Matthew 5:1-12
Blessed Saints!
There’s no timetable on grief. It’s not abnormal for sadness and mourning to come and go over the course of months, years, or even decades following the death of a loved one. Even more so, no two people will ever grieve the same. While we know the pattern that we may or may not follow, the way we process grief is different. One person’s anger might be another person’s solitude. For we must ask the question today about grief... why do we grieve? If death were just a natural part of life, then wouldn’t grief be illogical? But of course, we do grieve. We mourn and weep because we have to say goodbye. For every goodbye is difficult, and death is just the ultimate goodbye. I want you to understand, especially those of you who still face this grief, this sadness and mourning, that today is for you. This is the day that we learn all about grief as we remember those beloved members who have died over the last year. We remember all those saints that we have known past and present that are no longer with us here. For you see, the opposite of grief isn’t happiness or joy. It’s remembrance. That’s why we need today... not to remind us how sorrowful we are. We don’t talk about those who have died just to reopen old wounds. We need today to put our grief and sorrow in their proper place. For we remember the lives and faith of those we love, the saints that have departed in death. We remember today that this grief and mourning are only for a time because we also have hope in the face of death.
As we celebrate All Saints’ Day, we hear Jesus’ profound words from Matthew, the beatitudes. Blessed are those who suffer here. Blessed are those who cry here. Blessed are you when life doesn’t go your way... because we then learn an even greater truth that will give us comfort and strength for all eternity. Let us learn today:
BLESSED ARE YOU WHO MOURN FOR WE HAVE COMFORT IN CHRIST!
I.
In a sense, life is measured in scars. The scars that we bear from past struggles, whether they be physical, emotional, or even spiritual, tell us a lot about ourselves. It’s the struggles we’ve overcome; the wounds that still afflict us; the pain that is seared into our memory. For we all understand that no one has a perfect life. No one is free from pain and agony in life. We all have to face it in some shape or form. But it’s always the question of how much? Yes, some of us bear far more scars than others. Some might have scars that are only surface level, while others have scars that cut deep. For consider the beatitudes for a moment, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted,” Matthew 5:2-3. While I’ve always thought of the beatitudes as encouraging or uplifting, what Jesus is saying is that you’re blessed for having a terrible life. When you’re down in the dumps, when you’ve lost someone you loved, when people think you’re weak and pathetic, Jesus calls you blessed!
But I want to examine that further. For there’s no doubt that we all carry baggage from our past… mistakes that we still regret to this day, pain that we’ve suffered that has left us changed forever, names given to us that we can’t escape. But what’s the deepest scar of all? Is it not death itself? Yes, we can be changed by many things, but losing a loved one and having to face the reality of our own mortality is hardest of all. Yes, the sting of death is one that stays with you. You never forget that there’s now an empty chair beside you, or that there’s one less person sitting at Thanksgiving dinner, or the warmth of their body when you got a hug. Death is the one scar that never fully heals and stings no matter how much you try to move on. Considering all of this… this is who Jesus calls “blessed.” Blessed are you who mourn… blessed are you who lost someone you love. Blessed are you who are scarred by your past and know so intimately the sin that pervades your flesh and its mortality.
II.
Blessed indeed. Yes, it’s such a strange thing but we’re here to testify to the immense blessing this is. For it’s those of us who have had the world thrown at us, who bear the marks of our mistakes, who mourn the death of those we love, that also know the simple truth… we need Jesus! We need Jesus to face our mistakes with his forgiveness. We need Jesus to soothe our sores with his grace. We need Jesus to stand up for us when our legs won’t even let us stand. We need Jesus… to face death for us… because he alone can bear the scars to show us the way through death! “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted… Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven,” Matthew 5:4, 11-12. Yes, we can begin to find comfort even in the face of death because we know that this life isn’t the end for us. We know that all the pain and suffering we face here is just another reminder that this world will come to an end one day… and God shall then restore it to all it was meant to be for us.
Yes, life is measured by scars, but not just the scars you bear, but by the scars of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It was his scars of being nailed to a tree, of having a crown of thorns placed on his head, a spear thrust into his side. It was the scars of all of our sins that died with Jesus on the cross. But Jesus didn’t stay dead, did he? No, Jesus rose on the third day and appeared to his disciples. And what did he show them? His scars! The scars on his hands and feet, the scar on his side. The scars of his passion are what remind us that even death has been defeated and that our life is marked for eternity! As John records in Revelation, “Who are these clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?’ I said to him, ‘Sir, you know.’ And he said to me, ‘These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb,” Revelation 7:13-14. For so we remember the scars death has left for us. We remember our loved ones who have died in faith, not to reopen old wounds, but to find comfort knowing their scars pointed them towards Christ. Yes, the path forward after death need not be grief… but remembrance. Remembering all the memories we had with them. Remembering all the ways that they loved us and other… And above all, remembering their faith in Christ! In this, we find comfort and peace… for we know that we shall see them again.
So, beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, blessed are you who mourn and weep, who bear the scars of death, for you have the comfort of Christ, the hope of the resurrection, and the promise of a glorious reunion with all those you love before the throne of almighty God! In Jesus’ name! Amen!