Let Us Look Upon the Lord and Be Radiant

The lectionary draws the church into a conversation that has been going on for a very long time. Its cycle of readings follows the seasons of the church year, bringing the Gospels, the epistles, the Psalms, and the Old Testament into conversation with one another. Those connections run forward, backward, sideways, and sometimes upside down. The conversation also includes generations of faithful people whose lives and words continue to shape the church. Even when there are empty chairs, the gathering is crowded with all the saints.

Psalm 34, Revelation, First John, and Matthew’s Beatitudes proclaim the greatness and goodness of God. Their writers knew suffering and uncertainty, both within their faith communities and in the wider world. Yet their words reveal God’s tender compassion. God loves and God blesses because that is who God is.

Jesus declares God’s favor upon people who are not usually considered “hashtag blessed.” People on the margins, people living in the shadows of affluence, people who seem invisible: God sees them. God is with and for them. The promises running through these readings declare what God will do in, for, and through God’s people, whatever their circumstances. Poverty, weakness, sorrow, elections, and an uncertain congregational future do not cancel those promises.

First John holds present belonging alongside an unfinished future: believers are God’s children now, even though what they will become has not yet been fully revealed. God’s church remains a work in progress, a revelation unfolding. The saints who came before continue to bear witness to God’s goodwill, while those yet to come will reveal that goodness in their own lives. Such company gives the church reason for gratitude. Looking upon the Lord with radiance does not mean leaving grief behind. Sometimes that radiance comes from tears shimmering in remembrance of those who brought others to faith.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. The Church’s Conversation Includes the Saints. The lectionary joins the church to more than a set of readings for the week. It brings Scripture into conversation with Scripture and gathers present believers into the long company of the faithful. Empty chairs do not tell the whole story of a congregation whose life has been shaped by those who came before. [27:57]
• 2. God Sees Those Others Overlook. Jesus declares God’s favor upon people whose circumstances do not look “hashtag blessed.” Those living on the margins or in the shadows of affluence are not invisible to God. Their hardship is not evidence that God is less with them or less for them. [30:32]
• 3. Present Belonging Meets an Unfinished Future. First John names believers as God’s children now without pretending that everything about their future is clear. The church remains God’s work in progress, a revelation still unfolding. Uncertainty about what comes next does not undo the belonging God has already given. [32:43]
• 4. Radiance Can Shine Through Real Grief. Remembering those who brought others to faith can bring tears as well as gratitude. The call to look upon the Lord and be radiant does not require a face untouched by sorrow. Sometimes the tears themselves shimmer with the love and faith that continue to shape a life. [36:18]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [21:59] - The Lectionary and the Church Year
• [24:08] - Scripture in Conversation
• [26:25] - A Conversation With All the Saints
• [28:47] - The Greatness and Goodness of God
• [30:18] - God’s Favor Upon the Overlooked
• [31:33] - God’s Promises Amid Uncertainty
• [32:43] - God’s Children and an Unfolding Future
• [34:13] - Surrounded and Upheld by the Saints
• [35:30] - Radiance Through Tears of Remembrance

Bible Reading

Matthew 5:3-12
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 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, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” [30:32]

1 John 3:2
“Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.” [18:10]

Psalm 34:5
“Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed.” [16:08]

Observation questions

1. In Matthew 5:3–12, which people does Jesus call blessed, and how do their circumstances contrast with the image of being “hashtag blessed”? [30:32]
2. What distinction does 1 John 3:2 make between what believers already are and what has not yet been revealed? [32:43]
3. What circumstances are named as unable to cancel God’s promises, and how do those circumstances connect with the people described in the Beatitudes? [32:09]
4. How does the closing remembrance of a father’s funeral connect tears with the radiance described in Psalm 34:5? [36:18]

Interpretation questions

1. How does Jesus’ blessing of people on the margins challenge the idea that comfort or wealth is evidence of God’s favor? What does that mean for how a congregation regards people experiencing hardship? [30:32]
2. Why does it matter that believers belong to God before their future is fully revealed? How might that distinction shape a congregation facing an uncertain future? [32:43]
3. How can the radiance described in Psalm 34:5 include grief rather than require its disappearance? What difference might this make in how Christians support someone who is mourning? [36:18]
4. How might the witness of earlier generations help a congregation recognize God’s goodness when empty chairs make its losses especially visible? [28:12]

Application questions

1. When have you felt pressure to make your life look “blessed” even though you were struggling? How might Jesus’ blessings help you speak more honestly about your circumstances? [30:32]
2. God sees people who are often overlooked. Who in your neighborhood, workplace, or congregation might you easily pass by, and what is one way you could get to know them or listen to their concerns this week? [31:09]
3. What uncertainty is weighing on you right now? How might remembering your present belonging to God shape one decision or conversation you face this week? [32:43]
4. The church is still God’s work in progress. Where do you find it difficult to be patient with yourself or your congregation, and what might it look like to make room for growth without giving up? [33:08]
5. If you feel comfortable sharing, who helped bring you to faith, and what part of their witness still shapes you? How could you pass along something they gave you to someone else? [34:21]
6. When have gratitude and grief been present together in your life? What would help you bring both into worship or prayer without feeling that you have to hide either one? [36:18]