Text: Matthew 5:1-8
Title: Preaching 101
Date: July 6, 2008
While I was in seminary, I took as many preaching classes I could. One reason was because I love preaching and the other is because of the professor, Dr. Joey Jeter. He is an amazing preacher and teacher. In the upper level classes, during the year, you would take turns preaching before Dr. Jeter and the rest of the class. We were there to be both the congregant and critic. Nerve racking yes! Difficult, yes! Challenging, oh my!
The classroom became the setting for preaching and you would stand in rather close proximity of the hearers and do your best while you watch them writing their critique, sighing, rolling their eyes, and not laughing in all the right places. To say the least, the preaching peers were a tough audience, which certainly prepared us for the toughest audience…..YOU! Then after the sermon you would stand there while people would tell you exactly what they thought of your sermon and why. I like it better the way the church does it—“Good sermon.” “Thank you.” “Good sermon.” “Thank you.”
Actually I am not sure how that tradition ever got started, for the parson to go to the door after service to hear great accolades. I have stood in those lines at times and it is tough, trying to figure out what to say and how to say it, especially when the sermon was on the 9th commandment, “Thou shall not bear false witness.” But this is how it is done. You do your best and then go stand at the door. When I started officiating basketball, I learned real quick that you don’t do that there. Just kidding.
Now you may be wondering what all of this has to do with this morning’s scripture. Well, actually quite a bit because today we are beginning a new worship and sermon series. For the next 9 weeks, we are going to be looking at the Sermon on the Mount, found in Matthew, chapters 5-7, and we will be looking at what is considered the “hard” teachings of Jesus and the heart of Jesus’ teaching. To sum up the entire sermon, Jesus is inviting people to experience and become part of the realm or kingdom of God. In his book, On Being a Christian, theologian Hans Kung, writes, The sermon on the mount “aims at taking God’s will absolutely seriously,” and so shall we as we begin today with what is called “The Beatitudes.”
Now I was thinking this week what it would have been like had Jesus delivered this sermon not on the mount, as we have in Matthew, or on the plain, as we have in Luke; instead, in the seminary classroom and perhaps it would be called the sermon in the seminary. How would it have gone for him in this preaching class 101? Well, let’s critique it for a moment shall we?
Anytime you are giving a sermon or speech, or even when performing, it is critical that you know your audience, which Jesus certainly did. First of all, Jesus’ audience was the crowds that had pushed their way in order to hear what Jesus was saying. But it does not end there. Jesus’ words move to and though anyone who is in earshot including present day seekers who wish to take God’s will or agenda absolutely seriously because the sermon is addressed to those who seek seriously how to live and BE the will [agenda] of God. Now of course the question for us today is, “How seriously are we willing to live out God’s agenda [will?]
So Jesus did well in this area, but I am not sure in the next stage. Another important rule is to carefully select your opening illustration so that you can grab your audience’ attention and, it is the general rule of thumb to not use current church members as illustrations. It is just not a good idea. Yet Jesus, as he begins his opening, does use his disciples which we will get to in a moment, and some opening it is. It indeed gets your attention, but in a shocking sort of way. He begins with a series of one liners, opening each with “blessed” which has to do with the state of being and not necessarily a feeling or emotion. It is also important to know that blessed can also mean “fortunate,” “happy,” “in a privileged situation,” “well-off.”
But did you notice how Jesus defined happy or fortunate? It is certainly not in ways that makes sense of most of our ways of thinking. When we say happiness is, we think of a warm puppy or being in love, or enjoying life’s simple pleasures. We certainly don’t think in the terms of Jesus, especially when you use some of the other words such as: Well off are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Privileged are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Fortunate are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Those who are persecuted for righteousness sake are in a privileged situation, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Fortunate are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. His opening illustrations are called the Beatitudes and it is important to know what they are as well as what they are not. First of all, they are not practical advice for successful living. They are not commandments and laws to live by. They are not something you do. Instead, they are a way of being.
So what is Jesus doing here? Is he trying to confuse us? Catch us off guard. Is he being dramatic to get our attention? None of the above. Jesus is setting up the rest of the sermon; a sermon that invites people to enter the extraordinary new world of God’s reign and through the beatitudes, he portrays what life is like when it is lived under God’s reign instead of in reliance upon oneself, and the illustration he uses are his disciples. Imperfect as they are, they have dropped everything to follow him, and in doing so, they have had to let go of so much, which is the key to understanding, or trying to understand Jesus’ sermon. For if we are going to be able to embrace Jesus’ teachings, we must at least be willing to empty ourselves and to let go, which is not easy. I am sure many of you have heard the ways that monkeys are often trapped in Africa. There are these massive termite mounds, which the monkeys love. But what the Africans do is bore a hole that is large enough for the monkey’s hand to fit inside, but too small for a monkey’s fist. The bait they use is fruit. So the monkey reaches in, takes hold of the banana, but when he tries to pull out his fist, he can’t. He is trapped simply because he cannot let go.
So often is the case when it comes to what Jesus is trying to teach. We hold on to so much, often what we have been taught, how we have been shaped, and largely who we have become. We want to be a follower of Jesus, not simply an admirer but we struggle with what it will cost, what we will have to let go.
There is also the image of emptying ourselves. How often are we so full of ourselves that there is no room left for God’s presence, God’s spirit, God’s vision to come into our lives? We are so full of pride that there isn’t any room for humility. We are so full of fear and hostility that there isn’t any room for peace and tranquility. Our homes, attics, and storage bins and bellies are so full that we do not have any room to really consider what is really important in life. We are so full of what society says is right and wrong that we do not have any room left for what Jesus says is right and wrong. What is it that you need to empty in order to receive what Jesus means in his sermon?
You will hear Jesus teach that you are the salt and light of the world. What must you let go of in order that people can see God’s light in you? You will hear Jesus teach that you cannot serve to masters. Which one do you serve the most? Which one do you hold the tightest? You will hear Jesus teach that you are not to be anxious. What will you have to let go of in order to experience God’s dependence? You will hear Jesus say love your enemies. What in your heart, mind and soul must you empty in order to even begin that task? You will hear Jesus say that you are not to judge others and that you are to treat others as you want to be treated. You will hear Jesus teach on how you are to share and express your devotion for God in secret. What will you have to empty in order for that to happen.
The challenge ahead of us is great. But so is the claim that Christ has for our lives. Amen
