Today is All Saints Day when we remember and give
thanks for all of those saints in God's church and in our lives who have
blessed the world with their faith witness. We'll sing "For all the Saints" but we could just as easily sing a song by the contemporary Christian group
Casting Crowns-entitled “Life Song” with a refrain- “let my lifesong
sing to you.” In the purest sense, this
is what a truly saintly life looks life- a life song sung to God by a person
who loves God and loves people the way God loves. Some saints are martyrs for
their faith-Most are not. Some are held up as examples for the whole church.
Most are not. Most are ordinary, anonymous men and women. Today we give thanks
for them all. The people depicted in
these stained glass windows, people for whom we will ring a bell, and people
whose name doesn’t ring a bell. Those whose earthly journey is completed and are
now called “the saints triumphant.” Today we remember them all. And hopefully
sharing their life songs guides us in ours.
I give thanks for my grandmothers- for Margaret who
always made sure to freeze strawberries from the garden for me to eat since I
would not be there "in season" and for Marie who shared her love for
art with me as we took in a Chagall exhibit in Philadelphia. Neither of them
was much for the church, and both struggled mightily in life. But they loved as
they could and still are a part of God's saints. And I remember people I met in
church-Pat whose sharp tongue was matched by her fierce devotion to God and
family. She once told me cancer was a gift because it brought her closer to
God. Her last earthly communion was just a bit on the end of a spoon as she
told me she knew she was bald but she was beautiful. And she knew God thought
so. Virginia encouraged me to be a person of faith. Henri showed me true
sacrificial servanthood. And Ray. Ray told me when he first met me he didn't
think I got what it was all about, but later what a great pastor I would be.
But then he quickly added- "It has nothing to do with your own doing of
course. Only the Holy Spirit could make it so." Yes- and I have not
forgotten. All Saints now triumphant.
In this life we are saints too- saints militant.
When I mentioned this at Table Church I watched faces crinkle up at that word
"militant." Why such a war like term? Well, I think if we are honest,
we know that the tension between living as faithful Christians and succumbing
to other influences can be fierce. We are sinners and life is a struggle. Each
of the saints I named and many others I did not, knew this challenge. Sometimes
we have to fight to remain in the path of discipleship. The presence of sin in
the world means we are often more sinner than saint. It takes being militant.
Across our lives as Christians there are times when we will knowingly or not
bless the world with our witness and will love people the way God loves. And
other times we will not. But thank God we are not responsible to “saint”
ourselves. We don't "saint" ourselves. God's love and promises
do. It starts in what we celebrated
again last week- baptism. Where we receive the gift of faith, and that Holy
Spirit working in us. And we receive something else as well-each other in
communion here. Intended to be just a glimpse of a more perfect communion with
the saints triumphant. So then what to make of the gospel this day? One scholar
notes that some might try to translate Jesus’ teaching into a set of
guidelines, as if they amount to a “to-do” list for potential saints. But to do
so suggests we just follow the blessings and curses as “how-to” instructions. But
since we do not “saint” ourselves, the blessings and curses create something
different- a set of values that shapes how we are to understand God, ourselves
and the world. It doesn’t make sense to hear, “Blessed are you who weep now,”
and then find ways to make ourselves sad. It does make sense to ask, “In what
kind of world does God’s blessing seek out those who are hurting?” And make our
lifesong be about bringing that glimpse of kingdom. And Jesus’ teaching invites
us to stretch our imaginations concerning the saints regarding who are blessed
by God. The “saints” include not only spiritual superstars who attain
exceptional virtue and the average. The saints include people who are
vulnerable, those society routinely forgets about – or worse, takes advantage
of.
The neglected, the isolated, those in poverty.
Those who crave simply the gift of connection with others, and life with
meaning. Who have no one to sing with, no communion to share. How are we
connected to these saints? Now hear-Woe to those who keep their riches and
enjoyment to themselves! Then the glimpse of God’s feast to come eludes us all.
Jesus reminds us not only of how we are to respond but where God’s blessing
shows up. Shaine Claiborne shares how he encountered a woman as she struggled
through a crowd to get a meal from a late-night food van. Asked if the meal was
worth the effort, she replied, “Oh yes, but I don’t eat them myself. I get them
for a homeless lady, an elderly woman around the corner who can’t fight for a
meal.” Saints militant.
Jesus’ words don’t create a set of policies for
looking after others, nor do they amount to a list of demands that his
followers must obey. Instead, Jesus’ words and our storytelling shape our
values and our imaginations. Where we may see poverty, infirmity, or
loneliness, Jesus pronounces God’s blessing and presence. Where we keep
accounts regarding who deserves assistance, Jesus seeks disciples who would do
for others what we desire done for us. Working for a world in which God is
present everywhere, building communities of care and support. It’s a joyful,
blessed world. We’re invited to inhabit it and to make our life’s song sing to our
God who blesses like that. This is why God gives us a church. Communion with
fellow saints in this life. In all its glory and frailty. Together we share
love, and celebration, and pain and hurt and challenge. We hug, we laugh and
sometimes we tell the necessary word of correction. And we remember that in all of our glory and
frailty God claimed those gone before and claims us- honoring promises, and
saint-ing us, empowering us for blessing. So let’s celebrate God's work in
those we miss and in those God is placing before us now. And sing a song for
all these saints.
