Topsy Turvy God - Sermon for the Fourth Sunday after Epiphany Year A

Topsy Turvy God

Epiphany 4A

January 29, 2023

Christ, Preston, MN

Matthew 5.1-12

James Michener’s historical and epic novel Space recounts events in the US space program. As a historical novel, it depicts factual events with fictional characters. It’s a fascinating read that will give you insight into the men, women, and events of space travel and exploration. In one section, Michener, through the eyes of an astronaut, describes what it’s like to pilot a spacecraft in orbit. Apparently, it is an especially tricky exercise as the pilot must flip the spacecraft upside down in order to dock with another entity. How it maneuvers is counterintuitive, especially as up becomes down and vice versa. It is completely disorienting to the astronaut.

I wonder if Jesus’ followers and the crowds that were overhearing experienced a similar feeling as they hear Jesus’ teaching. Today’s reading is a preamble of sorts to the Sermon on the Mount, the first of five large blocks of teaching discourses in Matthew’s Gospel, where Jesus is portrayed as teacher par excellence. Covering three full, long chapters, the Sermon on the Mount is considered Jesus’ magnum opus about what it means to follow the way of Jesus. In it, Jesus will both reinterpret the Mosaic law while offering a new. Later, we will hear him declare, “You have heard it said, … but I say to you ….”

The first and foremost important thing to recognize about the “Beatitudes,” or Blessings, is that Jesus declares the hearers are already blessed, no matter what circumstances they find themselves in. No matter what they do or don’t do, no matter what is happening to them, their identity is secure as belonging to God. Another way to say this is that God in general, and Jesus in particular, see them. They are seen and not ignored. Most of them may think they are of no consequence of importance, but not to God.

This leads to an important implication, that God’s kingdom Jesus inaugurates is a topsy turvy one. If we think that God primarily hangs out with the elite and beautiful, the Beatitudes tell us otherwise. Rather, God is present with those who are experiencing the worst this world has to offer them. Furthermore, if you really want to know where God is, look in the darkest, loneliest, and broken places. Chances are that’s where God shows up. In other words, the things that people think count in this world, wealth, power, status, possessions, don’t count at all.

This topsy turvy God likes to do the unexpected. For example, who else but a topsy turvy God would claim an infant as his own, telling her she is loved without her having to do a thing? Who else but a topsy turvy God would think of using not only a group of stumblers to accomplish his mission to love and bless the world, let alone an annual meeting as a vehicle for doing so? Blessed are you, my siblings in Christ, for God is with you for the sake of the world. Amen.

My sermons often preach a little differently than written and you can find the video here.