The Sixth Sunday After The Epiphany - February 16, 2025

Summary

Mother Suzanne explores how Jesus's Beatitudes from Luke's "Sermon on the Plain" provide challenging yet practical instructions for disciples then and now. She illustrates how her church, Grace, embodies these teachings through their extensive food ministry that has distributed 3.75 million pounds of food to 77,000 people, partnering with local businesses and other churches to feed their hungry neighbors as a living example of the kingdom of God on earth.

THE GOSPEL                                                                                                                                                          Luke 6:17-26         

Jesus came down with the twelve apostles and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea, Jerusalem, and the coast of Tyre and Sidon. They had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. And all in the crowd were trying to touch him, for power came out from him and healed all of them.

Then he looked up at his disciples and said:

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

“Blessed are you who are hungry now, 
 for you will be filled.

“Blessed are you who weep now, 
 for you will laugh.

“Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets."

"But woe to you who are rich,
 for you have received your consolation.

"Woe to you who are full now,
 for you will be hungry.

"Woe to you who are laughing now,
 for you will mourn and weep.

"Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets."

Artwork: Jesus teaching crowds on a high plain, by William Brassey Hole (1846-1917)

Transcript

Mother Suzanne:

The dream of God is a dream of peace, freedom and hope for all people. Such a dream can only come true when we see that kings really do ride on donkeys. Messiahs really are friends of sinners. God really has taken on human flesh and the poor, the meek and the peacemakers really are the blessed ones in the name of the Triune God, father, son and Holy Ghost. Amen. Please be seated. Thank God for these profound examples of divine reversals, bundles of both blessings and woes woven tightly into one teaching as they attune our hearts to the more meaningful truths in life. If only we are open to listening and hearing them truths. Jesus is getting at in Luke's version of the Sermon on the Mount, this incredible teaching from the gospel of Matthew, but today's gospel is taken from what's traditionally known as Jesus's sermon on the plane version of the Sermon on the Mount. Did you know that there were two versions, sermon on the Mount, sermon on the plane, so Luke's version, which we are 12 of the most random people to be his chosen disciples. Yet Jesus is content with his choices as flawed and as different as they

Mother Suzanne:

Were. He takes them with teach

Mother Suzanne:

Those yearning for his touch, but he decides to heal them with his words. Profound

Mother Suzanne:

Words, call the Beat. And Matthew, remember he's just called his 12 disciples, looks them in the eye, which

Mother Suzanne:

You and me because we too are his called disciples and he is telling these disciples what to do and how to live. The sermon is still practical and applicable for us, clearly spelled out, but also so challenging to hear, right? And some might even be convinced almost impossible to do or is it certainly this moment is anything but easy to hear. Jesus tells us how we are to live and he doesn't mince words about it because if anything, those of us on the spiritual path know when one approaches the high places in our lives. Humbly, God offers his instructions in return not to him us in not to push us away. Rather, he gives instructions because it's the ordering of a relationship. It's him drawing us to himself.

Order is what creates depth and longevity in a relationship. We see this first of all in Genesis one, when it was chaos and God ordered the universe immediately upon inviting the 12 into a relationship with him, Jesus gives parameters for a binding, eternal and thriving relationship. It's an example for all of us, so I couldn't help but think we do this at Grace as well. I do my best to give instructions and teachings week in and week out as a means of deepening relationship with you all and with one another. I constantly pretty much say it to line blue in the face that we are a church that says yes, no just isn't in our vocabulary most of the time, and we also have staken our place in the story of God, that we are a church that loves God and loves our neighbor.

Just this week I was in conversation with someone fairly new to Grace. He volunteered at the mobile food pantry for the first time recently and before every food pantry we always have a service, and during this service time, I remind our volunteers what they're entering into and what I shared was that this small church has given away 3.75 million pounds of food in five years serving 77,000 people in Brazoria County. You say, Hey Mother Suzanne, how do you know that? Well, just so happens we have a tremendous woman who also is our verger who keeps our data. It's not made up stacks and stacks of data that she collects and it arrives on my desk every Friday. Mother Suzanne, this is where we're at. Is that amazing? That's her gift to the church.

But getting back to the story, this first time gentleman who came to our mobile food pantry, what happened for him at that event changed his heart. Not by anything done by me or anyone else at Grace, which is wonderful. I love a God who surprises. His heart was surprised by a group of young folks from Alvin Community College who are part of the Strive program. Did you know that around 10 to 12 special needs college age kids, grace, the grounds of Grace every single week to help with our food distribution and their teacher, Mary tells me consistently that is the highlight of their week.

Well, this man happened to be paired with a young woman and for two hours together they packed boxes and gave away food. He shared with me how it wasn't work that was done perfectly or quickly, and that was hard for this gentleman because he's efficient, but it was done with love. It was done with joy and working alongside our Mormon missionaries. This group from the Strive program at a CC changed this man's heart and my response to him was, you will never know a more committed group of folks than these kiddos from the Stride program at a CC, which he in turn told me because of what I have seen today, I know in my heart this is good for my soul and I will be showing up often.

So as I carry the scriptures in my heart and meditate on them throughout the week, I couldn't help but think this is the Beatitudes lived out. This is gospel. This is Jesus in the world. This is God's kingdom here on earth, nothing earth shattering done, just going about doing good for others, being open to God's promptings and his spirit moving, saying yes and loving. Well. Another example, because of the incredible persistence of your community commissioner Ed Cort Grace has entered into partnering with not only Walmart, but every HEB in Northern Brazoria County. We've been receiving food from Walmart since Christmas, but we will now get HEB donations as well. Food that would've been thrown away goes into the dumpster, kills my heart, but now Grace will go and get it three to four times a week, and that will be pushed out to help feed our community.

One of our volunteers routinely tells me, mother Suzanne, our neighbors love this offering because it has lots of fresh food, vegetables, fruit, again, doing as Jesus has done, doing as Jesus has instructed us to do. Thinking of others, offering hope, offering bread for hungry bellies. And lastly, one of my greatest joys has been leveraging partnerships with other church communities in this area in order to do this work. We are small, but we are mighty, but we can't do it alone. Our friends down the street, the harbor in Friendswood, not knowing how to enter into connecting with the community knows that we do. And with time a trusted partnership has evolved. They have weekly food collection days and every single bit of their food comes to us. This is a 1200 member non-denominational church in Friendswood. They give and they give a lot bags and bags, boxes and boxes of food. We've done it so often now they know exactly what we need here at Grace Oatmeal, pop Tarts, ravioli cereal, peanut butter, the amount is astounding and astonishing. All of it collected because they know by giving it to grace, we will feed those who are hungry. We will give it away and their bellies will be filled.

Another example of the beatitudes lived out of God's kingdom here on earth that the people of grace participate in. These examples are just what happened in one week at grace. Things like this happen again and again every day, day in and day out. And I am convinced when we say yes to God and to God's people who, whoever they are and however they come to us, ministry happens, relationships are forged, lives are changed, or maybe just made a little bit better in the moment. Relief is given, space is created, margin is offered, and Jesus's words are made real. Even those words, which seem to be the hardest, but when done nothing seems better or easier. We love and cherish his words and we live by them and strive to embody them because he embodies them. We do as God does and has asked us to do in order to see and live and love as our God. Amen.