Matthew 17:1-8, February 23, 2020, Sermon

“Listening to Jesus”

Pastor Randy Butler

Usually when I get up in the morning, sometime in the first hour, maybe while I am eating some breakfast, I open my laptop computer. I check emails, and I look at my favorite news sites to view the latest developments, and if I am in the right mood, I risk a look at one of my least favorite news sites, just to get their viewpoint. I am always shocked, though by now I shouldn’t be, at how the different news sites see the same story from such different perspectives. This difference is so dramatic, that we have coined the term "fake news", and each side in our national debate is accusing the other of telling fake news, or lying. It’s a confusing time. And we ask ourselves, with good reason, who has the story right? And who has the authority to tell the way it is in our world? Who should we be listening to in our world today? 

We have a very plain and direct answer to the question in our text this morning. God says, “Listen to Him,” that is Jesus. At the risk of giving away the punchline, it shouldn’t be any surprise that this is the way we will answer the question this morning. Who should we be listening to today? Jesus Christ, as we read and hear him speak in scripture and in our midst through his Spirit. But let’s take a little more time to arrive at this answer as we explore this amazing story we call the transfiguration of Jesus as told by the gospel of Matthew. And I want to give credit to Dale Bruner whose masterful study of Matthew is my guide in much of what we say this morning.

In the chapter before this Jesus has asked the disciples who they think he is, and Peter, answering for them says, “You are the Messiah the son of God.” This he gets right, but when Jesus starts talking about what that really means, that he will go to Jerusalem and be crucified, Peter says, “No way Lord, the Messiah wouldn’t be killed.” Jesus answers Peter firmly, “Don’t tempt me like Satan with that; don’t be a stumbling block. The cross is where God my Father is leading me.”

And now Jesus takes Peter, whom he has just rebuked, and James and John, three of his twelves disciples up a mountain. This is very intentional – he wants these three with him, as if to make sure they see and understand something. And when they arrive Jesus just lights up. His face shines like the sun, and his clothes turn a dazzling white. Something really big and mysterious is going on here, and we want to pay attention. Jesus is transformed, and we see him, his three disciples see him as a glorious presence. Dale Bruner says, “Nowhere else in the Gospels does Jesus shine and glow like this.” But here he does, and that makes it a really important moment in his story.

Now as this takes place, two other figures appear with him: Moses, the giver of the law, and Elijah, the first of the great prophets. These two represent the law and prophets. They embody what at that time was the Hebrew or Jewish scriptures, the scriptures that Jesus and Peter and James and John read; the only scriptures that the early church read and had. And we are told that Moses and Elijah appeared talking with Jesus. That’s what it says, Moses and Elijah talking with him, with Jesus. What in the world do you think they were talking about?! Well, we don’t know but it does appear to be a friendly conversation. They are not arguing, like Jesus does with the religious leaders, they are talking. Moses and Elijah aren’t showing up to say how concerned they are with the direction Jesus is going. And Jesus isn’t trying to correct all their sayings and words from the past. They are having what seems to be a friendly conversation.

Now remember we are asking, who should we be listening too, and this was one of the big questions of the early Christians too. One of their very real concerns and questions had to do with authority – what or whom should their final guide and authority be for life and the practice of their new faith. Would it still be the Scriptures, what we call the Old Testament, or would it be the growing collection of words and stories about Jesus, what will become the New Testament. And so it appears that Matthew wants to tell us that the law and the prophets and the gospel are on friendly terms; that the Old Testament and the New Testament are in friendly conversation with one another, just like Moses and Elijah and Jesus there on the mountain. But Matthew wants to say more, because when it’s all over Moses and Elijah have gone away, and Jesus is left. The disciples looked up, says Matthew, and they saw no one except Jesus himself, alone. And when the Father speaks he says to the disciples, “Listen to Him.” The voice says, “Listen to him,” not listen to them - that is Jesus, Moses, and Elijah - but listen to him, to Jesus. Through this story Matthew is telling the early church, “Jesus is your authority now.” He is saying that Jesus sheds new light on the scriptures, that he illumines the law and prophets. Listen to Him now. Bruner says “The Old Testament and the New Testament sing a duet, but the New Testament carries the melody.”

Now for us today what does this mean? Well, for example, I’ve been reading the Old Testament lately and I am in the book of Joshua which is about the conquest of Canaan by the Israelites, as they began to settle the land after their long sojourn in the wilderness. It is very violent. It even seems that God commands and sanctions violence by one group, the Israelites, against another. It is frankly very disturbing, especially in view of the religious conflict in our world today. But then I turn to the New Testament and read about Jesus. He says things like, “Turn the other cheek. If someone hits you on one side turn him the other as well.” When one of his disciples cuts off the ear of the Pharisee’s slave when he is arrested, Jesus says, “Put the sword away, all who live by the sword will perish by the sword.” Jesus gives new light to the Old Testament, puts the story of Joshua in a new light, as well as the other stories and plotlines and narratives of our culture, and he now becomes our touchpoint for life and faith. “Listen to him.”

We have to be taught to listen to this voice of Jesus. Peter would prefer like many of us to talk and do, rather than listen. When Moses and Elijah and Jesus are there together, Peter gets all excited and says, “This is great Lord, let’s build three tents, one for each of you.” Now we admire Peter’s enthusiasm, and he is trying to get it right. But he wants to start this building project. Someone asks, “What is it with this edifice complex, this passion to put up a building the moment something spiritual happens.”

We feel like we always have to do something, but perhaps we ought to instead simply listen. This is helpful as we think about our interim period as a church, because during this time we want to do a lot of listening – to each other and to God, to Jesus. And we will do this through some community times together as we remember our history and reconnect with our identity. We are going to ask, “Who are we, and who do we want to become?” But we will listen a lot. This doesn’t mean we will stop doing everything. But we will listen as best we can. Listen to Him. So Peter tries, but it is all about what he wants to do. “If it’s OK, I will do this or I will do that.” “I will.”

But in the middle of this willful and feverish building project, as Peter is still talking, a voice from a brightly lit cloud interrupts. And it is the voice of God – only the second time God speaks directly to humanity in the Gospels. So it could not be more clear. It is like God turns the podium over to Jesus, turns us over to Jesus, for all that he wants to say from now on. “Listen to Him. He is my son. I want you to know how much he means to me, and how much I trust him and want you to listen to him. This is the best I can do for you - to give you him, and have you listen to him. Because if you listen to him you listen to me.”

Who gets to tell the story of how it is in our world and our lives? Who has the authority to say how we ought to live, how we might find life, how we might experience the good life? We can listen to CNN or Fox News or MSNBC, or this radio personality or that one. But for our lives there is only one critical voice. Listen to Him, to Jesus, so that all the other voices are put in the proper light. His voice is what matters.

It is a firm answer that God gives; there is no beating around the bush. But it is also an invitation to test and see and explore whether Jesus does indeed show us the way, whether he really is, as the gospel of John puts it, the way, the truth and the life. So we keep listening to him, and when we get confused and lost along the way, when his voice is obscure we do not have to be afraid. I love how our story ends. When they hear the voice from heaven, the disciples fall to the ground in fear. But Matthew says, “Jesus came and touched them saying, ‘Get up and do not be afraid.’” One of the first ways to listen to Jesus is to listen to that – “Get up and do not be afraid,” and to live with confidence and freedom from fear. Amen.

1 Corinthians 3:1-9, February 16, 2020, Sermon

    Sermon, February 16, 2020 

Pastor Randy Butler

    The church of Jesus Christ has always argued with itself. It is a fact of life. From its very inception the church has experienced conflict. That is the way it is when you throw people together from various backgrounds and perspectives into one church. This is not all bad. Nineteenth century author Nathaniel Hawthorne once wrote, “It contributes to man’s moral or intellectual health, to be brought into habits of companionship with individuals unlike himself, who care little for his pursuits, and whose sphere and abilities he must go out of himself to appreciate.” C.S. Lewis had a simpler way of saying the same thing: “Dogs and cats should always be brought up together – it broadens their minds so.” 

    Well the dogs and cats of the church in Corinth are undergoing some conflict. They are forming factions. Some are siding with the apostle Peter, some with the apostle Paul, and others with a Christian leader named Apollos. This is all taking place within about twenty-five years of Jesus’ life and ministry in Judea and Galilee. In this twenty-five years since, the church has expanded, largely because of Paul’s missionary activities. And in Corinth, now part of southern Greece, in Europe, the church which he planted is fighting with itself, embroiled in factions, jealousy, and quarreling. That is the first century. But ever new and relevant, the Word of God in scripture has something to say to all times and places. What might we learn from Paul’s letter to the Corinthians today? What might we hear from God today? 

    We hear something about leadership. Paul appointed elders to lead the churches he planted. He encouraged them to act as shepherds of the flock. Later New Testament writings refer to bishops of the church, overseers, not simply organizational administrators as we think of bishops today, but bishop pastors of local congregations, and so we can see the development of an office of pastoral ministry taking place. But even in this early writing of Paul to the Corinthians we can see he takes his role as a leader seriously, and Peter’s role and Apollos' too. But he insists that he and they are servants. Yes, they are leaders, but they are servant leaders. Jesus told his disciples, “The rulers of the gentiles lord it over others, but not so with you. Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, just as I came not to be served but to serve.” And Paul is saying the same thing. “What after all is Apollos, and what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe.” The Corinthians are not to believe in Paul or Apollos, they are asked to believe in Jesus through Paul and Apollos. 

    So pastors and elders take our roles as shepherds seriously, and we take our God granted authority seriously, but not too seriously. Maybe you’ve heard the story about the man who called the church to speak with “the head hog at the trough.” The office manager said, “Who?” The man said again, “I want to speak with the head hog at the trough.” Sure that she had heard the man correctly this time she said, “Sir, if you mean our pastor, you will have to treat him with more respect and ask for the pastor or the reverend. But you can certainly not refer to him as the head hog at the trough.” The man replied, “Oh I see. Well I have $20,000 I was thinking about donating to the building fund.” There was s silent pause on the other end of the line. Then the office manager spoke, “Hold the line sir, I think the big pig himself just walked in the door.” We pastors know where we really stand. 

    Our elders and pastors strive to lead with servant-like authority, yet with authoritative service. St. Augustine once wrote that “in this way I will find pleasure not so much in being in charge of you as in being of use to you.” 

    On Paul’s mind and dear to his heart in this letter to the Corinthians is his crucified Lord. The Corinthians want the most eloquent and wise leader. They want to be known for having the best leaders – that is why they are forming factions. “I belong to Paul, I belong to Peter, and I belong to Apollos.” And so Paul repeatedly insists that he didn’t come with worldly wisdom and eloquence, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. “We preach Christ crucified,” not worldly wisdom and eloquence. “For I resolved to know nothing among you except Christ crucified,” writes Paul. So we learn in this letter about authority, and servant leadership – and we learn that we always lead and serve in view of the crucified Christ in our midst. 

    We also hear about pastoral and leadership succession. We are servants as the Lord has assigned each to his or her task. “I planted the seed,” he says, “Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow.” Every pastor and leader has gifts that differ from other pastors and leaders. 

    I have been with you for a little over two months, had many conversations, and heard much of your history. And I believe that though things ended very painfully with your previous pastor Katy Nicole, I also believe she was here by God’s call and purpose. I’ve heard many of you speak very fondly of her. She clearly had gifts for pastoral care and friendship and many of you were fed by her ministry. I am aware of the pain that was caused, but I hope and pray that as time passes you will continue to forgive and heal from the recent past. I think that is happening. I am praying for you and I pray also for Pastor Katy. I know that you will do the same. 

    Pastors are with us for a season, and then the season changes. Some will be planters, some will water. There have been many to tend the garden here over the 136 years of your history, and there will be others to come. 

    This is also an opportune moment to remind you that as we move toward a search for a new pastor, that I am not a candidate for that position. This is my agreement with and commitment to the Presbytery, the Session, and you all. We have interim ministries for a reason. This is the best way for us to work together freely and without confusion, to get you ready for the next season of your life and ministry. 

    So God will give the growth, as each pastor proclaims Christ crucified, and serves in view of the cross in our midst. 

    And yet this conflict we mentioned is inevitable. It should not surprise us. How we handle conflict is what really matters. And so we also hear in this text about how to behave in conflict. Paul is upset less by the conflict than he is by the way the Corinthians are acting toward each other. “I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly. Mere infants in Christ.” To put it bluntly Paul is saying, “You Corinthians, stop acting like babies. You are acting like babies, regular human beings, not people who have God’s Spirit within them.” 

    What Paul will stress elsewhere in this same letter is that we are one body of Christ. We are unlike any other organization in this respect. That is because we are not an organization, but an organism, the living breathing body of Christ. We are members of one body and of one another, says Paul. That means there is no distinction between us and them within a church. There is no they in the one body, there is only we and us. 

    And yet we are careful here too, because this is not our church. Pastors perhaps ought not speak in terms of my church, as if my leadership makes the church. And members perhaps ought not speak in terms of my church either, as if my long membership and my faithful giving confers special privileges. This is not my church, this is not your church. Because this is God’s church. Paul says, “We are God’s servants; you are God’s field, God’s building. 

    So we learn here about servant leadership. We learn about pastors and seasons and succession. And we learn about how to behave and not to behave in church conflict. But most importantly we learn to serve, lead and live together as the one body of Christ, always acting within view of the cross of Christ, always informed and influenced and living with the crucified Christ in our midst. Amen.

Matthew 5:13-20, February 9, 2020, Sermon "Salt and Light"

SCRIPTURE
Matthew 5:13-20

SERMON “Salt and Light” 
Pastor Randy Butler

Salt and Light – two very well-known and tangible symbols from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew’s gospel. Ministries have adopted the name Salt and Light. There is an entire television station of the Catholic Church in Canada called Salt and Light Television. Websites and youth groups are called Salt and Light. The name is used of course because the words salt and light invite us very concretely to be something in the world – to preserve as salt preserves, giving flavor to the world, to spice up our lives, and to offer light to a world so seemingly in darkness.

Jesus says to his followers, “You are the salt of the earth, and you are the light of the world.” And notice that he does not say, “You will be salt and light someday, you could be salt and light, if you just get your act together you might be salt and light.” He says simply, “You are the salt of the earth, you are the light of the world.” We do not hear a “You could be,” a “You should be,” or “You might be.” We hear a straightforward, “You are.” Followers of Jesus just are salt and light. It is a given, it is a grace.

Dale Bruner says that Jesus tells us who we are before he tells us what to do. He points out that Jesus in effect is ordaining his disciples with these “You ares.” That makes this an appropriate text on the morning in which we ordain and install new leaders.

Now if we think a little more about the properties of salt and light we know that salt by nature penetrates that into which it is poured. It seeps in deeply and provides flavor beyond the surface of its food. It has deep lasting impact. Light in the same way, once it is turned on shines and spreads. It penetrates the darkness, it changes the darkness. Light pushes back darkness. Jesus says a city set on a hill cannot be hidden. So from the moment we rise in the morning we are salt and light – we have an impact on our environment, into which we are poured. We are a city set on a hill. It is just inevitable. We are living breathing salt shakers. We are a flashlight on two legs, it’s like we have one of those headlamps on, with us wherever we go and wherever we turn.

Now in order to be effective we have to stay salty and our light has to remain bright. There is the possibility that our flavor and brightness could fade. Our effectiveness as salt and the brightness of our light then, has something to do with our state of mind, heart and spirit. We have this mysterious impact on others and on our world that depends on our inner state of mind and soul. If we have lost the flavor of God’s Spirit within us, then we will not have much positive impact on those around us. And if our inner lamp grows dim then we will not provide much light for the world.

If I wake up in a bad mood and walk into the kitchen for breakfast, those with me can tell pretty quickly that I walked in with a dark cloud over me, or in me. My light is obscured, hidden. So we want to stay bright and flavorful. And we do that through our own practice of prayer and study of scripture, taking time to recharge the batteries that keep the lamp bright; keeping our inner lives salty and bright. And then what we do flows from who we are.

And Jesus wants us to really be something – salt and light in the world, not a lamp to be put under a bucket. You put it on a lampstand so that the whole house benefits – so that light spreads and fills the darkness, displaces the darkness. Let your light shine before others says Jesus. The simple affirmation, “You are the light of the world,” and the exhortation “Let your light shine before others,” taken together does wonders for our self-image. The Son of God is saying to us, “You are light, so let it shine.”

You and I are walking around shining like the sun, says Trappist Monk Thomas Merton.

While humility is an important Christian virtue there is no need for false humility. Jesus says, “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works, and give glory to your Father in heaven” If we have been given a gift from God then it is meant to be shared. I love these words of Nelson Mandela, the South African anti-apartheid activist and first black president of South Africa. He said this at his inaugural speech when he became president in 1994: “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous. Actually who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us, it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fears, our presence automatically liberates others.” I think that is what it means to be the light of the world, to let our light shine.

Now all this talk about having light within us makes some people nervous. It made the religious leaders of Jesus’ time nervous. It has provoked the same reaction in others throughout history. There is always this fear of those who claim to have enlightenment or inner spiritual experience and authority of some kind or another. It was true in Jesus’ time. They didn’t like it when he said, “I am the light of the world,” and they didn’t like it when he told regular people – “You are the light of the world.” It’s revolutionary, and has been over the centuries. It made religious leaders of the Spanish Inquisition nervous in the 16th century when Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits, and his followers spoke of an undeniable inner experience of God. It can make us Presbyterians scratch our heads nervously when we hear about Quakers and others trusting in the inner light.

So Jesus then reassures his hearers and the authorities of his loyalty to the law and the prophets. The law and the prophets are the scripture, the bible of Jesus’ day. So Jesus says then, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets (with all this revolutionary talk about salt and light) I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. Not one iota of this law will perish. And anyone who teaches otherwise will be the least in the kingdom of heaven.” So Jesus is reassuring his listeners, reassuring us that he still reads, still trusts in the scripture. And it is true. When he was in the desert for forty days, and the tempter came to him, three times he responded to the temptations with the words of the law – the scriptures.

So it is worth pointing out that this Old Testament is what Jesus read and relied upon in his time of need. This is the bible that Jesus read, this is Jesus’ bible. And if he read it, then we ought to be familiar with it as well. Now admittedly, the Old Testament is not always an easy book to understand or even to like. There are long and obscure passages of law, and there is violence, and God seems kind of temperamental perhaps. All we can say is, don’t give up on it, stay with it. Someone said “we stay rummaging around in this strange country in the confidence that since Jesus liked it and even highly recommended it, there must be gold in these hills.”

Jesus’ endorsement of the scripture provides balance to the experience of God’s light within us. Our lives and actions come from a powerful presence within us, confirmed and always checked against the Word of God in scripture. And now he even says, “For I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses, or exceeds the righteousness of the religious leaders you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” That’s how important the Old Testament is for us.

As we move forward together in the months ahead we will seek to experience God in our hearts and minds – we want to know the salt and light within us, to be warmed by God’s presence. We need experience of God, to feel God. And we will continue to be a people of the Word of God. We will seek God with our hearts and our heads. We are a people of the Word and the Spirit.               

Matthew 5:1-12, January 29, 2017, Sermon "The Good Life"

SCRIPTURE

Matthew 5:1-12

SERMON 

“The Good Life”
Pastor Randy Butler
What does it mean for us to live the good life? We can find various versions of the good life depending where we turn. We can find the consumerist version of the good life on television. According to actor Matthew McConaughey, the good life exists in the mystical, other worldly experience of driving a Lincoln Continental. If you have seen the ads you would conclude that it doesn’t get any better than that. Other advertising would lead you to conclude that the good life is found in discovering the perfect razor blade, the perfect pizza – there might some truth in that one. Or the good life is finding the right medication. Have you noticed how many ads there are for drugs, all promising a better life? Or if you are a fan of the TV show The Bachelor, the good life is discovering the right partner. I read that out of the combined 30 seasons and pairings of the Bachelor and Bachelorette TV shows only six couples have stayed together. The good life is apparently very elusive.

There are social, political and economic versions of the good life. Capitalist democracy presents one version. Marxist communism presented another version of the good life. We think if we have just the right president or policy or political agenda then we will be living the good life. Like you, I share strong feelings about our current political situation, but no matter what happens we still may want to ask if any version of the social, political economic good life is really getting it right.

And so there are of course a number of spiritual definitions of the good life as well. The Good Life Project – there is a website by that name, has a creed captured by several inspiring sayings: “Don’t try to be different, own the fact that you already are.” “Genius begins with a burning question, what’s yours?” “Find awe, let it shake you, melt you, lift you, then share it.” “Love so deeply it cracks open the world.” There is truth in these sayings, and inspiration surely. I have found a book called Hardwiring Happiness to be helpful and to make a contribution to a better life.

So there is something true and good in all these versions of the good life. The consumerist vision has some things right – material comforts do help make life better. The social, political, and economic visions are trying to get it right. Some forms of government are definitely better than others. And the various good life gospels of the TED Talks and bookstores, well there is some truth in all of them. They all have a way of thinking about and contributing to the human good life, to human flourishing. So to this mix, let’s add one more version of the good life, the blessed life. We know them as the Beatitudes, the first several lines of a text called the Sermon on the Mountain given by Jesus of Nazareth according to the gospel of Matthew, the first book of the Bible’s New Testament.

The Beatitudes
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.

Some version of the good life, yes? Yet Jesus uses that wonderful word “blessed,” a word drawn from the ancient Hebrew version of the good life: Psalm 1: “Blessed are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked or take the path that sinners tread, or sit in the seat of scoffers, but their delight is in the law of the Lord. They are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither, in all that they do they prosper.”

But Jesus presents quite an alternative version of the blessed life. “Blessed are those who are poor in spirit, who mourn, who are meek, and who hunger and thirst for righteousness.” The blessed life starts with emptiness, powerlessness, poverty of spirit. It has to do with the little people, the meek. It’s like the first four beatitudes are saying, “blessed are those in need, who have nothing to bring to the table.”

This is kind of paradoxical – that the good life begins with well, not much of a life at all. But this is consistent with what Jesus was always saying – especially to those who had it all, who thought they had the good life in hand. “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have come to call not the righteous but sinners.” It is those who are empty who are most ready to be filled. If you have it all you have no need. The good life seems to begin not with having everything but having nothing at all. When we are poor in spirit, dispirited, we are open to a new view of life that comes from God. The kingdom of God is for those who are in need. Our powerlessness and need is the beginning of the blessed life. 

The Beatitudes are similar in this way to the opening steps of the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous: The first step: “We admitted that we were powerless that our lives had become unmanageable.” The moment we admit that we are powerless we are ready to be filled with power from God. Now we say that we are powerless, but really we maintain a strong sense of self sufficiency, the self-sufficiency of refusing help when needed. “I can do it on my own.” The self sufficiency of insisting that praying for my own needs before those of another is somehow wrong and selfish. Anne Lamott says, “I always pray, first thing upon awakening, very simple prayers like the one my son Sam prayed years ago when his head got stuck in the slats of a chair. “I need help with me.” The blessed life, the good life, begins with those who can say “God I need help with me.” Another way of saying this is that the good life begins with grace, as a gift from God.

That is the starting point but not the end. The first four need beatitudes are followed by three help beatitudes. Blessed are the merciful, the pure in heart and blessed are the peacemakers. The good life is defined by the way we act in the world, the values we have, the actions we take, our lifestyle and way of life. And whatever the television would have us believe, or the social political and economic visions would have us think, whatever the self-help books say, this version of the good life is counter cultural. The blessed life is a life of mercy, purity of heart, and peacemaking.

This is just about where most of us give up on this vision of the good life. It simply isn’t practical. You won’t get anywhere in the world if you are merciful, pure and peaceful. I experienced a reminder of this last week. I gratefully just paid off the loan on my car after five years. I received a call from the lender. And the person on the line said that they had received my payment but because of the daily accrual of interest I still had a sixty-eight cent balance. On top of that I was late in paying the balance so there was a five dollar late fee on my sixty-eight cent balance. You can probably guess that I wasn’t feeling very merciful, pure or peaceful. It is hard to make mercy and purity and peace work on a day to day basis.

Mercy, purity and peace are a hard way to live. They are not the way of the world, especially these days. But Jesus says it and so we try to live it. Mercy, purity and peace will prevail, and will bring change in the long run.

But it will also be a difficult way – this version of the good life, of the blessed life. These are some of Jesus’ most challenging words. “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 – rejoice and be glad.” Jesus’ vision of the blessed life will not be well understood. People are threatened by those who insist on mercy, purity, and peacemaking. And they will try to shake us, anger us, and they will persecute us.

Martin Luther King Jr., whose birthday we celebrated a couple of weeks ago, took a non-violent approach to change. It worked but it wasn’t easy. He didn’t survive it. He was persecuted and ultimately assassinated. It happened to Jesus too. When the authorities came for him in the garden, one of his followers took a sword and cut off the ear of a slave. Jesus said, “Put you sword back in its place; for all who take the sword will perish by the sword.”

The good life is for those who have very little, not just for those who have it all. The blessed life is for those who are in need, who mourn, who are meek, and who hunger and thirst for justice. That is not the current predominant vision of the good life in America. The good life is associated with mercy, with peace and with purity of heart, purity at the core. That is not the current version of the American good life found on television in the malls, in our government. It is not very popular. And yet somehow Jesus can say that it is a blessed life, a good life to live and act in the ways described by the beatitudes. In the years ahead we will need people who subscribe to this view of the good life. It is hard but the blessings of this life are many – the kingdom of God, comfort, filling up, mercy, seeing God, being called children of God. This can be the good life. It can be our life. It is our life. The good life. Amen.