What Really Matters
Gate Pa – Epiphany 5 (and a bit of 4)
9 February 2014
Readings:
Hebrew Scripture: Isa
58:1-9
Psalm: 112:1-9
Epistle: 1 Cor 2:1-12
Gospel: Matt
5: (1-12), 13-20
What I want to say:
Invited to consider what
really matters for us in our life? Matthew suggests that what really matters is
not honour, whether born Israelite or Gentile, status, or even whether perform
great acts in spirit. What matters is whether our attitude is marked by that
described by beatitudes, and how we act.
What I want to happen:
I want people to reflect on what really matters for them and
how they live that out.
The Sermon
1. Introduction:
long gospel reading
because added in the beatitudes
why
next few weeks explore some sermon on Mount
first major piece of Jesus’ teaching in Matthew – 1st of 5
sets
out what Matthew thought Jesus was about
Beatitudes get it all going
especially in establishing two key themes for
Matthew
kingdom
of heaven (not heaven, but reign of God, Luke calls kingdom of God)
Righteousness
and this week’s reading follows on from them –
lays out some consequences of them
so important both hear them and I talk a
little about them
2. Beatitudes
compare them to Luke
less of
Luke
has 4
Matthew
has 8
Luke is about poor, hungry, depressed
all
about hope for poor, much more overtly focussed on Isaiah 61
Matthew
poor in spirit
less explicitly about poor
more about attitudes readers
Luke has woes
Matthew
keeps woes until 23:12-33 – gets stuck into the scribes and Pharisees and their
“righteousness”
suggested acts as book ends with
beatitudes
3. Makarisms
Makoroioi is Greek word used usually
translated as “blessed”
some suggest has a lot more to do with honour.
remember, Jesus lived in a society where ones
honour was all important.
suggestion is that both Luke and Matthew are
offering alternative way understanding who were most honoured in their
communities
normally
be powerful
wealthy
religious
Luke says poor, hungry, despised
Matthew says poor spirit, those mourn,
peacemakers etc…
one people read offered this translation
In short, in God’s kingdom, who are the people
of honour? Who are the really important people we should take note of?
note what is missing
nothing
about race – born Jew or Gentile, or colour
nothing about economic status, rich
poor, slave or free
nothing about gender
none of the usual markers and
dividers are here.
whole new list
whole new way seeing world
just as radical as Luke
most of the time we miss it.
4. Being Salty Light
which brings us to today’s reading.
if we are marked by these attitudes,
Jesus in Matthew says then we become people of
great honour
people
of significance
movers
and shakers
people
who will change the world
I am not sure how to take that because
I am not sure I am all that good at living out
beatitudes
and the last thing I feel is a mover and
shaker
most time feel pretty frustrated that I have
very little influence
world continues on path war, death, disease,
poverty, oppression, slavery, and so on
I can’t seem to change a thing
and that is the point really
when we acknowledge our powerlessness and our brokenness
when acknowledge that really need God in all
this
we join ranks of poor in spirit, the ones who
mourn, the meek, those who hunger for
and thirst for the righteousness, the merciful, the pure in the heart, the
peacemakers,
Only then do we come close to being called
children of God.
Only when we see the poverty in the world
around us and know that God is at work in that poverty can we become the blessing
of hope
salt, light.
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