Sermons for the Month
We Are All A Bunch Of Saints? Yes!
DATE: 11/3/02
SERVICE: All Saints' Sunday
TEXT: 1 John 3:1-3“To all of you Saints here this morning, grace and peace to you from God our Father, from His Son, Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit. AMEN
Did you know that _______________ is a saint? How, you might ask, is that possible? Afterall, we usually think of saints as particular Biblical figures who are examples of holiness. Or, we label as saints people who have died, and are well known for the sacrifices they made for the sake of the Gospel, like St. Francis of Assisi. Or, we take a broader view of things and say that all believers who have entered eternal life are among the saints. That's the idea expressed in the hymn we are singing today, which happens to be one of my favorites. "For all the saints who from their labors rest, all who by faith before the world confessed, your name O Jesus be forever blessed. Alleluia!" So… is ____________________ an example of holiness and Christian service? Has he/she died in faith? Well, then, why did I say that _______________ is a saint? A saint does fit the descriptions I just gave, but according to the Bible and our friend Martin Luther there is more to it. In the New Testament people are saints by virtue of believing in Jesus Christ. Saints are members of the Christian church, people who are called by God. As the book of Philippians begins the Apostle Paul addresses his letter to, "all the saints in Christ Jesus in Philippi." In other epistles he refers to the body of believers as saints. And in his writings Martin Luther is determined to reclaim the title of saints for the living. In his usual bold way Luther proclaims that Christians are at the same time saints and sinners. He wrote that, "The real saints of Christ must be good stout sinners." (Now you know why I said that _________________ is a saint. Luther goes on to say that because people are saved by faith it's not presumptuous to call oneself a saint. He notes that in doing so people are acknowledging that they are holy only because of God's grace, not because of anything they have done. And, finally, Luther insists that being a part of the "Communion of Saints" occurs not only at death but also in this world as people share the burdens and blessings of living. So … we are all a bunch of saints and yet most of us have not suffered extensively for the sake of the Gospel, we have not given our lives over to serving other people and we have not shared our faith with everyone we meet, or even with the one or two people who cross our paths. In fact, we might be a bit uncomfortable with being labeled as saints. There's a reason for that. We think that being a saint is dependent on what we do. In other words, good actions come first and are rewarded with sainthood. But what Martin Luther is saying is that we are already saints by virtue of our faith. That idea is stated in another way in today's second lesson in which the writer loudly affirms that we are children of God because of God's love. We are God's children NOW as we struggle in this sinful world, often with our sinful selves. And, just because people around us may not recognize our status as God's children - because they do not acknowledge God - does not make it any less true. Because we know we are God's children NOW, we also are assured that our future state will be something even more wonderful. In fact, we are promised that when Jesus returns we will be like him. We will fully grasp who he is, and we will be reflections of him. Can you imagine? To use some religious language, the process of glorification has already begun in us, and on that day it will be completed. In the meantime, though, we strive to be like him here on earth not because we want to become saints but because we already are saints! So, today we not only remember those people who have died who in their lives tried to be like Jesus, but we see the saints of God all around us; people who are living out their sainthood in a challenging world. Who do you remember today? My thoughts always go to my mother. It so happens that her birthday was November 1, All Saints Day. If she were living she would be 82 years old. When I think of how she strove to be like Jesus I remember a number of events and personality traits, but I recall especially what happened when my 16-year-old brother was killed as he rode his bike in front of a pick-up truck. I was nearly 14 at the time. Words cannot really describe what a devastating event this was in my parents' lives. One of my strongest memories from that time was hearing my father crying out all night, questioning God's love. I'm not sure he ever recovered. My mother must have been feeling the same devastation, but the message she conveyed to me was that God was with us in the midst of the pain. Her witness kept me from being bitter, kept me turning to the church for support, kept me trusting in God's love. At the most awful moment of her life she lived out her sainthood. The other event that is planted firmly in my mind from that time is how my parents took the initiative to reach out to the woman who was driving the truck that killed my brother. They knew it was not her fault, and that she was suffering. So, even before the funeral, they asked their friends Walt and Vicki - who happened to have visited me a few weeks ago - to go to her and to tell her that they in no way blamed her for the loss of their son. Years later she told these same friends that that one act of grace kept her from total despair. At a time when it would have been easy to cast blame, my parents lived out their sainthood. And that's what we are challenged to do day in and day out. We are saints by virtue of our faith. We are God's children now - not yet perfect - but moving in that direction. And we are to reflect Jesus' image; when people look at us they should see him. So, I'll ask again, who are the saints - both living and dead - in your lives for whom you give thanks? And, how can you be a saint for others? Let me close with one other example of sainthood found in a story by Philip Gulley. I'm going to read a condensed version of it to you because I can't tell it as he does. My Grandma, the Saint
"I want to confess my prejudice right up front by declaring unequivocally that my Grandma Norma was the sweetest lady who every lived. I didn't realize this until she had passes away, which explains why I drove by her house sometimes without stopping to visit. She was past ninety when she died. Stumbled off the back porch broke her hip, and died four days after the operation that was supposed to make her as good as new. I suspect she overheard the doctor say "nursing home" and simply willed herself to die. Technically, her heart gave out, which makes sense, knowing how much she used it. Grandma was the family antidote to the both-parents-working-and-too-tired to talk syndrome. Grandma decided early on that being there for children was more important than working to buy them stuff they didn't need in the first place. Psychiatrist have the couch, but Grandma had the porch swing and the kitchen table and a certain way of listening as if you were the only one in God's world worth hearing. Given her prospect, I understood her wanting to cross heaven's threshold. Only thing is, she stepped over before we were done needing her. I call my grandmother a saint because she's the only person I ever met who prayed her rosary twice a day. Those were the only times she was unavailable to us, when she was in her bedroom lifting up her "Hail Marys" and "Our Fathers". As a child, I resented the notion that talking to God was more important than talking to me. In retrospect, I understand that time she spent in prayer helped her be all the more present for others. Maybe the reason we don't have time for one another anymore isn't' because we work too much, but because we pray too little. How else can God reorder or priorities? In the Bible it tells us not to worry, that in God's house are found mansions aplenty. I don't think Grandma would like a mansion. Too much dusting. Just give her a porch swing and a child needing love. And throw in a breeze that blows in from the old days when an hour with a saint made all the world right." Front Porch Tales by Philip Gulley, pgs. 42-44
AMEN