Blessed are the Crack Pots

Luke 6:20-31

Then Jesus looked up at his disciples and said: “Blessed
are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. “Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled. “Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. “Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice 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. “But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. “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. “Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets.

“But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. Do to others as you would have them do to you.

For this All Saint’s Sunday, we have Luke’s version of the “Blessed Ares”… the Beatitudes.  Luke is usually nicer and gentler while Matthew is normally the “weeping and gnashing of teeth” guy.  But with the Beatitudes they seem to have done a role reversal.  Luke has, blessed are you who are poor!  Not, blessed are you who are poor in SPIRIT, like in Matthew’s Gospel.  Just straight up POOR!  Blessed are you who are hungry.  Not, blessed are you who hunger and thirst for righteousness like in Matthew’s Gospel.  No, this isn’t some kind of spiritual poverty, this is not-enough-money-to-pay-the-rent, poverty!  This isn’t a spiritual hunger Jesus is calling blessed.  This is a growling-stomach-that-doesn’t-know-where-to-find-a-meal kind of hunger that Jesus is calling blessed.  

I think I probably like Matthew’s version of these beatitudes better because I can be blessed… because I’m poor “in spirit” but don’t have to be poor in wallet.  In Matthew I can be blessed as someone who hungers and thirsts "for righteousness" and not have to actually do without a meal.  Luke’s version doesn’t allow us to play that way.  Luke’s version INSISTS that it isn’t spiritual poverty or spiritual hunger.  This is “nothing in the bank and two weeks ’til payday” poverty and hunger!  This is a “without help from beyond me, myself, and I… me, myself, and I will be homeless and hungry” situation.  Luke’s version demands that we listen to Jesus and really, really hear that it is the broken, the hungry, the addicted, the poor, the weeping, the losers who have, through the terrible circumstances of live… who are BLESSED… not to be poor or hungry, (that's no blessing) but BLESSED in their hard learned understand that there is NOTHING any of us can accomplish on our own, apart from God.  

It is those life-cracking experiences that allow us to see  what Luther wrote in his explanation of the Third Article of the Apostle’s Creed, that “I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith.”  The blessing is in the letting go of the notion we have to do it all ourselves.  The blessing is in the understanding that it’s ONLY through a gift from God that they have life, find a bed, have a meal to eat, and all the rest.

Being poor, being hungry, being broken, being an addict, being a loser and all the rest, are all held up by our world as the most horrible things you could ever be.  None of that is any fun, for sure!  But Jesus knew that being broken, even as genuinely painful and terrible as it is… turns out to ALSO form the cracks through which we are able to see God the most clearly at work in our lives.  

Now, neither Father, Son, nor Holy Spirit WISHES poverty, hunger, grief, or brokenness on any of us.  It’s just that Jesus knew that WHEN those things came into our lives… and because we're human, they always come in one way or another… we would be blessed with an opportunity to see God’s love at work in our lives in ways that the rich, the full, and the winners never would.  Woe, to them.  

In Japan, there is an art form called Kintsugi.  In this art form, ceramic bowls that have become broken are repaired in a unique way.  The artist doesn’t attempt to hide the cracks, but instead draws the eye to them by repairing them with gold.  The repaired bowls are then even more valuable than when they were unbroken.  Both the expense of the gold, but also the new beauty of the bowl, contribute to the bowl’s greater value.  

Jesus says, “Blessed are the cracked bowls.”  “Blessed are those who are broken.”  “Blessed are the losers.”  “Blessed are all the saints.”  Because it is THROUGH the cracks and brokenness of the saints around us AS WELL AS our own cracks and brokenness, that we see the shining gold of God's precious love and compassion filling our broken places and making us whole… Giving us even greater value than before… preparing each and every one of us, to then respond to God’s incredibly generous gift by being present for one another, being compassionate with one another, sharing our gifts and our wealth with one another.  It is through those ever growing acts of generosity, given in thanks for what God has first given us, that we together as the church move step by step… one day at a time… to do nothing less than change the world.  Amen.