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The Feast of All Saints, 11/03/2013
Sermon on Luke 6:20-31, by Nathan Howard Yoder
20 And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said: "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. 21 "Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied. "Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. 22 "Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! 23 Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets.24 "But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. 25 "Woe to you who are full now, for you shall be hungry. "Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. 26 "Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets.27 "But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. 29 To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either. 30 Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. 31 And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.
Breathing threats and murder against the Lord's disciples and on his way to throw them in prison, a Pharisee was knocked to the ground by a light from heaven. Made blind, he heard the voice of the Risen Lord. His spirits of anger and fear were scattered in the wind, and he was rendered poor -- made ready to receive the richest Spirit of all.
A sister, weeping in grief for her four-day dead brother, heard the voice of ultimate authority speak. "Lazarus, come out." And her brother obeyed.
A woman, a sinner of the streets, crashed the dinner party of an upstanding citizen. Kneeling down behind the Son of God as He reclined at table, she washed His feet with her tears, and she dried them with her hair.
An influential man and ruler of the synagogue learned that his young daughter had died. "She is not dead," said the Christ, "but sleeping." The Lord told her to get up; and when she had done so, he told her parents to give her something to eat.
An officer and leader of rough and violent warriors sent a message to the Prince of Peace: "Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. But say the word, and let my servant be healed."
A young man lay dying in the dirt surrounded by a hostile, stone-wielding mob. And he raised his gaze toward heaven with a face like an angel, and repeated the words of his Lord: "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."
Today, on the Feast of All Saints, we celebrate the faith of these and myriads more, faith kindled and fanned by the fire of the Holy Spirit. Some of their names we know; more than one of those described above are so prominent in the Christian tradition as to make their identities instantly recognizable. Others remain anonymous. Perhaps their identities were unknown to the Evangelist. In any event, their names are not important. What is important is their Spirit-led longing for forgiveness from the one who can provide it. Each of them, young or old, woman or man, Gentile or Jew, is emptied of pride, of arrogance, of presumption, and is humbled in response to the presence of the Word of God. Their faith follows the testimony of John the Baptist: "He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30). And then there Paul: I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me (Gal. 2:20). As the old, sinful self decreases in the daily baptismal churn of repentance, life in the Spirit becomes greater and greater. This is what it means to be blessed: makarioi, from the same root as "macro", "large". Becoming greater, increasing in faith, reflecting more and more light from the true Light (John 1:9), who is not simply "large" in glory, power, and might, but "great" in the widest possible sense: mega. Mary's choice of words in the song that defines her faith as the model for ours reflects. "My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord" (Luke 1:46). Megaluno: I magnify, declare great beyond measure.
The multitude that St. John sees in his vision gathered around the throne of God echoes Mary's meaning, if not her exact words: "Blessing (Eulogia: the root of "eulogy") and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever" (Rev. 9:12). This is the Church Triumphant. Their baptism is finished, their repentance done. Their robes are dazzling white, made so by the blood of Christ Jesus, whose forgiveness they have received through their trust in His promises. They magnify the Lord in eternity, serving Him day and night, because they cannot do otherwise.
Brothers and sisters in Christ: You and I in our baptism are on the same path as these saints in light. Their story is ours. Their song is ours. We sang it today: Power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and blessing and glory are His! In our celebration of the foretaste of the feast to come, we will join our prayers with the servants of the Lord in every time and every place, with the Church on earth and the hosts of heaven, to magnify His name and join their unending hymn.
When members of our congregations die and we commend them to God, we do not eulogize, or praise, them. They were sinners, born into idolatry and seeking after false food like all the sinners before them. We proclaim instead the greatness of the Lord Jesus Christ, who died and rose for them, that they, and we, may serve in that great company of light and receive the full consolation of those who are blessed for Christ's sake, and his alone.
Through the Word of God, the Holy Spirit shows us the truth of what we've been running after and tells us what we really need. We are hungry and thirsty, and we learn who it is who can feed us. "Take and eat: this is my body, given for you. My blood, shed for you for the forgiveness of sins." The more the Spirit brings us to Christ, the more blessed we become.
In his treatise The Freedom of the Christian, Martin Luther spoke of the life in baptism as being a "little Christ", bearing our Lord into the world and serving the neighbor in love as our Lord has served us. Following the footsteps of all the saints who have gone before us, we empty ourselves in love to our friends, our neighbors, and our enemies, for the sake of Christ Jesus: who in becoming as us, dying for us, emptied Himself utterly.
We therefore remember today all the saints who have gone before us and are at rest. Their names, no matter now prominent they might be, are not ultimately important. Neither are their accomplishments, at least insofar as they speak to their own resumes. What is important is the name they bore that is above all names, the work they accomplished that was the business of their Father in heaven.
Their faith is ours. We must decrease, and He must decrease. This is our calling in Holy Baptism. The name of Christ Jesus, not ours, is the strength of our labor and the rest of the blessed dead. We thus share John the Baptist's admonition. And though we here today walk as yet by faith and not by sight, we also share his elation: "That joy is mine, and it is now complete."
Together with the disciples of our Lord in all times and places, we proclaim His Greatness. And for His sake, we are blessed.
Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.
Amen.