HELLO!

I remember when I changed the sources of my preaching stories. For a long-time I would quote and reference well known faithful Christians who had made a significant difference in their discipleship. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and Dorothy Day, not to mention Barbara Brown Taylor and former United Church moderator Stan MacKay, would find their way into my sermons on a regular basis. Until 15 years ago, when one church member told me she wished she could be inspired by these stories, but “I am not as courageous and faithful as them”. I needed to use more relatable examples, ones where we could all say, “I identity with them, I believe I can grow following their footsteps”.

And the same might be said of the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-12), the reading for this Sunday. Instead of inspiring and uplifting us, these 12 verses have the potential to leave us feeling unworthy and unmotivated in our journey to live faithfully. Yet, the Beatitudes are not “to do” items.  These are not suggestions, instructions, or commandments. There is no sense of “should,” “must,” or “ought” in these words.  We are not to walk away from these words thinking we should “try very hard to be poorer, sadder, meeker, hungrier, thirstier, purer, more peaceable, and more persecuted”. Likewise, the Beatitudes are not meant to shame us. Instead, the Beatitudes redefine what “the world” might define as “blessed.” Theologian Stanley Hauerwas explains by declaring the poor in spirit, the mourning, the meek, the merciful, and peacemakers as blessed, Jesus is transforming the world into the kin-dom of God.

What do we mean by “blessed”? There are two words for “blessing” in Hebrew: ashar and barak. Barak means to “bow or stoop.” But ashar means, “to find the right road.” In the Beatitudes we hear “You are on the right road when you are poor in spirit; You are on the right road when you hunger and thirst for righteousness; you are on the right road when you are persecuted.” Another Stanley Hauerwas quote, “Saints cannot exist without a community, as they require, like all of us, nurturance by a people who, while often unfaithful, preserve the habits necessary to learn the story of God.” You are on the right road to join with your fellow saints, to listen to their stories, have them listen to yours, and collectively pool our unique God-given gifts to transform the world into the kin-dom of God, where it is blessed to “hunger and thirst for righteousness”. The sermons I want to hear are your stories of being on that “right road” when we experience each other, others, as a blessing.

Speaking of hearing from saints, how about our 30+ choir of saints who dressed up for Halloween. Are they not traveling down that “right road”?

Peace, Kevin

PS Please keep Lori Errington in your prayers as her mother Vera died late Friday evening. Lori sang this hymn to her mother as Vera was taking her last breaths https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJi388jFws8

PS. Don’t forget to set your clocks back one hour Saturday night.