The Light of God's Blessing

The winter season of Epiphany commemorates the light of Christ being revealed to the world.  The light shines in the darkness of our coldest months and in the darkness of the hurt and suffering throughout the world.  It is the light of God’s blessing on all creation, and on all who follow him regardless of the circumstances of their lives.

In Matthew's Sermon on the Mount Jesus began his instruction to the disciples with a list of those who are blessed or happy and alive in the light of God’s blessing.  Matthew addressed the early Christians who were suffering persecution from others in their communities, and from imperial authorities.  People who are overwhelmed by forces totally out of their control are given the assurance of new life.

The Beatitudes form a blueprint for a human community in which God's requirements for the reign of heaven can be realized.  Peacemaking; hungering for justice; accepting pain, struggle and vulnerability; renouncing claims to power and prestige -- these are the prime conditions for being blessed or happy.  These are the characteristics of Christian discipleship.

There is nothing more upsetting than an attitude among some religious zealots who think that Christianity is a platform for economic success, or discrimination against people of other faiths, or against homosexual or transgendered individuals, or against those who do not ascribe to an absolute truth.  Views of this sort are antithetical to the teachings of Jesus and the message of his Sermon on the Mount.

The setting of the Sermon on the Mount is meant to elicit an image of Moses and the establishment of the Mosaic covenant.  "Jesus went up the mountain and…began to speak, and taught them."  The blessings comprise the first of five long speeches by Jesus.  Matthew emphasized that Jesus was bringing the Mosaic Law to fulfillment.  This emphasis is a constant theme in the gospel. "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled."

This statement combined with the words of the prophet Micah that the Lord requires us to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with God, are the marks of Christian character and ethical behavior.  They are qualities and values that are contrary to much of what happens in our world today.  The qualities exemplified by the Beatitudes are in opposition to most media advertising and many popular programs that bombard our television screens and the internet pages of our computers.

What would your response be if someone charged you with failing to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with God?  Our courts exist to uphold justice, but there is no civil law that specifically requires doing justice in a proactive way.  Nor is there a law that says we must love kindness and walk humbly with God.  The absence of such a law is why there are so many publications about the need for eradicating poverty, ending discrimination, and focusing on reforms in our education and prison systems.

Micah was a champion of those who were oppressed and poor.  He vigorously opposed economic injustice.  "Hear what the Lord says: Rise, plead your case…."  God recites a list of saving deeds done for the people: the opening of the sea during the exodus from Egypt; and opening the Jordan River between Shittam and Gilgal at the entry to the promised land.  God delivered the people from slavery, gave them leaders and offered words of blessing.  Then, in a controversy with his people God asked, “What have I done to you?  In what have I wearied you?” In effect, "Why have you turned away from me when I have done all this for you?"

In their reply the people rehearsed their presumed faithfulness by engaging in lavish worship practices:  "Shall I come before the Lord with burnt offerings, with calves a year old?  Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil?  Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?"  God's judgment on their plea was clear:  "He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you."

The requirement includes three items: First, the people must restore the balance of justice in their dealings.  Second, they must embrace covenant of love and kindness.  Third, they must walk humbly with God, and behave responsibly.  This is the key to Micah's entire message, and it contains the whole theology of the grace of God, of sin and righteousness.

In specific terms, what is important for us today is our response to the critical issues of our time.  Can we keep on consuming more than we need, (whether food, land, or oil) and polluting, (whether water, air, or soil) when more than half of the world's population is hungry?  Can we continue to produce weapons and engage in war at the expense of failing to provide housing, clothing, health care, and education for every person we claim to defend?  Can we continue increasing the economic gap between the rich and poor when so many people struggle to feed and clothe their families?

These are some of the real and troubling questions raised by the beatitudes.  We are called to be vehicles of God's grace and blessing to those who are less fortunate.  All of us, individually and collectively through our churches and congregations, in our communities and business or professional associations, are meant to be channels through whom God's authentic blessings flow.

The words of the prophet to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with God, and the blessings of Jesus' sermon about the reign of God, bring us from judgment to deliverance, from oppression to liberation, from promise to fulfillment, from estrangement to reconciliation, from defeat to victory. 

God's messiah has come.  The reign of heaven is proclaimed.  Everyone is invited to accept God's gracious invitation to join that heavenly realm and to be transformed by God into a community of justice, mercy, and compassion.  May God's blessing be a light in your life, and may you be a blessing to those who are suffering and broken-hearted.  Amen.

A Light to the Nations

Today we are living in a time of potentially major change and uncertainty for our country and the world.  There are more questions than answers as we transition from a politically divided government to one in which the legislative, executive, and judicial branches are unified as never before.  The Executive, Senate, and House of Representatives are all under one party.  While surveys show that most Americans dating back to James Madison and the writing of the Constitution prefer a balance of power among the branches of government, we are now facing a time where that balance no longer exists.

What this means for us and our fellow citizens is that we don’t know what will happen to Medicare, Medicaid, and social security.  The safety net for a very large proportion of our citizens is threatened.  Economic inequality is getting worse.  The poorest among us are having a difficult time, and the promise of jobs returning to America is bleak because of automation and lower wages in other countries.

It is against this reality that Isaiah’s prophecy and Matthew’s account of Jesus’ baptism are chosen as our scripture readings today.  The prophet proclaimed justice and told of new things; and Jesus’ baptism is a revelation and a light to the nations.  The message for us as Christians is that regardless of our national or local political circumstances, our hope is grounded in the knowledge that God is just and compassionate.

The prophet Isaiah proclaimed, “Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations…. Thus says God, … I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness, I have taken you by the hand and kept you; I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations, … my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to idols. See, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth, I tell you of them.”

With this prophetic statement in mind John the Baptist called people to repent and turn to God.  It was the “new thing” he declared. The Spirit of God was at work, and “Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan River, to be baptized.”  John, however, thought that he was the one who should be baptized by Jesus rather than Jesus being baptized by him.  He said, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”  But Jesus prevailed, “Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.” Then, when Jesus had been baptized, the heavens were opened and the Spirit of God descended like a dove and alighted on him.  A voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”

It is significant that Jesus, as he began his ministry, was baptized in the Jordan River.  By this act he was immersed in the muddy waters of humanity.  God was pleased.  What a refreshing image!  How many people today, and every day for that matter, are standing, wading, or drowning in the murky waters of our human condition?  I don't know anyone who walks on water.  There are some people who swim through life pretty well; however, most of the people in our world are either wading just to get by, or standing knee deep with heavy burdens, or sinking under life's gigantic waves.

Throughout the Bible water is a powerful image:  “A river flows out of Eden, our mythical birthplace, and yet runs through the new Jerusalem, our eternal home.  Baptized in the river, Jesus began his mission to bring good news to the poor. He welcomed the thirsty to drink from the river of life.  He promised that living waters would flow from the heart as if the baptized were a new Eden, their streams bringing life for a parched landscape.  Crucified on the tree of death -- that profound and symbolic meeting of heaven and earth -- his side was pierced, and there flowed a river of water and blood transforming the deathly wood into the tree of life.”

The importance of the baptism of Jesus is its theological function.  It is a type of epiphany, a “shining forth,” or a manifestation and a revelation of light to the nations.  It has to do with the very identity of Jesus and what his life’s purpose and mission were all about.  Jesus is the Servant of God, and God is well pleased with him.

The truth of this story is in what it means.  God wants us to be baptized.  God has given us a covenant, a light to the nations.  We are to bring forth justice, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, those who sit in darkness.  We are to proclaim the good news of peace, to do good and heal all who are oppressed, and become one people bound together in our common humanity.

Holy Baptism is an important sacrament.  It is an “outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace.”  Baptism is God's gift to us, and it is our response to that gift.  It is a time for giving a person his or her Christian name, and it marks a person’s initiation into the community of the Church, the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.  It is about God’s relationship to us, our relationship with God; and our relationships with one another.

St. Paul wrote in his second letter to the Corinthians that those who are baptized are called upon to reflect the glory of God.  They are transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit.  The life of a Christian is necessarily one of continuing struggle and it is also one of continuingly experiencing God’s grace.  In this new relationship we live for the sake of Christ and for the world that God loves.  And we wait in hope for the realization of God's new creation and the time when all people will be reconciled to God.

As we continue our spiritual journey in the life of Christian faith, we share a common responsibility to bear witness to the Gospel of Christ.  The Church is a community of witness and service to the world; through it we acknowledge that baptism motivates us to strive for the realization of the will of God, and to work for peace and justice with love and compassion for everyone.  Amen.