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.