All Saint’s Sunday
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Saintly Sinners, Sinful Saints
All Saints Sunday and the appointed readings are pregnant with themes of stark contrast: death and life, condemnation and redemption, sorrow and joy, suffering and relief, present life and future life. Such is life, too, as baptized children of God. The very nature of our lives is of stark contrast.
By virtue of our baptism into the death and resurrection of Jesus, we are made saints while we are still sinners. Every day in this nautically juxtaposed life we navigate through rough waters such as sin, evil, pain, heartache, addiction, abuse, hunger, disease, and war. But our bearing is always set, not by the North Star but by the Daystar, who has been the heading for the faithful of every generation. With the scriptures as our compass and the confessions our map, we sail as a part of the great flotilla of saints on the waters of baptism, with the wind of the Spirit at our backs, always pointed in the direction of our guiding Daystar.
Today we give thanks for the saints who have gone before us, for the saints still among us, and for the saints of God still to come. We give thanks for the examples of faithful living that the saints have given us as they navigated the stormy waters of life, and also for the faithful acts of service we are empowered by God’s Holy Spirit to do in our own seas. We give thanks, too, for the fullness of eternal life in which the saints of God who have gone before us now partake and which we have yet to fully enjoy.
Gospel: Matthew 5:1-12
In the Beatitudes, Jesus provides a unique description of those who are blessed with God’s favor. His teaching is surprising and shocking to those who seek wealth, fame, and control over others.
1When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:
3“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
5“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
6“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
7“Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
8“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
9“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
10“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11“Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”