Legacy

Sermon 2025-11-02

5 When Jesus^[a] saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. ² And he began to speak and taught them, saying:

³ “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

⁴ “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

⁵ “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

⁶ “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

⁷ “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

⁸ “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

⁹ “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

¹⁰ “Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

¹¹ “Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely^[b] on my account. ¹² Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

When I moved into my office, there was some stuff that had been left behind. And I don’t even mean just by Dan and Erin, the pastors who were here just prior to my arriving. I mean stuff that clearly has been passed down from pastor to pastor for some decades now. There’s a clergy robe that wouldn’t fit me in a million years. There are collections of commentaries, some helpful and some dreadfully outdated. There are the records from meeting past, documents and guides for programs that I’d bet some of our longest-term members would recognize. And don’t think this is unique to this church. It is absolutely something that just happens over time. When you move out of an office, you inevitably leave things behind. And it can be a lot of fun sifting through it all!

But in my current office, on thing really sticks out. There is, on a shelf, a large photograph of an older gentleman. It’s just a portrait; it looks like it could be included on our wall of pastors, except, it’s not one of our previous pastors. For the first few months, I didn’t know who it was…then, one day I was meeting with Mark Alexander, and I asked: who is that? And then I learned, it was Tom Connor.

I know some of you didn’t know Tom. Obviously, I didn’t know him. But I quickly learned about all the things he was involved with. He did property work, and helped pickup the slack when there was janitorial work to be done. And, perhaps most surprising to me, was that he served as the wedding coordinator for a while. When someone got married in the church, it was his job to work with the couple and help them find what they needed. He was like a jack of all trades, and probably a master of many of them.

And so, along with all of the other artifacts from the church’s past, there is Tom, smiling down on me every day. His picture reminds me of the saints who have come before. That’s what we call them in the church. Sometimes, we think of Saints as special people; and if you’re catholic, that goes even further- the saints are the folks who have performed miracles. But in the Protestant world, since the time of the Reformation, when we talk about Saints, we’re really talking about all those who participate in the life of the church. The Saints are the people who are called to give of their time, talents, and resources to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They are those whose presence has been a blessing in our lives.

On the first Sunday of November, Christians around the world celebrate All Saints Day. It’s a Christian Holiday in which we lift up the names of those who have joined the “Great Cloud of Witnesses,” as the book of Hebrews puts it. We celebrate what they have meant in our lives and keep alive their memory in our community. After all, they spent at least a part of their lives serving the church and the greater community. But in the church, we also know that their work is not finished; it’s simply passed on to future generations. And then, we, who are the church of today, seek to live our lives in ways that are faithful and directed towards proclaiming the love of God, just like those who came before us did, and one day we, too, will pass on the life of the church to others.

We find ourselves in the middle of the story. We are the recipients of the blessings of previous generations…and we are those called to bless the world around us.

I like to imagine that Tom is looking down, offering his blessings on our ministry in this place. Maybe it sounds cheesy…but I mean, come on? What are we doing here besides joining in the long line of those who have sought to be a blessing in the lives of others in the community?

Interpretation

There’s this old technique of reading scripture- I think it comes from the Jesuits, but it’s probably older than even they are- where you read yourself into the story. You listen to the scripture, and you try to imagine where you fit in, remembering that these stories of Jesus and his followers are meant to have universal implications for the lives of all believers.

Imagine reading today’s story with yourself in it. Jesus goes to a mountain, and begins to speak the people who are gathered. “Blessed are the poor in spirit…blessed are the meek….blessed are the peacemakers.” There may be no more powerful teaching that the Beatitudes, as this passage is called. But it’s not necessarily a teaching. Rather, at face value, it’s something else: it’s a blessing.

Here’s the thing: the passage begins with Jesus addressing “the crowds.” That word in Greek is Oclos, and it has a particular meaning… it means something more like what we mean when we say “the masses,” like in the poem “The New Colossus“ by Ezra Lazarus, written on the base on the stature of liberty: “Give me your tired, your poor, you huddled masses yearning to be free.” Jesus isn’t standing before just anyone. He’s before the huddled masses of his time.

When Jesus stands there, on the mountainside, and announces: “Blessed are you who are poor in spirit,” he’s not talking about some abstract group of people. He’s standing there, looking at folks who are poor in spirit, and is offering them a blessing. When he says the Meek of Blessed, he’s looking out at the meek. And, when he says “blessed are the peacemakers,” he sees some folks trying to make the world better, and he assures them that their work does not go unnoticed.

Ok, now let’s place ourselves in the story. Where are you, right now? Are some of us poor in spirit, are some of us meek, do some of us mourn right now? Are some of us peacemakers, feeling strained by the state of the world? Then maybe we’re the one’s in need of receiving the blessings of God. We are the masses, gathered on the mountainside, hearing the words of Jesus wash over us. “You are blessed, the kingdom of God is yours.”

If you’re here, and you happen to be somewhere on that mountainside, I hope you know: you are blessed. God is with you. And being part of the church is also being a part of a community that sees you, and blesses you.

But we can place ourselves in other parts of the story. For instance, Jesus stands on the mountaintop and offers the blessing. He looks at the crowds, at the masses, and says “you are blessed.” We can be those that offer a blessing into the world, into the lives of those who are poor in spirit, meek, in mourning, who are trying to create a world of peace.

The church is the place where we receive the blessings we need, and offer the blessing others are looking for. And it doesn’t just stop in, in this place and at this time. That’s why we talk about saints, and the cloud of witnesses. We bless those who have come before us, we read their names and light a candle so that we remember them. We tell stories and continue to live out the best teachings their lives represent. Were they perfect? No, of course not. But to be a Saint in the church isn’t to have gotten all the answers right. It is to have been a blessing to the church and to the world.

And we, who gather together in this sanctuary, as a part of this community, are the continued recipients of their blessings. Of the work they put in to making this community what it is.

Call

I like to think that Tom is sitting in my office, offering a blessing to my ministry. I thought that before I knew who he was as well. When the church has been around for a while, there are so many witnesses to the cloud. Folks whose names we remember, and those we don’t.

Right before I went to divinity school, my home church, First Christian Church in Mesa AZ, allowed me to spend a summer working as an intern. I think my home pastor was trying to give me a crash course in how the church works- what are things like behind the scenes? I spent that summer leading worship and planning youth events…and really not doing a great job at it. But the Saints of FCC Mesa offered me their blessing anyways.

I remember once, my pastor sent me on a home visit. I had never really done anything like this. But part of a pastor’s job is getting to know folks, hearing their stories, and offering them prayer. I know, I know, it turns out praying is a big part of my job.

So I called up a longtime member of the church who wasn’t able to make it to worship anymore. I feel bad, but I actually can’t remember her name…I just remember that she was a friends grandmother. I remember pulling up in the parking lot, and wondering- what in the heck are we going to talk about? I knocked on the door, and walked in, and she invited me to sit with her for a while. And we talked…about her life, and the church, and her kids, and her grandkids, and all that she had seen and experienced.

At the end of the conversation, she asked me to pray for her…at that point, this hadn’t happened all that often in my life. I wasn’t a full blown pastor yet…just a guy getting ready to go to seminary. And so I prayed for her. I asked God to bless her, and her family, and her life. And I left, and I can remember sitting in my car for a few minutes afterwards, with this feeling of euphoria…as though I had experienced something transcendent. It was as though I had known God.

And I think it is in our relationships and experiences together that we do come to know God. Our lives are sacred. We are, each of us, a gift to the universe. And it is when we are able to bless one another, and when we are able to receive a blessing, that we are a part of God’s story in this world. Not because of our big accomplishments, or because we always did the right thing… but because we are, each of us, God’s children. We are, each of us, made in the image of God.

Maybe to offer a blessing is to acknowledge that sacredness.

Conclusion

When we talk about the saints, we are talking about those whose lives have been a blessing to this world. And they remain with us, serving as a continued blessing for our community.

But I’ve also come to recognize that they are a charge for us. For one day, we will be the ones whose names are added to the list of the great crowd of witnesses. And someone will read off our name on the first Sunday in November, and will light a candle. And we will be lifted up as a saint in the church. Our legacy will join with the legacy of others who have come before us. 

How are we living our lives as a blessing for others? When we look out and see others who are maybe poor in spirit, who are meek, who are in mourning, and who seek peace- how do we offer a blessing?

We find ourselves in the middle of the story. While we may at times in our lives need a blessing, at others we will be the ones who are a blessing for others.

Know that wherever you are in the story, that your life, your presence, is a sacred gift to this community and to the world. And, if no one has told you yet today, you are blessed, a beloved child of God. Now let the world know.

Amen.