Blessed, Not Broken
Matthew 5:1-12 02/01/2026

Our first reading this morning, from Micah 6, we hear God’s mandate to
us. The Holy One isn’t interested in the burnt offerings and other showy
worship “stuff.” God is very clear. “Do justice. Love kindness. Walk
humbly with God.” (Micah 6:8)
Justice comes in all forms. There’s the justice issues that we take to the
courts. Then there’s the injustice of systemic racism. There’s the injustice
of poverty, including food insecurity.
And that’s where FPCO enters. We step out every day to provide
emergency food through our Blessing Box. Currently, we can fill the box
not once but twice a day thanks to a generous grant from our Presbytery.
Our local Girl Scout Troop has taken on the task of redesigning our
Blessing Box and finding new ways to serve those who use it. These
young women are not only learning new skills they will need as adults,
but also serving God’s hungry and poor.
We donate money to Owasso Community Resources. We enjoy a bit of
competition, donating jars upon jars of peanut butter and boxes of cereal.
I believe the toilet paper competition was the most fun! And God’s
people are blessed with our generosity.
Children receive mittens and hats during the winter. We can keep the
electricity on for those whose paychecks didn’t quite make it to the end
of the month. We support Christ-centered men who go into a prison to
bring the Good News to hardened criminals.
We work to help those near our building find a place to stay and food to
eat.
Micah tells us not only to do justice, but to love kindness; to embrace
faithful love. We not only help, but we also offer friendship. Some
accept it, others move on. And that’s okay.

Still, I’m curious. And I wonder if you’re feeling some of what I’m feeling.
I sit in my office greeting and visiting with those who arrive daily to fill
our blessing box. Later in the day, I see cars drive by my window, hoping
the Blessing Box has food. I can tell when the Box is empty because they
drive away quickly. And I feel sad.
The Blessing Box is meant for emergency food. Something to keep them
going until they receive their SNAP Benefits or a paycheck. I know that
many people come by daily. There just isn’t enough food for them. I
visited with Mendi at OCR, who says that they are no longer able to
provide groceries once a month. They only have enough for groceries
every two months.
Prisoners who come to Christ do so with joy. But a few may lose their
lives as a result of leaving evil behind.
When Jesus says that the poor are always with us, he wasn’t
exaggerating. He knew that this was a fact of life that none of us wants,
least of all God.
At moments like this, I feel the Beatitudes. Blessed are: the poor in Spirit,
those who mourn, the merciful. It’s in these moments of darkness and
despair at the state of the world that we throw ourselves on God’s mercy.
We mourn because of what we know and believe: that the world as it is
and the world as God wills it to be aren’t even close.
We are Beatitude people. Active in the world, learning about the various
aspects of injustice that hurt us the most; finding new ways to do more;
taking opportunities to collect additional resources.
I’m sure you’ve heard this story before, but allow me to share it with you
again. A man is walking along the beach that has hundreds of starfish
beached due to a heavy storm the previous night. He sees a boy scooping
up one starfish at a time and throwing it back into the sea.
The man approaches the boy. Now, let’s pause here a moment. I don’t
think it was a boy, and perhaps that doesn’t matter. I believe that this was
a thought-filled, intelligent teenager with an attitude. And I love him for
that.

So, the man approaches him and says, “This is a fool’s errand. You can’t
possibly save all these starfish. Why try? It doesn’t matter.”
That’s when this lippy kid throws another starfish into the sea before
looking at the man and responding, “It matters to that one.”
What you do matters. Your prayers; your generosity of time, talents, and
money; your actions; your boxes of cereal and jars of peanut butter; they
matter.
Because of you, a child will enjoy her favorite lunch: a peanut butter
sandwich, and nothing else will matter for a little while. Someone will
have breakfast before going to work. Others will have Spaghetti-Os for
dinner right out of the can. And they won’t go to bed hungry.
The Good News is this. We’re not God. Give thanks for that! We’re not in
charge. God is God, and everything we do blesses God and reveals God to
those who receive from us.
Those days when you feel those beatitudes more deeply than you want
to, lean into them. Lean into the hurt and desire you feel. And know that
you are mourning because you see our broken world for what it is. Lean
into it.
And give thanks that you are a part of the solution, rather than the
problem.
All glory and honor be to God.
Amen.