Luke 6:20-31
All Saints' Sunday. The day we remember our baptism, the day we remember the saints' in glory, the day we remember we are Christ's own forever. Why do we strive to remember so much in one day? It's because we want to be one too, and the thing of it is all our lives we never believe we are good enough, of value enough to be one too. This day remembers how we can sometimes feel separated from the love which created us.
Jesus speaks to all gathered. This is Luke's version, Jesus is on the plain, equal with everyone around him. He lifts his eyes up because the crowd is big, because he is speaking louder to be heard, because it is a prayer for those who are there we won't know which, we do know they are all on a level field. The message, is one for all to hear. It is plain and simple blessed are the hungry, for you will be filled and then there are the woes. They are not to punish, they are not to say someone is less than because that is not the message Jesus is giving on this plain field. Pay attention if you are rich, for you have received consolation, in other words don't look for more and more.
Too often we hear these woes as a condemnation. The separation of the good things from the bad and the only point is to direct our attention. Be aware of the good things given, be aware of who is without. Don't think because you have and others haven't you are better off, or should receive more, more of whatever is the idea which pops first into your head. Love all, do good to all, all who stand beside you, all who are around you. Because God is the great leveler. We are all one in this kingdom no matter who we are, where we have been, or what we have done.
Today is also tied to the baptismal covenant, the one we reaffirm no matter what tradition we come from, no matter where we have been, we are all united in this. Affirming we will preach the good news and we have a world that is aching for good news. The good news that you are loved, no matter what you have done. The good news that we take care of one another in a wider community. The good news that division is not what matters, its the coming together, all of us in this great plain.
As we say we strive to respect the dignity of every human being we are giving voice to our own dignity because if we can't see it in ourselves we won't see it in those standing around us. We aren't told how many on the plain thought Jesus' words for dignity people rejected, whether they thought they couldn't love their enemy, couldn't see the level plain and thought they were more important or deserved some sort of reward. We don't get this picture. What we get is Jesus telling all to try. To make the effort, even if it's feeble. In time it will grow.
So today we remember all this. We take it forward with us wearing it as clothing in our everyday lives. We are girded with the memories of those who have shown us the way, just as Jesus does. For me its my Nana who when she was in the nursing home was known as Aunt Bea because she was always pleasant and nice. Or because she made casseroles for the sick, or the lonely, people she knew and reached out to. Or my dad who gave free dental care and made such a difference in the lives of a small town as their first dentist. Or when we would camp in the northern woods and he would talk to the animals and show us how to respect the creation we saw around us. There are so many who grace our lives with these glimpses of the kin-dom.
The kin-dom which means we will live in peace and harmony has been a dream in the Bible. It asks us to come and participate in that dream. It asks us to realize our dignity and hand it on to others. It asks us to realize that sometimes the level field is a dream and we can participate in that dream for others. So this All Saints' let us remember those who shaped us and remember the one who has loved us and chased us all our lives. Inviting us to participate in that dream, so we might be one too.
All Saints' Sunday. The day we remember our baptism, the day we remember the saints' in glory, the day we remember we are Christ's own forever. Why do we strive to remember so much in one day? It's because we want to be one too, and the thing of it is all our lives we never believe we are good enough, of value enough to be one too. This day remembers how we can sometimes feel separated from the love which created us.
Jesus speaks to all gathered. This is Luke's version, Jesus is on the plain, equal with everyone around him. He lifts his eyes up because the crowd is big, because he is speaking louder to be heard, because it is a prayer for those who are there we won't know which, we do know they are all on a level field. The message, is one for all to hear. It is plain and simple blessed are the hungry, for you will be filled and then there are the woes. They are not to punish, they are not to say someone is less than because that is not the message Jesus is giving on this plain field. Pay attention if you are rich, for you have received consolation, in other words don't look for more and more.
Too often we hear these woes as a condemnation. The separation of the good things from the bad and the only point is to direct our attention. Be aware of the good things given, be aware of who is without. Don't think because you have and others haven't you are better off, or should receive more, more of whatever is the idea which pops first into your head. Love all, do good to all, all who stand beside you, all who are around you. Because God is the great leveler. We are all one in this kingdom no matter who we are, where we have been, or what we have done.
Today is also tied to the baptismal covenant, the one we reaffirm no matter what tradition we come from, no matter where we have been, we are all united in this. Affirming we will preach the good news and we have a world that is aching for good news. The good news that you are loved, no matter what you have done. The good news that we take care of one another in a wider community. The good news that division is not what matters, its the coming together, all of us in this great plain.
As we say we strive to respect the dignity of every human being we are giving voice to our own dignity because if we can't see it in ourselves we won't see it in those standing around us. We aren't told how many on the plain thought Jesus' words for dignity people rejected, whether they thought they couldn't love their enemy, couldn't see the level plain and thought they were more important or deserved some sort of reward. We don't get this picture. What we get is Jesus telling all to try. To make the effort, even if it's feeble. In time it will grow.
So today we remember all this. We take it forward with us wearing it as clothing in our everyday lives. We are girded with the memories of those who have shown us the way, just as Jesus does. For me its my Nana who when she was in the nursing home was known as Aunt Bea because she was always pleasant and nice. Or because she made casseroles for the sick, or the lonely, people she knew and reached out to. Or my dad who gave free dental care and made such a difference in the lives of a small town as their first dentist. Or when we would camp in the northern woods and he would talk to the animals and show us how to respect the creation we saw around us. There are so many who grace our lives with these glimpses of the kin-dom.
The kin-dom which means we will live in peace and harmony has been a dream in the Bible. It asks us to come and participate in that dream. It asks us to realize our dignity and hand it on to others. It asks us to realize that sometimes the level field is a dream and we can participate in that dream for others. So this All Saints' let us remember those who shaped us and remember the one who has loved us and chased us all our lives. Inviting us to participate in that dream, so we might be one too.
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