Sermon for November 3, 2024 - All Saints Sunday
Today we celebrate one of my favourite feast days of the church year. It is my favourite (behind Christmas and Easter) because celebrating “All Saints makes us mindful that the church of God is a single church that gathers both in heaven and on earth.” Today reminds us that we are always united to the saints that have come before us. So, it is no surprise that our lectionary gives us readings from Revelation and the Gospel of John that are commonly read at funerals. It is through their life and death in Christ that those who have gone before us are raised to new life. It is through our life and death in Christ that we will be given new life.
So, what is it that makes someone a saint? Is it their spoken or written words? Is it their actions in the world? Is it the way they order their lives? There are not really clear-cut answers to these questions. We know in the Roman Catholic tradition there are specific criteria that must be met during a multistage process for a person to be officially canonized and considered a saint in their church. In the Anglican Church it is less formal, so we celebrate a specific saint, or many saints, almost everyday. We remember kings and queens who made significant contributions to the spread of Christianity throughout their lands. We remember priests, deacons, and lay people who lost their lives for their faith. We remember missionaries who left everything behind to spread the gospel all over the earth. And we do not just remember people from centuries long past, we also celebrate contemporaries like Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Oscar Romero, and Martin Luther King Jr.
Saints are not simply great figures in the long story of God’s relationship with humanity, there are saints that have been and continue to be a part of our community here at All Saints. Have you ever looked at the person sitting next to you and thought of them as a saint? Perhaps we do not because we do not know all the good things that each of you do in your daily lives that goes unnoticed. The world is filled with saintly people. This community is filled with saintly people. It has been and continues to be. The saints of this community who came before us gave us the gift of this parish, not only the building and all that is in it, but also the sense of community and fellowship, and a heart for outreach.
As our collect prayer at the beginning of worship said, “God has knit together his elect in one communion and fellowship in the mystical body of Christ.” The new life that these saints enjoy has been given to them because of faith, and it is promised to us as well. Our reading from Revelation points to what awaits us. “The home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them as their God.” There will no longer be distance between God and us. “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.” Those are some very powerful images that elicit feelings of peace and comfort. All the worries, the fears, and the anxieties that keep us from fully living into our lives with Christ, will be no more. Despite their fears, their doubts, and the uncertainties of their time, the saints from our community held true to their faith in Christ.
In our gospel reading, we find Jesus at the home of Martha and Mary. He is back in Judea, even after being warned by his disciples that by returning there he was risking the wrath of the religious authorities. Nevertheless, after receiving word of his friend’s death he journeys there. He is so moved by the loss of his friend he is compelled to bring Lazarus back to life, and in doing so reveals his divinity to everyone. In his prayer Jesus specifically tells God that he is doing this so that everyone will believe. There were still people who feared his divinity. They feared his radical message that was turning the religious status quo upside down. The people in the crowd doubted him and questioned his abilities. Jesus' response says it all. “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” For those in the gospel, the glory of God was revealed through the resurrection of Lazarus. For us, the glory of God will be revealed through our faith in Christ after the first things have passed.
This is the gift of the whole church, those in heaven and on earth, being gathered as one in worship. We have examples to follow while we remain on our earthly pilgrimage. We can, like those who have gone before us, be followers of Christ without fear. Not because there aren’t a great many things to be fearful about, but because we know the promises of Jesus just as the saints do.
We know these promises to be true because today we celebrate 141 years of being a house of prayer for all people. Today we celebrate 141 years of saints who have graced these hallowed walls and their unique ways in which they served God. By the waters of our baptism we have been filled with the Spirit, sealed and marked, as Christ’s own. If we want to be here another 141 years, then we must not back down out of convenience or apathy. God has chosen each and every one of us to be his children. Because of his unconditional love for us our fears and doubts will be wiped away. So too must we, like all the saints who have come before us, stand up, use our voices, be the Christians we are called to be and on the last day we will be like them and those in our gospel who have seen the glory of God. Amen.
