Open to Mourning
Notes
Transcript
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
Introduction
Contrary to what many people think, God wants us to have a better life than we do. Sadly, we live in a world where any time you say the word “no” you are deemed a bully. Everyone, some people think, should have the absolute right to do, say, think, or become, anything they want. No one, including God—especially God—has the right to say otherwise. We live in a day where the only word you cannot say is “no”.
The trouble with that philosophy is that it exposes us to grave danger. There are many things that we really should not do, say, believe, become, or even think. The fences that God has built are not there to keep is in, they are there to keep danger out. And there are fewer fences than most people pretend.
The “Beatitudes” are not fences. They are the introduction to a way of life that should be normal for Jesus’ followers. Much of the content of Jesus’ Manifesto (aka the Sermon on the Mount) is foreign, even to believers. These introductory remarks point out better attitudes for living a better life. But, they—like most of Jesus’ Manifesto—are not what we expect.
Transition
Should we care about the Beatitudes? It is a valid question. The answer is only if you are willing to consider the better life Jesus offered.
Illumination
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
For they shall be comforted.
One Truth to Know
One Truth to Know
It is in our discomfort that we experience God’s Comfort.
Two Terms to Explore
Two Terms to Explore
Mourn
Mourn
This term is translated from a word that means to lament our mourn, especially for the dead.
Comforted
Comforted
This term is translated from a word which means to call to one’s side. There are many people we might call to our side and many reasons we might call them. However, in this context, it is a call for help, strength, and comfort. Who do we call?
15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments. 16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.
Jesus is referring here to the Holy Spirit and He describes Him as a Helper, or Comforter, taken from the same word as used in the Beatitude. The comfort we receive is God’s comfort from God’s Spirit.
It is in our discomfort that we experience God’s Comfort.
Three Ways to Understand
Three Ways to Understand
Building on the one truth we know and building on the two terms we explored, we are prepared to understand this attitude of mourning. There are three ways we might understand it; all of which are equally true and valid.
The Everyday Understanding
The Everyday Understanding
The first way we can understand this is probably the most apparent. When we mourn someone who had died, we will experience the blessing of God’s comfort.
The Existential Understanding
The Existential Understanding
The second way we can understand this relates to our own existence in one of two ways:
Mourning over our own sinfulness, recognizing that it is the power of death at work in our own lives. When we mourn over our own sinfulness, we experience the comforting presence of the Holy Spirit who encourages us to do, and be, better.
Mourning over the persecution and peril we face as believers. In a day where persecution is a real, physical threat, it is normal to have a sense of fear, dread, or even, mourning. The Holy Spirit meets us in this experience, providing comfort, strength, and courage.
The Empathetic Understanding
The Empathetic Understanding
The third way we can understand this relates more to what we see in others. As we look at the world around us, there is no denying that it is broken and many of the people we know are lost. Death and destruction are common experiences for many people and it is appropriate that we mourn the tragic state of their existence. When we do, we experience the Holy Spirit’s presence to comfort and embolden us, enabling us to step into misery and share our faith, strength, comfort, and relationship with others.
Conclusion
I think all three of these understanding are valid and helpful, but I think it is the empathetic understanding that brings us closest to the hear of our Heavenly Father. He sees and deeply loves every individual person whose life is wracked by the chaos and conflict in this world. He understands far greater that we do just how lost people are. When we mourn for the lost and broken, we align ourselves with God in a unique way that enables Him to not only comfort us but also to comfort them through us.