[Propertalk] Fwd: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for All Saints' Sunday: “Happy All Saints’ Sunday” or “God with Skin”

[joeparrish]

Forwarded: Sent from my Samsung Galaxy smartphone.
-------- Original message --------From: Judy <judy_boli at ecunet.org> Date: 02/11/2019  9:41 pm  (GMT-04:00) To: Propertalk <propertalk.topic at ecunet.org> Subject: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for All Saints' Sunday: “Happy All Saints’ Sunday” or “God with Skin” 

As you know, today is a very special Sunday- All
Saints’ Sunday.  All Saints is the time
we thank God for all the wonderful saints of God who have mentored us, loved
us, and accepted us through thick and thin- not always an easy task!  This morning, I’d like us to look at saints-
who we are, where we’ve come from, where we’re going, and our ultimate destiny.

 

SAINTS- WHO ARE WE?  Did you notice the “WE”?  I can’t tell you how many times people have
told me, “Rev. Judy, you expect too much of me. 
I’m not a saint, you know.”  I
finally get a chance to answer with two questions of my own!  (1) Have you accepted Jesus as your Lord and
Savior?  (2) Are you baptized?  If you answered “yes” to both of these
questions, you are a saint- maybe not a famous saint, maybe not even a very good
saint, but you are a saint, and there’s always room for improvement.  One definition of a saint is simply “God
putting on skin.”  A little boy was
afraid of the dark, afraid of thunder storms, and afraid of all those strange
noises you can often hear in a quiet, cooling house.  One night, a huge crack of thunder frightened
him out of a deep sleep.  He was out of
his bed in a minute and into his parents’ bed. 
Now the last thing they wanted was a scared child in their bed, so his
mom and dad comforted him a minute, then told him to go back to his own bed.
They told him to remember what he had learned in church- that God was always
with him.  “That won’t do right now!” he
protested.  “I need a God with skin, and
mom, dad- you’re it!”  That little boy
knew what he was talking about.  A
saint is a stand-in for God.  Think
of the people you know who feel as if they have no meaning in their lives?  We saints who are working on our spiritual
walk are seldom in this confusion for long if we’re going to church and
receiving Holy Communion every Sunday, reading our Bible daily, and being
faithful in our prayer life.  Why?  Because we are God’s wonderful instruments to
finish the creating, redeeming, and sanctifying of God’s world.  Do you know someone who is hurting?  You’re Jesus’ hands- help them.  Do you know something that needs fixing?  You’re Jesus’ hands- fix it.  Do you know something that needs creating or
improving or developing or discovering? 
You’re Jesus’ hands- do it.  You,
as a saint- as a stand-in for Jesus are the only God that some people will ever
see.  How much more meaning could anyone
want?  Do you remember the poem, “The
Gospel According to You?”  It goes: 

The gospels of Matthew,
Mark, Luke and John are read by more than a few.

But the one that is read
most and commented on is the gospel according to you.

You are writing a gospel,
a chapter each day, by the things that you do and the words that you say.

People read what you
write, whether faithless or true.  Say,
what is the gospel according to you?

Do others read His truth
and His love in your life, or has yours been too full of malice and strife?

Does your life speak of
evil, or does it ring true?  Say, what is
the gospel according to you?

                                          (Anonymous)

 

SAINTS- WHERE WE’VE COME FROM: One of the
things I love about All Saints’ Sunday is it gives us a chance to remember
where we’ve come from- God’s heart.  We
are the adopted children of God.  Our
family tree is amazingly famous.  Abraham
is our forefather and Sarah is our foremother. 
Our ancestors include Isaac and Rebecca; Jacob and Leah and Rachel; King
David; culminating in Jesus.  We have a
glorious past and an even more glorious future. 


 

SAINTS- WHERE ARE WE GOING: For me, one of the
best parts of being a saint (i.e. a Christian) is that I don’t need to worry
about the future, because I know who holds the future in his hand- God, and He’s
my dad- my heavenly Father, so I know nothing can happen to me that He and I
can’t handle together.  Did you notice how
the first reading reminds us to expect trouble, and that surely is
correct.  In fact, if you never have to
face trouble or problems because you follow Jesus, because you choose to do the
right thing regardless of peer pressure, money pressure, family pressure, or
any kind of pressure, then something is the matter with your choices or your
walk.  Listen to the Ecclesiasticus
lesson (2: 1-9): It not only warns us to expect trouble, but advises us how to
handle it.  “1 Students, if you decide to
worship and obey the Lord, be ready to face problems. 2 Have firm self-control
and don't act too quickly if trouble strikes. 3 Don't turn from the Lord, but
be faithful; that's the way to succeed. 
4-5 Accept everything that happens. 
Be patient if others humiliate you; 
humiliation tests people as a furnace tests gold.  Trust the Lord if you become sick or
poor.  6 The Lord will give His help, if
you depend only on Him and do right.  7
If you fear the Lord and are patient, He will show you mercy.  But if you turn away, you will fall.  8 Put your trust in Him, and He will reward
you.  9 Don't give up hoping for good
things, like mercy and a life full of joy.” 
Did you notice how trouble tests us as a furnace tests gold.  What happens to gold in a furnace?  Sure, it comes out stronger and more
pure.  Stick with Jesus, stay strong
through trials, and you will develop amazing spiritual power and courage as
well.

 

Here’s another difference between we saints and
others not so blessed.  While they’re
calling their psychic hot lines or checking what their astrological signs say
will happen in the current crisis- and life is full of crises- always has been
and always will be, we can sing with meaning, “Be not afraid, for God is in
charge.”  While others are hiding from
life with their alcohol or drugs or TV programs or shopping or just being busy,
busy, busy- we can sing with meaning, “I put my troubles in God’s hands” and
not only put them there, but leave them there. 
Does being a Christian mean we are immune from trouble?  Absolutely not, but with God, the sacraments,
my Christian friends, the Bible- I can take whatever life throws at me, and
so can you and turn problems into opportunities and personal spiritual power.  Easy? 
Of course not, but worth every minute. 
It’s great being a saint!

 

SAINTS- OUR ULTIMATE DESTINY: Did you hear
about the little girl in Sunday school? 
Her teacher had just asked the class how you get to heaven, hoping she
would get the Biblical answer “Believe and be baptized.”  Up shot the little girl’s hand.  Now this was one of those “goody-goody little
girls” who always does everything right and always knows the answer, so the
teacher chose her to answer.  “What was
the question?” the child asked.  “What do
you have to do to get to heaven?” the teacher repeated.  “Oh, that’s easy,” the child answered.  “Get dead!” Not only do I automatically
have an abundance of meaning in my life, not only do I know who I am and where
I’ve come from, and where I’m going--- I also have a sure knowledge of my
ultimate destiny.  Death is an
illusion, a devil-trick- it doesn’t exist. 
Death is simply a birth process to the next glorious part of my life
with Jesus.  This world is just my
temporary home, my citizenship is in heaven. 
Getting dead may not be great, but being dead is fine, because we are in
heaven with Jesus.

 

As a Christian, as a saint, not only do I
automatically have an abundance of meaning in my life, not only do I know who I
am and where I’ve come from, and where I’m going, not only do I have a sure
knowledge of my ultimate destiny- heaven; I am also blessed with clear
instructions for how to be blessed (and a blessing) in this life: love God,
love neighbor, don’t hold grudges, no revenge, the beatitudes we heard this
morning for our Gospel.  So let’s get on
with our worship by thanking God for the wonderful privilege of being saints in
our generation and renewing our Baptismal Covenant.





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