Sermon for the Episcopal Church of St John the Baptist, Capitola,
given by Rev. Steve Ellis, February 11, 2007
The Episcopal Church of Saint John the Baptist welcomes all to worship God and to share
Christ's love in the world. We are a parish family committed to provide liturgy, Bible study, music, counseling, and Christian education for children, youth, and adults, and to equip all our members for life and for service to other
O God, the strength of all who put their trust in you: Mercifully accept our prayers; and because in our weakness we can do nothing good without you, give us the help of your grace, that in keeping your commandments we may please you both in will and deed; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Old Testament Reading:
(Jeremiah 17:5-10) Thus says the LORD:
Cursed are those who trust in mere mortals
and make mere flesh their strength,
whose hearts turn away from the LORD.
They shall be like a shrub in the desert,
and shall not see when relief comes.
They shall live in the parched places of the wilderness,
in an uninhabited salt land.
Blessed are those who trust in the LORD,
whose trust is the LORD.
They shall be like a tree planted by water,
sending out its roots by the stream.
It shall not fear when heat comes,
and its leaves shall stay green;
in the year of drought it is not anxious,
and it does not cease to bear fruit.
The heart is devious above all else;
it is perverse--
who can understand it?
I the LORD test the mind
and search the heart,
to give to all according to their ways,
according to the fruit of their doings.
New Testament Reading:
(Luke 6:17-26) Jesus came down with the twelve apostles, 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 in 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.
Sermon
Blessings and Woes!
I’m going to be predictable. Like preachers everywhere I’m going to ask you to say your prayers. Encourage you to pray, meditate, study the scriptures, meet in a small group with others and discuss these things. Cajole you to sit or kneel quietly in the presence of the one who loves you and just be loved. Warn you to pray until, over the years you are transformed, until your soul becomes full of light instead of darkness. And as I do this I am only following my masters.
Jesus speaks to an international crowd, and he gives them a very startling message, that seems to turn the world upside down: The poor, the hungry, the weeping and the rejected are happy or blessed. This is the exact opposite of the "prosperity gospel" you can hear on TV. Are these things virtuous? Does God want us poor, hungry, weeping and rejected? And the rich are in danger, those who’s bellies are full, those who laugh, those who are well-spoken of. But do these things anger God? What does Jesus mean?
Here’s a clue. Imagine with Jeremiah and the psalm little wanna-be fruit tree out of place in the desert. It is at the whim of the seasons. It will grow when there is rain, it will wither in any season of dryness, it will bear fruit, if ever, in the odd wet year. This is one possible picture of your spiritual life, twisted and half-dead. Imagine with Jeremiah the tree that grows at the riverbank, bearing fruit in season without fail. The living water of which Jeremiah speaks is the Spirit of God, and we need to put our roots down deep into that water, all the time, resting in God, listening to God, being nourished by God, bearing fruit for God. Over time it makes us a very different kind of people than we would have been if we had lived by our own lights, by the opinions and fashions of our culture, by our desire and envy, in our own strength and not by the gracious presence of God whispering strength and wisdom to our souls over the days and months and decades.
Now, the Spirit of God has rivals. Think about Jesus’ words of woe. Does the acquistion of wealth or its preservation distract us from putting our roots deep in that riverbank and waiting on the nourishment that unfailingly wells up in us? Are our hearts easily tempted to trust in wealth rather than God? To pursue our personal wealth at the expense of others? And if we are full and laughing now, is it a laughter of distraction that forgets those who have less? Because that would be trusting in our own strength and forgetting the love of God. And if we are well-spoken of, is it because of a reputation for being full of God’s surprising justice and goodness toward all people? Many are well-spoken of because they are successful with a forgetful success that serves only themselves and makes others envy them. They have forgotten God’s heart – forgotten that each person is God’s treasure.
But the beatitudes, are they blessings? The poor may not have the same distractions. They may have less to protect, less inclination to rival one another, their sorrows may open their hearts to the One who is the real source of life. They may be more likely to turn to God, put their roots deeply and steadily into the stream of God’s grace and grow wise and caring. Poverty is no guarantee of a just heart. Hunger can lead to bitterness. Sorrow does not necessarily open a life up to the grace of God. But they do so more often than being well-off and sated and self-satisfied. It is often in the severest deprivations that we begin to discover that God is our life and our nourishment and our guide, and our neighbor God’s treasure.
And if you speak in God’s name, if you become an advocate for forgiveness, you will make people angry. If you call for justice, some will label you as dangerous. But you can rejoice when that happens, because those who live in their own strength always oppose those who trust God, and their opposition only means that you have become a friend of those God loves, and an enemy to injustice. You are indeed blessed; this is a badge of honor.
The heart is easily deceived. We must stay by the stream if we wish to be fruitful, fulfilled. But the stream is not passive, just waiting to be sought out. God is always eager for our prayer-time, eager to behold us when we present ourselves, eager to bless, to teach, to correct, to inspire, to strengthen. Jeremiah says it this way, "I the LORD test the mind and search the heart, to give to all according to their ways, according to the fruit of their doings."
God is pursuing us. We can choose to put our faith elsewhere, and constantly push God away. In Jeremiah’s image we can plant ourselves in the desert if we wish. But God tests our minds and searches our hearts, looking for an opening, because God desire give life, to mature and strengthen us.
Wealth and strength and reputation are not evil in and of themselves, but they present great danger, and require great spiritual vigilance, and surrender to God, and daily prayer. Poverty and sorrow are not guarantees of a godly heart, they just don’t become idols so easily. But we, who take being well-off for granted, do not realize how much our blessings can get in the way of the real blessings of godliness and mercy and love. Those in pain and those without are more likely to be responsive to the needs of others and aware of their need of God. Those who choose other nourishment choose spiritual death. So choose carefully what will nourish your life and form your soul, and consistently put your roots where they belong. There should be no sound we love as much as the quiet bubbling of the water running by as we let ourselves into the time of adoration, meditation, listening, of being searched by God each day. And the Holy One made visible by Jesus will flow into and through you, and you will live a fruitful life for yourself and others.
