Micah 6: 1 – 8 / Psalm 15 / I Corinthians 1: 18 – 31 / Matthew 5: 1 – 12
This
is the homily given at St. John’s, Huntingdon, Pennsylvania on Sunday, January 29,
2023 by Fr. Gene Tucker.
“EXPECT THERE TO BE CHANGES”
(Homily
text: Matthew 5: 1 – 12)
This
morning, our appointed Gospel text places before us our Lord’s wonderful
teaching, known as the Beatitudes[1],
which form the beginning of what is known as His Sermon on the Mount. This
block of teaching is the first one recorded in Matthew’s Gospel account.[2]
In
the Beatitudes, Jesus lays out a radically different vision for what the
kingdom of heaven looks like, and what the coming of the kingdom (and its
growth) will mean for the unbelieving world into which it would be sent. We
know that this block of teaching, and of those which follow it in Matthew’s
account, apply to the coming of the kingdom of heaven and is character from
comments made a few verses earlier, at the end of chapter four of Matthew’s
account, for we read this: “Jesus went throughout all Galilee, teaching in
their synagogues and proclaiming the kingdom and healing every disease and
every affliction among the people.” (Matthew 4: 23 – 24a) Matthew then goes on
to tell us that the Lord’s fame spread, and that large crowds began to follow
Him. With these statements, the stage has now been set for the large crowds who
had come to hear the Lord’s teaching we also hear today.
We
mentioned a moment ago that the Lord’s vision for the kingdom meant that it
presented a radically different concept for what the kingdom would look like.
Changes would be a part of this new reality. For example, notice how radical a
concept is this one of the Beatitudes: “Blessed are the meek, for they will
inherit the earth.” The unbelieving world might change this to read thus:
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth…yes, six feet of it”.
The meaning here is clear, I think: The secular, unbelieving world knew from
its experience that the meek got run over by the powerful and the strong. Such,
of course, was the reality of those original hearers of the Lord’s sermon…the
Romans governed by means of being powerful and ruthless in their oppression of
God’s people. The leaders of God’s people weren’t a whole lot better, for the
priests, the Pharisees and the scribes all lorded their positions over the
weak, the disadvantaged and the powerless.
Our
Lord is telling us that the kingdom is going to bring changes as it comes into
being. Changes in kingdom values will be a part of this vision. Changes in the
way the citizens of the kingdom will see things, will behave, and will portray
kingdom values to the watching world will be a reality in the “new and changed
way of being, thinking and behaving. We might characterize all of the
Beatitudes (and Jesus’ subsequent teachings, as well) as being a call to expect
changes in the ways those who come into the kingdom will view things, will
behave, and will exhibit by their conduct the values of this new way of
relating to God and to the world.
However,
there are more changes to be expected.
This
coming kingdom has as its goal a worldwide vision for the scope of its
territory. It will reach to the ends of the earth. It will seek to make
citizens of it from every nation and every person. Matthew, writing at the end
of his account, tells us that Jesus instructed His disciples after He had risen
from the dead, saying, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28: 18
– 19)
Another
change that comes with this new reality is that it will endure until the end of
time. After Jesus had instructed His disciples to go to all nations, to baptize
and to teach, He added this assurance: “I am with you always, to the end of the
age”. (Matthew 28: 20)
This
morning, we will hold our annual meeting after the service. The annual meeting
is a time to reflect on what has been done in this parish for the Lord’s glory
and for the work of bringing the kingdom into being in our community and
beyond.
As
we consider these things, it might be good if we step back a bit to look at how
the Church relates to the outside, secular world. For, in truth, it’s a tough
time to be the Church in the world in which we live today. The Church has been
shunted aside from its formerly central place in society. Nowadays, many people
outside the Church know little or nothing about it, about what it stands for,
about the faith it is charged with proclaiming, or about the wonderful things
that come from being a part of a faith community. Moreover, most of those
outside the faith community probably don’t even have a desire to learn more or
to become a part of the kingdom through this local parish, or any other faith
community. (They don’t know what they’re missing, I think!)
Many
of our faith communities, these days, are experiencing losses of membership, an
increase in the average age of its members, and declining financial resources.
St. John’s is no stranger to these realities. We can take small comfort in the
knowledge that we are not alone in facing these difficulties.
But
the coming of the kingdom tells us that we must expect changes, changes, in
particular, about our attitudes and in our expectations. After all, aren’t we
assured that the Church will endure to the end of time? Yes, we are, for
Matthew records the Lord’s admonition, saying, “The gates of hell won’t prevail
against it.” (Matthew 16: 18)
We
are called to change our expectations about this local outpost of the kingdom
of heaven, St. John’s Church in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania. We are called to
expect that it will continue to be a beacon of God’s light in this community
and beyond. That means that each and every member of this local outpost must
work for, and contribute to, its strength and its work. It won’t do to expect
others to do this work. It won’t do to sit back and expect the parish to be
here in times to come, absent our own contribution to its work. The vows and
promises we made at our Baptisms require us to work for the coming of the
kingdom. There is no retirement from this charge from God.
We
are called to expect changes. Certainly, that’s a part of the Lord’s message in
the teaching we hear this morning. May the Holy Spirit enable us to strengthen
our weak knees and our drooping hands[3],
that we may with renewed strength and resolve work to make the kingdom a
reality in our time and place.
AMEN.
[1] The title applied to these sayings, Beatitudes, comes from the Latin word for “blessed”.
[2] Biblical scholars have noted that there are five such blocks of teaching in Matthew. They are marked by a beginning and an ending phrase. Since there are five blocks, scholars have wondered if Matthew’s intent was to portray Jesus as the new Moses. Moses is credited with the writing of the first five books of the Hebrew scriptures: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.
[3] Hebrews 12: 12
