Readings:
Sermon:
Today we celebrate All Saints’ Day, which invites us into a feast filled with light and hope. It is a day when the church takes time to remember the great company of saints that we are part of, our wider story, family and identity.
The invitation of this day is to acknowledge all the saints – the known and unknown, remembered and forgotten, as well as past and present. It is also about acknowledging those who were or are like us and those who were or are very different. It encourages and invites us to recognise our connectedness to those who worship like we do and those who don’t, to those we agree with theologically and those we don’t. All the Saints…. and it really is a glorious collection.
On this day we give thanks for all those who have gone before and also remember the call to play our part in God’s church at this time.
The two readings for today that I have been pondering are from Ephesians 1 and Luke 6, which are two of the set readings for the day. In Ephesians Paul reminds his readers and us that in Christ we have obtained an inheritance. An inheritance usually comes after someone’s death and of course that is the case. Through the death and resurrection of Jesus we have been made heirs and have been adopted into God’s family. Not only that but we are reminded that we have been marked with the seal of the Holy Spirit.
Each time I conduct a baptism I love the part of the service when we reflect upon Jesus, the ‘Light of the World’ and light the baptism candle from the pascal candle. We use the words ‘God has delivered us from the dominion of darkness and given us a place with the saints in light’ and then continue ‘You have received the light of Christ; walk in this light all the days of your life.’ It is always really moving when the congregation responds ‘Shine as a light in the world to the glory of God the Father.’
It is wonderful symbol and representation of what it is to live both in the light of Christ and shining that light in the world. Because we are ‘in Christ’ our identity is as children of God, but also saints in light. We are part of something much bigger than ourselves and in Christ have an incredible inheritance. As we continue on our journey mindful of our identity in Christ we do so knowing that we belong to God.
Many of our churches are named after saints and many have depictions of saints in the decorations or stained glass. Perhaps it is easy to be tempted to see those people as so unlike us and their lives so different to us. Perhaps when we look at our own journey of faith it may seem unremarkable. The incredible thing is that we are not called to try and earn God’s grace, love or acceptance. In fact the opposite is true – because in Christ we can know that we are loved, accepted and forgiven we are free to live lives of love.
The stories of most saints aren’t ‘remarkable,’ they are ordinary lives of faithfulness, care, prayer, kindness, courage, perseverance and compassion. They most likely also include moments of fear, failure and frustration. It’s not about a perfect journey, but one lived knowing that God is with us and that we belong to God. Through God’s saints light, love and hope are seen by others. In chinks of light others see the reflection of the God of all the saints.
The values of God’s kingdom are different to many values that different cultures and peoples hold to. In our Gospel reading from Luke 6 Jesus talks to his disciples, in what we often call the Beatitudes and paints a picture of what life in the Kingdom looks like and there will have been some surprises. Rather than it being the rich, comfortable, popular and successful that are blessed, Jesus says it is the poor, the hungry, the weeping and the excluded. Those who know their need of God and who find themselves open to God’s grace find themselves as those who are blessed.
Perhaps your story or those of others you know reflects that truth that God draws near and brings blessing in the most unexpected ways and moments.
The disciples, the saints were being invited to see how incredible the kingdom of God is and what it means to be a citizen of this kingdom. The values are different, the actions are different, the rewards are different. Jesus even goes as far as challenging them to love their enemies, to do good to those who hate them and so it goes on. This is the kind of radical love and grace that God calls his saints to live with.
It is certainly not easy, but it enables God’s grace, light and love to grow and from that hope to strengthen those who are touched by God’s kingdom.
So today, if you have begun the journey of following Jesus and are ‘in Christ’ celebrate all that means for you and the great crowd of witnesses that you are part of. If you have not yet begun the journey, know that you are welcome and that you will find security, freedom and light. Happy All Saints’ Day to you all.
Questions:
- Who are you thankful for today who has been part of your journey of faith? If they are someone you know and still alive perhaps you could take time to thank them, as well as expressing your thanks in prayer.
- In your ordinary daily life, what might it look light this week to ‘Shine as a light in the world, to the glory of God the Father’?