Happy

Scripture Reading

New Revised Standard Version: Updated Edition Matthew 5

5 When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 And he began to speak and taught them, saying:

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

5 “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 “Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Kids to Knowing Place

Floating

A member of the congregation shared a book with me, and the first story in this book seemed a really fitting metaphor for this morning’s sermon.

Heather Brown and Tyler Smith were skipping school on day in Florida, and decided to go for a swim.

Had they listened to the warning radio, they would have known that there were terrible rip tides, and that not even small boats were supposed to be out in the inlet they were swimming in.

Before long, they found themselves being pulled further and further from shore.

The more they swam, the more it felt like they were going backwards.

And so this pair of teenagers, about 2 hours in to their time in the ocean, decided that the better thing to do would be to just link arms, and float together.

“If we had kept swimming, we would have drown.” Tyler later said.

Eventually a boat, fortuitously named AMEN showed up and rescued the teens.

Still, the story left me wondering if there are times where it would be better to let go, to give up, to float, rather than to keep kicking and paddling?

I wonder how many other areas of life are like that?

Micah- The Courtroom

God is upset with his people

God goes through the list of great things that he’s done for the people of Israel.

I rescued you from Egypt.

You used to be slaves, and now you’re free.

I sent you prophets and prophetesses and priests.

And when other kings tried to come after you, I protected you.

And now…you’ve forgotten everything that God has done for you.

How many of us can relate to this?

I meet once a month with a spiritual director who knows me pretty well.

He happens to know that ever since I was about, 4 years old, I have connected with God on a deep level when I’m spending time outside.

And so the other day when I was meeting with him, and mentioned that sometimes I feel a bit spiritually drained in the winter time, my friend said “When was the last time you were outside?”

And he said it in that kind of annoying “Should have had a V8” kind of voice…right?

But the truth is, I know how to meet with God, and I know where God comes most alive in me.

And yet, I keep forgetting.

I wonder what we forget just about every day?

Micah imagines their response- What do you want from me?

Micah imagines their response as “totally busted.”

You’re right, we did forget!

So, how do we make this right?

Should I bow myself before God? Would worshipping more make me right?

Should I give you a ram in sacrifice?

No? How about a thousand rams? (This is getting ridiculous isn’t it?)

Maybe I’m short on rams, but I make olive oil.

How about tens of thousands of rivers of oil? (That’s fun to imagine…)

What if I give my first born?

Side note: God never ever advocates for child sacrifices. This is as much hyperbole as tens of thousands of rivers of oil

Again, we can relate a little bit, right?

Lord, if you help me get home in this snow storm, I’ll never swear again.

God, if I could just hit the lottery, I promise I’ll tithe a bit more.

Or even something like “I want to be a better Christian, so I’m going to give up smoking, because that’s what Christian’s do, right?”

We do our level best to figure out what we can give God to get on God’s good side.

What does God really want?

Finally Micah gives us the answer, and let’s be honest it is FRUSTRAITINGLY simple:

Do Justice.

Love Kindness.

Walk Humbly with God.

…that’s it!

When you act, act in a way that is just and fair.

Whenever the opportunity presents itself (and it’s always presenting itself) choose kindness over bitterness or anger or anything else.

And just walk your life in a spirit of humility with God.

Simple, right?

The Beatitudes

PTSD- Catholic Nuns

I spent exactly two years in Catholic school.

And I can still remember the face of the nun who’s name has long since fled my memory who used to GRILL me on the beatitudes.

Apparently failing that test wasn’t enough, because she made me take it again and again until I got it right.

Side note number two in this sermon: I wonder what she’d think if she saw me up here...

Check list?

There is a temptation to turn this in to a check list, a marker of the kind of people we’re supposed to be.

You’re more of a Christian if you’re a peacemaker.

You’re more of a Christian if you are merciful.

How big of a temptation? Before our rather brilliant staff set me straight in our study this week, that was kind of where my head was with this passage.

But they are smart folks, and it turns out they were right.

It starts with a bit of a word study.

Blessed

If I read that word any other place, I would have read blessed.

Definition of Makarios-

Pertaining to being fortunate or happy because of circumstance.

It’s that moment, when everything comes together perfectly, and all is well!

When I would feel happy:

Happy is Jason when it is sunny and 75.

Happy is Jason when there’s a whole afternoon to hit the bike.

Happy is Jason when there’s time for a nap in the hammock.

When Jesus tells me I’m happy:

I’m supposed to be happy when I’m…poor in spirit?

I’m supposed to be happy when I’m…mourning?

I’m supposed to happy when I’m…meek?

What am I missing here?

These are not situations that make me happy!

These are situations that I’m usually actively fighting against.

How often do we fight against the tide of the situations of the Beatitudes?

Mourning

I’ve lost track of the number of funerals I’ve done.

Very frequently there will be a time in the service for family members of the deceased to share some memories with the congregation.

These are the very definition of people who are mourning.

Truth be told, I don’t know that I could get through something like that, speaking in such personal terms in such a tender time.

Everyone there knows that.

And yet, I also can’t tell you how many times that family member will apologize to us, the gathered congregation, when they break down in tears.

So often I want to jump up and scream “You don’t have to be sorry!”

It is ok for Presbyterians (and everyone really) to show emotions!

Of course, mourning doesn’t feel good!

No one wants to be mourning.

So we spend an inordinate amount of time and energy fighting the tide, and all the while refusing to allow our God to comfort us.

Peacemakers

I love studying about the Enneagram.

For those who haven’t looked in to it, I promise we will someday have a study here at Beulah.

Essentially there are 9 personality types, all interconnected and interwoven.

My personality type is a 9, which is often labeled “The Peacemaker.”

One of the best, and most ironic, ways to describe this I came across lately is that 9s really go out of their way to avoid conflict, but we’re really good at diffusing it.

So try to imagine yourself as a peacemaker in our world today.

Try to imagine being a peacemaker on Facebook or Twitter, or any of our other social media platforms.

Try to imagine being a peacemaker anywhere near election day.

Try to imagine being a peacemaker in a church, frequently referred to as a hospital for sinners.

It’s a kind of brutal calling!

Yet here, I can start to see what Jesus is talking about.

When you have a moment of pure peacemaking, it’s exhausting and difficult and draining and I usually have to take a nap afterwards.

But I also feel a whole lot closer to what God has called us to.

I feel a bit more like I’m a child of God.

Persecution

I always get a little bit nervous talking about persecution, because what we consider persecution in this country can’t hold a candle to some of the places I’ve been in this world.

On a trip to Vietnam, I met a family who’s brother went and joined the police force.

When their own brother found out that they were hosting church services in their living room, their own brother showed up with a bulldozer and tore their house down.

That same trip was when I met a pastor whose brother in law walked in carrying a crowbar while he was preaching and demanded that he stop.

The pastor said you may beat me if you’d like, but I’m going to finish preaching.

That same trip we were visiting with another pastor, and it turns out that a whole bunch of white folks in Vietnam draw a bit of attention.

So the police followed us right to this pastor’s house.

When we left, they came and questioned him, assuming that we had given him money for his church or something like that, so they said “What did they give you?”

And this pastor, knowing full well that it is ILLEGAL to practice as a Christian where he was, said “They gave us the gospel. We’d be happy to share it with you if you’d like!”

Blessed are the persecuted, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Which again, doesn’t mean that it’s great to be persecuted!

We spend a lot of time energy and effort to avoid it.

But when I think of the Saints of this world, those three families I met in Vietnam are at the top of the list.

There’s is for sure the Kingdom of God.

What if we just let go and floated?

How much time, effort, and energy do we spend trying to avoid the situations that Jesus talks about here?

Maybe real happiness is in the letting go.

Maybe real happiness is in the floating.

There’s a difference between “Everything is ok” and “Everything will be ok”

I want to make sure everyone hears me on this, this doesn’t mean that it’s perfectly ok to be in crummy situations.

There’s a massive difference between “Everything is ok” and “Everything will be ok.”

We don’t celebrate our seasons of mourning.

We struggle with the quest for righteousness.

We survive seasons of being poor in spirit.

But when we let go, when we allow those situations to be blessings, we open ourselves up to something magical.

We let God make us ok, instead of trying to solve everything ourselves.

When I am poor in spirit, I have an opportunity to allow God to fill me with his spirit.

When I am merciful, I have an opportunity to share in the on-going mercy that God is pouring out over me.

When I hunger and thirst for righteousness, I get to place myself in a situation where God can fill me and the rest of the world with that righteousness.

And if I’m ever in a situation where I am legitimately persecuted for what I believe, for sure I’m going to rejoice and be glad, I’m going to be happy, because I’m on track for what God has called me to.

Our part in this is really easy it turns out:

When we do act, we do so from a place of Justice.

Wherever we are able, we offer kindness to the world.

And we walk, or maybe sometimes we just float, humbly with our God, who alone is able to take some of the more difficult situations in life and make them in to blessings.

Thanks be to God.