|
Blessed are those that Mourn Last Sunday morning we began a sermon series for these Sunday’s in January looking at that group of sayings of Jesus which we commonly call “The Beatitudes”. We call them “The Beatitudes” because each saying begins with the word “Blessed”. Another reason for calling them the beatitudes is that they deal with those deeper things in our lives – our attitudes and our relationship with God. And these things are the “Beautiful attitudes” which Jesus draws our attention to. Last week Charmaine began the series by looking at the first beatitude which was “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.” We saw that to be “poor in spirit” means to come to that point where we realize our need for total dependence on God. And when we are in that place of dependence on God, then we are truly blessed, - because we then experience something of the closeness and the reality of Heaven. The Contemporary English Version puts it well when it translated this verse as “God blesses those people who depend only on Him. They belong to the kingdom of heaven.” Depending on God is not for wimps! It is not for the gutless or the cowards! It is for those who are up to the challenge to put themselves aside and base their lives on God. Every morning when we wake up begins a new challenge for us to turn aside from self- and to depend more on God. Today we look at the third Beatitude ( we are having to skip some of the beatitudes) which says “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” This beatitude doesn’t sound like its going to be much fun, does it? If it’s about mourning and sorrow and sadness, then we would most likely prefer to avoid it, wouldn’t we? We surround our lives with things and people and interests which, for the most part, try and make us happy, cheerful and humoured. But the word used here for “mourning” is the strongest word in the Greek language that has to do with sorrow and grief. It is the word used for mourning the dead. In this past year I have taken something like 25 funerals, - and while all funerals are sad occasions, some, because of the age or circumstances surrounding the death, are more tragic and sad than others. The word Jesus uses here is the word used to describe the kind of grief which takes hold of a person in such a way that it cannot be hid or contained. Its like a river which bursts it banks. The should-shaking grief which just cant be contained. Jesus said – “Blessed are those who mourn – for they shall be comforted.” What did Jesus mean by these words? I think we can take three meanings from these words, and each one is applicable. 1/ Firstly it can be taken quite literally: “Blessed is the man who has endured the bitterest sorrow that life can bring.” The Arabs have a proverb – “All sunshine makes a desert.” As rain is essential for growth, so too, there are some qualities in our lives which only the experience of sorrow and mourning can produce. When things go well in our lives, we can live for years simply on the surface of things; but when sorrow comes we are driven to the deeper things of life, and if accepted rightly, a new strength enters the soul. There is a blessedness which comes from mourning well, rather than trying to escape the pain and sorrow of grief. True mourning faces the losses of life and admits and accepts and even embraces those losses. We are made stronger when, in poverty of spirit, in utter dependence on God, we mourn that which we have lost, and look to Him for grace and strength. 2/ Secondly we can take this beatitude to mean : “Blessed are those who are desperately sorry for the sorrow and suffering of the world.” It is those who have taken to heart the pain and suffering of the world, who most often do something about it, and who find the strength and courage and grace of God to bring relief to those who suffer. All of the examples you can think of where people have reached out to others in need, have come about because individuals have mourned over the suffering of others. In 1950 Dr Bob Pierce, an American serviceman during the Korean War, had a deep compassion for the children made orphans by that war. In the fly-leaf of his Bible Dr Bob Pierce had written: "Let my heart be broken by the things that break the heart of God." These words brought World Vision into being and continue to inspire World Vision workers and supporters around the world. Through their focus on entire communities World vision supporters touch the lives of 85 million people worldwide. Habitat for Humanity grew out of the concerns of a farmer and biblical scholar, Clarence Jordan. Through the work of Habitat for Humanity thousands of low-income families have found new hope in the form of affordable housing. Churches, community groups and others have joined together to successfully tackle a significant social problem -- decent housing for all. Today, Habitat for Humanity has built more than 175,000 houses, sheltering more than 900,000 people in more than 3,000 communities worldwide. It has become a true world leader in addressing the issues of poverty housing. What began as a mourning for the suffering of people, was used by God to transform peoples lives and communities. Blessed is the one who cares intensely for the sufferings, and the sorrows, and for the needs of others. No doubt both these different meanings of the Beatitude hold true, but the main thought of this Beatitude is 3/ . “Blessed is the one who is desperately sorry for his own sin and his own unworthiness.” I would far rather talk to you this morning about God’s love, about God’s grace, His abundance mercy and goodness, - I would much rather mention THOSE things than to talk about “sin” ! But this Beatitude reminds us that only when we come to a true understanding of sin, of what it is, and the depth of sin in our own lives, - only then will we be truly blessed. I think we each have those brief and revealing moments when we come to realize that we are not as good or as perfect as we think we are; those moments when we realize the extent of the sin that is embedded in our hearts, - and seeing ourselves for what we really are – and we don’t like what we see! Those are the moments when Jesus says we are truly blessed! Those are the moments when we mourn because of the sin within us, and we have a deep desire to be different, to be changed, to be made new. Jesus says – you are truly blessed when you come to that point, and you will be comforted! Why? Because it is then that our hearts are most open to receive the forgiveness and the new life which Jesus alone can give. One of the great paradox’s of the Christian faith is that the more we come to a true understanding of the nature of sin, - which we might think will be totally depressing – the more can enjoy and appreciate the extent of God’s freely offered forgiveness and mercy. The way to the joy of forgiveness is through the desperate sorrow of the broken heart. “Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted.” |
