CELC All Saints Sunday

All Saints Sunday – November 7, 2004

Luke 6:20-31

Go with me for a trip back in history. Do you remember when television came only in “black and white?” Do you remember “test patterns” that were shown by broadcasters for hours at a time? Do you remember TV before there was cable? I confess that I watched television when it was all these things. One of the programs I would watch as a child was “The Mickey Mouse Club.”

The assortment of child actors had a chaperone named “Jimmy.” I watched him on television, with his mouse ears and name emblazoned sweatshirt on for costume.

It was one Friday evening that I had quite a surprise. My mother had taken me to the grocery store to accompany her on the weekly shopping extravaganza. I got to push the cart while mom would select items off the shelves. For this hard work would I would receive the reward of a box of “Good and Plenty” candy, which to my knowledge no longer exists.

But, I digress. There was I pushing the grocery cart when we turned a corner and directly in front of me, walking toward me was Jimmy. Only he didn’t have on his ears, or his sweatshirt. He, like us, was just doing his grocery shopping. He looked ten years older in real life and pretty ordinary.

I was shocked. Jimmy was just a person like the rest of us. He ate like the rest of us, shopped like the rest of us, looked tired and ordinary like the rest of us. I could not believe my eyes.

Is this not what we do when we think of ‘saints?’ Today is All Saints Sunday, and it is my experience that we make the saints to be people who are bigger than life, just as we do with television and movie entertainers.

The truth is that the saints are people like us, not super human creatures from outer space. They are just ordinary people who have lived the grace of God.

Our Lord Jesus gives marching orders to saints in the gospel lesson this morning: “But I say to you that listen, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. Do to others as you would have them do to you.”

These are striking words. Did you note what the first words of Jesus were? “But I say to you that listen…” Wow, what an indictment of the crowds around Jesus. They may not have been listening to him. Now, if you and I were there, we would listen, right? Well, what we do know is that the saints of God listen to Jesus. By grace they open their ears to his words.

If that is the case, then you saints listen to our Lord Jesus this morning. Listen this morning because Jesus is saying that rather than “look” like everyone else, you are by the grace of God, different.

We do spend so much time wanting to look like everyone else, don’t we? We dress, groom ourselves, buy our homes, cars, and much more so that we are able to compete with the Jones’.

Jesus suggests that saints are different. The world teaches us to hate our enemy and love our friends. Jesus says, “Love your enemies.” Now, that is a significantly different way to be.

Further, he says do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and even pray for those who abuse you. Now, that just does not seem fair. And Jesus continues that you should turn the other cheek, add your shirt when they take your coat and give to all who beg or steal from you. This just does not seem to be fair at all.

And imagine what the Jones’ would think! They would look at you and say, “Have they lost their minds?”

It is, though, to this calling that Jesus calls all saints today. He does not call just the exceptional saints of history that we look up to and learn from because they had lives of exemplary faith. Jesus also calls the likes of you and me. He calls us to be very different, very odd, and very counter-cultural.

He calls us through the cross. In the cross, his death and resurrection, he loves us unconditionally and forgives all our sin. He even forgives our urgency to “look” like the Jones’. In the cross Jesus transforms us by grace and makes us new people.

So, we come here and worship not just to praise God, or to pray, or to hear the Word of God. We come to rehearse how we are to be in the world.

In our world folks have created a culture of grievances. Can you imagine lawyers were watching the polls for irregularities last Tuesday? The folks just knew that they would have a complaint, could make a grievance about some irregularity.

In contrast to the grievances of the world, we come to praise and thank God, practicing, rehearsing a saintly way to be. We do not complain, but praise.

At the Table we are fed the body and blood of Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins. Here we rehearse including others. Everyone is welcome at the Lord’s meal. In the world we know that some are excluded and are dying of starvation. In Jesus meal we rehearse inviting all, feeding all. We are made in the cross to be different. Listen, Jesus is calling you to be saints that share. Amen.

Pastor Robert F. Holley