Saints Among Us

What in heaven's name is a saint? Today is All Saints’ Sunday, celebrating All Saints’ Day which was November 1. We have to begin with this question, “What is a saint?” because not all denominations and not all members in those denominations agree with the meaning of the word “saint.” As Lutherans and heirs of the Reformation, we may sometimes wonder why we have such a day on the Lutheran Calendar. Do “saints” have any significance for our faith?

Yes, they do; otherwise why would our worship service center around them today? However, let me say at the outset that they are not important for us or for our faith because they might in any way be the mediators between Christ and us, as if there were some chasm between us that the saints would need to bridge. And certainly the saints are not important because they might be the recipients of our prayers and petitions, as if we were afraid to address almighty God directly. Last week Walter Haussmann preached about some of those major questions and practices that resulted in Martin Luther's actions which resulted in the Protestant Reformation.

That leads us to the Biblical definition of “saints.” The definition accepted by Lutherans and most other Protestants: “Saints are all true believers in Christ, living or dead.” That’s you. That’s me. That’s Grandma who died some years ago. That's Charlotte, that's Henrietta, that's Shirley and that's Larry who all died this year.

In every era the people of God have faced violence and uncertainty. While there have been times of peace and prosperity, history always records their end with upheaval. And through it all the people of God have lived lives worthy of their calling, faced the things of this world, and in many cases overcome them with their own witness to God's desire and love for the Creation.

The Scripture passages we have for today call us to sainthood, and conclude with a reminder that life in Christ demands a new way of seeing the world, not merely escaping it. You see, life isn't like that.

Life is tough. We will experience heaven and hell during our times. What greater gift on earth can there be than finding that one person out of 4 billion who will be your spouse...for better and for worse? What greater gift on earth can there be than having a child with that spouse, and grandchildren? Life gives us so much when we become parents, grandparents and so on.

And what greater loss can there be in losing any of them? Yes, heaven and hell on Earth can very well include the same people in both cases.

So much is happening in the world right now. There is so much uncertainty about what will happen after Tuesday. There is the very real threat of terrorism that makes living today very stressful. There is the uncertainty in the economy which could affect our good life as we know it. The voices of gloom and doom are everywhere. Even our children sometimes say that we don't understand what they are going through in raising their children. It's so hard today.

Well, it was hard for us as well. It was hard for our parents too. Our four saints lived through the horrors of the Depression, World War II, and the threat of nuclear annihilation in their lives. While we desire that open concept in our dream houses, they, in some cases, had a bomb shelter or tornado shelter in their homes. Tough times have been around for a very long time.

But we keep the faith. When we are at our wit's end, we are reminded of the Scriptures in one way or another. It is usually through another person, be it a chaplain, member of the clergy, or just some saint who is living among us. Such was the case with me 20 years ago when I was with so many who were grieving at a hotel at the JFK airport in New York. Pastor Lynn Wheeler from the Community Baptist reminded me that God does not give us more on our shoulders than we can handle. There wasn't a lot of heaven in those days and weeks after Flight 800, but it sure felt like a lot of hell on earth. Pastor Wheeland reminded me of my faith.

Our ancestors kept the faith. In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul prays

“that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, ¹⁸so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, ¹⁹and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power.”

Jesus knew that life was not easy. In today's oft-repeated Gospel lesson on the Beatitudes Jesus lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said:

“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.”

“Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied.”

“Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.”

“Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets.”

Life indeed, brings hardships and sorrow. We are so fortunate to live in this great country, but fate and other circumstances could put us in the category of poor, hungry, weeping, and being hated and reviled. While all are against us, Jesus is for us.

Sainthood is not just for nice people, it is for those who have labored for justice and peace for all people, often with no recognition but ridicule. The saints seek not to be spoken well of; they seek rather to serve their God who demands justice and righteousness between all people of the world.

Charlotte, Henrietta, Shirley and Larry each served their God so that His light shined through them. They are at rest and at peace, for behold, their reward is great in the kingdom of heaven.

May the saints on Earth, from the newest ones like Max and Gage, to the oldest ones on Earth and the saints who have fought their good fight and are with Jesus, who made the ultimate sacrifice, rejoice in their eternal reward. Amen.

Please note: The preceding sermon is provided as a resource for the thought, prayer, and meditation of the members and friends of St. Mark's. It is the residue of a verbal event, and thus it does not have academic footnotes and other details that would be expected in a written document. The writer gladly acknowledges the prior thought and work of many Christians before him.