All Saints Sunday
(hinting at Grow-One Sunday on November 9th)
November 2, 2008
Revelation 7:9-17
Psalm 34:1-10, 22
1 John 3:1-3
Matthew 5:1-12
I have a recording from a preacher’s conference some years ago that I like to listen to in the car when I’m traveling. My favorite sermon is delivered by a laywoman who is the daughter, granddaughter, and sister of clergy. The girl even grew up and married a clergyman. She said her authority to preach comes from having heard more sermons than any one human ever needs to hear in a lifetime. She told a story about growing up in the church, a time when she took on the task of learning the 23 psalm, King James Version, for a church school program. She practiced and practiced and practiced. When she got to where she could recite it without any mistakes she was very proud of herself, went bragging to her older brother that she could recite the entire 23rd psalm, King James Version. He told her she didn’t even know what The King James Version was. She said, "Well, I know Mary was a version, but I didn’t know King James was one. I thought King James was a friend of King Jesus."
The 23rd psalm was assigned to us for regular Sunday worship a few weeks ago. I made sure we used the King James Version because nearly all of us memorized that version of the 23rd psalm somewhere along the way. Rarely does anyone ever ask for a psalm other than Psalm 23 King James Version when we plan a service for the remembrance of a loved one. It feels good to your soul to say that psalm out loud with other people. One line in particular resonates with me today ‘Thou preparest a table for me in the presence of mine enemies.' The psalmist could have been referring to an actual practice in ancient tribal cultures of sharing a meal with your enemy as the last thing you do before going into battle in the hope that a reconciliation might take place during the meal so peace could be made without a war.
That reminds me of our Lord’s Sermon on the mount where he said, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God." In the church we say we are all children of God. We all become heirs to the
One thing to remember when reading scripture is that there are some things that were so common among the people the scriptures were first written for, that the writer didn’t see a need to mention it throughout the bible. THE enemy, the enemy of all enemies is not a who it’s a what. It’s death. Death was the ultimate enemy. Paul wrote to the churches over and over again how Jesus died to overcome the enemy of death so that no child of God would ever suffer eternal separation from our heavenly Father because of death. We live in the hope of the resurrection which means we believe we will be raised from death to life as Jesus was to live eternally in the nearest presence of God with all the saints who dwell in the light of eternal brightness with King Jesus. In anticipation of our destiny to become saints, Paul went ahead and called all the members of the churches saints.
My Dad died on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving Day. Our plans were already made for the Thanksgiving meal. The groceries were bought and the turkey was defrosting in the refrigerator. On Wednesday I went to the funeral home to tie up loose ends, met with my priest about the burial service, and came home to call people like you do. In my mind I kept reliving those last moments with Daddy in the hospital. I hadn’t slept at all that night. By Wednesday afternoon I was really tired. I thought I’d get a jump start on Thursday’s meal by doing some of the preparation the day before. I took the turkey out, started washing it, and reached in to get that little bag of giblets. It wasn’t quite thawed so I gave the bag a good yank and cut my knuckle on a turkey bone pulling it out. I dropped the turkey in the sink, ran cold water over my hand, and turned to get a dish towel. Then almost as though I was pushed, I slid down the cabinet, plopped on the floor and sobbed. I mean sobbed, into that dish towel. I don’t need to tell you it had nothing to do with the cut on my finger. It had something to do with the gaping hole in my heart and being so tired under the weight of grief. Even that wasn’t all of it. I was determined to prepare a table in the presence of the enemy of death and grief, heartache and exhaustion, sadness, loneliness, and that awful feeling of abandonment. I was determined to teach my children that because of Christ, life trumps death. And living people eat. Families who love each other eat together, especially in the face of death. Only I didn’t have it in me to do what I was determined to do.
About the time I cried enough that my sinuses swelled up so I could hardly breathe, the phone rang. It was one of the saints from the church. He said, "How you doin’?"
"Oh, I’m okay."
"Family coming in tomorrow?"
"Yeah, my sister and them are coming from
"Well listen, don’t worry about dinner. I got your turkey in the oven right now. We doubled our dressing recipe and sweet potatoes, so I've got plenty of that to bring to you. Got a pecan pie for you too. All you’ll have to do is heat everything up tomorrow. We plan to bring it over about 9:30 in the morning if somebody will be there."
"Yeah, somebody will be here, but my heavens, you don’t need to do all that."
"It’s too late. It’s already done. I’ll see you in the morning." And he did.
I have never stopped being grateful for that. He and his wife prepared a table in the presence of the enemy of death when I wasn't able to. That’s what saints on earth do. Through the church, the community of saints in communion with all the saints – those who have already passed through the veil of death into the land of light, together with the children of God, children of all ages who are still growing in grace, still learning to be agents of peace, becoming saints, and those children of God yet to be born through the womb of the church in Baptism – through the work of the church, the saints of God still prepare a table in the presence of the enemy of death.
We don’t want to be too literal about these things and only refer to eating real food in the face of bodily death even though we’re mindful of that today on All Saints Sunday. The children of God are promised abundant life, life that transcends death. There are other lesser enemies that diminish the abundant life God desires for us. Poverty and hunger diminish life. Prejudice and bigotry diminish life. Illness and disease diminish life. Fear, despair, and anguish all diminish life. In that case, the table the saints prepare in the presence of these enemies is metaphorical. It means we walk into places where the enemies dwell. We don’t look the other way and pretend they aren’t there. We show up believing in the possibility of peace, hoping for it, with a determination for life and we do whatever we can to affirm abundant life that is ours through Holy Baptism. The church is not the only place on the planet where you find saints, people through whom God is truly present in the world. You find them everywhere. But I can’t think of any place on the planet besides the church whose purpose for being is to make the children of God into saints of God.
As you contemplate your giving for next year, remember all the saints you have known and loved. Remember the children of God born through the church. Remember the holy work of making God’s children into saints. Remember what a privilege and honor it is to be called a child of God. And just for good measure remember the 23rd psalm, King James Version. No matter who you are or where you come from, chances are someone, somewhere, who had something to do with a church, helped you learn it.
