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All Saints’ Sunday
Almighty God, you have knit together your elect in one communion and fellowship in the mystical body of your Son Christ our Lord: Give us grace so to follow your blessed saints in all virtuous and godly living, that we may come to those ineffable joys that you have prepared for those who truly love you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.
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All Saints' Sunday
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A Sermon by
Fr. Mead
✛
Heroes of Holiness
In the Name of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost. Amen.
At the root of today’s festival is the word, holy. First there is the uncreated, eternal holiness of God: the absolute purity of his nature, his goodness and righteousness through and through. Second is the derivative holiness of all his creatures.
When the human race fell from its original goodness into sin and became subject to evil and death, God in his love began to call us back home to himself: Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; Moses and the people of Israel. After the Exodus, during the wandering period in the wilderness, the Lord gave Israel the Ten Commandments and defined the nature of this renewed relationship in these terms: You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.[1] This is the beginning of the call to be saints under the Old Covenant of the Law of Moses. God’s holiness calls forth a responsive holiness in the people who heed his call. The Person and Work of Jesus Christ fulfill God’s recalling of the human race. For our sakes Christ consecrated his life.
In the New Testament, the word for “holy ones” or saints refers to all those who are led by the Spirit of God to seek God and to follow his Son Jesus. They are made “very members incorporate” of the Body of Christ, in whom they are reintegrated from separation into the life of God. The Apostle writes to “the saints” in Corinth; he means all the members of that church, as unruly as the eastern seaboard of the Episcopal Church in the present age.[2] Yet Paul imputes the word “saint” to all the members – it is bound up in their calling and Baptism – and he would do the same to us here at Saint Thomas Fifth Avenue.
All Saints Day’s primary meaning refers to the whole body of those who, seeking God (and their seeking is itself an act of God), are brought by the Holy Spirit to share in the Son’s filial relationship to the Father. They are saints by call and by grace.
What then about the capital S saints? It is a full life’s work of responding to God’s call, to live up to the calling. From earliest days, the Church had a “Hall of Fame” of her heroes in holiness, as in Saint Paul, Saint Peter, our Lady Saint Mary, Saint Mary Magdalene, Saints James and John, Saint Thomas and so on. These are the apostles, prophets, martyrs and those others who manifestly live a life of service for Jesus – that service which is perfect freedom. The Church recognizes them for our edification and encouragement.
Saints may be found in all walks of life. Many have taken the Good News of Jesus directly into the midst of poverty, injustice, ignorance and unbelief, heresy and schism, war and violence, oppression, sickness, weakness, helplessness. People like Saint Francis come to mind. But there are also heroic rulers, soldiers, doctors, lawyers, teachers, benefactors, politicians, mothers and fathers, even bishops and clergy, to be found in the saints’ Hall of Fame. They upheld the Gospel of Jesus in their vocations and their duties.
So it is in the words of the children’s hymn, “I sing a song of the saints of God”: “They lived not only in ages past, there are hundreds of thousands still. The world is bright with the joyous saints who love to do Jesus’ will. You can meet them in school, or in lanes, or at sea, in church, or in trains, or in shops or at tea, for the saints of God are just folk like me, and I mean to be one too.” What, me?
Yes, me; and you. Becoming a saint isn’t against our nature; it’s against the sin in our life. Becoming a saint means becoming the person I was created and redeemed and am called to be. Sin weakens and distorts. Holiness perfects. Do you feel enhanced and fulfilled when you sin; when you lie, betray, hurt, steal, lust or cheat? No, you do not; you are diminished and defiled. But when you do good; when you stand up for the truth, are steadfast and loyal, clean and honest, kind and generous, you feel better. You are growing in grace and getting stronger. That is why the Apostle says to strive for that holiness without which no one can see the Lord.[3] Every one of us, every day of our lives, is given a chance to run the Lord’s errands. That is, we are given the saint’s opportunities; this becomes clearer as we live more deeply into Christ.
What about the saints in the end, on the other side of death? “Who are these like stars appearing, these before God’s throne who stand? Each a golden crown is wearing; who are all this glorious band?” These are the saints. They heeded the call; they took courage and fought the good fight; they finished the course; they kept the faith. At the end they laid down the burden of the flesh and now they wait for the glorious Resurrection. They help us who are still on our way by example, by prayer, and by fellowship in Christ and the Spirit.
I look forward to reunions with those saints who influenced me toward the good and right way, which is always the way of Christ. But I also look forward to the introductions: to heroes and exemplars of ages past, and for that matter, those from such times there may be yet to come before the Lord’s glorious return. On second thought, I shrink from the encounter because I’m a sinner; my sin embarrasses me. But then I remember: I am a redeemed sinner called to be a saint, and God has made up the difference for us all in his Son. Holiness is our one true once and future calling. The Lord is glorious in his saints: O come, let us adore him.
In the Name of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost. Amen.
[1] Leviticus 11:45; and Exodus 19:6 (“a kingdom of priests and a holy nation”).
[2] I Corinthians 1:1-2; Acts 9:13; Romans 1:7, Philippians1:1 and many other places.
[3] Hebrews 12:14
