This weekend we heard how blessed are those who are poor and hungry and woe to those who are rich and well-fed. Once again Jesus is turning our thinking upside down. The Beatitudes always seem to perplex many as to what kind of lives are we being called to. Using some insight from the soon-to-be-released book by world renowned liturgical music composer David Haas, along with wisdom from Lutheran minister Nadia Bolz-Weber who provides current context for a sermon we have heard so many times may just open all of our eyes to seeing how we can all bring forth the reign of God. Check it out and see what I mean…

1. 17 February 2019 6th
Sunday in Ordinary Time Princeton, NJ
In this morning’s Gospel we listened to Luke’s version of the Beatitudes. And unlike Matthew’s version,
written primary for a Jewish audience and given a setting from the mountain top, Luke is writing for the
gentiles and he places the setting on the Plains – on level ground – where one sees eye-to-eye. Luke
writes the Beatitudes with more simplicity, stressing in his account of how different communities have come
together and thus highlighting that the Gospel is rooted in inclusivity and is for all people.
But when we listen to either version of this sermon, two millennia later, often there seems to be this
question as to what is Jesus driving at? I mean: “Blessed are you who are poor, hungry and weeping and…
woe to you who are rich, well-fed and who laugh? Sounds like Jesus has it a bit backwards…or do we?
For some insight on this, I turned to someone who knows and has prayed and has sung about the
Beatitudes for some 35 years – David Haas. You all know David – we sing his music here on a regular
basis – and in particular his well-known song, Blest Are They. In two weeks, David will be releasing his
latest book called, “Rejoice and Be Glad – (Y)Ours is the Kingdom of God”. Graced with the art of Br.
Mickey McGrath (who will be here at St. Paul’s next Saturday morning), David’s book does an in-depth look
into each part of the Beatitudes. Everyone knows David’s great talent as a world renowned liturgical music
composer – but many are just now learning that his writing is even more brilliant.
So armed with an advanced copy of his latest book, I want to share with you some of his thoughts and
insights about this great sermon:
“Singing and praying “Blest are They” is continually becoming an act of confession and commitment for me
to announce a new understanding of this song-prayer: which is a charge to proclaim that God’s way is not
the way of the world; and thus to change the world, we have to think and act in radically non-judgmental and
nonviolent ways. To change this world, God chooses not to cast anyone away, so to announce that God’s
love is to be shared lavishly and without distinction.
“I am learning that the Beatitudes are not a “self-help” book on how we are to live as Christians or a “rule
book” or “curriculum” for how to get into heaven. But they most certainly are a reflection of Jesus’ mission
and invitation to embrace a more “downward mobility” – for us to take the baton from him to be a “kingdom
people,” committed servants consumed with being wrapped in the reign of God.
“Jesus aches to have this reign come to life in the world through the sorts of people described in these
verses – people like himself - people like us. The Beatitudes are a call for us to take up our vocation to be
light and life for the world, and to show the world what this reign of God looks like.
“Thus we are called to push, prod, and provoke systems that refuse to forgive debt, and that strangles the
quality of life for the poor, the hungry, and the homeless. It means not tolerating economic conditions that
allow the poor to become poorer, without a home, without food, and without dignity.
“The new way of the Beatitudes calls for us to protect our planet; to build bridges instead of walls; to
advocate for the weak and voiceless; to banish all discrimination and dynamics that may separate families;
to lift people from shame and isolation who are put there because they happen to be different than you or
me.
“God desires the world to be always oriented toward the poor and vulnerable, to the weak and isolated. As a
result, God desperately wants people (that would mean you and me) to be responsible for this concern as a
priority to be carried out. God wants and aches for peace. Equally, God wants the instruments of
peacemaking to be you and me.”
1 Deacon Jim Knipper

2. Then, for us to perhaps better understand what Jesus is driving at would be to put his sermon in more
current context – what could it sound like if Jesus delivered the sermon today? Lutheran minister, public
theologian and author Nadia Bolz-Weber recently did just that when she wrote the following:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they who are spiritually
impoverished and therefore not so certain about everything. Blessed are those who have nothing to offer.
Blessed are they for whom nothing seems to be working. Blessed are the poor in spirit. You are of heaven
and Jesus blesses you.
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are they who have buried their loved
ones, for whom tears are as real as an ocean. Blessed are they who have loved enough to know what loss
feels like. Blessed are the mothers of the miscarried. Blessed are the motherless, the alone, the ones from
whom so much has been taken. Blessed are they who laughed again when for so long they thought they
never would. Blessed are those who mourn. You are of heaven and Jesus blesses you.
“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who no one else notices. The kids
who sit alone at middle-school lunch tables. Blessed are the forgotten. Blessed are the unemployed, the
unimpressive, the underrepresented. Blessed are the teens who have to figure out ways to hide the new
cuts on their arms. Blessed are the meek. You are of heaven and Jesus blesses you.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the wrongly
accused, the ones who never catch a break, the ones for whom life is hard – for they are those with whom
Jesus chose to surround himself. Blessed are those without documentation. Blessed are the ones without
lobbyists. Blessed are foster kids and trophy kids and special-ed kids and every other kid who just wants to
feel safe and loved but never does. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. Blessed are
they who know there has to be more than this. Because they are right.
“Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. Blessed are those who make terrible business
decisions for the sake of people. Blessed are the burnt-out social workers and the over-worked teachers
and the pro-bono case takers. Blessed are the kids who step between the bullies and the weak. Blessed are
the ones who have received such real grace that they are no longer in the position of ever deciding who the
“deserving poor” are. Blessed is everyone who has ever forgiven me when I didn’t deserve it. Blessed are
the merciful for they totally get it.”
This is what the “blessedness” of the Beatitudes lays out for us. This is true holiness - holiness which is
found when we make the journey, when we follow on the path, when we work to make the reign of God
visible to everyone without exception.
We will sing Blest Are They during Communion… and I would invite all of us to join in and sing this – to pray
this – to shout this as loud as we can in order to reach as many who will hear the truth and good news that
the Kingdom of God is both yours and ours – it belongs to all of us: the poor, sorrow-filled, the lowly, the
hungry, the homeless, the pure of heart, the peacemakers, you and me, all of us, who are loved lavishly and
without distinction by our good and gracious God.
2 Deacon Jim Knipper