The last Sunday in October is always a proud day for Lutherans all over the world.  We get to beat our chest and express our pride of heritage at the fruits of the Reformation as we celebrated the 498^th anniversary of the Reformation this year.  The Bible in the language of the people, worship that is focused upon God's gifts and not our works, the Gospel restored to its central place in the life of the Church... why we have a lot to boast about.  It hardly seems fair that one Sunday is enough to stand up here and glory in being Lutheran.

And then every year, the Sunday after we celebrate the Reformation itself and we puff ourselves up in pride, we are humbled once again by the words of Jesus in the Beatitudes as we observe All Saint’s Day.  “Blessed are…”--Words of pure Gospel as Jesus shakes the foundation of what it means to be part of the people of God.  We hear these words and all of a sudden they become a terrible burden to us. We look at our lives and realize we are not as poor in spirit as we ought to be, we are not as good as we ought to be, we do not act as saintly as God’s people should.

But you see, God is not like the Marines.  He is not looking for the few, the proud, or the strong.   He doesn’t say blessed are those whose faith is so strong that they never have doubts or struggle with understanding.  He doesn’t say blessed are those who pat themselves on the back for being good and heirs of the Reformation.  He doesn’t say blessed are those who have it all figured out.   He simply says, Blessed are the poor in spirit… the mourning… the meek, the weak.

We often think that our problem is we are not strong enough Christians, that we just don’t have enough faith.  If only we were stronger we might be worthy of God and useful to God.  If we were only stronger we wouldn’t have the struggles and the temptations and be happy like the person in the pew next to yours.  If only we were stronger we would be better people and more deserving of reward.  If you worry that God cannot use you because you are not strong enough, then you have it all backwards. 

The problem is not that we are not strong enough but that we are not weak enough.  The first beatitude speaks as much, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God.” We continue to hold on to the idea that we could have fixed what is wrong if we wanted to, that we could make ourselves worthy of God's love, and that we are not so bad after all.  We continue to think that to be a good Christian means not having problems, overcoming temptation by the sheer force of our will.  We have not stopped living on our own strength, trying to be independent and self-sufficient individuals when our only hope is to be completely dependent upon Christ.  We have not stopped boasting of our goodness and our righteousness especially in comparison to that other “sinner” when our only righteousness is that from Christ and what He has done for us.

Until we are ready to give up any and every boast, the grace and blessedness of God will still seem far from us.  Until we are ready to let go of our strength, His strength will not be made perfect in us. Until we are ready to plead only the blood of Christ, the mercy of God, and the grace of His gift, we are still too full of ourselves to have any room for Christ to live in us and through us.  To be “poor in spirit” is not an attitude, not something to strive for so we can get something from God.  “Blessed are the poor in spirit” is not a commandment. Rather, it means that among those who make no claim of righteousness for themselves. Before God, they stand as destitute beggars. They can make no claims in heaven and expect no rewards.

It is in this poorness of spirit, that we hear from Jesus’ own mouth nothing less than the Word of complete grace and Gospel, “Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”  The promise of Christ is that already now the blessings of the kingdom of heaven in Jesus belong to those who, in themselves, do not have spiritual strength, who are lost, who are poor miserable sinners.  It is because of this very fact, because of their spiritual poverty, that Jesus pronounces them “blessed!”  Such is God’s reign in Christ Jesus, only the poor in spirit receive the forgiveness and healing that makes us rich in the kingdom of heaven.  Through our baptism into Christ we share in these blessings in Christ.

The real beauty of these words is that they describe above all else the One who makes us saints.  First and foremost, they describe Jesus Himself. They are not really talking about something that we are earning, but that He already is and now that we have as we are in Christ.  St. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 8:9, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you by His poverty might become rich.” Christ humbled Himself to the point of death upon the cross.  Though fully divine, He submits not only to the will of His Father, but also makes Himself a servant, putting Himself in debt to all people.  In His death for sin, He is both servant and slave, and He requires that His followers assume the same posture.  Christ becomes one with His people, He bears our sins in our stead. For He is the perfect Son of God who became poor, that all those who suffer for Christ share in His poverty and receive the riches of His righteousness.

So on this day, as we remember those saints of God in the Church Triumphant, we in the Church Militant do so focusing on their poverty.  For that is why they are saints.  They were poor, they were week, they were needy.  They brought nothing to the table when before God on their deathbeds, save their poverty, their pleading for the mercy of Christ.  On account of this faith, Christ proclaims His saints “Blessed!”, saved, redeemed,  rich in mercy and righteousness because of the reign of heaven is made present in Him. Just as God gave them new life through His Son in Holy Baptism, nourished them in the communion of His holy people at His holy table, in His mercy He has summoned them to His nearer presence. We wait together with those blessed, departed faithful in the sure and certain hope that Christ may call us “blessed” along with all His saints, His strength made perfect in our weakness, His riches in place of our poverty, as we look to the resurrection of the dead and life everlasting.