Ephesians
1:11–23; Luke 6:20–31
Luke’s
Beatitudes are intended to shock the listener and the reader. These are not
gentle statements, these Lukan Beatitudes. Jesus begins, blessed are the poor.
Not the poor in spirit, as in Matthew.
The
Greek work for poor is ptochoi. It’s
where we get the cartoon word ptooey, for spit. So, in Luke, Jesus says,
blessed are the spit-upon. Blessed are the ones who can’t find work; who stand
at street corners begging for a dollar or two; who live in the woods or in
homeless shelters. The spit-upon are hungry, and they weep because of all they
do not have, and because of the injustice that has kept them from having it.
Luke
goes further, turning the tables. Woe to us who have whatever we need, and
whatever we want. The sense is that if we don’t help those who are spit upon,
WE will be the ones who are spit-upon.
This
was a radical idea in Jesus’ time, because the belief was that if you had what
you needed, you were blessed. If you were the poor, the spit-upon, you or
someone in your family must have done something wrong. God was withholding
blessings from you. Once more, Jesus’ listeners would have gasped in horror at
what Jesus was saying. It was the opposite of what they had been taught, and
the opposite of what they wanted to hear.
We
are not so happy hearing it, either. I know people who don’t give God credit
for what they have. They believe that everything they have is the result of
their own hard work. When something happens, like the great recession we have
just gone through, they just work harder.
…
In contrast, we, the people of Hope, recognize that what we have comes from
God. We know that we are blessed in order to bless others. As we celebrate
today the lives of those who have gone before us, what we often remember about
them is how they blessed others with what they had. We remember today those who
died in the last year: Delbert Banks, Teofilo Diaz, “Bud” Drew, John Laning,
and Helga Whitler.
I
remember Del’s care for Irma as he brought her to worship and made sure she was
safe in her home until she needed professional care in her last weeks.
Teo
loved his wife and his family, especially his grandchildren. He loved baseball,
watching it as much as he could. And he enjoyed his coffee, “tepidissimo”, very
tepid, cool enough to drink in one long gulp. He loved helping me remember
Spanish, as I loved taking communion to him, and encouraged me as I read the
familiar words in Spanish. When I said, “Oremos,
Let us pray”, he launched into his own prayer, which included his family and
me, his pastora.
Bud
was an example for all of us how physical disability was no reason to not live
a full and happy life. His love and care for his wife Irene was evident. He
greeted everyone with a big smile, and gave me that same smile as I brought
communion to him.
John was one of our snowbirds, who had a great
sense of humor and a joy of helping where he could. He and Margaret often
attended the noon Advent and Lent services, and thanked me for offering them.
It’s
Helga whom I knew the best, because she was the most active. Her love of her
family is famous, and her love of crafting hand-made cards and gifts is just as
famous. Martha circle dearly misses her love, her joy, and her passion for
giving to others. Unlike many folks her age who shun the computer, she kept in
touch with family and friends on Facebook and by email. In her eyes, everyone
else was more important. She actively shared her blessings with others, giving
all she had to others.
My
brother-in-law Dennis, Mike’s brother, died a week ago after a long life
managing heart disease. He lived life the way he wanted to. As an artist, he
wanted to paint only for the joy of painting, not to sell lots of prints and
make lots of money from the same image. He passionately loved his wife Jane and
his daughter Sylvia. Until he was no longer physically able to get there, he
had coffee every morning with a group of friends, many of whom were painters.
He had strong opinions about everything, and would share them with everyone, at
length. He also had a great sense of humor, especially a love of puns, which he
also shared with everyone.
…
It doesn’t matter what gifts God has given us, we are made by God to share
them. We often consider gifts to be performance art, like singing, playing an
instrument, dancing, and so forth. But God intentionally gives us all different
gifts, because if we all were singers or dancers or pianists, who would be the
listeners and watchers? Who would repair the instruments? Who would make up the
programs and invitations?
Those
we remember today offered joy, smiles, love of family, love of life and church.
These seem like simple, unimportant gifts to offer, but think about how these
folks made you feel. A ready smile and warm welcome is no simple gift after
all.
As
we sit here today, we have many gifts represented. We have story tellers,
teachers, organizers, people who visit, handy men and women, financial people,
lawn mowers and trimmers, communicators, gardeners, quilters, shoebox fillers,
decorators, cooks, dish washers, bulletin stuffers, altar servers, ushers,
acolytes, greeters, singers, readers, musicians, food-bringers,
offering-givers, prayers, welcomers. I’m sure I missed some. What would you
add? …
No
gift is too small or unimportant. Together, the gifts we share make it possible
for us to do ministry right here at Hope, in our immediate and surrounding
communities, and around the nation and the world.
One
of my favorite living saints is Casey. She learned about the need for
volunteers at SOS, the food pantry we support. She has joined the crew and goes
to hand out food and other needs at the weekly food distribution. The people
she serves are the ptochoi – the
poor, the spit-upon – in Citrus County. In addition, she encourages us to share
what we have with those who need our help. Casey regularly reminds us that we
are blessed to be a blessing to others.
Casey
will shrug this off, and say, it’s no big deal. But it IS a big deal. She is a
witness to us that at least some of us should be there in body as well as in
donations.
Today,
as we remember the saints in our lives, remember the lessons they have taught
us. This month, as you decide how much support you will put in the offering
plate next year, pray about being as faithful as the saints who have gone
before you. Count your financial blessings. And count the ways in which you
share those blessings with others. Count your blessings of time and talent, too.
Count the ways in which you can share them with others. Consider, are you happy
with the balance between what you have and what you give? Is there anything you
need to change?
Please
pray with me. Good and gracious God, you give us so much. You give us each
other -- people to love and learn from. You give us things – houses, cars,
jobs, talents, time. You give us things to do, ministry, work, leisure. You
give us your Son, who models for us extreme servanthood. And you give us the
promise of life with you, today, and after our earthly life has ended. Thank
you for all this. Amen
