Epiphany lasts
longer this year than it does most other years. Ash Wednesday, the first day of
Lent, isn’t until March 2. This extra time in Epiphany allows us to hear some
scriptures that we don’t usually get around to in our lectionary cycle. We are all probably familiar with Jesus’
Sermon on the Mount – Jesus was so swarmed by people he climbed a hill and
preached. This morning, we are focusing on a lesser known sermon of Jesus,
lesser known but still profound. Scholars calls it “The Sermon on the Plain”
because Jesus preached on a level surface. This morning, our focus is on the
first part of the sermon, where Jesus listed first a group of blessed people,
followed by a warning for people who needed to be cautious not to get too
comfortable.
Hear Jesus’ words as they are
recorded in Luke chapter 6, verses 17 through 26:
Scripture Reading Luke 6:17-26
Jesus went
down with them and stood on a level place. A large crowd of his disciples was
there and a great number of people from all over Judea, from Jerusalem, and
from the coastal region around Tyre and Sidon,
who had come
to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. Those troubled by impure
spirits were cured,
and the people
all tried to touch him, because power was coming from him and healing them
all.
Looking at his
disciples, Jesus said:
“Blessed are
you who are poor,
for yours is the kingdom of God.
Blessed are you who hunger now,
for you will be satisfied.
Blessed are you who weep now,
for you will laugh.
Blessed are you when people hate you,
when they exclude you and insult you
and reject your name as evil,
because of the Son of Man.
“Rejoice in
that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For
that is how their ancestors treated the prophets.
“But woe to
you who are rich,
for you have already received your comfort.
Woe to you who are well fed now,
for you will go hungry.
Woe to you who laugh now,
for you will mourn and weep.
Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you,
for that is how their ancestors treated the false
prophets.
Here ends this reading of the word of God
for the People of God, thanks be to God. Amen.
Prayer for Understanding
Pastor:
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be always acceptable
in your sight, O Lord, our strength and our redeemer. Amen.
Message Surprising Teaching
This morning,
we focus on the beginning of Jesus’ Sermon on the Plain. Jesus stood on a level
place and gathered a crowd around himself. Jesus healed all the people who came
forward for healing, curing their diseases and freeing those who were troubled
by impure spirits. In Jesus, people who suffered found release from their
suffering.
After the people were restored to
health, Jesus began to preach. He first talked about people who struggled –
those who are poor, hungry, sad, and hated – suffering people are blessed by
God. And, then, Jesus talked about
people who are successful, people who think they have it made….those of us who
are comfortable now have great responsibilities. If things are going well for us, we have to
work to be a blessing for people who are hurting.
Jesus said the people who suffer
will be blessed, but the people who are not suffering will experience “woe.”
For people who struggle, this is wonderful.
People who are poor, desperately poor, want relief. People who are
starving and are hungry, want food and full bellies. People who are sad want to
laugh, want to have their sorrow turned into joy. People who are bullied and
hated, want to know that they are seen and loved by God and will be rewarded in
heaven.
None of us have perfect lives – some of the people in the room
this morning and who are watching virtually may not always have enough to eat
or have enough money to pay our rent or our mortgages. Some of us are being bullied. Some of us are still recovering from times
earlier in our lives when we were bullied or abused or battered. Many of us are not rich by the standards of
what is considered rich in the United States – Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates are
probably not watching me preach this morning. And, many of us are sad – many of
us struggle with depression and anxiety, many of us are grieving the loss of
loved ones, or our former jobs, or our pre-pandemic lives.
Thankfully, Jesus promises to us that we will be blessed – our
lives will change for the better. God loves us and will bring comfort to
alleviate our struggles. God carries us when we suffer.
As 21st Century Americans, though, Jesus’ words can
also cause us a little anxiety. Jesus was speaking to a crowd of people who had
illnesses and mental health struggles. The people in the crowd were probably
poor by the standards of the 1st century. They were probably hungry
and sad and bullied. So, Jesus’ words were comforting Good News.
But, for us, compared to the people
of our world, we are the rich. We live in one of the richest countries in the
world. Most of us are well fed. Many of us are comfortable. So, when we hear
these words, they can poise a concern for us ….we all want to be loved and
blessed, even if we are not financially struggling or have full bellies.
In Luke Chapter 12, Jesus is
recorded as saying: “From everyone who has been given much, much will be
demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be
asked.” When we have advantages, we are also given responsibilities. As people
of faith, we are the recipients of God’s love and God’s grace. Jesus came to
earth to make sure all people know we are God’s beloved children and all
of us receive God’s mercy. In response to God’s love and grace, we are
invited to love God and love our neighbors in return.
So, as people who are blessed, we
are called to be a blessing for other people. We are called to live lives of
service to God and to our Community. As members of Trinity, we are called to
love, support, and encourage each other. Members of our community are called to
get to know each other, to learn about one another’s lives, and to work to
support each other when we face trials or struggles. We are called to be a
blessing to each other.
In addition to supporting and caring for each other, as
followers of God we are called to reach out into the world. We are believers
and we are called to share the Good News with people who don’t yet have a
relationship with God. We extend our blessings by welcoming new people to
accept Jesus and God into their hearts.
And, as the blessed children of God, we are called to be a
blessing for other people by caring for people who are struggling or hurting. We
emphasize this at Trinity – we work to support our neighbors in need by
donating food, toiletries and volunteer hours at the Daily Bread Community Food
Pantry. We support young, single mothers by giving to Every Good Gift. We
support the disaster ministries of the United Church of Christ when there are
special appeals like the current “High 5 for Disaster Relief” offering which is
asking each church participant to give $5 for local disaster relief in Eastern
Pennsylvania. As a congregation, we give
to One Great Hour of Sharing which
is a United Church of Christ offering that channels resources for
international programs in health, education and agricultural development,
emergency relief, refugee ministries, and international and domestic disaster
response. We work together as a community of faith to bring blessings to people
who don’t have as many advantages as many of us have.
When we commit to follow Jesus, part of what we agree to is to
do Christ’s work in the world. We are the recipients of abundant blessings –
part of our job is to share our blessings with others. When we are aware of people
who are hungry, we are called to help them have food to eat. When we discover
people who are homeless, we are called to help them find both temporary shelter
and permanent homes. When we realize our friends or neighbors or fellow church
members are sad, we are called to be present with them to support them. When we
discover other people are being bullied, we are called to stand up for them, to
defend them, and to console them. We are
called to love each other and to extend God’s love and mercy to all people.
May we do so in love. Amen.
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