Blessedness

Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany (Year A)

Micah 6.1-8; Matthew 5.1-12

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

Live Streamed on Parish Facebook Page (beginning at 18:05)

 

The Gospel reading for today is a familiar one: the Beatitudes. The short and pithy sayings Jesus uses to describe who is truly blessed in the eyes of God. Matthew makes it clear in the verses immediately before today’s that the crowds Jesus attracted were not the elite and well-to-do, but those who were sick, who were afflicted with a variety of diseases. And the implication is that because of their following an itinerant preacher seeking healing, they were likely poor as well, unable to afford medical care. They were in search of divine blessing to heal them of whatever afflicted them, be it physical, emotional, spiritual, or economic. They wanted something that would help turn their lives around. While they received some positive affirmations for their plight, there was little to help them change their situations. So, Jesus’ words undoubtedly were met with mixed reactions by those he was addressing. As one commentator so eloquently puts it:

 

To the extent that his listeners are expecting Jesus to lay out an account of divine blessing that reveals how to get it and keep it, the Beatitudes come as a confounding surprise. In the first place, Jesus paints an utterly counterintuitive picture of blessedness: looking around the world, then and now, and it’s easy to conclude that the “blessed” are the rich, happy, strong, satisfied, ruthless, deceptive, aggressive, safe, and well-liked — and yet here’s Jesus, saying that despite appearances, the truly “blessed” are actually the poor, mourning, gentle, hungry, merciful, pure in heart, peacemaking, persecuted, and reviled.[i]

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"Where Are You Staying?"

Second Sunday after the Epiphany

John 1.29-42

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

Live Streamed on Parish Facebook Page (beginning at 22:55)

 

Last Sunday, we celebrated the feast of the Baptism of Our Lord, with the Gospel reading being Matthew’s version of the account of Jesus’ baptism by John in the River Jordan. While all four of the Gospels say something about Jesus’ baptism, only the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) actually give a relatively complete account of what happened that day, as would be reported by a witness observing the baptism event. On the other hand, the Gospel according to John—the reading of which we heard moments ago—takes a different approach. Not the report of a witness, but rather the reflection of the one who actually performed the baptism: John the Baptist.

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The Elements of Epiphany

First Sunday after the Epiphany – Baptism of Our Lord

Matthew 3.13-17

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

Live Streamed on Parish Facebook Page (beginning at 19:55)

 

As of this past Friday, January 6^th, we entered a new liturgical season: Epiphanytide—the season beginning with the Feast of the Epiphany and continuing through to Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent. At least, that is our Anglican definition of Epiphanytide. Other denominations have chosen different ending points. And some liturgy geeks, including some of my colleagues, have even argued that Epiphany should be treated as separate from the season after Epiphany. Be that as it may, at least we can all agree that there is something special about Epiphany and what it represents—regardless of how that may be treated in the days and weeks following January 6^th. And while today is the Feast of the Baptism of Our Lord, one of the key commemorations of Epiphany or the season after Epiphany, depending on your perspective, I would like to focus on the broader meaning of this thing called Epiphany—be it a day or a season.

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