All Saints' Day B

Todd Cook

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All Saints’ Day, Year B

In the name of the Father, and of the +Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

This morning I want to greet you in the words of St. Paul in his opening to the epistle to the church in Rome: “To all those…who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Amen.

I’ve been thinking about this day for a while now. Certainly for personal reasons, but not only because of that. I’ve been thinking quite a lot about what this day actually means for us as Lutheran Christians. All Saints’ Day has been in the Christian tradition for centuries, possibly as early as the 4th century AD. In those early times, this celebration was usually in remembrance of martyrs - those who had died for their faith - in May, typically aligned with the Day of Pentecost, the birthday of the Christian Church.

Some centuries later (835), Pope Gregory IV moved the feast day to November 1 from May so that it would be after the harvest, and there would be enough food for the pilgrims who would come to Rome for this feast. November 1 had become the celebration of “All Saints” already in England by this time, to blend with standing pagan practices among the Celtic people, who saw the mists and frosts of early autumn in that region as the visitation and presence of spirits…so this was a natural time to introduce the Christian remembrance of the “dearly departed.” Martin Luther chose the Eve of All Saints’ Day to post his 95 Theses in Wittenberg because he wanted the crowds who would come to church on the following day to see his essay. [Pfatteicher, Festivals and Commemorations, pp 411-412]

As you can see, this day has a long history of celebration dating back to far before the beginning of the Lutheran Church. And as interesting as I think the history of this festival day is, I really want to just focus on one word today: “saint”. We throw this word around so much, and it has a variety of definitions that can be used to explain it. I’d like us to spend some time talking about that. First and foremost, I would remind everyone that Luther taught that we are “simul justus et peccator” - at the same time both saint and sinner. Last week we focused on the sinner part, so it’s only fitting that today we talk about the saint part.

Let’s start with eliminating one definition off the top: I can assure you, with more than 99% certainty, that I will most likely *not* use the word “saint” to refer to any athlete, team, or sports organization, whether they are based in or affiliated with the city of New Orleans or not. Not that I don’t like New Orleans or their football team. I just don’t care. I’m far, far more interested in the theological meanings of this word. So let’s talk about those.

Before going to seminary, if you had asked me what came to mind when I heard the word “saint”, I would probably list for you the names of some of the Lutheran churches I knew: St. Peter, St. Paul, St. Mark, St. Stephen, St. Timothy, etc. Typically, but not always, these churches are named after one of the 12 Apostles. But then I would also think about how the Roman Catholic Church has the practice of making someone a saint - what they call “canonization”. The most recent in my memory is the person most of us know as Mother Theresa. She died in 1996, and was canonized in September 2016 by Pope Francis. Rome has very specific requirements, which must be met with actual proof, before they will canonize someone, and it takes years to go through the process ... but it does happen.

When we look at our church worship calendar, there are many Sundays when we could choose to celebrate the memory of one of these saints. For instance, instead of the 22nd Sunday after Pentecost, we could have celebrated the memory of St. James of Jerusalem, brother of our Lord Jesus, who is remembered on Oct 23 each year. There are different lessons for this day than for Pentecost 22, and the theme for the day is different. When we celebrate a saint, we adorn the altar with red paraments instead of the usual color of the season.

So when we talk about saints, I used to think that was just about those people we read about in the Bible who were superior examples of faith…people whose example I could never live up to. The thought actually sort of depressed me and demotivated me, to be honest. Some of these brave and faithful people were absolute heroes of the faith. And yes, of course these well-known names stood out even in the early Christian church as great examples, but they were not the only ones. But let’s back up for a minute.

“In the New Testament, ‘saint’ is a word applied to all believers, all who have been made holy by being baptized into the body of Christ and filled with the holy and sanctifying Spirit.” (Pfatteicher, p. 13) The word ‘saint’ actually comes from the Latin word “sanctus” which means “holy”. It is also the root of the word “sanctification” which means “to make holy”. Quite early in Christian history the word ‘saint’ took on a more restricted use [than it had in the past, when it applied to all believers]. …Within the growing body of believers certain people of exemplary piety and goodness stood out: those who mirrored most clearly the new life of gract and faith. These were ‘saints’ within the ‘holy nation’ of the church, those who were seen as signs of the destiny of each member of the church. What they were already, all Christians were called to become and by the grace of God would one day be. God’s people are ‘called to be saints’ (Rom. 1:7; 1 Cor 1:2). Saintliness in these passages is not so much a present condition as a vocation to which one is called, a goal toward which one strives. [We are all] summoned to become like those exemplars of peace and goodness. It is this more restricted sense that the word ‘saint’ has continued to be used.” (ibid.)

So we have narrowed it to two different ways that we should think of the word “saint”: as it pertains to all baptized believers, and also as it pertains to “exemplars of peace and goodness.” And we have some guidance from the Lutheran Confessions here as well, which accepts both definitions. Both have to do with the idea of separation - a people set apart from the nations and individuals who stand out among the holy people. The Augsburg Confession (one of our key founding documents as Lutherans) in Article VII says ‘…the Christian Church…is nothing else than the assembly of all believers and saints.’ In this use of the word, it’s clear that here it means everyone who believes in Christ.

While this was the early understanding of the word “saint”, over time the Church began to use it more exclusively to refer to only those who had died…or to departed witnesses to the Gospel (p. 14). But there’s something we must not forget: “death does not silence those whom it claims, and the dead can speak with a powerful and commanding voice.” (ibid)

“The dead, whose lives in this world have been completed, speak with a force that those who are still living here with potential and possibility before them cannot achieve. Of the dead we know a whole story, the beginning and the ending. The story of the living is as yet [unfinished]. The church therefore remembers the dead and listens to their testimony, for departed believers, especially those who witness to the goodness of God has been exemplary, by the wholeness of their life and example can instruct and encourage those members of the church whose work is not yet done.” (ibid.)

This - right here - is why, in my mind and my heart, why we celebrate this day. Don’t get me wrong. This is not “worshiping the saints” as some accuse our Roman Catholic brothers and sisters of doing. We’re not praying to the saints. But we *are* looking to their example. We *do* listen to their teachings and their wisdom. And not just Paul and Peter and Timothy and Mark. We also listen to the example of the loved ones we remember today. All of them had something to offer us by their example, certainly at least within their immediate family, if not to their larger church family. I hope all of you will take some time today to reflect on their legacy and their example in your lives.

Shortly this morning, we will confess together what we believe in our lives of faith in the form of the Creed. In the Apostles’ Creed, we say that we believe in the “communion of saints”. In the Large Catechism, Luther tells us: “The Creed calls the holy Christian church a communio sanctorum, “a communion of saints.” [Theodore G. Tappert, ed., The Book of Concord the Confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. (Philadelphia: Mühlenberg Press, 1959), 416.]

He does not like this translation, and says that a better word would be “a community of holy Christian people”. Here is how he explains it:

This is the sum and substance of this phrase: I believe that there is on earth a little holy flock or community of pure saints under one head, Christ. It is called together by the Holy Spirit in one faith, mind, and understanding. It possesses a variety of gifts, yet is united in love without sect or schism. Of this community I also am a part and member, a participant and co-partner in all the blessings it possesses. I was brought to it by the Holy Spirit and incorporated into it through the fact that I have heard and still hear God’s Word, which is the first step in entering it. Before we had advanced this far, we were entirely of the devil, knowing nothing of God and of Christ. Until the last day the Holy Spirit remains with the holy community or Christian people. Through it he gathers us, using it to teach and preach the Word. By it he creates and increases sanctification, causing it daily to grow and become strong in the faith and in the fruits of the Spirit.

[Theodore G. Tappert, ed., The Book of Concord the Confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. (Philadelphia: Mühlenberg Press, 1959), 417.]

In other words, Luther wants us to know that we, too, are saints, and we are part of this community of saints that we call “church” for short. The Holy Spirit is at work in this community, calling us together frequently to hear the Word of God preached, to partake in the Holy Sacraments, to enrich and enlighten all of us in the faith and renew and refresh us in our relationships with God and each other. THAT is what we mean by “communion of saints”.

After we have confessed our faith, we will then partake of one of those Sacraments, the Sacrament of the Altar, which we also call “Holy Communion”. In this Sacrament, we come to the Lord’s Table as one people, having greeted one another in peace, putting aside our squabbles, our conflict, and our differences, and taking our Lord’s very body and precious blood, given and shed for us for the forgiveness of sins. As we come to that Table, we will sing “Let the Vineyards”. Do you remember the last line? It says “…and give us a foretaste of the feast to come.” That is what our lesson from Revelation shows us a glimpse of: all of the gathered “saints” standing before the Throne. “They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

15 “Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.

16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat.

17 For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

[The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Re 7:14–17.]

This is just the beginning of that great feast. And although there will be no more hunger or thirst or even tears after that, I think the most important part is that “They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” It is that blood that makes it possible for the great assembly - the WHOLE Church of Christ - to stand in front of the Throne. It is that blood of the Lamb that seals them with the seal of the Living God. It is that seal that enables them to endure the tribulations without losing their faith, and it is that seal that tells all of creation that the Church - all of us - belong to Christ the Lamb and no one else. (By the way, did you notice that even in heaven, all the blessed are dependent on the Lamb for life?)

Those we remember today and all those who have gone before us, we remember as saints because that is what they are. And just as they are, so are we. We are made holy more each day, thanks to the work of the Holy Spirit. And although we mourn the loss of our loved ones, we have something to look forward to - we know that we will see them again. The scene in Revelation today paints us a picture of what that will look like. It will be a glorious day that we will all celebrate. For now, “tears are bitter, but think of what follows forever!” [R. C. H. Lenski, The Interpretation of St. John’s Revelation (Columbus, OH: Lutheran Book Concern, 1935), 265.]

Let’s remember with fondness our blessed saints today, but let’s also look forward to the day when we will be reunited with them. And let us ALWAYS remember that we can look forward to that ONLY because of Christ, who is both the Lamb who was slain for us, and the Good Shepherd who guides us to springs of living water. He *will* wipe away our tears eventually, and that is a day worth looking forward to.