’s heroes have power, then as we have also explored hope, courage, heart, and wisdom in both God’s heroes as well as superheroes, it naturally makes one wonder which one of the superheroes was considered most powerful, right? 

I mean, I know you’ve all been wondering when we would get to this most vital of questions. So in engaging the quest for this kind of particular knowledge, I did what anyone seeking ultimate truth would do - I Googled it. And Holy Alternative Facts, Batman, there are all kinds of opinions out there on this subject. Now, true, most of them are offered up by middle-aged men who still live in their parents’ basements, but there is no lack of input on this question. 

And of course, there is little consensus, so with that in mind, I offer up to you top 10 most powerful superheroes in comparison, from the websites whatculture.com and List25.com:

From whatculture.com List25.com

10. The Hulk      10. The Green Lantern

9. The Flash 9. The Flash

8. Superman       8. Black Bolt

7. Jean Grey (one of the X-Men)       7. Franklin Richards (son of Mr. Fantastic and Invisible Woman)

6. Dr. Strange 6. Dr. Strange

5. Nova       5. Sentry

4. Thor       4. Silver Surfer

3. Martian Manhunter     3. Superman

2. Dr. Manhattan     2. Goku

And surely we can agree that the #1 most powerful superhero of all time is… either the Silver Surfer OR Thor, depending on who you ask!

1. The Silver Surfer 1. Thor

   Now we do have consensus on The Flash at #9 and 

Dr. Stange at #6. And 5 of the 10 are on both lists. 

But of the 5 on each list that are unique to each list, for me at least, 4 of those 5 I’ve never heard of before. And how one list can have Superman at #3 while the other has the Man of Steel only at #8 baffles me.

   So, needless to say, that wasn’t really that helpful. Honestly, I’ve never heard of most of these so-called superheroes. The website screenrant came up with five others in their top 10 who weren’t on either of these list and concluded that listed Dr. Stange as the most powerful. However, the site nerdist.com references with links, always helpful, a study done by the University of Leicester in England on the subject, and their research indicates that the most powerful superhero in the world is…

>>>PLAYED “SUPERMAN” VIDEO<<<

   So Superman has the power! Which, I think, is what we all suspected anyway. Or, at least Superman has some kind of power. Our scripture passage today is all about a totally different kind of power and is a story usually heard on Pentecost Sunday, a day on which we remember and celebrate when the power of the  Holy Spirit was first given to Jesus’ disciples. In fact, other than the birth narratives and the passion story, there is probably no other story in scripture that is better known than this one. Or, at least we THINK we know it. 

   What became known as Pentecost in early Christianity was birthed as one of the three major festivals of Judaism, and was known as the Festival of Weeks, 

or Shavuot. Shavuot was the third festival of the year, the harvest festival, where the first fruits of the annual harvest were offered to God in the Temple. 

It was also when the people of Israel celebrated Moses - the first superhero of the Bible - being given the Law from God on Mt. Sinai. So, there was a two-fold celebration going on. And this festival took place fifty days after Passover. The word “Pentecost” literally means fifty days. And as Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection occurred over Passover Weekend, the Christian celebration of Pentecost happens fifty days after Easter. So, there is a synchronicity between the two celebrations.

   And as our scripture tells us, Pentecost is when those gathered in Jerusalem received the power of the Holy Spirit - remember Jesus was with the disciples for forty days after the resurrection but told them, before ascending, that they were to remain in Jerusalem until the Advocate came. Now, they didn’t really know what Jesus meant when he said an “advocate” would come, but they were obedient and waited. And while we know, looking back, what Jesus was talking about,  scripture isn’t exactly clear about the nature of this advocate that we know as the Holy Spirit because words are hardly adequate to describe her, but we understand the Spirit is a who, not a what - the third person of the Trinity. And we remember, when the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus at his baptism, it said she came down “like a dove,” not as a dove, but “like” a dove. A bird didn’t land on Jesus’ head, but the best description the gospel writers could come up with was “like a dove.” There are some things, are there not, that just aren’t easily described - love, for instance. So in our story from Acts 2, there are some uncertainties in the descriptions.

   For example, who was present when all of this went down? When it says “they were all together in one place,” some suggest Luke is talking about just the remaining eleven disciples, while others say he was also including the close at hand followers, while still others say he meant EVERYONE who was considered a follower at that time, which is reported to be about 120 people. 

So, exactly who and how many were present is uncertain.

   Then the passage says there was a “sound from heaven LIKE the howling of a fierce wind.”  It doesn’t actually say there was a wind but a “sound LIKE a wind.” And then it says they saw “what seemed to be individual flames of fire alighting on each one of them.” Other translations say “tongues AS of fire,” or “like fire.” So these tongues were like fire, but they weren’t really fire, there was a sound “like a wind” but not really a wind. So, there’s a whole lot of vagueness in the descriptions that we just have to accept. And that’s okay. I mean, think about it. We don’t have any descriptions of how the resurrection worked either do we? We have Matthew’s account that says there was an earthquake before they found the open tomb, and surely Peter, or James, or John, or someone ASKED Jesus just exactly what happened and he likely told them, but we’re never told in scripture. Maybe it was just too indescribable, too powerful for words. That’s okay - we can live with the lack of clarity - we’re people of faith after all. 

And we’ll continue to use images of fire and wind in our celebration of Pentecost, understanding them to be, like all metaphors, inexact.

   But the truth is many of us in the church today are baffled by the Holy Spirit. We gather on Sunday mornings and say prayers and recite creeds together that say, “I believe in the Holy Spirit.” But how often do we really talk about the Spirit or the nature of the Spirit? Sure, we have our vague notions about how the Spirit works. When we think of the Spirit, we often think of her as Comforter or Sustainer. We think of divine nudges, soft whispers, gentle presence. And all of that is true. The Holy Spirit is our Comforter and as Jesus said, our Advocate. In fact, it would be easy to preach a sermon about that very thing: how the Holy Spirit is not just loud and fiery, like she was on the day of Pentecost. The Spirit is often quiet, gentle and subtle, easy to miss. We don’t all have to be fiery to be filled with the Holy Spirit. And that’s all true.

   But when we look closely at the second chapter of Acts, we realize there’s no getting around it in this story. 

The Holy Spirit IS loud, fiery, and earth shattering. 

Listen to how Luke recounts the story of Pentecost: “Suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house . . . divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit.” Did you hear Luke’s words? “Suddenly,” “rush,” “violent wind,” “fire.”

   There’s nothing subtle or hushed here. This story loses its meaning, loses much of its impact if it’s whispered, or spoken softly. This is a story that almost demands TO BE SHOUTED! The Holy Spirit arrives loudly and dramatically. And she sets the disciples on fire. We prefer to think of this as like when the acolyte brings the light of Christ into worship, but in fact the Holy Spirit came wielding, not a candle lighter, but a flame thrower.  

   And the disciples were never the same after that. 

And neither was the world. The Spirit brought about radical change. In that moment on the day of Pentecost, the Spirit transformed a ragtag, disheveled gathering of Jesus’ disciples, however many there were, into the body of Christ, the church. Peter the impulsive, James and John the competitive, Mary the meek, Thomas the doubtful—everyone in that room that day - known and unknown - was changed. Fear transformed by the crucible of fire. Some became prophets, some healers, some preachers, some caregivers—some would travel the world preaching, others would stay behind-the-scenes caring for the poor—but all of them were set on fire. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, they changed the world. 

   Now, here we are two thousand years later—the twenty-first century church — and the story of Pentecost begs the question: “Where’s the fire?” 

When we invited the Holy Spirit into our worship this morning, did we really know what we were asking for? Yes, we want the Comforter. We want the Advocate. We want to come here and feel the gentle presence of the Spirit. We wouldn’t even mind a little nudge or two. But, if we’re honest, do we really want the fire? We like the Holy Spirit to be warm, maybe lukewarm . . . but hot? Do we really want to be changed? Would we truly call upon the Spirit if we knew it meant that we’d have to live and love differently? Do we even realize what we’re doing when we call upon the Holy Spirit?

   When those first disciples were anointed with the Spirit, it was a pretty wild scene. People on the street thought the disciples were drunk. They were so excited, so fired up (if you’ll pardon the pun), so full of the Spirit that people thought they were crazy.Do people on the street ever look at us here at Crossroads and think we’re crazy? I know some of you look at me that way sometimes - some of you are doing that right now, as a matter of fact -  but do we as a congregation look different enough from the world that people notice us at all? Don’t get me wrong. I don’t think we’re called to be what are often called “Holy Roller Christians” - I know I’m not at least. We don’t all have to be fiery and loud. You don’t have to be a Pentecostal or Charismatic Christian to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Even John Wesley only ever claimed his heart was “strangely warmed.”

   But what I want to know is, how crazy are you? That is, are our hearts really on fire for God’s mission? Or put another way, is God really at the center of our lives, at the center of what we do? Do we love our neighbors in a way that is radical, or just lukewarm? Are we extravagantly generous, or just comfortably so? Do we forgive the unforgivable, or just the ones like us? Do we seek out, reach out to, and invite the least and the lost, or just hang a welcome sign at the door and wait for them to find their way to us? Are we so loving, so compassionate, so giving, so humble, that the world thinks we’re crazy, or do we just look like everyone else in the world, like every other church in the community, like our faith hasn’t changed us - or makes no different in our lives - in any way. Would our neighbors know that we’re Christians by our love, or do we just blend into the amorphous crowd of lukewarm Christians?

   When someone is baptized, or when we celebrate a baptismal remembrance, we all pray for the Holy Spirit to work within that person and within us. 

But do we take that prayer seriously or are those just words we say to fit in, to go along? 

Do we really want the Holy Spirit to fill them, or us? 

As part of that liturgy I could say nicely and warmly, “Welcome to the church. I hope you get involved. I hope you’ll serve in some way. I hope you enjoy it here. I hope your activities at church are as enriching to you as camp, or soccer, or card club, or any of your other activities.” I could…but I won’t, because that’s not what the call to the Christian faith is about.

   I feel led by the Spirit to say something else this morning. What I really feel led by the Spirit to say to the baptized, those newly baptized and those baptized decades ago is —Watch out! If you really want to take this step, if you really want, or claim to be, a follower of Jesus Christ, if you really want the Holy Spirit to work within you, then you better put on your crash helmets. Get ready, because the Spirit will ignite an inferno in your hearts…and then pour gasoline on it!

   Your relationship with God in the Spirit is not just another good activity to keep you busy, something we squeeze in between the hairdresser and an oil change. It’s the most important thing in this life, because if you mean it, it changes everything. And if you really want to say yes to God, then you’d better be ready. Our passage today warns us that the Spirit will make you do crazy things like loving your enemies. The Spirit will make you reach out to people who are different, outcast, maybe not like you at all. The Spirit will make you spend and give your money differently. The Spirit will make you cry for the suffering of others. The Spirit will make you want to change the world.

   But while the Holy Spirit comes armed with a flame thrower, many in the church fight back with fire extinguishers. As we invite the Spirit to set our hearts on fire, some push back that we should be “more sensible and moderate.” But we’re not called, as disciples, to fit in. There’s nothing sensible or moderate about the Gospel. In last week’s Scripture, Paul called it “foolish” by the world’s standards. No, as disciples we’re called to be crazy with love for God and God’s children, over-the-top in our compassion for others, radical in our hospitality, extravagant in our kindness, and unstoppable in our commitment to God and God’s people. All God’s people. Because you know the other part of what happened on that Pentecost day so many years ago, is that the Holy Spirit brought power to all the people of God that day. Power to light fires not just in the usual places with the usual people, but to light welcoming home fires for all God’s children all around the world.

   That list of names of peoples and countries that we always fear having to read as liturgist on Pentecost Sunday is not there to trip us up. It’s there to remind 

us that the Spirit came to all people, every where, in all times and all places. That list of countries and peoples represented the entire world to them. It’s there to remind us that the same wind that blew over the face of the entire earth in the Genesis 1 creation story continues to blow, continues to blow unceasingly throughout the vast diversity of God’s creation, then and now.

   We sometimes hear this passage preached or taught as a reversal of the Tower of Babel story, where God intentionally confused the peoples’ single language by introducing many different languages that they couldn’t understand. But if there a reversal, then we would see all of the languages turned back into one. But that’s not what happened here. What happened is that the many languages were made to be understood by all. It was an exponential explosion of the Word of God being given to all people in all nations through the Holy Spirit in a way that would allow all people to receive it, to hear it in their own language - the biblical equivalent of what in the world of Star Trek would be called a “universal translator.” It was the breath of God breathing on God’s created world once again, that we might ALL be born again into that image of God. 

   The image of God in which we were created is the image of the triune God of grace, a God of love. When we talk about God as Trinity, we’re saying that God is in God’s own being a community,  “a holy family.”  In the image of the God, who as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit IS eternal and living community, differentiated in three persons while united in irresistible love, we are ourselves created for community. And further, we never fully live into God’s image until we live in community, in communion, with God and one another. Communion among people assumes there is difference, there is diversity — not uniformity, not conformity to a single idealized form of life, nationality, ethnicity, or tribe - but a God-created diversity, while at the same time it invites us into unity around the grace that is God-breathed to all peoples and all nations. 

   When in the communion liturgy we call down the Holy Spirit to be present in the bread and the cup we aren’t saying that the bread and the juice become anything other than what they are, two of the most common and universally known and  widely accessible food and drink items.  But at the same time they are also nothing less than what Jesus said they were, sign and symbol of God’s invitation to us to come together, in community, in communion with Christ, through the Holy Spirit, that we might be in ministry together to all the world.

   So as we move into our celebration of communion today, let us feel the presence of the Holy Spirit breathing its hot, fiery breath down the back of our necks. Let us hear and respond passionately to the Spirit speaking to us, in tongues we’ve so often ignored or denied, when it tells us to love those neighbors who are not like us, to feed those neighbors who don’t worship like us. And let that Spirit feed us with the bread of life and the cup of salvation that Jesus gave us.

   But let’s do more than that. Let’s allow that Spirit to teach us, and to teach others, how to stir up a little Spirit-led trouble in the world. You see, you’re all God’s heroes. And God’s heroes have heart, and they have courage, and they have wisdom, and they have hope, because that’s the power that the Holy Spirit gives. Because regardless of what those nerd websites say, the Holy Spirit is, without a doubt, the most powerful superhero of all time.  Amen? Amen! 

7-30-17 "Hero Central" Series “God’s Heroes Have Hope!”

7-30-17  “God’s Heroes Have Hope!”    “Hero Central” Series

   We are living in a "Golden Age" of Superheroes.

Dating back to 2008 when Robert Downey Jr. first debuted as the famous Marvel superhero Iron Man all the way to now, as Gal Gadot takes up the mantle of Wonder Woman, superheroes have invaded both our movie screens as well as our television screens.

   Though superheroes have been with us through comic books for a very long time, and yes, we had a period with Christopher Reeve as Superman and various actors playing Batman in occasional films, for whatever reason, we’ve experienced a sort of rebirth of the superhero craze as some new hero, sometimes mostly little-known, debuts on the big screen with clocklike regularity. Many people seem to think that all things dealing with superheroes are meant for children and yet box office sales indicate the vast majority of tickets are being sold to adults. Adults and adolescents alike have all been affected by the massive popularity that both Marvel and DC have recreated. What is it about superheroes?

   Well, it’s no stretch to say that the current state of the world is chaotic and for many, despairing. For many, the state of the world seems hopeless - often times feeling as if we have no one to really look up to. That is, I believe, where superheroes come in. They’re the role models that many look up to whenever they feel hopeless and powerless, simply because that is what they were created for. Did you know that Superman was created during the Great Depression in order to give hope to common people during those trying times? We shared that Captain America was created to give Americans a patriotic hope during World War II. The heroes we have grown to know and love through comics, movies, and television were created for a purpose - to give us a hope, and someone to look up to.

   Or at least looking up to the idea the character represents. You see, superheroes seem to represent the best of who we are. They represent our selflessness, our kindness, our charity. We look up to them because they make us want to be better versions of ourselves, our own sort of superhero. As kids we’d mark a big red “S” or the outline of a bat on our t-shirt, safety pin a bath towel around our necks as a cape, and BE Superman or Batman. 

The superhero is an aspirational figure as much as anything, representing the best things that we hope for or aspire to.

   Hope is defined as “A feeling of expectation and desire for something to happen.” So, I invite you to consider for yourselves a couple of questions: 

First, what are some things you hope for? 

And second, what gives you hope?

   Julie Neraas, an author, ordained minister, spiritual director, and college professor writes and speaks on the subject of hope on a regular basis, and she suggests there are many different “flavors” of hope.

She writes,

“Not all hopes are alike. There are many different kinds like daily hopes — that rain won’t spoil the picnic, that the dentist will not find cavities. Or still larger hopes, for example that our children will be healthy and happy or that we will emerge from the recession and find adequate work. Or even more substantial hopes for a cure for cancer, for the well-being of our planet.” She then goes on in an article that was published in World of Psychology and republished on Beliefnet, to suggest seven other kinds of hope.

“1. Inborn Hope – Most children have hope, it’s their basic disposition unless adults do something to threaten it. Some people have to struggle for their hope while others seem to have it so easily. It depends on disposition.

2. Chosen Hope – This is the person with cancer who determinedly chooses to believe that treatment will be successful no matter the current outlook. It’s a parent’s right to hope for a child, even if things don’t look good at the moment. Chosen hope is a life stance.

3. Borrowed Hope – Sometimes another person sees causes for hope in your life more easily than you can. If the person is honest and trustworthy, you can borrow their confidence in you, and their hope for you.

4. Bargainer’s Hope – When a daunting challenge or crisis crashes into our life, we can take a bargainer’s position. This position says, “If I do this, then that will happen,” There’s nothing wrong with bargainer’s hope, it’s human nature and often a first response to something really hard.

5. Unrealistic Hope – This kind of hope belongs to teenagers who believe they could be the next Michael Jordan of basketball. Or the hope created by the promise that a certain cereal will help you lose weight and keep it off for years to come. You’re hoping for things that could happen, but that are not probable.

6. False Hope – There are silly versions of false hope, like chain letters promising money if you send them along, [or that that email from the African Prince is real.] Or more serious false hopes, like the ones created by nasty investment schemes that bilk money from people. And everyday examples of false hope, such as the hope that one person, whether friend or spouse, can meet all your needs and make you happy.

7. Mature Hope – A person with this kind of hope can wait. His or her hope is not based on particular outcomes or on a belief that everything will turn out well. Mature hope is based on meaning. In other words, things are worthwhile regardless of how they turn out.

   Martin Luther King Jr., took the long view when he said, “The long arm of history bends toward justice.” Mature hope is a hope that jumps in to participate in the desired outcome. It doesn’t give up easily and it can be the most fulfilling.”

   And sometimes when we’re trying to inspire hope in someone else, like a coach trying to inspire hope in his or her team, we seek to motivate them in some way in order to nurture hope of a preferred future. Here’s a quick video sure to inspire hope in you.

 “40 MOTIVATIONAL SPEECHES IN TWO MINUTES” VIDEO

   In the Bible, there’s another kind of hope that we talk about, and that is eschatological hope. I know, another big word. Eschatology in and of itself is the study of what is called the “end times,” and there are all kinds of ideas about what that will or will not involve. Eschatological hope, then, is the hopeful expectation and anticipation that the kingdom of God, as described by Jesus in scripture, will come to fruition. 

   Our passage today from Matthew’s gospel is a passage overflowing with eschatological hope; it’s a picture of God’s preferred future. The larger section of scripture from which today’s reading is the introduction is known as The Sermon on the Mount. This is a large collection of Jesus’ teachings that Matthew presents as a one-time event, but that realistically, Jesus probably taught many times over - it is, after all, the gist of everything he taught. And this opening section of the Sermon on the Mount is called the Beatitudes.

   The Beatitudes are one of, if not the most profound bit of teaching to be found anywhere in Scripture. And part of the profundity of them is in how counterintuitive, how countercultural they are. Theologican Larry Bouchard points out that, “these words of Jesus reflect eschatology in the process of realization or in its advent; the kingdom to come already is appearing.” 

   Each of the beatitudes expresses the tension between what is and what will be. So, for example, our ordinary expectation is that “ultimate value lies in political, economic, or personal power to ‘make things happen.’ This, Bouchard suggests, is reversed or turned upside down in Jesus teaching. The extraordinary or eschatological expectation or hope is that the poor - those who are unable to make things happen - are God’s priority.” 

And he points out that “while this concept can seem impossible to grasp, Jesus says that beginning to grasp it is itself a blessing.” There is both “oddness and wisdom” to be found in these blessings, he offers.

   So, let’s take a moment here and consider the many different translations of the word used by Jesus to begin each of these phrases. The word “beatitude” itself means “blessing.” Sometimes, like in our reading today, each phrase begins with “happy.” Other translations might say “blessed,” while still others translate the word as “honored,” or even “favored.” The word being translated here is the Greek makarios, and it can, in fact, be translated in all of these different ways, and more, depending on the context. In fact, as a noun makarios means “the elite,” “the well-off,” or even “gods.” So, when we understand how this word was used and understood in Jesus’ time, we understand that Jesus is making more than a theological statement here, he’s making a challenging political statement as well.

   Theologian Matthew Boulton writes, 

“these opening words are meant to directly contradict conventional wisdom. The world seems to favor those who look out for themselves, the miserly and the prideful, those who rely on strength and swords and cunning. In truth, Jesus contends, divine blessing attends the gentle and the merciful, those who do the right thing, even and especially when the odds seem stacked against them.” 

   So, in effect, when the world or conventional wisdom says that it’s the rich and the powerful who are blessed, or favored, or considered the “elite” of society, Jesus is saying that that is not the case, that it’s those at the lower rungs of the ladder who are in the favor of God.

   So, as that sinks in with us, let’s imagine the setting. Jesus and his disciples are together and Jesus is looking for a time and a place to teach them. There are others following as well, and while Jesus’ intent is to teach the Twelve, he knows that others will hear as well. So, he goes part way up a mountain, think Moses on Mt. Sinai here, (remember, Matthew is always portraying Jesus as the new Moses) he finds a place to sit, the position of both honor and power for a teaching rabbi, and the Twelve circle around him, a little below him on the mountain. Further down, at the base of the mountain, are the other people who are following and gathered as well.

And as Boulton says, 

“Insofar as Jesus directly addresses the disciples with these words, the force of his message amounts to this: ‘You are the so-called inner circle of my followers, 

but the true “insiders” are in fact down around the foot of this mountain, the empty-handed and empty-hearted. The least of these - they are the truly blessed, the ones whom God favors.’”

   Even the Twelve have to be flabbergasted by what they’ve just heard. Their conventional wisdom was the same as I shared a bit ago as today’s.

But, in fact, Jesus is saying to them and to us, 

“No. That is not how the world actually works, no matter how things may seem. On the contrary, as God has ordained the deep, emerging order of creation, the truly blessed are ultimately and actually the gentle, the merciful, the peacemakers, the poor. It appears to be otherwise, I understand - and that is precisely why I am beginning this way, the better to dispel the commonplace illusions, to clarify reality, to declare the dawning reign of God, and so to help us find our bearings as we live into God’s future.” - Boulton

   Jesus is declaring the advent, the beginning, the presence of a kingdom unlike anything they’ve ever experienced or even imagined. A kingdom that turns everything upside down. The beatitudes are a sneak preview of what Jesus later states very clearly when he says several times, “You have heard it said…but I say unto you” (Matt. 5:21-22).

   The message here, as outlandish as it seems to us and seemed to them, is for us at least, also shaped by how Matthew uses it in creating his gospel. The gospel writer Luke uses much of this same material in what, in his gospel, is called the Sermon on the Plain. Both Matthew and Luke pair these “makarisms,” these statements of favor, blessing, etc., with reproaches, warnings, or “woes” that reflect the “honor and shame” dynamic found in ancient middle eastern culture at this time. However, the two do this in very different ways. Luke uses different versions of the blessings and pairs them with woes in the same section. So it looks something like “blessed are these,” but “woe to those.” 

   Matthew, on the other hand, handles them much differently. And again, Jesus surely taught these lessons many times over the course of his ministry and it’s entirely likely that the gospel writers either heard them or had them reported to them differently. 

Matthew begins his telling of Jesus’ ministry - the Sermon on the Mount being the opening of Jesus ministry in Matthew - with the Beatitudes. Later, at the end of Jesus’ ministry, then, before his trial and crucifixion, Matthew concludes Jesus’ ministry with the reproaches or woes. And in shaping it  this way he maintains a symmetry or parallel structure, so it looks like this: 

MAKARISMS                                              REPROACHES

(Matt 5:3-12)                                             (Matt 23:13-31)

honoring          shaming 

third person formulations                 second person formulations

   (“blessed are they”)                   (“woe to you”)

addressed to disciples                addressed to opponents

opens public ministry                 closes public ministry

"theirs is the Kingdom of the Heavens" (3; 10) 

                                       "you shut the Kingdom of the Heavens" (13)

"hunger and thirst for righteousness" (6) "outwardly appear righteous" (28)

"merciful . . . receive mercy" (7)                  "neglected mercy" (23)

"pure in heart" (8a)         "impure" (27)

"see God" (8b)                        "swear by God’s throne" (22)

"sons of God" (9)        "son of Gehenna" (15)

"so they persecuted the prophets" (12) "sons of those who killed the prophets" (31)

   By structuring his story in this way, the statements of honor, blessing, or favor at the beginning encourage that eschatological hope about the positive ideals of the kingdom— God’s preferred future — which will unfold throughout the story of Jesus' ministry. 

The reproaches or woes, then, at the end, reflect back upon the opposition to Jesus by the Pharisees and scribes and the powers that be who had a vested interest in the conventional wisdom, the traditional understandings of honor, blessing, and power.

   Unfortunately, for too many in the world today including in the church, the Beatitudes are just so many nice thoughts, or something for the “sweet by and by” - something embroidered on a pillow rather than tattooed on the heart — but certainly not realistic in a modern, 21st century, capitalistic society like ours. The world, and the church, often prefer a tamer, softer Jesus than the one revealed in teachings like these. 

   In our culture today, both modern culture and popular culture, the messages we receive are drastically different, even diametrically opposed to what we hear from Jesus. 

Reality television runs on the premise that everyone wants their “15 minutes of fame.” Men’s magazines promote virility and ambition; women’s magazines promote so-called perfect beauty and ideal relationships; trade magazines promote financial success; sports magazines promote strategies to win.

  This is why Jesus’ list is so jarring. Contrast his words with the goals our culture says we ought to pursue:

Our culture says, Happy are those with great prospects for marriage and work, because they will be successful.

Jesus says, Blessed are the destitute, because the kingdom of heaven is theirs.

Our culture says, Happy are those whose loved ones enjoy health, because they will not worry.

Jesus says, Favored are people who grieve, because they will be made glad.

Our culture says, Happy are those who enjoy power, because they will be in charge.

Jesus says, Honored are people who are humble, because they will inherit the earth.

Our culture says, Happy are people who can buy any pleasure, because they can do whatever makes them feel good.

Jesus says, Blessed are people who are hungry and thirsty for righteousness, because they will be fed until they are full.

Our culture says, Happy are people who have power to sit in judgment over others, because they can boss people around.

Jesus says, Honored are people who show mercy, because they will receive mercy.

Our culture says, Happy are people who can run down their opponent by any means necessary, because they will see victory.

Jesus says, Favored are people who have pure hearts, because they will see God.

Our culture says, Happy are people who can beat their opponents, because they are winners.

Jesus says, Blessed are people who make peace, because they will be called God’s children.

Our culture says, Happy are people whose lives are lived in total freedom to do whatever they want, because they do not have constraints.

Jesus says, Honored are people whose lives are harassed because they are righteous, because the kingdom of heaven is theirs.

Our culture says, Happy are people who are popular, because you will be rewarded with a great reputation.

Jesus says, Favored are you when people insult you and harass you and speak all kinds of bad and false things about you, all because of me. Be full of joy and be glad, because you have a great reward in heaven. In the same way, people harassed the prophets who came before you.

   We don’t really know how “happy, blessed, favored, or honored” the common people felt about Jesus’ teaching, but I think we can imagine that it brought them some hope. On the other hand, how those in power felt about it would eventually be made abundantly clear. 

There’s been some research lately though, showing that what many in our postmodern world hope for is actually in alignment with what Jesus taught here. Unfortunately, the hands and feet of Jesus that is the church, doesn’t always get it right. Theologian Rebekah Simon-Peter (yes, that’s her name) suggests three ways the church does get it right and two ways it misses the mark. 

   The church gets it right, she suggests, when we put others first. According to recent research, what makes for meaning, and therefore happiness, isn’t so much about pursuing your own passion — at least if it is self-focused — as much as helping others make meaning in their lives. To the extent that our ministries focus on bettering the lives of our fellow human beings and the planet we share, this is an area the church gets happiness [and hopefulness] right. It aligns with Jesus’ teaching on self-sacrifice now for greater good later. And it aligns with what makes for healthy congregations.

   Secondly, she says, be generous. Giving to others significantly increases happiness. “Simply thinking about contributing to a charity of choice activates a part of the brain called the mesolimbic pathway, the brain’s reward center, which is associated with feelings of joy,” according to research. To the extent that your congregation excels at being a charity of choice, this is another way the church gets happiness right. Generosity towards God and others is an underlying assumption of the Beatitudes.

   And the third way the church gets it right, she says, is to give of yourself. In addition to giving money, which is very important, being face to face with the people you are giving to radically increases happiness. If you need a shot of endorphins, go beyond writing a check to engaging in interpersonal interactions that make a difference in the lives of others. Face-to-face interactions multiply the neurobiology of joy. These feelings not only bathe a person in well-being, they support a church in living out its mission and deliver on the kind of joy Jesus taught about.

   She also talks about how the church gets it wrong. And one of those ways is when the church plays it safe. Security has long been associated with happiness. But paradoxically, the ways individuals in churches prefer to play it safe — for instance caring more about “us” than about “them,” or not embracing new or risky ministry out of fear that people might leave — actually endangers congregational security. Playing it safe may keep some people happy in the short run, but in the long run these churches die out. And they die hard, not happy.

   The second way the church gets it wrong, she offers, is when they lack compassion. Inclusivity is the name of the game in the Beatitudes: You can be poor, hurting, wounded, persecuted, meek, on the outs — and you are still in with God. That’s the gospel according to Jesus. But the gospel according to many churches is not that broad-reaching. Or if it is, they’re not going public with it. By going public, she means more than simply saying “everyone is welcome.” That’s so easy to do as to be meaningless.

  She means actively identifying your congregation with the poor, the persecuted and those on the outs of society. In our day and age that likely means closely identifying with people living below the poverty line, the working poor, the hungry, the undocumented, brown and black-skinned immigrants, the imprisoned, gays, lesbians, and transgender folks — among others. It also means standing up for the well-being of Planet Earth itself.

   This of course is not easy — for all kinds of reasons —not least of which is overcoming what she calls “congregational laryngitis” and embracing risk. On the other hand, it lines up beautifully with the Beatitudes Jesus gave voice to.

  Rebekah Simon-Peter doesn’t leave it there though, she makes a suggestion as to what a congregation can do to increase the happiness and hopefulness quotient on the planet. “Lead with a vision,” she says. “Craft a vision that focuses on reaching out to others, helping others and working with them side by side. Share this vision frequently, passionately, and follow through on it. Happiness and hopefulness go up when people are giving [both their time and their money] to a project that helps people, that puts a face on the church’s place in the world and that makes a real difference. Your vision can be the deciding factor. Want to increase your happiness quotient, spiritual growth, and the effectiveness of the church,” she asks? “A powerful, bold and life-giving vision is key.”

   Jesus’ life-giving vision defines happiness and blessedness in ways that are otherworldly compared to how we are used to hearing. And in doing so he isn’t suggesting that these ideals are something that will come to fruition in some distant afterlife. No, the kingdom of heaven, as Matthew calls it, the kingdom of God as Luke and Mark refer to it, is both here and now and still to come. It’s the “on earth as it is in heaven,” that Jesus speaks of and about which Matthew writes. 

   So, how do we square these vastly different road maps, one created by our culture, the world, and the powers that be, and the other drawn by the Son of God? Christine Chakoian suggests that the problem may be that we’re trying to overlay Jesus’ road map on top of our culture’s. Instead of trying to synchronize them, the better option may well be seeing where the paths lead.

   And as a metaphor for the choice facing us, she offers Robert Frost’s famous poem, “The Road Not Taken,” where he writes of the choice that lay before him, and indeed before us all:

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth…

   “For many of us,” Chakoian writes, “who follow the road our culture sets out for us, the initial way may look very appealing. Who would not want to have a healthy family or provide for their household? Although we recognize the “undergrowth,” that is, the tangled roots that might trip us ip, the trouble appears to be worth it.

   Then somewhere down the way, the culture’s promises turn out to be erratic, and there are traps and dead ends that we did not expect. We hurl ourselves at work, yet we find ourselves spending more and more time there at the expense of our relationships, with no guarantee of success. We pursue every medical test available, yet sooner or later our bodies fail us. We chase after power, but then find out that we always have to defend it. 

We aspire to popularity, but then can never say anything controversial, lest someone dislike us.

   The path that Jesus offers may not initially look as appealing, but the farther down the road of faith we travel, the more truth we find. We discover that humility, unlike power, needs no defense. We realize that righteousness - doing the right thing - is its own reward. We find that a pure heart is much easier to live with than one filled with jealousy, resentment, anger, or cynicism. Step by step, we learn that following Jesus - even if we are persecuted for it - leads to a joy that nothing can take away. And as we choose the path of truth, justice, and the Jesus way, we find ourselves transformed into God’s heroes of hope.

 ROBERT FROST "The Road Not Taken" VIDEO

Amen.