Happy are the Saints
(Matthew 5: 1-12)
Who hasn’t ever wondered what heaven is really like? We know you have to get through pearly gates to get in, that the streets are paved with gold and there is a beautiful mansion with many rooms. Eternal life seems like a very long time. What will I do with all my free time? Will there be enough for me to do? When we think of a loved one who has passed we say things like, Uncle Jack sure loved golf. I’ll bet he’s playing every day getting nothing but birdies and eagles. Grandmother Marge sure loved quilting. I’ll bet she’s knee deep in scrap fabric sewing with silver threads and golden needles. Dad sure liked to read in peace. He’s probably sitting in an overstuffed leather chair by a crackling fire reading Lonesome Dove. My sister Helen would rather hike than eat. I’d be surprised if she wasn’t hiking some beautiful mountain with air so clear and cold it makes you dizzy. We conjure up all kinds of beautiful images where we see our loved ones doing what they loved best here on earth because they were good people and have earned their rewards. It sounds like such a wonderful place that we long for the day when we will be reunited with our loved ones who have gone on before us. In the meantime, we’re stuck here on earth enduring all sorts of stress waiting for our time.
The one thing we know for sure is that it is our faith in God that gets us the reward of eternal life. John Wesley, the founder of our denomination, agreed with the Apostle James who said My brothers and sisters, what good is it if people say they have faith but do nothing to show it? (James 2: 14) James said that faith is dead when it doesn’t result in faithful activity. In essence, we’ve been given this gift but, to truly enjoy it, we have to put it to good use. Our faith must be reflected in our daily lives to have any meaning. When Jesus was asked by the rich young man what he must do to inherit eternal life Jesus told him to follow all the commandments and then, if he wanted to be complete, to sell all he owned and give the money to the poor, thereby gaining treasure in heaven, and follow him. (Matthew 19: 16-21) Jesus was testing him to see if would put his worldly goods and possessions over living a Christ-like life. We know how that story ended. The young man walked away dejected and disappointed.
In our scripture reading for today Jesus is describing the type of people he would like to spend eternity with. Jesus had previously announced in Matthew 4: 17 that the kingdom was near. The people who had been following him all around Galilee listening to his teachings naturally wondered whether or not they were qualified to be in God’s kingdom. When Jesus saw the large crowd that had assembled, he went up on a mountain side where he sat down and began to teach. He begins by giving them what we’ve come to know as The Beatitudes. He tells them, Happy are people who are hopeless, because the kingdom of heaven is theirs. Happy are people who grieve, because they will be made glad. Happy are people who are humble, because they will inherit the earth. Happy are people who are hungry and thirsty for righteousness, because they will be fed until they are full. Happy are people who show mercy, because they will receive mercy. Happy are people who have pure hearts, because they will see God. Happy are people who make peace, because they will be called God’s children. Happy are people whose lives are harassed because they are righteous, because the kingdom of heaven is theirs. Happy are you when people insult your and harass you and speak all kinds of bad and false things about you, all because of me. Be full of joy and be glad, because you have a great reward in heaven. In the same way, people harassed the prophets who came before you.
The words seem to be a contradiction. It certainly isn’t the Prosperity Gospel. I mean, how can you be happy about being hopeless or in mourning? Being humble doesn’t sound like a person who is the life of the party. We’re only hungry and thirsty for righteousness when we’re the ones who have been wronged. Showing mercy, having a pure heart and making peace is a lot to ask a person in today’s fast-paced, dog-eat-dog world. It sure won’t help you get ahead in life. And who can be happy about being harassed and insulted because we believe in Jesus Christ. If being an outward-living Christian is going to cause me this kind of grief, I’ll just keep my relationship with Christ between the two of us. But God’s way of living usually contradicts the world’s. As a believer, you must be willing to give when others take, to love when others hate, to help when others abuse.
The Beatitudes are not multiple choice. You don’t get to pick one you like and ignore the rest. You can’t say you’ll be a peacemaker and that’s it because the other stuff sounds too difficult or sappy. It doesn’t work that way. The Beatitudes must be taken as a whole. They describe what we should be like as Christ’s followers. The Beatitudes imply the fortunate or enviable state of those who are in God’s kingdom. Blessed or happy means the experience of hope and joy, independent of outward circumstances. I never really understood that until I talked with someone who had been through a horrible tragedy experiencing an unimaginable loss. In spite of what had just happened, they would say they were blessed. Who other than a Christian can see blessings in tragedy? They had that hope and joy in the belief that Christ was with them all the way and He would see them through the storm. Wealth and power, fame and fortune, don’t get you in. Kingdom people seek different blessings and benefits, and have totally different attitudes. Their eye is on the prize that counts.
In the Apostle Paul’s first letter to the church in Thessalonica (1 Thessalonians 4: 13-16) he addresses the Thessalonians concern about those believers who had died and wouldn’t be around when Christ returned. He reassured them that on the day of Christ’s return all believers, dead and alive, will be reunited, never to suffer or die again. The day is coming when we will all be united together.
So, on this day when we fondly honor the memory and lives of those who have gone on ahead of us, we remember his words on the mountain and how he described how Christians experience the happiness of leading a life in Him. We take comfort in knowing our loved ones are at rest and have inherited their eternal life. We take comfort that the saints that have gone on before us are happy and are anxiously awaiting the day when they too will be reunited with us, their loved ones.
Please pray with me.
God of mercy, joy, comfort, peace and grace, what a privilege it is to be a follower of your son, Jesus Christ, who sacrificed himself so that we could live a life secure in the knowledge that eternal life with you is in our future. While we may still grieve and feel the hurt that comes with the loss of a loved one we find comfort in knowing that they are with you and are living in peace enveloped in your loving arms. Keep us mindful of the teachings of your son that day on the side of the mountain and with the help of the Holy Spirit guide us as we endeavor to lead full lives of joy as we look forward with great anticipation to the day we receive our great reward in heaven. In the name of your son, the Prince of Peace, we pray, Amen.