“The Saints of the Future”
November 6, 2022
Dear brothers and sisters, grace and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Amen.
Today, as we do every year, we celebrate All Saints Sunday. But hopefully today will be more than just a day to look backwards to the past: it is also a time for us, especially after everything we have been through as a church family, to look forward with hope and optimism to the future. The people we see on the slideshow, which we saw before the service and we will be showing again during Communion, are those who led the way for us to where we are now. They helped to guide us through some rather difficult and challenging times, and, even today, serve as inspirations for us for how to keep going in the midst of troubles. We give thanks to God that they now live with God, something they looked forward to throughout their entire lives, which we are reminded of in today’s First and Second Readings: that there is a place God has prepared for us which is free from sadness, struggle, trouble, illness, uncertainty, where God reigns supreme and is victorious. These were people who followed the words and example of Jesus, especially in the Beatitudes, which we hear about in today’s Gospel reading.
As a starting point, being “poor in spirit” means being humble in how we live out our relationship with God and others. We are to live following the example of Jesus – in love, humility, and compassion towards others, regarding others as equal to us. Martin Luther says that, in all of our actions and interactions with other people, we are to be “little Christs.” In other words, we are to be like Jesus to everyone. How does this happen? By looking at what the saints of the future, those who are growing in the faith now, hold to be important. For the saints of the future, humility is a greater witness than trying to demonstrate the rightness or correctness of one’s position or affiliation. Mercy, forgiveness, reconciliation, and understanding are of greater importance than doctrines or positions. Actions are more important than words, especially actions of love and service for others. Indeed, many of the saints we remember in history are examples of how to live this truly Christlike life.
For example, one of my personal favorite saints who is an excellent role model of being “poor in spirit” as well as a “little Christ” is Saint Francis of Assisi. As a young man born in twelfth century Italy, he lived a life of pleasure, but then started to question whether the lifestyle he was living was actually worth it. At a certain point in his life, he had an experience which convinced him to go in a new direction – specifically, he believed Jesus spoke to him directly and told him he needed to rebuild the church, which had fallen into ruins. While at first he took this literally and sought to rebuild the church building in his hometown, he realized after a while what Jesus meant was that he was supposed to be an example and guide to help bring the church back to its original mission. He came to see that those who were supposed to be serving people on Jesus’ behalf had turned their backs on others, especially the poor. He also believed that in order to reach people on Jesus’ behalf, it was necessary to do just that – actually go out where the people were, feed them, provide for their needs, and show them Jesus’ love in any way they needed it. So he and his followers went out among the poor and others who were being forgotten, and even showed compassion to animals. He was able to help and reach those who were either considered unreachable, or who others refused to try to reach, and, in everything he did, emphasized being humble and low-key about it. Francis even, at one point, tried to bring the Sultan of Egypt to faith in Jesus as Savior, and, while he was unsuccessful in doing so, he showed that the most effective way to reach unbelievers was through simple, humble witness, rather than force or violence. His whole approach to being a Christian and a follower of Jesus can be summed up in something he said: “Remember that when you leave this earth, you can take with you nothing that you have received – only what you have given: a full heart, enriched by honest service, love, sacrifice, and courage.” The life we live now, especially the life we live for others, is going to be our legacy, how we are remembered. And just as we have certain memories of those who went before us, we are to be mindful of how the saints of the future, who will follow in our footsteps, will remember us. So we have to be thinking, at all times, of what sort of example we are setting for those in the future. And, hopefully, it is indeed a model of honest service, love, sacrifice, and courage.
Another example of living this kind of life is someone who became one of our latest saints to eternal life just a few days ago: Bob Colucci. As many of you may remember, one thing Bob was always fond of talking about from his time with Montgomery County Rehab and Rescue was whenever he would help someone out, they would thank him for everything he did for them. He’d then tell them, “I didn’t do it – Jesus Christ did it for you. I’m just the mechanism.” Bob had it exactly right, and that’s something for all of us to keep in mind: we are the mechanism by which Jesus causes things to happen for other people. Those whom we remember today were also just the mechanism by which God caused things to happen for us, this church, and this community; and we are the agents by which God makes things happen.
In just a few moments, we will celebrate Holy Communion. Just as we devote today to remembering all those who have gone before us to eternal life, Communion is also a time to remember, especially for us to remember everything God has done for us in the past, what He is doing for us in the present, and what He will do for us, and everyone who comes after us, in the future. Every time we receive Communion, we remember and retell the story of what Jesus did for us. He showed His love for us by sacrificing His body, His very life, and rising again, to win eternal life for us. Every one of us who believe in Him now will live forever with Him in the future. This is a promise He made by sealing it with His own blood, meaning it is guaranteed and will never be broken. The bread and wine are visible reminders of Jesus’ love and promise for us. But it is not simply remembering a past event: we also believe that Jesus is really and truly present with us right here, right now, that the bread and wine are His body and blood. Also, because we believe Jesus is here with us, and we remember Him, we thank Him for who He is and what He has done. Together, as we give thanks to Jesus, we acknowledge that we are all members of God’s family. Just as we invite and welcome all members of our families to enjoy family gatherings and events, God also welcomes us to enjoy His special meal together. It is not us who give out the body and blood – once more, we are only the mechanism by which Jesus does this. He has promised that He is with us every time we eat and drink the bread and wine and remember what He did, and is doing now, for us. What He is doing for us now is filling us with His power, changing and transforming our hearts and minds, to help us become more like Him, especially in His attitude and life, and be the means by which He changes other people’s lives. So as we remember those who were examples to us, let us have Jesus be our ultimate example; and, as we move forward with hope, let us be faithful and bold examples of following Jesus, and being like Jesus, to all those who will come after us.
Now may the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
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