On a level plain

Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany, 2/16/2025

Blessed are you, St Stephen’s. And blessed are you who have created a place of worship for all people. And blessed be God the Creator, Redeemer, and Giver of Life. Amen.

I assume a few of you got a little nervous thinking I was going to make you stand through this whole entire sermon. I'm not that mean. I promise.

This term “blessed” has gotten watered down over time and maybe sometimes used out of context. Too often, we equate "blessed" for being fortunate or of being lucky, perhaps not the sacredness of being blessed by God. “Being blessed” in the biblical context is to be “in favor with God” or “in spiritual well-being with God”. I've heard people say, “I am so blessed.” You all have heard this. I think to myself, “that is awesome. I am glad that you're blessed.” I think to myself, “Tell me a little bit about that. What makes you feel that you are blessed.” I'm certainly not doubting that they are blessed, because I know that they are blessed by God as we all are.

“Blessed are the poor for yours is the kingdom of God.” Yes, God loves us all, but he does favor the poor. We know that this is true through his teachings. His love, in fact, is so immeasurable that he  gives them the kingdom. Now that's not quite like being blessed because of some materiality aspect in our transitory life so different. Today's Gospel is titled “The sermon on the plain.” Yes, you heard it right, “The sermon on the plain.” It's also called “The Beatitudes.” This is Luke's writing of “The sermon on the plain”, and it is similar in structure to “The Sermon on the Mount”, which you'll read in Matthew's gospel. Both have blessings and both have woes.

Luke begins his writing, that you just heard, with “Jesus came down to a level plain.” It is his coming down to be on a level place that Jesus begins to explain to the disciples the teaching of God and the foundations that will become the church. Remember we are in the beginning of Jesus's ministry so he's trying to teach the disciples how to carry out these ministries. The story has its importance because of its timing. The physicality is important to note because Jesus is on the level plain with the apostles and almost rolling up of his sleeves and team building with these apostles to teach them how they are to act. It is on the level that Jesus tells them of the blessings and woes, and of being in relationship with God.

So this is different from Matthew's version where Jesus is standing on the mount. Why is this important? In biblical times, if one wanted to be close to God, one went to the highest point. To be close to God, it is Jesus on the mount preaching to the followers. Jesus goes up to the mountain to pray. Moses goes to the top of the mountain where he receives the Ten Commandments. Elijah goes to the mountain to talk with God. There are many others who feel that gravitating themselves on a mountain or high place brings them closer to God. But this is not true in Luke's gospel where he is writing that Jesus is on the level plain, being on that same playing field and amongst them. This is metaphoric of how God is “among us”: he is within us, he is around us, he is in our everyday world.

It is very common for Luke. This is just a point to speak about the poor. I think of the four gospels Luke speaks most about the poor. In contrast to Matthew's writing and in The Sermon on the Mount. Luke is literally speaking of the poor where Matthew is speaking of people's spirituality, “blessed are the poor in spirit” whereas Luke is saying “blessed are the poor”. Luke writes about the actual poor, the beggar. and the ones on the margin. Here in this gospel lesson, Luke writes how we the church are to be and how we are not to be—blessings and woes.

I treasure this passage, The Beatitudes, as a deacon as a pastoral piece because this lesson speaks of life's hardships but then it gives hope. For instance, “blessed are the hungry for they will be filled” By the grace of God, the poor will eat. By the merits of those who are living into their lives as Christians and walking in the way of love, the poor will be fed. Yes, Jesus came down to the apostles’ level and gave them instruction, symbolic of God becoming incarnate to be among us, to teach. to heal. and to love us. Blessed are those who model their lives in God's love.

Scripture says that those around Jesus could feel the power that came from him. His followers speak of this greatness by the simple fact that people  were following him. Last week we heard that they pressed in so hard against Jesus that he had to commandeer a boat to get out away from the crowd just for a little breathing room. Many times Jesus had to do this to escape the crowds. There is no doubt in my mind that there was power coming from our savior; otherwise these crowds would not have followed him.

And there is no greater power than that of Love. Imagine, if you will, watching our savior heal the sick, curing them of demons, performing miracles. It had to be overwhelming and yet miraculous to the followers of Jesus. In meditating on the scripture I get goosebumps from that feeling being overwhelmed and the love that God has shown to us through Christ.

Blessed are you. In our current times—I'm not going to get political, I promise you—I know that we can come up with our own blessings and woes. It's kind of a fun little exercise, basing our blessings and woes on the principle of who God is and who God loves. Couldn't we in our current day with the knowledge that we have come up with our own? So I thought this week I'd come up with a couple. Why not? The first one I came up with “Blessed are you (oh my goodness) who do not fit in the compartmental boxes of human sexuality, for God loves you just as he made you.” That was the first one; that was a tough one. “Blessed are you in a foreign land striving to make a better life for your you and your family and to escape persecution, for you are known by God, and woe to the one who detains you from your journey that God has sent you on.”

During this upcoming week I encourage you to think about blessings and woes and how you would come up with one that would fit in your life. What is it that would give you hope? What is it that would give you direction? What would give you comfort?

Blessed is God who came to us in human form, to teach us the way of salvation, he who is on that level plain and he who dwells within each of us filling us with these blessings, to carry us in our day-to-day lives and to prepare us for the eternal life promised to us and purchased for us by our savior.

Blessed Be You People of St Stephens. Amen, amen.

© 2025 James Pecoy