Are We Too Late?

Matthew 5:1-12

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when people 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 in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

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1. Hook: Point of No Return: The point in flight of an aircraft beyond which the remaining fuel will be insufficient for a return to the starting point with the result that the craft must proceed. (Merriam-Webster Dictionary)

2. Oops! - The Problem

   1. Jesus lays out his manifesto, his vision, which lays out his call for transformation and communal living.  

   2. Jesus keeps on blessings no matter the circumstance. The Beatitudes, or eight blessings, are a reminder of God’s continuous generosity. Generosity that persists even when we try to hinder the blessings of God.  

   3. We attempt to hoard these blessings for ourselves and create a false veil of scarcity, when in reality there is abundance. 

      • Blessings are not a rare commodity that can be bought or sold. God’s blessings, the blessings and resources of this world are not scarce. Is there an upcoming future where our selfish desire to keep God’s blessings for ourselves has a point of no return? Are we too late? 

3. Ugh! - The Discrepancy 

   1. Our understanding of blessings is often framed in economic or transactional terms. For example, if I do “x” then God or someone else will do “y” for me. God’s kin(g)dom is not about us. It’s about the community, the people, the shared resources we all use. 

   2. We hear Jesus’ teaching, we know Jesus’ desire for our communities, but the thought of us making it big or succeeding keeps us from embodying Jesus’ call to be a blessing to others. 

   3. You and I can see the result of our stinginess. We can witness what happens when we fail to bless and instead of sharing, keep them to ourselves. It has resulted in broken souls, broken bodies, and broken systems that continue to feed on our selfish desires. 

4. Aha! - The Clue to Resolution

   1. On All Saints Day we recall the lives of cherished loved ones who passed. And we recall their talents, their gifts, their sacrifices, and the ways in which they were a blessing to the people in their lives. 

   2. Gk. metanoia (Changing one’s course of direction.) In the following chapter of Matthew’s gospel Jesus invites the people to repent. And after repenting, they are called to hear and see the new way of life that God desires for them. A world where the veil of scarcity is lifted. A world where the haves give to the have nots. And a world where faith that God transforms all these things is at the core of life itself. It is a new direction, a new way forward, to something more, something blessed.  

      • “The real issue in life is not how many blessings we have, but what we do with our blessings. Some people have many blessings and hoard them. Some have few and give everything away.” ~Fred Rogers (“The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers”)

5. Whee! - Experiencing the Gospel

   1. We have not reached the point of no return and we are never too late, if we set our hearts on the freedom that God provides.

   2. The saints who passed before us, those who we remember this day and every day, set an example of what it meant to be a blessing to others. 

   3. Each of us with varying degrees of privilege is required to make this vision of blessing others and receiving blessings a reality. 

6. Yeah! - Anticipating Consequences

   1. The Beatitudes is a promise of liberation to all those on the margins of society. It is the clarion call that beckons women and men to pool their time, energy, and resources together to make the Kin(g)dom of God a reality in the here and now. 

   2. What kind of legacy, what kind of blessing, do you want to leave behind? It’s a blessing and a legacy that shouldn’t wait till your dead, but one that should be formed here and now! It is something that should be living and breathing that breathes life into those around you. 

   3. While I don’t want to defy physics or science the point of no return in a theological and philosophical sense can never arrive. It can never arrive if there are people who are willing to believe that blessing others will have a greater impact than keeping the blessing to themselves.