Sermon for April 19th, 2015

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Matthew 5:1-12

1When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying: 3“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 6“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 7“Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. 8“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 9“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. 10“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11“Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Luke 6:20-26

20Then he looked up at his disciples and said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. 21“Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled. “Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. 22“Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. 23Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets. 24“But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. 25“Woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry. “Woe to you who are laughing now, for you will mourn and weep. 26“Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets.

Beautiful Attitudes: The Brokenhearted

As a pastor, I know a thing or two about mourning and weeping. One of the difficult, bittersweet, strange yet beautiful apsects of my job is that I attend all of the funerals. More than that, I usually (when invited to do so) visit the homes or hospital beds of those who are near death, or the families of those who have recently died. I grieve with them as they grieve, mourn with them as they mourn, and in putting together a funeral service, I help them to express and process that grief in what (I hope) is a meaningful and helpful way.

I never look forward to receiving that call that a member of our community has passed away, and yet when all is finished and the last guest leaves the church on the day of the funeral, I know that more than any sermon I ever preach, more than any big event we host as a church, more than any small group or Sunday school class, and probably even more than any baptism or wedding I perform, comforting those who mourn is without a doubt one of the most important things I do as a pastor.



  • Crying as perceived helplessness.
  • There's no crying in baseball ... and the repression of tears/emotion/weeping
  • Jesus wept.
  • "In this beatitude, Jesus praises … those who can enter into solidarity with the pain of the world and not try to extract themselves from it." Richard Rohr with John Bookser Feister, Jesus' Plan for a New World
  • "It is impossible for one to live without tears who considers things exactly as they are.

Gregory of Nyssa, De Beatitudine"

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