Feast of All Saints’B’24
3 November 2024
Revelation 21.1-6a
St. Luke’s Episcopal Church
North Little Rock, Arkansas
The Rev. Carey Stone +
“Wherefore seeing that we are [surrounded] by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily [trips us up], and let us run with patience the race that is set before us. Looking to Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of God.” Amen. – from Hebrews 12.1-2 JB Phillips translation [revised]
The oldest statement of what Christians believe is called “The Apostles Creed.” It’s recited at services of Morning and Evening Prayer, as well as at services of Holy Baptism. The way the creed is structured is based on the Holy Trinity: “I believe in God, the Father Almighty” begins the first segment, followed by “I believe in Jesus Christ his only Son, our Lord.” The third segment begins: “I believe in the Holy Spirit,” then closes with a final flourish of Christian beliefs that includes the following statement: “I believe in the Communion of saints” …
Today is one of the seven major feasts of the Church Year, the Feast of All Saints’. We remember all of our loved ones who have gone before us, and we especially remember our ancestors in the faith, Abraham, Sarah, Rebecca and Issac, Mary, Joseph, the four evangelists, Mary Magdalen, the Holy Apostles, and those who were martyred for their faith in Christ. These are they who, though humanly flawed just like all of us, remained faithful and finished their earthly race and now are at rest with God and all of the saints who have ever lived.
In the apocalyptic vision in the biblical book of Revelation, we are given a glorious vision of this celestial gathering: Where the first heaven and earth pass away with a new Jerusalem where God will eternally dwell with mortals and it says: “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more.” Then the One True God seated on the throne says, “see, I am making all things new…It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end…”
Now, I have to tell you story about something that happened this past week at one of our parish Stewardship meetings. A stranger came through our unlocked door, wandered over to the snack table, got a snack and sat down and listened to the presentation. She even had some suggestions for our ministry to the homeless. Some of us assumed that after the meeting she might ask for money or some other type of assistance. I went up to her and after finding out she had a place to stay that night, I asked her how we could pray for her, she said that she wanted to pray for me and that “God sometimes says things through me to other people.” She then asked if I knew what Revelation 21.1-4 says, I couldn’t remember, so she quoted it: “He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there won’t be any more pain and suffering” … We hugged each other and she left. Well, the next morning, when I looked at what the scripture readings were going to be for today you can imagine the shock I felt when I saw what our second lesson for today was — Revelation 21.1-4! The reading recommended by the stranger that we all heard read offers us great hope and consolation. It’s especially good news to anyone who is going through a tough time here on earth. Apocalyptic literature in the bible is there to bring us hope that the bad days of trials and tribulations won’t last forever, and that they certainly won’t get the final word!
What does it mean for us to believe in the communion of the saints? Our catechism which is the outline of the faith near the back of our prayer book answers this way: “The communion of the saints is the whole family of God, the living and the dead, those whom we love and those whom we hurt, bound together in Christ by sacrament, prayer, and praise.” (BCP p.862) In short it means that we are cosmically connected! Connected with those believers on earth and also with those in heaven. All of this is a great mystery, the scriptures have used visions, and metaphors to attempt to speak of something that is very real but intangible.
Who were these saints who have gone before us? And what is a saint exactly?
On this day we remember the late, the great, and the famous, but we also remember those much closer to home, most of whom weren’t famous.
When it came to decisions, they relied on the acronym WWJD – What Would Jesus Do? I found this meme that provides a reference list for a saint’s response to all those they encounter:
Male – Love them
Female – Love them
Unsure – Love them
Gay – Love them
Straight – Love them
Unsure – Love them
Addict – Love them
Sober – Love them
Believer – Love them
Unbeliever – Love them
Unsure – Love them
Who is that you are especially remembering on this All Saints’ Sunday?
This is my first “All Saints’ Day” without my dear friend, confidant, mentor, brother, father figure, the best man at my wedding, and priest, Patrick Murray; who joined the Great Cloud of Witnesses this past summer. Why do I treasure our friendship, and cherish his memory? He loved me for who I am not for what he needed me to be. He made time for me. He listened to my story without trying to make it about his story. He showed me the way of Christ’s Love by his generous words and deeds. Even some of his flaws were some of his most endearing qualities, and he held out hope that I too can be a saint.
Saints inspire us to follow their example, just ordinary folks who do ordinary things extraordinarily well. Patrick Murray, and all the saints above are our benefactors and sponsors, we who remain are their beneficiaries and stewards of all they have passed down to us so that all of us may bring greater glory to God!
To God all glory, praise, and love
be now and ever given
by saints below and saints above,
the Church in earth and heaven.1
Amen and Amen!
1 Charles Wesley, “O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing” from The Hymnal 1982 (Church Publishing: New York) Hymn#493