I'm A Loser, Baby (All Saints C)

Text: Luke 6:20-31 (All Saints C)

I can remember it like it was yesterday, but it was 20 years ago. It was a Friday afternoon and I was called to my supervisor’s office. I was being fired. I messed up. I could feel waves of shame as I left his office and was escorted by an administrative assistant out of the office and down to the lobby of the office building.

Jesus is on a plain and starts talking to his disciples and to the crowd. In Greek, the word for crowd is basically “riff-raff.” These are people who were the down and out. They probably felt like nobodies in their world. All of a sudden, Jesus tells them that the poor belong in the Kingdom of God, that those who hunger will be filled, those who weep will find laughter. In a time when people were told that being rich meant God favored you, this was good news. God remembers those who weren’t at their best. That means that God remembers us. That means God lifts us up. That means God lifts up those who are the poor and the forgotten.

Jesus also offers some woes and too often we think these are different people, and at times they can be. But more often than not, we are the ones who are blessed and also facing woes. And God still loves us and God still remembers us.

The writer David Brooks tells a story of a man who worked at a plant until he was laid off. On his last day, he hoped to just quietly leave the building. But as he left, his co-workers decided to line the hallway and clap for him to send him off. It was a wonderful way to treat him with a sense of dignity.

And this is the promise Jesus gives to all of us. When life seems to fall apart, when just can’t get it together, Jesus says we are blessed. Luke’s version of the Beatitudes might be best summed up in Beck’s 1994 breakout single, in that we are all Losers and God loves us. We are not forgotten. We matter. Thanks be to God.

Questions:

* In Matthew’s version, Jesus is on a mountain. Here, Jesus is on a plain. Does that matter? Why?

* Matthew’s version talks about the “poor in spirit.” Luke just says “ Blessed are the poor. Does the difference matter?

* Luke includes woes in addition to the blessings. Why does he do this? Are these different people from the people who are blessed?

* This is the gospel text for All Saints Sunday. How does this relate to this day? What does this mean about saints who went before us?

What are your answers? What are your questions? Please send them to [e-mail]. Listen to the podcast on your favorite podcast app.

Listen to Church and Main Podcast (Dennis’ Other Podcast):

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Opening and closing music by David Cutter Music:

https://www.davidcuttermusic.com

(website) https://www.youtube.com/@dcuttermusic (YouTube)

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