Finding the Saints

Sermon by: Rev. Mary Alice Mulligan, Ph.D.

Scripture: Luke 6:20-31

Ordinarily, when we think of Jesus teaching, many of us recall the scene Matthew paints, from early in Jesus’ ministry, teaching a crowd on a hillside, from what we call the Sermon on the Mount. (Matthew 5, 6, 7.) But Luke also records Jesus’ preaching an early sermon, and we are still in Luke’s liturgical year. But Luke constructs a different mental picture, because Jesus is preaching on level ground, face to face some might say, in the not-as-famous Sermon on the Plain. We need to imagine him surrounded by those he called disciples (who are serious about following him), and the crowds of Jews, who came out on their own; and beyond them, Luke reports, the multitudes: Jews and Gentiles, crushing in to touch his power so they will be healed. We easily imagine Jesus in his typical pose: seated as teachers usually are, however Luke reports Jesus’ ideas have sharper edges than what we hear in other places. As today you thank God for the Saints who touched your life, think of them as you stop and read Luke 6:20-31.

Ouch. In these teachings, called the Beatitudes, Jesus spells out blessings and woes. Certain situations result in being blessed – happy in the very presence of God. But he doesn’t stop with the good stuff. He quite pointedly lists those circumstances which result in being not-blessed – those who are unhappily distant from God. Following the line of thought from our earlier part of worship, we can imagine Jesus adding: “People like these folks are saints; people like these other folks are ‘not saints.’” Saints/ not saints. He draws a sharp distinction. We like the “saintly blessing” images. But the “not saint” woe language wasn’t popular then and it isn’t popular now.

Jesus reprimands people. The second part of his sermon admonishes various (and yes, familiar) traits. People much prefer when Jesus comforts them. No one likes to be castigated with warnings about a distressing future. But the woes he predicts condemn a popular way of life. It feels like a harsh finger of rebuke pointing right in the face, “Woe to you rich, satisfied, joyous people! Beware, if you have plenty.” In other words, “Look out, comfortable people. These good times are all you get!”

But wait, let’s hear those categories again, Rich, satiated, well thought of. Don’t they sound familiar? No wonder we don’t like listening to Jesus on the Plain. He condemns everything we strive for. To be happy; to have plenty. Isn’t that what we’ve all been wanting? We put a lot of effort into being well-spoken of; to be able to live comfortably now and retire with enough security so we can travel. Then Jesus comes along and slaps down our best hopes? Is he saying we aren’t supposed to be rich or happy? No wonder people don’t like Luke’s record of Jesus’ big sermon. Everyone is fonder of Matthew’s version which starts off saying, “Blessed are the poor… in spirit.” Most of us feel able to squeeze into that category, even if we are economically wealthy. We can be poor “in spirit.” So we like Matthew, with his list of nine blessings and no woes. Don’t we? Yay Matthew!

But Luke’s report doesn’t allow “spiritualizing” the blessing. And worse, he lists all those woes.  “Look out, rich people. Your wealth is done! Pay attention, full people, you’ll be hungry soon! Look out, popular people, your celebrity breeds dishonesty.” Jesus is warning us: lusting after security (like important friends or a larger stock portfolio) damages our commitment to God. We can only bow before one throne: the one God is on or the one our riches are on. We have a churchy word for when we bow before the throne of wealth: idolatry. And Jesus says the disease of idolatry is terminal. He isn’t kidding. Woe and warning! We are the audience when Jesus speaks his harsh words.

But he also has words of blessing. Jesus praises saints. Today, on All Saints Day, the blessings remind us, he is describing humble followers, saints. But who are these ones Jesus blesses? The poor, the sorrowful, the defiled? In other words, the invisible people who are often social misfits. How odd. Praise heaped on ones we hardly notice.

So to help us understand, Jesus spells out how they are blessed. He says, those without enough, have the Realm of God. Poor people already possess the Kingdom of God. Shocking! The outsiders?! Calling them under-siders may actually be more fitting. God’s blessings, poured out on society’s under-siders, who seem to have nothing. Theirs is the Realm of God. And their close relatives: the hungry, the sad, and people who are abused for their faith; they are promised blessings, too, just for being who they are. Outcasts.

We are praying for a new place for Sarasota’s Family Promise to house families. I remember the Family Promise program in Nashville, Tennessee which was activated in the winter. When night temperatures dropped below freezing, guests would gather at a particular place to ride shuttles to various churches, where a hot meal and a cot awaited each person. We might think of those persons as blessed by Jesus. They are unhoused, bused around to different churches on different nights throughout the winter. Of course it makes sense that God’s Realm, what we used to call the Kingdom of God, belongs to them. But the story has another part. On particularly cold nights, after the shuttles filled up, because the drivers had to honor the limit each church set, there were often about 40 people who got turned away. So we need to ask, “Where did they sleep on those nights, when the temperature really dropped? Those 40 special friends of Jesus, possessors of the Realm of God?” No wonder Jesus’ word to them is so gentle. Their lives are too harsh. And those all over the world who will not eat today; and those who are broken-hearted; and those who are in danger because of their faith. The beatitudes in Luke offer words of great promise for those crushed by life. Jesus speaks clearly, those people are blessed. They are saints.

So, if we want to experience the holy, we need to get with the under-siders. Our place is with the ones Jesus called “the least.” If there is a word of blessing for those of us who are pretty comfortable in this life, the word will come only after we get with the outsiders. The hidden under-siders. They are Jesus’ special friends, holy people, as if in Halloween disguises. Blessed saints, dressed up like hurting strangers. That’s one of the secrets of saints. They rarely look like what we think holy people should look like. But some of us recognize them.

Among us are people who serve Jesus’ special friends at Resurrection House each week; others who load groceries into saints’ cars two Fridays a month with All Faiths Food Bank. Those workers recognize the saints. Curiously, those who serve the saints, begin to resemble saints, too. And now the rest of us have an opportunity to enter into the reality of other blessed ones as the holidays approach. Next Sunday, we hope to have the Angel Tree up, with gift suggestions for 20 Sarasota seniors and 20 local children who have a parent involved in the prison system. Buying gifts for saints is great. We probably are all excited to participate. But, more importantly, we are inviting those children and their families to join us for Thanksgiving. We will get to interact with the families when they join us for the meal on November 24. Certainly the food will bless us all, but as we spend time with these children and their adults, they can give us a glimpse of God’s Realm. If we know how to look.

Does every under-sider have a heart of gold? No, of course not; but Jesus doesn’t say the good, sweet poor have the Realm. He says poor people have the Realm. And when we get with them, we can experience it too. It’s part of God’s overflowingly generous mercy. Some among us may have experienced poverty in our lives; real hunger; or real abuse for the faith. Saints and not-saints don’t always fall easily into hard categories, but getting near those who are most vulnerable; listening to their life stories; treating them as the precious friends of Jesus they are; these moments get us closer to being the people Jesus calls us to be. In fact, when we get with those whom society considers unimportant, there, wonder of wonders, we find God’s blessings are poured on us, too.

As a church, we are called into ministry which places us along-side the least, the lost, the most unfortunate. And when we join with society’s invisible people, we find ourselves closest to the Realm. As we share in the lives of the poor, the hungry, the reviled, those who are the blessed of Jesus, we find we are blessed as well. The closer we get to the least, we find ourselves closer into the presence of the saints, who in turn, bring us right into the presence of God. So of course, we need to get to the underside.

So here we are, thanking God for the saints who have touched our lives, even though most of us are comfortable, living on the wrong side of the beatitudes. Jesus warns: Woe to us. But Jesus also calls us to live blessed lives, even saintly lives, but our “lusting after more” has to stop. The message is clear. Blessings – warnings. We get to choose. Then when we find ourselves at home with the outcasts, we find we are at home in the Realm of God, surrounded by the saints.