Sermon by The Very Rev Chris Yaw, 1/29/2023, Matthew 5:1-12
Last year my wife went through laser eye surgery.
Previous to this, life had been much harder for her, her eyesight was very poor and so without her glasses she couldn't see very well. She had to take the time and spend the money on contact lenses, which are a hassle, especially when you travel, and every few years she needed to get another eye examination and yet another pair of glasses for her worsening eyesight.
Then, she decided to have laser eye surgery, which turned into a game changer.
All of a sudden, she could see - and not just 20/20 - they did even better!
And her eyesight is now 20/10.
So, she began to notice things she never noticed before:
All of a sudden, the kitchen got much dirtier...
And her husband got much older....
Of course, the end result of her improved vision, is much joy - especially after snowy weeks like this one when we saw our landscape beautifully transformed - and living up to its license plate slogan: a true winter wonderland.
And I wonder if this game-changing vision isn't what Jesus is getting to this morning when we hear his very first speech, his very first sermon, called The Sermon on the Mount, in which he shares what he sees - when he puts on his Jesus Goggles.
That's the title and challenge of this morning sermon, friends, is for you and me to put on our Jesus goggles.
And I wonder if the result isn’t supposed to be the same for you and me - clearer, improved vision - that brings us overwhelming joy - when we see what Jesus saw and put on our Jesus Goggles.
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We are in Matthew chapter 5 this morning, which means we're really at the beginning of this 28 chapter book. We have had the birth of Jesus, we have had the baptism of Jesus, the Temptation by the devil, the calling of the disciples - but we really haven't heard much from Jesus - he’s doing things, not saying things, until we get to chapter 5, and these first 12 verses.
Jesus has brought his disciples and a crowd to a high place.
Here, he sat everybody down, and he's going to give his very first speech.
He is going to give the road map to his ministry.
He is going to open their eyes to a new and exciting way of seeing the world.
A way that, I think, gives you and me boundless hope and ambition for our work here - and the trajectory of our race and our planet.
He will begin to unpack the good news! And it is great news for you and me!
I'm especially indebted to a colleague, Father John Rohrs, for helping me see this passage in a new light. After all, we all know it so well:
"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.”
And it goes on.
However, this passage is not readily understandable.
It is admittedly difficult for us to figure out how anybody who has lost their faith, is in the throes of mourning, or has a social standing that puts them low on the totem pole, could be blessed.
And in my years as a preacher, I have heard many linguistic and theological gymnastics performed around this passage to try to try to make sense of how these things make one ‘blessed.'
But I think what not only sounds better but is much more in keeping with Jesus's vision for the world, is if we use our imaginations - and substitute that word “blessed" for the word “beloved.”
What if this passage was not a declaration on the benefits of suffering - and instead is a statement of the compassion of God:
"Beloved are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Beloved are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
“Beloved are the meek, for they will inherit the earth."
So, Jesus is not telling the suffering, downtrodden, and vulnerable to, “Hang on, someday it'll be worth it!”
Rather he is assuring them, he is assuring you and me, that no matter what sorry state we find ourselves in, in God's eyes, we are beloved.
And some of us really need to hear that message this morning, after yet another week of being beat up by the caustic culture around us, not to mention our own insecurities and poor self-images.
I think Jesus wants to tell us this morning:
In your poverty - you are beloved.
In your sickness - you are beloved.
In your imperfection - you are beloved.
In your lack of faith - you are beloved.
In your selfishness - you are beloved.
And it’s not just when we’re down and out - but God’s compassion - God’s blessedness - is also with us when times are better:
In your purity of heart - you are beloved.
In your peacemaking - you are beloved.
When you are persecuted for doing the right thing - you are beloved.
When you take a hit for sticking up for others - you are beloved.
Jesus is looking at life through a different lens. Jesus sees things we don’t.
And this will be a hallmark of his ministry.
It’s not what he will do - but who he will see.
Jesus Goggles.
And we are invited to put them on too.
Put on your Jesus Goggles:
And see who’s hurting around you:
At work?
At the market?
In the neighborhood?
In the family?
In your very own soul?
And let us channel the words of Christ to ourselves and to others: I see you.
And you are nothing less than God's beloved.
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The first year after I graduated from college, I helped a friend of mine start a travel agency.
I wasn't quite sure what I wanted to do, and it was a project that would let me explore what a lot of people just out of college want to explore, which is this big, beautiful world!
So, during that year I took advantage of as many free trips, and those days they called them fam trips, which climaxed in a trip to South Korea and Japan. I'll never forget boarding Northwest flight 001, which was a 22 hour, non-stop flight, and all, because of my boss's generosity, was flown in first class.
And so, my vision for life at that young age was one in which I would experience as many wonderful parts of the world as I could, save my money for some of the desired possessions I had on my list, and live a life devoted to fun times of adventure and discovery - and I already had a great head start!
But eventually I would run headlong into one of life's biggest dilemmas, it hits us as we mature - and it is embodied in a famous phrase which you have probably already heard.
“When I wake up in the morning, I have to decide between two things, to grab a cup of coffee, walk out on the back porch, and behold the absolute beauty and wonder of the world.
“Or to wake up, scarf down my breakfast, lace up my boots, and head out to work because there is so much wrong in the world that needs me to help fix!”
Escalating war in Ukraine.
Simmering tensions in the Holy land.
Anarchy in Haiti.
Police brutality in Memphis.
Shall I go on?
I remember going to Egypt and trying to eat a meal at a cafe -
All these wonderful, exotic delicacies before me - but just 3 feet away - a crowd of little hungry little children - begging that I give them a scrap of food, a dollar, even my empty water bottle when I’m finished.
How do you enjoy your meal with that going on?
It’s the awkwardness we all face as “Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger."
And so, I wonder, with the Sermon on the Mount, if Jesus isn’t trying to solve this dilemma?
He’s telling us to put on our Jesus Goggles and not overlook the poor - but to focus on them - because in helping the suffering, the hurting, the lonely, the needy, we will find ourselves.
Jesus is trying to open our eyes, to see what he sees - and then to assure us that when we make the bold moving of seeing - then acting on what we see - we have found our salvation, we have found eternal life, indeed we are blessed.
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Very shortly we will head over to the Parish Hall and sit down over a plate full of somebody else’s food -
Yes, it’s a potluck, we share dishes from other kitchens to show how much we trust one another at St. David’s… And we will commence our 70th Annual Meeting.
And we will review what we’ve done in 2022 - and look ahead to 2023 -
And like last year's focus was on gratitude, our focus this year is on Connection.
COVID has separated us from one another - strained our relationships - and we talked about that a lot last weekend at our Vestry Retreat, our annual gathering of your elected leadership, and we decided to make 2023 our Year of Connection.
I think this is very much in line with what Jesus is asking in today’s Gospel - because before we can connect with each other, we have to see each other. And not just a good, happy, church approved faces, but for who we really are; a group of very human, very flawed people, but ones who are bent on following Jesus and giving our lives to God.
And Jesus’ offer to put on his Goggles is to do just that:
No matter who we are or what we’ve done: Jesus wants to connect with you.
He sees you. He calls you beloved.
Just as we are to do:
Look around at our congregation - it’s a good place to start.
We have hurting people all around us - who God wants us to see - hiding pain even from themselves. Our task is to put these Goggles on - to see them, to see ourselves, as God does - to remember that we are all beloved - and to live as if it were true.
We are beloved - and we are to remind others that they are too:
Friends, everyone we meet today needs to be reminded that they matter and are worthy of being treated well.
Everyone we meet today needs validation of their worth, that they are worthy of our attention and our recognition of their talents, hard work, and thoughtfulness.
Everyone we meet today needs us to withhold our judgments and stereotypes, to be approached as neither inferior nor superior, but allowed to be the people they define themselves as.
We’re all old enough to have figured out that our deepest joys do not come from high-priced possessions or exotic experiences - but by our relationships - our connections with each other.
And Jesus’ invitation to put on his Goggles - and see each other for who we are - then to declare God’s beloved words of invitation and acceptance - hey, that’s our job as Christ’s followers.
So, let’s take the risk of clearer, improved vision - to see the world as Jesus does - participating in the overwhelming joy we know that ‘knowing God’ is - when we put on Jesus Goggles.
Amen.