"Another World;" Sermon for All Saints Sunday 2016 by: Rev. Nicole A.M. Collins

I was looking the other day at a collection of Beatles photographs done by the famous photographer, Dezo Hoffmann.  There was one picture that was rather strange, in that it was some of them seated next to Marlene Dietrich.  She obviously was fairly old at the time, I think the picture is from 1964, and the caption or explanation for the photograph was that it expressed a certain innocence of an era and a people from one generation to the next.

The impression it left me with, is about attitude.  This was harboring an attitude of a life lived well spiritually.  In many ways this attitude expressed the elements of a kinder and gentler world.  One of my early mentors at the beginning of my journey into ministry cautioned me once that it is no longer a kinder and gentler world and that I should be careful in preaching about it.  Which he was right to a degree, but the hope for transforming the future is what the Beatitudes is truly all about.  It is, as one commentator put it, the “Magna Carta” of the Christian life.

Happiness or blessedness is truly a Pandora’s box of meanings and distortions, in understanding what it should mean as reaped through faith.  Just like the book of Acts, envisioning the moment of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew’s version) or the Sermon on the Plain (Luke’s version) taking place during Jesus’ ministry is something we can’t truly completely imagine.  The original source for the core of the Beatitudes was taken from something church historians named as Quelle source, which was a collection of statements Jesus made throughout his ministry.  And when you even begin to think about the formation of the synoptic Gospels—Matthew, Mark and Luke…  Peter is considered more or less to be the eyewitness source to the narrative of Jesus’ ministry.

Think about that for a moment, beyond the juicy trivia of how the Bible came to be…  The more important image here is how Jesus’ Words were witnessed and expressed.  The Beatitudes as we know, are those amazing, explosive, profound statements of what living into Grace, which, in the Biblical Greek, is the same root word for joy.  Wow, really!? Yes, blessedness or happiness as Jesus describes it here, is living truly into the lifestyle of Grace.  You have probably heard that before in many different sermons of mine but it belongs to that “one-string-banjo” message of the whole of what the New Testament is trying to teach us.  We are God’s children reborn through Grace and given, left a great promise and we are to be accountable and gracious throughout our lives’ stories!

Living in the real world, it is far from being “kind or gentle…”  We are struggling or justifying our saint/ sinner selves much more often than God would like us to.  This is where so much of our UN-happiness comes from: When we become way too aware of our pain and suffering as we try to move forward as that “soldier of Christ” St. Paul would hope we become as disciples.  The world’s view of “happiness” is way too over-rated and not coming from a living-towards-the-Kingdom of God perspective.  The world’s view is coming through basically as an “Eat, drink and be merry,” mentality.

One of the lessons I wish were paired to Matthew’s Beatitudes this All Saints’ Sunday is the beautiful, inspiring excerpt from Philippians 2.  As some of you recall, a few years back, I did preach on these very same texts but at my seminary in a different format of preaching called expository preaching.  It’s not necessarily a comfortable form of preaching because it is expecting you to hammer away verse by verse in a very mechanical way to extract the TRUTH behind the texts.  Here, however, it was beneficial and I say that in wondering how these very Words were first received in the heart of the believers in the early church. “¹If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, ²make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.”

That pivotal IF is our faith struggle.  It is our faith struggle to BE hopeful and encouraged about much of anything it seems these days…  BUT we must continue onward—this is the life of the “saint.”  There’s another loaded word, which has gone into many directions of understanding and judgmentalism.  For many of us are not running to be “Mother Theresa” in our daily lives…. BUT we are aspiring in our own way, down our own faith journey with Christ, to be “Good” people.  What is the basis for being Good people, what does that truly mean through the eyes of Christ?

Goodness is not a label but a state of “being” alongside a great and glorious purpose as defined by the mission of the Gospel: Love God and neighbor in every way through a shaped, transformed, resurrected heart!  Is it too tall of an order for us to even reap that tiny mustard seed of faith within us to DO, BE and BECOME all things through Christ who indeed strengthens us daily?! I would hope not, but here’s the basis of our struggles.  We are poor in spirit but not in the way Christ is preaching to us about in His Beatitudes at all.  We are poor spiritually by politicizing our faith, our efforts and agendas to reap not a kinder and gentler world, but one built upon gracelessness and self-righteous condemnation!

Those “ivory towers” eventually fall as the earth shakes like God shaking you awake trying to open the eyes of your heart to really see His world that is being lost to our willfulness and perhaps at times, depravity. These are not “happy” words but it is that conditional IF of the law of the Gospel showing us that dirtied mirror we need to peer through and call upon Christ to wipe clean.  As He wipes clean the tears from our heart being shed in seeking understanding of our faith—why? Why do we need to continue on? This is where Satan works upon us right there… for if we don’t carry on, move on, move forward, all there is, IS death.  It is the death of the Spirit.  It is the death of living truly into purpose as God has designed it!

Truth be told, I really love to care for people, my heart is truly full of compassion to care…  The person I have been caring for dying from stage 4 cancer, I came into find his will to live, collapsing.  They wailed out in angry tears that they no longer wanted to carryon… Let me tell you, it was heart-breaking to experience!  But I stayed with them, prayerfully sitting back and listening, letting them KNOW that I HEARD them, I feel for them.  With this illustration now before you, take that back into contemplating the Beatitudes.

For what is a “saint” to the postmodern 21st century world, but perhaps a fool who is too hopeful, even delusional. But what shall we do if we cannot humbly harbor hope? We will perish in more ways than one. The reality of evil, which people don't want to understand or face, is our absolute nothingness— when we purposely choose to do nothing to respond for no one except ourselves to not love neighbor but only harbor contempt and judgment.

A “saint” is not someone to be on a pedestal but for someone to “wake up and smell the coffee” from. A Pure life is one that has been lived where sin has been learned from and strained out of that life. This is what creates a kinder and gentler world… A beautiful attitude is something that Grace is to teach us, that we are to open our eyes to in more ways than we want to realize or do. If we refuse to open the eyes of our heart, our lives will be dark and empty such as the reality of the wilderness of hell. We choose to be fools though, thinking we have “arrived” intellectually and otherwise… Meanwhile our neighbor falls at our feet.

The Living Words of Jesus on that Mount or Plain are the loving arms of God reaching down to us in the pit of our struggling lives to SHOW us there is so much more to live for: The Kingdom of God and its genuine, divine righteousness.

Blessed are the poor in spirit for realizing God is everything and putting their complete trust in Him.

Blessed are those of a kinder and gentler world, their efforts in the here and now of this world, will be encouraged and loved by God.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for the righteousness my Gospel truly preaches, and tries to teach you.

Blessed are those with a giving heart, compassion is a gift built from humility and a need to be One with loving God and neighbor!

Blessed are those who struggle but persevere in striving for a peace that is both internal (in their hearts) and external (outwardly towards neighbor).

Blessed are those who are persecuted, those who try to open people’s eyes to my radical Gospel of Love.  They will try to ruin you and hurt you but this is living out of fear and from the temptations of this world. 

Rejoice—this is really what “happiness” means, and be truly grateful for the Kingdom of God is near, it can be around the corner (!)…  BE and become a powerful witness just as those with a genuine, unfettered and focused faith from generations past have shown, modelled with inspiration for you.

Happiness isn’t over-rated it is just hard to come by but a lot has to do and begin through you to truly change the way things are…  The Beatitudes are an open window into another world, where a kinder and gentler spirit reaps true blessedness, true rejoicing… as only our wonderful and Loving God can reveal to us!

Let us Pray—

Gracious and Loving Lord Jesus,

May we always be grateful for everything You have tried to teach us!

May we open our hearts to know blessedness, and genuine happiness

Which is so much more than we could ever realize

Help us keep on battling our saint/ sinner selves

Till the Truth of a kinder and gentler world become our reality

You are our hope and our blessing

To You, may we always pray and live—AMEN

November 6th, 2016; All Saints Day; Year C; SOLA Lectionary

Sermon By: Reverend Nicole A.M. Collins

Psalm 149; Revelation 7:2-17; 1 John 3:1-3; Matthew 5:1-12

Please join us in person for the Grace Hub's House church will now be offering a second service!

8am LBW Traditional Worship  & 5pm Blended Worship. Please contact Pastor Collins if you would like to attend either.

The link below is to this sermon's delivery at the 8am service of the Grace Hub:
https://youtu.be/d0PJFWHvg6w