NOT AN END, BUT A BEGINNING | Feast of All Saints | 1 November 2026 | Matthew 5:1-12 | David H. Brooks |

¹Seeing the crowds, [Jesus] went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.
²And he opened his mouth 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 shall be comforted.
⁵“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
⁶“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
⁷“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
⁸“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
⁹“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
¹⁰“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
¹¹“Blessed are you when others 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 so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

Matthew 5:1-12 English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles

NOT AN END, BUT A BEGINNING

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

As we enter November, our thoughts naturally begin to think about the end of the year – both the ending of the liturgical year and the calendar year—because November is when things begin to grow colder and shorter in earnest. The events within it—Thanksgiving, marking the end of the growing season and the harvest, and Christ the King Sunday, commemorating the ending of time and the return of our Lord in glory—put us in a “all things end” frame of mind.

But we would be making a mistake if we put today’s feast (All Saints) in that same category. Lutherans connect this feast day with all those who have died in Christ, who have been made holy by Christ’s death and resurrection, but it is a mistake to think that we are marking an ending, for those brothers and sisters whose names we lift up in the litany have only begun their true lives, lives that are free of sin, lives that are full of joy. This day reminds us that those who have died in Christ are not “lost” (as our world likes to say) but are still at worship, still praising the Father and the Lamb, still a part of the Body of Christ, still a part of the Church, just as we are.

This is not a celebration of holy athletes, men and women who have won the accolades and the awards that come with moral or spiritual achievement. The saints of God are simply those in whom the reality of the Kingdom of God (heavenly kingdom) are manifest.  Far from accomplishing some sort of righteousness, the saints are blessed because God’s gifts to them have developed and flourished.

Consider how Jesus teaches us: the state of blessedness begins and ends with the promise of the kingdom. The poor in spirit find that the kingdom is theirs because they have the spirit of poverty, that condition of being poor and dispossessed and dependent on the generosity and support of others. Those that belong to God have accepted that they are utterly dependent upon the grace and mercy of God, who loves them so and provides for them in all their circumstances. This truth sets them free to receive the kingdom that cannot be won by good works. The bracketing ends with those who give themselves over to persecution for the sake of The Righteous One. It is not for their own honor or glory or good name or self-perfection that they submit, but solely for the glory of Christ—and in their surrender they find the power of the Resurrected Jesus is theirs, the life-giving power of the blessed Kingdom of the loving Father.

As the kingdom of the Heavenly Father embraces those who are poor and persecuted, they find blessings that can only come from heaven:

1. Those who are grieved over loss and hurt and defeat find themselves comforted, healed and victorious;
2. Those who live humble (close to the earth), do not fight at the drop of a hat or react to every provocation find that the earth is theirs—they are no one’s enemy but can go anywhere;
3. Those who are starving or are parched for God’s presence will be satisfied—a true mark of the heavenly kingdom;
4. The merciful will receive back the mercy they themselves need;
5. The pure of heart (singlehearted) will know Him whose will is undivided and gracious toward us;
6. The peacemakers, rejected by the world, find that the gentle Father welcomes them as His own.

We celebrate this day because in this community (the communion) of saints, these blessings of God’s Kingdom are ours. Even as we ourselves are poor in spirit because of our sin, grieved over our losses and hurts, brought low by the world’s hatred of the faith, hungry and thirsty for a glimpse of God, extending mercy even as it costs us, wondering about our restless hearts, desperately trying to find peace, we are embraced by the kingdom of our Father that Jesus embodies and brings. As Dietrich Bonhöffer wrote:

The community of the saints is not an „ideal“ community consisting of perfect and sinless men and women, where there is no need of further repentance. No, it is a community which proves that it is worthy of the gospel of forgiveness by constantly and sincerely proclaiming God’s forgiveness…Sanctification means driving out the world from the Church as well as separating the Church from the world. But the purpose of such discipline is not to establish a community of the perfect, but a community consisting of [those men and women] who really live under the forgiving mercy of God…

And when we are under that forgiving mercy, when we have that forgiveness of sins, when God pours His Holy Spirit upon us, then we are His Holy Ones, celebrating that God has made for us not an ending, but a beginning.

The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

© Pr. David H. Brooks
Raleigh, NC USA
Pr.Dave.Brooks@zoho.com