A New Sense of Blessing
Luke 6:17-26
February 10, 11, 2007

How many of you remember experiences in gym classes or with neighborhood friends when you were getting ready to play a game-and it was time to pick the teams? Were you one of those people who always got picked first? Or, when it came time for a softball or soccer or dodge ball game, were you one of those people who always got picked last? Some of my most painful memories from my childhood were at Esmond Elementary School on the south side of Chicago. Although I was a good student and earned some respect from my peers in the classroom… Until I became an 8th grader and began to grow a little taller and stronger-I was what you might describe as "athletically challenged." When it came time to pick teams in gym class, it was always helpful to have one of my athletic friends as the captain. That way, no matter how well or badly I played, at least I knew I'd get picked reasonably early in the draft. The difficult days were when we were playing a game that I didn't play well-and the captain was someone who knew it. That's wasn't a good combination-when my worst sport and my worst friend came up on the same day. Perhaps you are all too familiar with the process?
Gradually, all the kids around me would begin to move to one team or the other. And I stood there-more and more alone-the wrong kind of stand out-and obvious reject.

Maybe you have never had an experience like that-or maybe you know exactly what I am talking about? Feeling the sting of rejection as a child can often shape the way we relate to people as adults. Sometimes we wonder why some people close down, why they never really open up to anybody else? Sometimes we wonder why people try to buy or bribe their way into popularity or acceptance-offering foolish gifts and false compliments? Perhaps it is fear that is the foundation for these kinds of behavior? Fear of rejection? Fear of being left out, alone-a fear that drives frantic attempts to achieve acceptance? And I suspect that most of us are painfully aware that these kinds of experiences don't end in elementary school gym classes… Some of us continue to deal with rejection for much of our lives-sometimes in our families or marriages or other relationships. Sometimes at school or within the workplace or in social circles. Issues of being an insider or an outsider stay with us long after grade school.

JESUS TALKS ABOUT THESE KINDS OF THINGS IN TODAY'S TEXT, THOUGH ON A MUCH DEEPER LEVEL. We are nearing the end of the season of Epiphany. For me, Epiphany is a season to see God and Jesus and the Spirit and our lives revealed in new and meaningful ways. In recent weeks, I have been sharing a sermon series that has been addressing these perspectives. Today we are considering another one of those baffling biblical passages that just doesn't seem to make any sense in the world in which we live. Most of us are more familiar with Matthew's "Sermon on the Mount." Luke's version is often described as the "Sermon on the Plain." But whether it's a "plain" sermon or a message from the mountain… I wonder if we are able to get our heads and hearts around Jesus' addressing of this new sense of blessing? Oh, the sermon starts out alright… "Blessed are…" So far so good. Who doesn't like blessings? Blessings are divine pronouncements from God! We want to hear more-"blessed are who?"

But Jesus' next words rock our cozy and comfortable little worlds! "Blessed are the poor, the hungry, those who weep, those who are hated, excluded, reviled, and defamed." If we are hearing Jesus correctly and extend his message to its logical conclusion, then it means that the hungrier, the sadder, the more despised we are-then the more blessed we are! And Jesus goes on to add a list of "woes" that offer a point-by-point antithesis to the blessings. "Woe to you who are rich, to you who are full now, to you who are laughing now, to all of you who speak well of you!" Those whom the world calls wretched, Jesus calls "blessed"-and those whom the world loves, Jesus says "Woe-watch out-be careful." And I don't know about you, but I'd like to say "whoa" to Jesus-wait a minute-what in the world are you talking about?

You've probably heard that story about the disciples' reactions after hearing Jesus' upside-down sermon. Simon Peter said, "Are we supposed to write this down?" Andrew asked, "Are we supposed to know this?" James asked, "Will we have a test on this?" Phillip said, "I don't have any paper." Bartholomew asked, "Do we have to turn this in?" John said, "The other disciples didn't have to learn this." Another asked, "What does this have to do with real life?" Then one of the Pharisees wondered, "Where are your objectives and lesson plans?" …and Jesus wept.

WHAT IN THE WORLD IS JESUS UP TO? Remember who is in the crowd-many disciples, a great multitude of people-many of them are troubled, sick, poor, rejected-all are trying to touch him, to be healed-Luke tells us that he heals all of them! They are in need of blessing-and Jesus gives it to them-he blesses them. Notice that he doesn't say it is good to be poor, hungry and hated. They are blessed because they have a special place in the heart of God.

Gustavo Gutierrez says, "God has a preferential love for the poor-not necessarily because they are better than others-but simply because they are poor and living in an inhuman situation that is contrary to God's will." Jesus says they are blessed because they have something to look forward to-a reward that will be great in heaven. As disciples of Christ, we have a special responsibility to those whom Jesus touched and loved-sometimes people just need a blessing.

We think about this sad story from Bardstown-the loss of so many lives in the house fire. The outpouring of love and support from the community has been overwhelming-as one family member said, "Our feelings of gratitude outweigh our feelings of grief." But then there is one faction of the church-these folks from Westboro Baptist Church-who interpret every tragedy as a judgment from God. Thank God they decided not to show up and protest at the funeral service-can you imagine? Sometimes even well-meaning church folks bring woe when they should be bringing the best of God's blessings.

As disciples we are called to be especially tuned in to the poor around us and the power of a blessing. And what about the woes? Perhaps Jesus is warning us that having it all is not always what it's cracked up to be? Sometimes having obsessions about possessions, climbing up the ladder of fame and fortune, striving for success-can blind us to the real blessings of life and God's promises for the future.

We have seen two painful examples in the news this past week. Many people were shocked to hear of the death of Anna Nicole Smith, a woman who came from humble beginnings in a town called Mexia, Texas-not too far from where our family used to live. Jerry Herron, Professor of American Culture at Wayne State University said, "With Anna Nicole, she was pathetic but at the same time you thought, 'Gosh, if I could just scoop you up and fix things, it would be OK.'" "In both her actions and her physical being, she was such an over-exaggerated version of what we both lust for and loathe in our society-bombshell blonde, family feuds, lots and lots of money, weight troubles-she had it all." But sometimes having it all doesn't mean you have it all.

Astronaut Lisa Nowak literally had a career that took her out of this world. She was intelligent, motivated, 43, a married mother of three children, one of a handful of people on the planet who have had the privilege of flying on the space shuttle…but she was consumed with jealousy. Nowak was charged with attempted murder and accused of hatching an extraordinary plot to kidnap Colleen Shipman, who she believed was romantically involved with another space shuttle pilot. Sometimes having it all doesn't mean you have it all.

Ah, the blessed become "woed," the "woed" become blessed-it's all such a strange way of looking at life. Oh, it sounds so good, so religious, so spiritual, so idyllic. And the words are popular-if you had a ranking for pious plaques, the "blessings" would probably rank right up there behind the Ten Commandments and the 23rd Psalm and the Lord's Prayer! But living out the words…it's not that easy. The truth be told, I suspect that very few of us ever come close.

Why? Perhaps because they are a call to sacrificial living and giving? Perhaps because they are a challenge-not just to make a difference in the world-but to make the world different. Martin Luther once proclaimed: "A religion that gives nothing, costs nothing, and suffers nothing…is worth nothing."

Some of you know about the life of E. Stanley Jones, perhaps one of the most significant of all of the missionaries-he was offered the opportunity to become a bishop in the Methodist Church, but turned it down. One time he was invited to speak to a systematic theology class at Emory University. One of the students asked him why he turned down the invitation to become a bishop. He chuckled and said that if he became a bishop he would have to retire at age 70. He said, "I am now 82, and I am still going strong." Then someone asked him what he thought of the Beatitudes? Several students picked up their pens-expecting something profound-and they got it. He said, "At first sight, you feel that Jesus turns everything upside down; at second sight, you understand that he turns everything right side up." "The first time you read them, they are impossible; the second time you read them, nothing else is possible." "The beatitudes are not a chart for Christian duty; they are a charter for Christian liberty and living."

Some of you will appreciate a story that Max Lucado tells about an important transformation in his life. He confesses: "Most of my life I have been a closet slob-I was slow to see the logic of neatness-why make up your bed if you are going to sleep in it again tonight?" "Life was too short to match socks-so I just bought longer pants! "Then I got married. "My wife was so patient-she said she didn't mind my habits-as long as I didn't mind sleeping outside. "I enrolled in a 12-step program for slobs-my nose was reintroduced to the fragrance of Pine Sol-I was a new man! "I could go three days without throwing a sock behind the couch!" "But then came the moment of truth-my wife went out of town for a week. "I figured that I'd be a slob for six days and clean up on the seventh. "But something strange happened-I couldn't relax with dirty dishes in the sink-or empty potato chip sacks on the floor! "What had happened to me? "Simple. "I'd been exposed to a higher standard for living."

Friends, that's what has happened to us today. When we hear Jesus speak of "blessings and woes," we are challenged to embrace a higher standard for living as his disciples. Jesus offers words of judgment and grace. And all of us-no matter who we are-need to realize that there will be a time when we'll need to be "blessed" and a time to be "woed." But the closer we follow Jesus, the more ready, willing and able we will be… To embrace the un-embraced, to welcome the rejected, and to understand and offer…this new sense of blessing from God.