Matthew 5.1-12-The Beautitudes

Seeking my father’s approval
I played on the newly formed girl’s volleyball team when I was in high school. Being a new team we weren’t that great. We sure didn’t have a winning season. But I had a pretty mean serve. My dad didn’t go to a lot of my school functions, but I finally talked him to going to a game. After the game I ran up to him, so excited that he was there and I was also excited that even though we had lost, I had put about 9 points in a row up on the board with my serves. So I run up to my dad and all he has is some snide comment about what a loser team we were. Wow, that popped my bubble big time. I was so disappointed. I felt like Dad could care less about my musical accomplishments and so I thought sports would be somewhere we could connect. And it didn’t happen.

What is blessing?
I was seeking my dad’s approval. I wanted to do something that would make him proud, something that would bring pleasure to him.

That is what a blessing is, it is finding favor with another, an act of approval.

What are the Beatitudes?
The Beatitudes are a series of blessings. This scripture passage is known as the Beatitudes, and a beatitude is a statement of blessing, or a pronouncement of blessing. This passage uses a standard literary Jewish formula: “It will go well with the one who… for that one shall receive…”

The Beatitudes are statements of God’s approval, the favor of God.

Today’s useage
~We bless when we sneeze.
~We bless our food.
~A benediction is a form of blessing.
~It is request for permission: to “gain your parent’s blessing.” Before a couple is engaged, a young man may approach the parents (father) of the young woman, asking permission to ask her hand in marriage. This is asking for the parents blessing (their approval) on their engagement and future marriage.

Blessing is more than happiness
Sometimes blessing is translated happiness. But that is a starting definition that does not encompass the whole meaning. Unless we go back more than 200 years ago and look at the definition of happiness from the 19th Century edition of Webster’s Dictionary:

The pleasurable sensations derived from the gratification of sensual appetites…

Let’s stop there a moment. That’s what many of us think of happiness. Basically that mean if I feel good, I’m happy. We sit down at the dinne table at Thanksgiving, that makes me happy (unitl I eat too much.) If someone asks you, “Are you happy?” What do you think. Maybe you think, "Well, I have a comfortable home, a family, good friends, a good steady income… yeah, I’m happy." Let’s look at the rest of the definiton.

The pleasurable sensations derived from the gratification of sensual appetites render a person temporarily happy; but he only can be esteemed really and permanently happy, who enjoys peace of mind in the favor of God. (from Unexpected Blessing, by Cameron Lee. Bold is mine.)

Webster in the 1800’s was a pretty smart guy. His definition of happiness is actually our true definition of blessing: the favor of God. Our degree of happiness is not weighed according to how we feel momentarily or what we have in life, whether it be relationships or possessions. Blessing is based on one relationship: our relationship with God.

Looking for approval; seeking favor
In the opening story, I told you of how I was looking for my father’s approval. I wanted to seek his favor. With God, we don’t have to look or seek. We don’t have to do some great thing. We don’t have to prove ourselves to God. God’s blessing is a gift of grace; it is freely given.

Remember we talked about the first four Beatitudes last week: poor, mourn, meek, hunger and thirst. We said that each of these were lacking something. They don’t have anything to give, they  come to God in want, needing something. And these are the ones God blesses. The pure in heart, the persecuted, what do they have to give God, but they have received God’s blessing. They only group that may have anything to offer are the merciful, but that’s Jeff’s sermon next week.

It’s when we come to God empty, it’s when we come to God knowing we have nothing to offer, we enjoy peace of mind in the favor of God; it is then we are blessed.

Being like children
Mt 19.13-15; Mk 10.13-16
You’ll remember how when Jesus, at the height of his ministry, as he was busy teaching and healing and delivering people from demons, he delighted in children. People brought children to him so that he could touch them and pray for them. The disciples in the meantime are trying to shoo the children away.

You see in this time and culture, children were given little regard. Roman law allowed children to be treated brutally. A father had the power to decide whether to keep a newborn or simply discard it. The Jews valued children as heirs of God’s promise yet also put them on the lowest rung of the social ladder as distractions and annoyances. Children were of little significance.
(from Unexpected Blessing, by Cameron Lee.)

This was probably the thinking of the disciples as they looked at these children as a distraction and interfering with Jesus’ “real” ministry. But according to Mark, Jesus sees the actions of the disciples and he is indignant – the only time this word is used to describe Jesus. Other passages, use this term to refer to people who take deep offense at the action of another. Jesus was offended that the disciples were not letting the children be brought to him and he scolded them for their actions.

Jesus tells the disciples:
14… “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.  15I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”

Be like these children, Jesus tells the disciples. These children are brought by their parents. They have nothing to offer. And Jesus embraces them, accepts them, and blesses them.

We are called to come to Christ by that same example. Looking at the Beatitudes, young children are poor-they don’t own anything, they can’t buy anything. The very young let you know when they are hungry or thirsty! They can’t feed themselves. Jesus urges to come like these, and in so coming, we are favored by God, we are blessed, we receive the kingdom of God.

Blessed to be a blessing
Let me take a moment to further comment on the importance Jesus places on children. As the church, we, too, are called to model such gracious acceptance of our children. They are a part of us now; they are not just our future-they are the here and now. As God offers them as an example to live by, may we model some of their behavior. As Jesus takes them into his arms, may we embrace them, bless them, and favor their presence among us. After all, we are blessed to be a blessing.  (I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. –Genesis 12.2)

As long as I’ve been following Jesus, I have been interested in
spiritual growth and transformation. I’ve been interested in the ways
that Christ-followers grow. This series is something of an outgrowth of
this interest.

My goal is to be a spiritual leader (like the abbot in a monastic
community) whose job it is to exemplify the spiritual practices. I want
to see you develop the spiritual habits as well. Then, as we’re all
growing in our spiritual journey, we will become the revolutionary
spiritual community God intends for us to be! That possibility, to me,
is incredibly exciting!

I recently read a statement that really emphasized the value of this
series, for me: “Christianity without discipleship is always
Christianity without Christ.” (Dietrich Bonhoeffer)

Today, I want to talk about “sabbath keeping,” observing
“sabbath time.”

Questions about Sabbath

• What was the original meaning of Sabbath, and how did that seem to change?
• How do you think Jesus understood Sabbath?
• Do you think Sabbath is a particular day (24 hour period; Saturday or Sunday?) or is quality of time during the week?
• Is the Sabbath the same as “the Lord’s Day”?
• What activities can you not do on Sabbath/Sunday that you can do on the other six days of the week?

Sabbath in Judaism (Old Testament)

Genesis 2.2-3; Exodus 20.8-11; Exodus 23.12; Exodus 31.13-17

The word “Sabbath,” which comes from the verb sabat, means “to cease,
desist, pause, rest.” The root of Sabbath means “to catch one’s breath.”

“Six days a week we seek to dominate the world, on the seventh day we try to dominate the self.” (Rabbi Abraham Heschel)

“Sabbath—Shabbat—is the heart of Judaism. When Jews who have become
inattentive to their religion wish to deepen their observance, rabbis
tell them with one voice: You must begin by keeping Shabbat.” (Dorothy
Bass)

If you are interested in reading more about Sabbath, click here.

Sabbath in Christianity (New Testament)
Among many Christians, “Sabbath” has become synonymous with “the Lord’s
Day.” In fact, many Christians in the early centuries observed both the
Sabbath and then met together for worship on the Lord’s Day,
representing the day Jesus arose from the dead (at least until the
destruction of the Temple in AD 70).

However, the New Testament doesn’t give any clear guidelines on
continuing to “remember the Sabbath.” Paul wrote in Colossians
2.16b–17, “Don’t let them say that you must celebrate the New Moon
festival, the Sabbath, or any other festival. These things are only a
shadow of what was to come. But Christ is real!”

That said, I believe that sabbath time (daily and weekly time) is vitally important to our spiritual journeys. Personally, I can’t imagine my life without sabbath time! I remember in
the earliest days of my spiritual journey, getting to know God
intimately; if I missed my early morning sabbath time, I could
literally feel the difference. I felt as if I was spinning my wheels.

So, what does it look like for Christ-followers to keep the Sabbath today?

1 – Feel the rhythm.

There’s a rhythm in the creation story (Genesis 1-2). God made the
world in six days, and rested in one. That’s the rhythm God operated in.

Rhythm is about knowing when to play and when not to play. It’s
learning when to be on and when to be off. It’s the difference between
making music and just making noise. When we don’t have rhythm, our life
is less and less music and more and more noise (chaos).

Ecclesiastes 3 says, “There is a time for everything …” And, God
created the world with four seasons. Rhythm is built into the system!

What about Jesus? How did he keep the Sabbath holy?

“Jesus was accused of being a Sabbath-breaker, but the truth was the
opposite: Jesus was a master Sabbath-keeper!” (Leonard Sweet)

There’s a rhythm to Jesus’ life In the Gospels. He’s giving, producing,
serving, often surrounded by crowds of people with tremendous needs.
Following those moments of intensity, Jesus gets away and observes
sabbath time. Here are a few examples: Mark 1.34–38; Mark 6.45-46; Mark 4.35-36; Luke 5.16.

Jesus is trying to teach his disciples this rhythm. The disciples have
also been out giving, producing, doing intense work, and Jesus invites his
disciples, afterward, to rest.

I believe it’s important for us to create space in our lives throughout the week, and not just on the Sabbath or on Sunday.

“Sabbath does not come just once a week. Every day needs a holy hiatus.
Every week needs to be well ventilated with sabbaticals.” (Leonard
Sweet)

One way I like to think about it is with the phrase,
“engage/disengage.” Like Jesus, we need to spend time engaging people,
as well as time where we “abandon” (or leave) the crowds to re-group
and focus on God. This rhythm is important!

“Rest and worship. One day a week—not much, in a sense, but a good
beginning. One day to resist the tyranny of too much or too little work
and to celebrate with God and others, remembering thereby who we really
are and what is really important. One day that, week after week,
anchors a way of life that makes a difference every day.” (Dorothy Bass)

2 – Focus on God

Sabbath: “uncluttered time and space to distance ourselves from the
frenzy of our own activities so we can see what God has been doing and
is doing.” (Eugene Peterson)

Observing sabbath time helps us to focus on God, and to remember that
God is in charge of the universe and we are not. It’s a good way to
remind ourselves that it’s not about us; but that it’s about God!

3 – Soak in the Scriptures

Scripture plays a vital role. We must immerse ourselves in Scripture –
reading it, reflecting on it, meditating on it, until it literally
becomes a part of us! The only way we experience true transformation is
when we internalize God’s Word.

4 – Listen to God. Talk to God.

The order is intentional, putting the emphasis on listening: Listen,
first, then talk. And it should be an ongoing conversation. I think
that’s what it means to practice the presence of God, to pray without
ceasing, to have a running conversation with God that never ends.

Several years ago, Leadership Journal interviewed Richard Foster and
Henri Nouwen. They were asked about how they understood prayer …

“Prayer is first of all listening to God. It’s openness. God is always
speaking; he’s always doing something. Prayer is to enter into that
activity. … Prayer in its most basic sense is just entering into an
attitude of saying, “‘Lord, what are you saying to me?’” (Nouwen)

“The problem with describing prayer as speaking to God is that it
implies we are still in control. But in listening, we let go. … The
spiritual life is not something we add onto an already busy life. What
we are talking about is to impregnate and infiltrate and control what
we already do with an attitude of service to God.” (Foster).

[Here are the links to the rest of the interview: Part 1 and Part 2.]

5 – Exercise faith

In Exodus 16, God told his people that he would provide manna for them
six mornings every week. But on the sixth day, he would provide double
the amount they needed so that they could store up enough manna for the
Sabbath. It was an exercise of faith!

6 – Discover true peace

“For fast acting relief, try slowing down.” (Lily Tomlin)

“Peace is not something we find when your latest crisis is over. What
usually follows stress, of course, is the next stress. Peace is not
discovered; it is created. You don’t make less stress, you create more
peace.” (Ben Lerner)

I believe that in order to truly experience God’s peace, we must practice sabbath time consistently in our lives!

Invitation to practice sabbath keeping …

“It is not so much that we ‘keep the sabbath’ as that the sabbath keeps
us — keeps us whole, keeps us sane, keeps us spiritually alive.”
(Leonard Sweet)

“Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.’” (Matthew 11.28)

One of the ways to describe our life with God is dance. In fact, a word
used in the early centuries of the church’s life to describe the
Trinity is “perichoresis”: peri (around) and chor (where we get
choreography) — to dance around. It’s the picture of the Trinity
circling in a dance, and through creation and salvation, we are invited
to the dance. And keeping sabbath is a great way to practice the dance!

[We closed the service today by singing a wonderful Shaker song, "Lord
of the Dance." You can read the words and listen to a MIDI file at CyberHymnal.org.]