The Lord blesses those who are cursed. Cursed Abram came from the land of Ur of the Chaldeans. This was a land blighted with rampant paganism and the worship of false gods. Abram married cursed Sarai, who was barren. The infertility of her womb was considered by the people of that time to be an affliction of God, a mark of shame which defined her life. Cursed Abram came from a cursed land and was married to a cursed wife. Yet God chose him to be blessed over all nations.

God called Abram to leave his fatherland and to renounce the practices of idol worship, in order that he should receive a new land and there worship the one and only Triune God. Our Lord commanded Abram to forsake his father, mother, and all his family to begin a new family, even an entire nation to be saved by the Lord. Forsaking everything was no small task. “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me and whoever does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”

And life was credited to Abram and his descendents even as the Lord of Hosts promised: “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” In the midst of the sadness over leaving land and loved ones, bless-ed by God was Abram.

In suffering we see life. One would do well to note that our Lord takes us through trial and temptation, rather than from these things— even as we pray the words of Ps. 23, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.” Or, put another way: “God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage.”

Blessed are you when you suffer all kinds of evil and hardship. Blessed are you when you are threatened with losing your job. Blessed are you when your heart is broken by your boyfriend or girlfriend. Blessed are you when you mourn for loved ones taken away by death.

Blessed are you when you persevere in the truth, even in a hostile society which promotes the slaughter of unborn babies as they fall prey to the abortionist’s knife in the name of personal freedom and choice. Blessed are you when you are mocked for saying that God’s little ones from the time of conception are precious in His sight and knowledge. “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”

“Thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb. I will fear Thee for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Marvelous are my works, and that my soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hid from Thee when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect, and in Thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them. How precious also are Thy thoughts unto me, O God! How great is the sum of them.”

Blessed are the smallest children, and blessed are all the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. As we come as poor beggars to the Lord’s House we receive the Kingdom of Heaven. For the Kingdom of heaven is not a distant, far-away place, rather this Kingdom is right here in our midst right now. The Gospel is here in the present, has dwelled here in the past, and will be here in the future and forever.

The church’s hope and comfort already exist in the preached Word and administered Sacraments. The Gospel tells us that the kingdom is coming and the sacraments tell us that it has come. The Kingdom of Heaven which belongs to us is the Lord Jesus who was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary and was made man, and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate, and He suffered and was buried. And the third day he rose again according to the scriptures and ascended into heaven.

The kingdom of Heaven has no political boundaries and flies no national flag. She has no president or king and gives allegiance to no earthly ruler. She speaks many languages, yet has one constitution, only one confession. The boundaries of the one holy catholic Apostolic church are established by Holy Baptism. She is fed and nourished by Holy Communion.

This church is everywhere in the world: “It is truly meet, right, and salutary that we should at all times and in all places give thanks to Thee, O Lord, holy Father, almighty everlasting God, through Jesus Christ our Lord.” We are one church, spread over a few worship times, yet always gathered in this one place. We always gather around this one altar and font. We always hear God’s Word preached from one pulpit.

From this pulpit, God speaks to His saints. Some imagine saints to be strong, perfect, and successful in every way. Yet our Lord tells us differently in the Gospel. They are poor in spirit and lacking in everything. They are hungry and thirsty for righteousness. They mourn both for themselves and others. They’re abused, persecuted and lied about because they don’t live a life like other people.

And yet, saints are gentile. They don’t demand their rights; they don’t put themselves on a pedestal. They establish peace not by fighting, but by suffering. They’re merciful because they know how much they need forgiveness. They don’t blame others or make excuses. Their only true righteousness they possess is from Christ, and this is not fulfilled until they are resurrected as He is. In this life, The Blessed Saints don’t feel blessed.

Your feelings don’t guarantee faith; in fact, your emotions are completely unreliable when it comes to the Word of God. When you are crushed by the law, you need not turn to a self-improvement program, but only to the Gospel of Jesus Christ who gives life to the dead.

Poverty, mourning, hunger, thirst, and persecution will come. Trial, cross-bearing, and doing battle against the devil, the world, and our sinful nature will be present where the Gospel and forgiveness lives in you: in God’s faithful people. Cross and trial are no mere stops upon the way of the pathway of life, but instead ongoing characteristics of a life of repentance and faith. God’s Law is a hand that wounds us, yet His Gospel is the soothing hand which binds our hurts.

Our Savior binds our hurts because He is the One who was the poor in spirit, yet now holds in His hand the Kingdom of Heaven, even you- all His saints. Blessed is Christ who mourned in life on earth, but now provides all comfort in time of death. Blessed is Christ, who in meekness, inherits from the Father all the earth and creation and breathes new life into it. Blessed is Christ who was hungry and thirsty when fasting forty days in the desert, but satisfied in gaining you to be His own.

He was the Merciful One who earned mercy for you. He lived a life pure in heart and always seeing God, even making peace with God for the sons of men. And now you are called sons of God. He was persecuted for righteousness sake that now His Righteousness rests upon you. Cursed are you by the world, yet blessed are you in the Blessed One, Christ the Lord as sons of God.

For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman and one by a free woman. But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, while the son of the free woman was born through the promise. Because of Christ now you, like Isaac, are children of promise.

Today we commemorate All Saints’ Day. The New Testament calls you and all Christians “saints.” Here in the church, you’ve been taken away from the world, cleansed in the Lord’s Blood, and united with Christ Himself. You have been formed by Christ and you now are a living testimony that He is a Living Savior. Dearly Beloved, you are living proof that God lives. Amen.

The Peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

✠BJF✠