Matthew 5:1-12

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This past Monday I called my bank about an issue, and once they confirmed my identity,

Instead of the usual

how can I help you today?

They asked me: “how can I make you smile today?”

And I must have laughed for about half a minute 

because I’ve never heard that line before, 

and it just seemed so ridiculous coming from a bank representative.

There’s a lot to unpack when a bank customer service agent 

asks you “how can I make you smile today?”

Hmm..

Well, I guess free money is a great place to start, 

But what else can banks do to make you smile?

What makes you smile?

What makes you happy?

Or using the theme word from our Gospel text, 

what makes you blessed?

What makes me happy is having my extended family 

sitting around the dinner table.

What makes me feel blessed is the kids doing well at home and school.

For many, being happy is linked to finding meaning or fulfillment in their lives, in a hobby or work,

Being able to appreciate the goodness of creation,

The splendid colours of leaves in a beautiful forest walk.

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Today is All Saints Sunday.

a day when we turn our eyes to shining memories of all the saints.

“Today we give thanks for the saints who have gone before us, for the saints still among us, and for the saints of God still to come. 

We give thanks for the examples of faithful living that the saints have given us as they navigated the stormy waters of life, and also for the faithful acts of service we are empowered by God’s Holy Spirit to do in our own seas. 

We give thanks, too, for the fullness of eternal life 

in which the saints of God who have gone before us now partake 

and which we have yet to fully enjoy.”

We are all baptized into the death and resurrection of Jesus and so we are made saints while we are yet still sinners.

In this life, we still have

Sin, evil, pain, heartache, 

addiction, abuses, 

hunger, disease, war,

death is a reality,

But as baptized people of hope we proclaim that death is never last,

Death is not the end, it is not the final chapter.

As the leaves fall from the trees this time of year and 

Creation prepares for its wintry rest,

And we know eventually Spring will come again,

So we can remember on this Day 

that Death is the end of a stage, not the end of the journey.

And on this Day in our Gospel Reading we

Connect the saints with the Beatitudes

And reflect on the great cloud of witnesses 

that surrounds us and how their legacy informs our faith today.

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Jesus begins his famous sermon on the mount with the Beatitudes, the “Blessed be’s”.

Blessed are the poor in spirit

for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

Happy are the poor in Spirit.

The poor in Spirit make God smile.

The Beatitudes are not a to-do list, 

because if they were, they would be futile and impossible

Rather by going through this catalog of groups of people, 

we realize we need to depend on Christ all the more. 

We need God’s grace, as the Reformation reminded us, 

it’s not about our works and what we do and who we are, 

but all about God’s love received in faith.

We trust in our identity as God’s children known through baptism

That even the least of these will receive blessings, 

will be happy somehow,

Will be made to smile.

This list, where the forgotten and marginalized are blessed,

Honors persons not normally revered in society.

The meek, the poor in spirit, the pure in heart, they

“Find their wholeness in blessings from God, 

rather than in the values of this world. 

They are to discover that true happiness comes from life with God and proclaim trust that God will bring about salvation, 

despite all outward appearances.”

Those at the fringes, whom society has forgotten, 

these are the ones Jesus singles out as being part 

of the Kingdom of Heaven, 

best understood as a present communal and social reality that is coming into being, 

rather than some summer camp in the skies.

God’s transforming rule is setting them apart to be happy 

in a divine sort of way, and we are invited 

to follow their lives and their commitment.

On this day, Jesus’ words:

Blessed are those who mourn

for they shall be comforted

Ring especially deep as we light candles for our dearly departed.

It’s a paradox, a contradiction in terms.

Normally one would think that those who mourn 

are to be pitied. 

Like in “Oh poor you, you lost your loved one. 

I wouldn’t want to be in your shoes.”

But Jesus turns it upside down. 

Happy are you if you mourn!

At first it makes no sense.

But note he doesn’t say “your grief will be erased.” Your grief, your loss is still there, but there is the promise that you will be comforted, that you will be blessed by gradually understanding

how God's kingdom upends worldly values, offering comfort to the brokenhearted 

and strength to the weary.

It’s not easy to find holiness in humility 

and dependence on God when we are in mourning.

But Jesus promises that those who mourn 

will be comforted,

And if we believe that we are baptized into Christ’s death and resurrection, then we can get a glimpse into how this is possible.

Happy are the Merciful for they will receive mercy,

Happy are the Peacemakers for they will be called children of God.

We are all called to be merciful, to be pure in heart, 

and to hunger and thirst for righteousness,

To live as reflections of Christ in a broken world.

We are called as followers of Jesus to explore 

what it means to actively pursue goodness 

and stand for justice, even in the face of opposition.

This is also part of the Beatitudes- our call as God’s saints.

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The Beatitudes are a challenge to live as modern-day saints,

An invitation to carry the light of Christ into our daily lives, transforming our communities through love and grace.

To see and remember the Saints who were meek, 

who were persecuted, who were poor in spirit, 

and also take our place as those Saints around God’s banquet table.

And to remember that all the Saints in God’s eyes are blessed, 

are happy, 

and perhaps that will make us smile today. 

*Hymn of the Day (see page 5) “Death be Never Last” 

Sources:

Sundays and seasons.com Resources for All Saints