All Saints Day – Pastor Will Bevins
Today’s Sermon is available below in two formats. The audio file contains the lessons or the sermon that is also available as the text below.
Lessons
First Reading: Revelation 7:9-17
9 After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands. 10 They cried out in a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!”
11 And all the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 singing, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.” 13 Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, robed in white, and where have they come from?” 14 I said to him, “Sir, you are the one that knows.” Then he said to me, “These are they who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 For this reason they are before the throne of God, and worship him day and night within his temple, and the one who is seated on the throne will shelter them. 16 They will hunger no more, and thirst no more; the sun will not strike them, nor any scorching heat; 17 for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of the water of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
Psalm 34:1-10, 22
1 I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. 2 My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad. 3 O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.
4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me, and delivered me from all my fears. 5 Look to him, and be radiant; so your faces shall never be ashamed. 6 This poor soul cried, and was heard by the Lord, and was saved from every trouble. 7 The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them. 8 O taste and see that the Lord is good; happy are those who take refuge in him. 9 O fear the Lord, you his holy ones, for those who fear him have no want. 10 The young lions suffer want and hunger, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
22 The Lord redeems the life of his servants; none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.
Second Reading: 1 John 3:1-3
1 See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is. 3 And all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.
Gospel Reading: Matthew 5:1-12
1 When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
5 “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
All Saints Day – Sermon
Blessings to you, this All Saints Day. Let’s take a moment to pray.
God, our help in the valley,
We gather today as a community formed in the love of your son, Jesus Christ. Be with us today, as we remember those who go before us into your embrace.
Comfort those of us who mourn, stir up our hope, increase our faith, and instill in our hearts the peace only you can give, so that we may go out into the world as messengers of your promise.
In your son’s holy name I pray,
Amen
Each year, as the nights get colder and the leaves turn color and cover our yards, as we pull sweaters out of our closets, and restock our pantries with hot chocolate and apple cider, All Saints Day comes around, the “Little Easter,” as some call it.
This holy feast day, toward the end of the church year and-
Perhaps it’s overshadowed some years by Halloween festivities, and often our minds are already on Thanksgiving by this time of year, and then Christmas is just around the corner… and all of this can leave us with precious little time to pause and appreciate the mystery of the resurrection, in remembering those whom today we commemorate as “saint.”
It could probably go without saying: this year feels a bit different. Everything about 2020 has looked and felt different, and it almost seems like the changes won’t stop coming. It may even feel a little uncomfortable to pause and reflect during a year of pauses and disturbances.
Today, I’ll be remembering my mother as we pray. She died earlier this year. I’ll also be remembering my father, for the fourth year since his death. I’m grateful to them both for their examples of faith. To be certain, they were both saints and sinners, as Luther taught of humankind, which reminds me that I, too, am a sinner and saint. A saint is someone who loves God and tries to follow Jesus, seeking to share the Gospel message through what they say and do.
I believe that God uses everything, that God is present with us at all times, yes, even in 2020. I trust that, in ways that I will never fully understand, there are seeds of hope, faith, and love that God is planting in each of our lives, even this year. Perhaps we can see them, these hardy sprouts of God’s goodness. Acts of kindness that may seem small, but whose effects will multiply. A lesson learned – perhaps even the hard way – after which God’s intent is a little clearer, and nothing will ever quite be the same. A new neighbor, a new friend, or perhaps an old friend, brought back into your life when you needed them. Pausing to reflect on the year may give some clarity, or at least perspective.
And then I look at texts like today’s reading from 1 John, and I am again struck with wonder, once again plunged into mystery, reading:
“See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.”
When you hear the word “mystery,” what does it mean to you? Frankly, my first thought is “Agatha Christie.” The “whodunit.” A mystery is something to solve, and often, it’s presented to us as a narrative. There’s a beginning and an end, with clues scattered in between. Ultimately, we’ll fully understand everything that happened – if it’s a “good” mystery, we’ll solve it along with the protagonist. A “bad” mystery will leave us annoyed, scratching our heads at the end, or worse, we figured it out in the first chapter.
God probably wouldn’t be a popular writer of mystery novels. Life is so full of red herrings, of plot holes, of twists that never unwind. On the other hand, God is the first and best author of mystery, not as secret knowledge but as revelations of God’s promise to us. As “children of God,” we are dependent on God, as a child to a parent. In that same manner, we trust God to provide for our needs.
1 John continues, “we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is.”
This is our future hope, but it is also our present. We are siblings to one another, in God’s world. God chooses us, molds us, and guides us into community with each other. We in turn love and serve each other. This was part of Luther’s understanding of “sainthood.”
The Reformer preached this about honoring the saints:
“The living saints are your neighbors, the naked, the hungry, the thirsty, the poor […]. Turn to them and help them.”
He could have been echoing 1 John chapter 3, which continues in verses 16-18:
“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.”
Let’s look to the examples of the saints, those living and those dead. What did they do that revealed Christ’s love to you?
As we reflect on the lives of those who have died, those saints who left us this year, and those gone before, we trust in the promise of the resurrection, that God has wiped away their tears, and is with us as we mourn; and therefore we mourn not as those without hope.
We are united as children in God’s family, and in God’s time will rejoice in a family reunion greater than our wildest dreams. Until then, may the lives and examples of the saints we remember today instruct and inspire us to share Christ’s love with others by all we say and do.