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The Abundance and Hope of All Saints

The Rev. Thomas W. Simmons IV

Today’s a big day in the Church.  Today we celebrate All Saints, one of the high holy feasts in which we celebrate the life of all the saints of Christ, both great and small, famous and forgotten.  That’s the theme of each of our readings. 

Ecclesiasticus shows the saints in history, each serving God in their own unique way. Some were extraordinary servants of God who are preserved in our memory from generation to generation for their courage and brilliance and faithfulness and love.  And then there are those ordinary, mundane saints, like you and me, who serve God and are later forgotten – but not to God.

In the Gospel Jesus talks about saints in a different way.  He describes their frame of mind, attitudes and character traits: what they seek and what they do.  They hunger for righteousness and show mercy.  Jesus calls them “blessed” which in Latin is ‘sancte’, which is where we get our word ‘saint’. 

Our reading from Revelation portrays the blessings that Jesus promised to the saints.  We see them in heaven having made their robes white in the blood of the Lamb and died with faith in Jesus Christ. Through death, they are now living the life Jesus promised, having inherited the earth – the new earth made free from sin, death, curse, tears, and all aspects of our fallen nature.

As Christians we are connected to all these people, past, present and future.  This is “the communion of the saints” and we experiences it every time we worship.  When we gather at this altar and lift up our hearts we join “angels, archangels and all the company of heaven.” 

In Christ we are one with them, whether dead or alive.  That’s a comfort as we remember those who have died this past year.  Though we live on different sides of death’s great divide, we are never far from them.  That’s why we still pray for them and I believe they still pray for us.   

All Saints is also one of the five principal days when the Church baptizes.  And today we have two little ones to baptize into union with Christ and into the communion of saints. 

I love baptisms because they teach us, the baptized, so much.  Since most of us don’t remember our baptism it’s helpful to be reminded from time to time of who we are, what we have and what we are called to do in baptism. 

And as we baptize Sarah and Bridget this morning they serve as tiny, wiggling reminders of how ourbaptism relates to our lives as Christians.  I think the baptismal liturgy shows us how God is building Christians for service, through our renunciation of evil, our commitment to the Christian faith and life and our union with Christ.  This is how God changes us into the people he wants us to be.

Baptism is truly one of the most significant events of our lives – and the lives of Sarah and Bridget – for it begins their lives as Christians.  As you look at your little daughters baptized today their whole life and future lies ahead.  It is a future in relationship with God.  What will they grow to be like two years, five years, ten and twenty years from now?  

Because she’s baptized, you as parents and godparents have responsibility for seeing that she is nurtured in the Christian faith and life.  And God has responsibility, too.  God is intimately involved in her life, protecting, guiding and providing for her.  He is shaping her personality and experiences.  He’s drawing her close to himself, forming her character just as he does with allsaints. 

The same is true of each of us and of all of us together in this Christian community we call St. Peter's.  As you look around at our great little church here do you ever wonder what we’ll grow to be like two years, five years, ten and twenty years from now? 

I do.  Just like these little girls, much depends on how we build, how we serve, how we give and how we grow in our relationship with God and our love to others. And God is intimately involved in the process, guiding, providing and working in our midst to accomplish his plans for us.  It’s quite exciting to think about, actually. 

It reminds me of a favorite verse from Paul’s prayer in Ephesians, chapter three.  Paul says, "Glory to God, whose power working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine."  

As we look to the future, that's the potential that's out there for us, our children and for St Peter’s.  That's the horizon of the possible of what God can do.  That’s the potential that God brings to any given situation.  It’s infinitely more than you are currently praying for or daring to imagine. Just let that sink in. 

But notice that it is not some sovereign fiat, waving his magic wand, viola!  He does it in partnership with us, by working in us and through us.  And that's where stewardship begins.  Which is another reason why today is significant.  This is Stewardship Sunday, Pledge Sunday. 

Stewardship is our response to God's generosity, power, initiative and call in all areas of our life.  God has given us, and calls us to do, more than we can ask or imagine.  And he invites us to trust him and obey him in all we do.  He wants us to join him and get on board with his program in partnership with him.    This means investing our time, talent and treasure with God. 

And because we are focused on financial stewardship at this time of year I’d like to discuss it briefly with you this morning. People view their financial relationship with God and the church in a lot of different ways.  I see four different mind-sets. 

The first mindset is that of a CUSTOMER.  Customers typically don't pledge but they pay as they go in return for benefits received at church.  They drop some money in the plate when they attend, giving an amount proportional to the benefit they receive.  Which is why it's good to pass the plates afterthe sermon - if the sermons are good. Customers make up probably 40% of the church.

PATRONS are folks who get a little more involved in the ministries and leadership of the church and figure they need to give a little more, too.  They calculate their giving in terms of paying their fair share toward the budget or in terms of what they can afford.  The amount typically remains the same from year to year.  Patrons make up another 40% of the church. 

PARTNERS undergo a sort of paradigm shift in their thinking.  The don’t give for external reasons – for the good received or their fair share – but an internal reason.  They give because they feel the need to give.  They see financial stewardship as an important part of their relationship with God. These are percentage givers and they give to God from the "first fruits," right off the top, whether it’s 3%, or 5% or 10%, the tithe. 

The last mindset is that of the FAMILY giver, which I have heard likened to a grandparent eagerly investing in the family, putting money away for college and spoiling the grandkids with gifts.  This is the cheerful giver who gives what it takes to ensure the future of the church, enabling it to grow and thrive. 

There is a conversion that happens between the first two mindsets and the second two.  It is a conversion in our relationship with God, where we don’t just worship God on Sunday, but we love God and seek God and hunger and thirst for righteousness. 

You yield to God more and more, and say, “Lord what would you have me do?”  You want to be right with God and pleasing and useful to God.  You invite him to rule at the center of your life, and orient all your priorities and needs and abilities, hopes and dreams around him. You put him FIRST. 

That’s my goal here on All Saints Day.  I want every single person in this church to experience this relationship with God, to join all saints in loving and serving God with all their heart and in every aspect of their life. 

I’m not after your money.  It’s the relationship I’m after,  I’m confident that when you love Jesus and give your life to him like those about to be baptized this morning, that the money and the time and talent will flow with abundance and we at St Peter’s will begin to experience the infinite potential that Paul spoke of.  AMEN