Blessings and Woes: The Sermon on the Plain for Our Time

 

Unlike the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus' Sermon on the Plain contains both blessings and woes.

Jeremiah 17:5-10

Psalm 1

1 Corinthians 15:12-20

Luke 6:17-26

©2025 The Rev. Seth Olson

This sermon was inspired by the above readings and was preached on the 6^th Sunday after the Epiphany at the Episcopal Church of the Holy Apostles in Hoover, AL. A video of the sermon may be found here.

Holy God, may my words be your words and when my words are not your words, may your people be wise enough to know the same. Amen.

Jesus stood on a level place. Not high above, like Moses on Mount Sinai, nor like how Matthew depicted Jesus preaching the Sermon on the Mount. No, here in Luke’s account of the Good News, Jesus came down to the plain and dwelt among the people. He stood where they stood, looked them in the eyes, and spoke words that were both a comfort and a challenge: words of blessing and words of woe.

“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.”

Luke’s recollection of this sermon is more direct than the one in Matthew. There is no “poor in spirit” here—just the poor. The physically, financially, socially poor. Those who struggle to put food on the table, who lie awake at night worrying about their children, or who live paycheck to paycheck. Jesus did not say they will be blessed in some distant future; he said they are blessed now. Why? Because the kingdom of God is not just some far-off promise—through Christ, it has already entered the world, confronting the systems of power, and revealing God’s abundant grace. As unlikely as it sometimes seems, God’s in-breaking presence never stops, though we often miss it, which is probably why here in Luke, it’s not only about blessings.

Enter the woes: 

“Woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.”

Woe. Not a curse, but a warning. A call to pay attention, like when a lifeguard blows her whistle causing a running child to stop and look around. Jesus blows the whistle. Woe to those who have everything they need but fail to see the needs of others. Woe to those who are comfortable while their neighbors suffer. Woe to those who mistake wealth and security for divine favor. Woe.

This message echoes in Jeremiah’s prophecy, where we hear: “Cursed are those who trust in mere mortals and make mere flesh their strength, whose hearts turn away from the Lord.” And the prophet had his own beatitude, “Blessed are those who trust in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. They shall be like a tree planted by water.” Through Jeremiah we discover the difference between blessing and woe is not about external circumstances. Instead, this difference stems from trust—where we root ourselves, or perhaps more pointedly, in whom we put our trust—the one with the Living Water.

Paul, too, in 1 Corinthians, reminds us of where our trust should rest: “If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.” In other words, the hope we hold, the kingdom we seek, is not merely about earthly success. It is also about resurrection, about the long arch of God’s redemption, about life beyond the immediate concerns that often preoccupy us. Of course, shifting our vision away from the urgent issues screaming for our attention is abnormally difficult in this age of constant notifications, ubiquitous screens, and ever-present distractions. But, I have a surprising practice that may be of some assistance in seeing things differently.

Last Sunday I shared that on Saturday, March 8^th we’ll have an end-of-life planning workshop with experts from various fields: financial, legal, spiritual, and even within the funeral home industry. It’s not easy to think about such things, but it can truly be a gift to your family—and even to you! 

As strange as it sounds, research affirms what our faith has long taught: that contemplating our mortality leads to a better life. Psychological studies suggest that reflecting on death—whether through meditation or mindful awareness—can reduce fear, increase gratitude, and encourage meaningful living. A 2018 study found that those who regularly engage in mortality awareness tend to prioritize deeper relationships, healthier lifestyles, and compassionate choices. There is even evidence that these meditations cultivate peace and clarity, reinforcing the idea that acknowledging our limits frees us to live more fully in the present. 

By placing our trust in something beyond the temporary concerns of this world, we are invited into a deeper sense of purpose and hope. And, paradoxically, when we trust that in the end God will have the final word, we are able to be more fully present now in this moment. 

Speaking of the now, what would Jesus’ sermon sound like if he preached it here, among us at Holy Apostles? What are the blessings and woes he might proclaim in our midst today? Perhaps it would sound something like this:

Blessed are you who are exhausted from caregiving, for God sees your labor of love and will sustain you.

Blessed are you who struggle with addiction and keep showing up, for God's grace is enough and is working even now.

Blessed are you who feel like outsiders in the Church, for God has made a place for you at the table.

Blessed are you who work for justice, even when no one listens, for you are doing the work of the kingdom.

And the woes:

Woe to you who find security in wealth but ignore the suffering of others, for your riches cannot save you.

Woe to you who silence the voices of the marginalized, for the kingdom belongs to them.

Woe to you who believe faith is about comfort and not about transformation, for God is always calling you deeper.

Woe to you who mistake privilege for righteousness, for the last will be first and the first will be last.

Jesus’ words are not easy. And, they are not meant to be. Jesus’ words call us to examine ourselves honestly, to ask where we find ourselves in his sermon. Are we the blessed or the woeful? If we are honest, we are probably both. And that is why Jesus speaks these words to us in love—not to condemn, but to invite us into a different way of being.

Jesus stood on a level place—among the people, among folks like us. And he still does. Our Savior calls us to see with new eyes, to beware of our limitations, and to root our lives in the God who loves us, for that is what will truly bless us—life in Christ.

Amen.

 

Blessings

What do Presidential motorcades, celebrity sightings, and court-storming fans have to do with Jesus?

This sermon is based on these texts:
Revelation 7:9-17Psalm 34:1-10, 221 John 3:1-3Matthew 5:1-12

I have never personally witnessed a presidential motorcade; however, I have watched enough West Wing and House of Cards to know what happens when the commander-in-chief rolls into one’s city. I have never been present for a massive celebrity sighting; however, I have paid attention enough to the publications in the checkout line at the grocery store to know what happens they venture out into public. I have never attended a game when the underdog pulled such an upset, still I have watched enough sports of TV to know what happens when the clock strikes zero and Goliath has been slain. In each of these cases the response of those surrounding the leader, the star, or the game-winner is the same, namely pandemonium—blocked off streets, people fainting, and fans rushing the ones in the spotlight. So, of course, this was the response when Jesus began his ministry long ago too, right? Hmm…

You may have noticed that we are not where we last left Jesus. It may feel like we have whiplash, as we shift from the culminating moments of Matthew’s Gospel account during Holy Week back to the start when Jesus strolled onto the scene. Before we dive into this almost-too-familiar text that we commonly call the Beatitudes, it would do us some good to explore the build-up that Matthew provides us in the opening chapters of his telling of the Good News.

If this were a movie the narrator would give away a crucial detail about the story even before the opening credits finish rolling. Matthew begins his story by telling us that Jesus is the Messiah. This may not seem weird to us, but imagine being a hearer of this story long ago. On the one hand this seems anticlimactic especially since what follows is a dull genealogy tracing Jesus back to King David. However, on the other hand this crucial detail begins to build up the anticipation around Jesus.

Building upon this proclamation Matthew points out the universal nature of Jesus’ kingly status by describing the journey of the Magi from the East to see the newborn king of the Jews. In the early moments of the tale, the gospel writer also tells of angelic visitors coming to Joseph, the holy family escaping to Egypt, and King Herod viciously murdering the first-born-sons of Bethlehem. If the dreary listing of whom begat who lulled the original audience to sleep these dramatic twists and turns surely would woke them from their slumber. Eventually Joseph brings his family to Nazareth where Jesus grows up. By the time he matures into an adult John the Baptist is venturing out into the wilderness to send the hype surrounding Jesus to atmospheric levels. Soon though it is not only human voices that shine a light on the majesty of Jesus, but God’s own voice also.

God announces at Jesus’ baptism that he is God’s Son, the Beloved, with whom God is well pleased. Instead of dwelling on this proclamation Matthew seizes on this moment to describe Jesus’ flight to the desert and his fight with the Devil there. By the time Jesus calls his first disciple there is so much excitement surrounding him that it puts presidential motorcades, paparazzi, and field-storming fans to shame!

With all this attention, all this build-up, and even the voice of God inaugurating Jesus as God’s beloved Son what might we expect from Jesus’ first public statements? What will be his first teaching? Probably big pyrotechnics through a miracle of some sort, right? Or if not that words that rile up the crowd to get them to change the world. Or, if the crowd got its way some words about overthrowing the occupying Roman forces! Right?! Surely, his words will be about the power that has surrounded the hype of his ministry. Well, none of these things happened. In fact, after the crescendo that built throughout the first four chapters of this Gospel account we may feel like Jesus made his initial public offering through a whimper.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” While this first statement sounds counter-cultural to us, it would have been even more shocking to those who first heard it. Jesus then offers eight other statements about what blessing looks like—not according to the world that props up kings and queens, high priests and governors, gladiators and celebrities, but according to God’s beloved Son.

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
“Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

So what does Jesus mean by blessed? Someone who was blessed was one who was spoken well of, fortunate, or even happy. In what world are the mournful happy? How are those who are meek fortunate? Are you really telling me Jesus that someone who is persecuted is spoken well of? This is all a little shocking—it is all a little disorienting—but this is the direction of Jesus’ ministry. Think back over the last few weeks’ Gospel lessons.

At the end of this same Gospel account Jesus focuses his teaching energy upon those who were in power—the presidents, the stars, and the celebrities of the day. Jesus challenged them and he challenges us to see things not through the eyes of the world’s elite, but through the eyes of God—who by the way is quite often viewing things from the outsider perspective of the tax collector, prostitute, or poor beggar.

On some level I hope this is not too shocking to us, I mean this is Jesus. Plus, we have heard Matthew’s upside-down telling of the story since last December. And yet, if we are still not hearing Jesus’ words as outlandish, appalling, and counter-cultural, then your clergy are not doing their jobs the right way. Jesus called his followers and still calls us into a way of life that sees blessings where we ought to see tragedy.

God’s way of blessing sees the mournful receiving comfort, the meek inheriting the earth, and the persecuted dwelling in heaven. Today, we remember all those followers of Jesus—the meek, the mournful, the persecuted, and all the rest—who walk along this way past, present, and yet to come. The world says that people with power or privilege, fame or fortune, stardom or celebrity are blessed (sometimes even #blessed). But, Jesus did not inaugurate his ministry by telling those who surrounded him, “Blessed are the 1%ers for they will get even richer, blessed are the movie stars for they will garner even more fame, and blessed are the politicians for their corrupt way is the right one.” Still, there is one more twist on this audacious way that Jesus walked, the way of all the saints, the way we are invited to walk as well.

A blessing is not something that is earned or achieved, but rather it is something given to us. None of us gain God’s blessings by something we have done. Instead, all are saints by receiving the blessings—as counter-cultural as they may be—from God as complete and total gift. And, no blessing transforms us more than the grace of God’s beloved Son. So on this All Saints’ Sunday may we be saints too, may we receive the blessings of God as hard as they may be, and may we most of all receive and share the unconditional love of God through Christ—for certainly that and not the love of politicians, celebrities, and sports stars is worth celebrating and going crazy over!

Matthew 5:13-20: Salt, Light, and Shame

There have only been a handful of times when I have really gotten into real trouble in my life. I mean the type of trouble where one is called to the principal's, camp director's, or coach's office. It is funny how those particular memories are etched into the fabric of my being. Shame cannot come out with just one wash, instead it takes years of spinning around and rinsing. I can remember one such encounter very vividly.

I had done something at camp that was a clear violation of the rules. When the camp director confronted my cohorts and me, we were all very meek, humiliated, and saddened by our thoughtless behavior. Still, I felt that I was more guilty by association than an outright offender and in a private meeting I pleaded my case. One of the camp matriarchs found out about trying to pass the buck, and she simply said, "If a man does not have his word, what does he have?" My mouth gets dry thinking about that moment. As if I had just swallowed salt water, yet it seemed that I had lost my saltiness.

This coming Sunday's gospel follows the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-12):
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
"Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
"Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
"Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

Jesus' short list of those who are blessed enlightens this message about salt and light. The poor, those who mourn, the meek, the hungry, the merciful, the pure, the peacemakers, and the righteously persecuted all receive blessings. To be blessed is to be salt and to be light. I imagine most of us at some point have been one of these blessed. Yet, for us to deny this blessing is for us to lose our saltiness and to block out the light. While I am not one for using shame as punishment, there is a difference between denying the Truth to avoid the shame of punishment and recruiting shame as a fear tactic. In my moment of denial I lost my saltiness, I blocked out the light of what it is to be blessed.

Now, I am not condoning seeking delinquent, illicit, or immoral behavior for the sake of experiencing some sort of persecution. Rather, I am saying that in our poverty, sorrow, meekness, hunger, mercy, purity, peace-seeking, and persecuted states we receive God's presence. When we are in a rather impoverished spiritual state we can clearly see God walking with us in ways that are not always apparent when we are riding high spiritually.

Additionally, I do not think getting in trouble for not following camp rules constitutes righteous persecution, rather in the shamed state I occupied, I clearly felt a closeness with God who called me into a deeper relationship. Jesus fulfilled the Law not so we could ignore it, but so that we might with him feel blessings and keep growing deeper in our saltiness and our lightness. Now I wonder, "How do we teach that we are blessed in our weakness without instilling shame in one another?"