All Saints Day
Notes
Transcript
Christians see the unseen
Christians see the unseen
Close your eyes and picture your spot at church , now imagine the people around you? Now imagine the people who came before you - Moses- Jacob- Esther, Luke, B&C Thornton. Now imagine the people who will come after you. ALL THE KIDS.
On this all saints day we recall ALL the faithful, not just those who have departed this life of flesh and passion.
The Epistle today shows us that in Christ we are all pure- we are all saints
Christianity is an invitation to be part of an alien people who make a difference because they see something that cannot otherwise be seen without Christ.
LSF, Youth Group Zoom Meetings - PRESCHOOL SLIDE
Life is still unfolding here because the church is the HOST OF LIFE.
Look how Jesus seeks to unveil His new kingdom in the Sermon on the MT: Uniquely through blessing
God does not manifest His kingdom through strength and sword but through humility and hope
4 facets of the word blessed:
4 facets of the word blessed:
μακάριος- blessed, Happy, Ashre in Heb v. Baruk - Congratulations,
Communication- conveys a thing - God Himself is doing this (Covid Sneeze) Grants status /comfort
Exhortation- an encouragement to live through something (Hopeful language)
Congratulation- An affirmation of salvation (Like talking to a student after finals! Doesn’t matter how they did - its done)
Declaration- Stating a hidden reality that exists (Judge in court made up mind but needs to verbalize the decision, The Kingdom of God)
The point of the beatitudes
The point of the beatitudes
These capture the very essence of what it means to have personhood and existence in God’s world
If you have watched people, or you yourself have, fallen apart during the last 8 months it is probably exposing a poor anthropology - what it means to be a person.
He is saying that existence is still purposeful & good in these estates, that there is hope!
The B. are saying that though they seemingly have nothing here they do have SOMETHING that can never be taken away - the favor of God.
He moves through a nice tight 9 parts (a small catechism for the Kingdom of God and the Children of God)
He moves through a nice tight 9 parts (a small catechism for the Kingdom of God and the Children of God)
The first 4 all start with a P in greek - We’ll focus on these because they form their own section
The Beatitudes - The first table
The Beatitudes - The first table
First four build on the same theme of poverty of some sort.
We’ll contrast them then see how its opp. is regularly expressed
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Poor in Spirit - πτωχοὶ τῷ πνεύματι -one who is miserable (involuntarily oppressed)
opp: One who believes he is righteous or never makes mistakes - Proud
Honoring the successful - Luther (This is the most universal religion on earth)
The church admits its faults in Confession
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
2. Penthos - lamenting ones, poor in situation (Habitus), sad for any reason
opp: The never sad person. (Common at Funerals)
The religion of the world is - FUN you must be having fun all the time
The Gospel of Matthew f. The Eschatological Character of the Promises
For those who, as God’s people, find their current situation intolerable and incomprehensible, there are better times ahead.
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
3. πραΰς- meek, little ones. Poor in social stature. ‘Powerless’
Opp. Aggressive, *Prosperity Gospel* name it and claim it- Will to Power - authority over others
Pastor used to have meetings in his house because it put him in more power
b. Most commonly- the put down. ad hominem attack
How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?
Look to follow the humble one. Even Jesus - the king of Creation gives glory to the Father!
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
4.πεινάω- hunger, - insufficient righteousness- longing for TRUTH! Lament over supreme and miniscule injustice.
Opp. The APATHETIC (Wiesel- opposite of Love is not hate)
Expression in the world Universalism and Pluralism - everything is ok! (Justifiable or Defensible)
The final beatitude
“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Here is the shift - Jesus goes from the third person to the 2nd person. He shifts and looks right at the camera and says ‘YOU’ this is about you. Not just about them but about you. You are in this.
Jesus has come to reclaim you as His own. To bless you in whatever state of loss or grief you experience you still Have life in Christ.
The saints should expect our cause to be misconstrued, polluted, harnessed for evil, subjugated to political gain, and counted as evil
Your future is stored in heaven and will be restored when Heaven collides with earth in the resurrection.
Christianity is not aiming for the clouds, we aim for a real physical reunion of soul and flesh
The saints should live like the resurrection is already here. You are already blessed with that future.
Conclusion
Conclusion
The church is the communion of saints- it’s the place where the beatitudes are not just an idea or speech but an actual way of life. The invisible are seen, the poor are encouraged, the mourning are wept with, and the meek are enfranchised. Justice is a long term pursuit, mercy is in every breath, and peace is made both in form and spirit.
We already possess The KOG, Comfort of Christ, Our saints covered the globe
CLC does Cradle to Grave to resurrection ministry- we are in this for the life of the saints for the good of the world.
We claim the living and those who will live again as our membership.
As we consider our place in the church, in the kingdom, we must recognize that we are not fixed in time- we must picture the church as a group of people beyond time or space and work to incorporate all people in God’s work of Love. How will you, a saint, search out the poor and oppressed to bless them?