Living as Saints in the World Today

Today we observe All Saints Sunday. We remember and name the communion of saints we have known in our lives; the saints who trusted in the love of God made real through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ; the saints who shared that love with family and friends and neighbors in simple and profound ways; the saints who worked to shine the light of Jesus into the gloominess of this world; to reveal the glory of God through their words and deeds and the way they lived their lives; the saints who now rest from their labors in the heavenly kin-dom.

I wonder if you have ever had this experience. Have you ever sensed the presence of someone near you, standing beside you or around you yet you can’t see them; someone you loved; someone who has been dead for a period of time yet now has come to visit with you one more time?

Consider yourself blessed if you have had such an experience.

In that moment, you have stepped into the liminal space – the thin space between here and there – between the living and the dead; the in-between space of God’s reign on earth and God’s reign in heaven.

In this moment of wonder, you have been given a foretaste of the kin-dom to come, where all people are loved and embraced and belong exactly as they are; where the long banquet table is set with an abundance of rich foods and wine, with enough for everyone; where God makes all things new.

In this moment of wonder, you have come to know that love is stronger than death and you are not alone; you are surrounded by the communion of saints; this “great cloud of witnesses” that encourages you to run with perseverance the race that is set before (you) . (Hebrews 12:1)

We give thanks and praise for the communion of saints – these saints who have gone on before us into the glory of God; these ordinary people who walked with us throughout our lives and still now surround us with love.

We give thanks and praise for their example of faithful living; for their daily witness to their faith; for teaching us of God’s ongoing faithfulness and love for all God’s people; for encouraging us to follow the example of Jesus as we live out each day of our lives in the midst of the chaos and cruelty of human empire.

We acknowledge the presence of the communion of saints each time we confess our faith using the words of the Apostles’ Creed when we say I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.

What does this mean, you ask? Listen to this explanation from Martin Luther’s Small Catechism:

I believe that by my own understanding or strength I cannot believe in Jesus Christ my Lord or come to him, but instead the Holy Spirit has called me through the gospel, enlightened me with his gifts, made me holy and kept me in the true faith, just as he calls, gathers, enlightens, and makes holy the whole Christian church on earth and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one common, true faith. Daily in this Christian church the Holy Spirit abundantly forgives all sins—mine and those of all believers. On the last day the Holy Spirit will raise me and all the dead and will give to me and all believers in Christ eternal life. This is most certainly true.

We are drawn into the communion of saints by the power of the Holy Spirit. As Lutheran Christians, we believe that we receive this power through our baptism; that moment when, through water and the Word, God claims us as God’s beloved child and we are sealed by the Holy Spirit and marked with the cross of Christ forever.

And we believe the words that Jesus spoke to Nicodemus, a Jewish leader who visited Jesus at night seeking answers to his many questions. Nicodemus was confused when Jesus told him that he must be born from above (born of the Spirit) in order to see the kin-dom of God. We can almost hear Nicodemus ask – What does this mean? Jesus tells him “The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” (John 3:8)

The Holy Spirit blows where she blows and lands where she wills and takes us where she wants us to go (if we are paying attention to her). For those of us who are born of the Spirit, it is by the power of that Spirit that we are made holy in Christ (we are saints!) and our lives our changed.

Through the power of the Holy Spirit working in our hearts and minds and bodies, we are no longer conformed to this age, but (are) transformed by the renewing of the mind, so that (we) may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:2)

By the power of the Holy Spirit, we are called to live as saints in the world today. What does this mean?

It means our lives are turned upside down.

No longer do we listen to the cruel and hateful words of this present empire; we listen only to Jesus and his words of love and compassion and hope for all people.
No longer do we seek the favor of those who are rich and powerful; for God’s favor lies with poor people and hungry people and people who mourn and meek people. That is where we want to be and where we want to serve.
No longer are we afraid to stand up and speak out against Christian Nationalism, systemic racism, gender based violence, fascism, genocide, or any of the many other evil ways the world strives to destroy the humanity of every person whom God has created in God’s own image; for we will love our neighbors as Jesus loves us.

Jesus tells us – and shows us – a different way to live as saints in the world today:

love our enemies
do good to those who hate us
bless those who curse
pray for those who mistreat us
turn the other check (nonviolence response)
give all that you have to those who ask for it (or those who need it)
do to others as you would like them to do to you (or how they would wish to be treated)

Living as saints in the world today is not an easy way of life; yet, it is the way that leads to abundant life in Jesus Christ now and to everlastinglife with God and all the saints when God’s kin-dom comes.

Today may you listen to the words of Jesus and live fully in the power of the Holy Spirit, revealed to you through scripture and prayer and in the gathering of the communion of saints around you.

Then you will have abundant life in Jesus Christ now and eternal life with all the saints when God’s kin-dom comes.