The Saints Are Marching - A Sermon for All Saints Sunday November 6, 2022
GOSPEL: Luke 6:20-31
The holy gospel according to Luke.
Glory to you, O Lord.
In echoes of the prophet Isaiah and Mary’s song of praise, Jesus reveals surprising things about who enjoys blessing and who endures woe. He invites his disciples to shower radical love, blessing, forgiveness, generosity, and trust, even to enemies and outsiders.
20Then [Jesus] looked up at 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 will be filled.
“Blessed are you who weep now,
for you will laugh.
22“Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. 23Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors 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 will be hungry.
“Woe to you who are laughing now,
for you will mourn and weep.
26“Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets.
27“But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. 29If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. 30Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. 31Do to others as you would have them do to you.”
The gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.
Susan loved her aunt Bea.
Aunt Bea lived in a small town in rural Saskatchewan,
and Susan didn’t get to see her often,
but she always looked forward to an opportunity
to leave the big city
and visit her aunt Bea.
Bea lived alone.
She almost got married once upon a time,
but Jeffrey just wasn’t quite marriage material.
After leaving the family farm,
Bea made a modest living
mostly working at the local grocery store.
Susan didn’t think Aunt Bea would have made it
in a big city grocery store:
it seemed like Bea spent as much time
chatting up the locals
as she did ringing through their groceries.
Maybe that’s life in a small town,
or maybe Bea was part of the attraction
for the locals to shop there.
When Susan would visit Aunt Bea,
she would take Susan to the cafe Saturday morning
for some apple pie and coffee.
Then they would walk around town
while aunt Bea would point out who lives where
and what they did for a living.
Susan would visit this town
maybe two or three times a year,
but she felt like she knew all the people in town
because aunt Bea would talk about her
neighbours all the time -
and brag to her neighbours about her beloved niece Susan.
“Did you know that it was Dan who started
our annual Christmas gift exchange?”
“Did you know that Mrs. Schmidt
would meet with little William
two evenings a week,
and she helped that little boy read?”
“Did you know Howie’s still moppin’ floors
at the Legion?
He’s no spring chicken anymore, you know!”
“Did you know that Charles still helps
the Smith’s at harvest time?
He’s no spring chicken anymore, you know!”
“Yes, aunt Bea, I know” Susan would say each time,
because she’d hear these stories
every time she visited.
And Susan loved it.
Susan loved her aunt Bea
because aunt Bea could see the good in people,
and she would share the stories of all the
good things they’d do for the neighbours.
Susan remembers one visit in particular.
They went to the cafe one Saturday,
as they always did.
It was October,
so that time they had the pumpkin pie
with their coffee and cream.
Susan was telling her aunt that
she was thinking of going back to school,
when aunt Bea stood up, unexpectedly,
and walked over to a nearby table.
Aunt Bea greeted the gentlemen at the table by name,
and the one man’s face turned red like a poppy pin.
Aunt Bea said
“I don’t want to hear you saying things like that
about Mrs. Snow.
She’s the best teacher this town has ever seen.
You know better than that.”
Aunt Bea wished them well,
and returned to her place beside Susan.
“I’m sorry, dear.” she said.
“Jim gets cranky sometimes
and needs a reminder to mind his manners.
Did you know that Jim still helps out
at the farmers market?
He’s no spring chicken, you know!
Oh - and of course,
go back to school!”
Susan loved her aunt Bea.
She learned about generosity from her.
She learned about hard work from her.
She learned to find the best in people from her.
She learned that, sometimes,
you have to stand up to people from her.
Not long after that October visit,
Aunt Bea died.
She had just turned 80.
She seemed to be healthy,
but like so many of our loved ones,
cancer took over her body and she died.
It all happened very quickly.
Susan only got to visit her aunt Bea
once in the hospital.
Susan wished she could have been there when she died.
After aunt Bea’s funeral,
they held a lunch at the Legion hall.
The whole town was there.
Susan sat with her mom and dad,
not really touching their egg salad.
She lost count of all the people who came up to her.
“You must be Susan.
You’re aunt Bea talked about you all the time.”
“I always looked forward to going to the Co-op
just so I could talk to your aunt Bea.
Sometimes I’d go twice a week, you know!”
It turns out the whole town loved Susan’s aunt Bea.
On this All Saints Sunday,
many of us are thinking about our own Aunt Bea.
Part of observing All Saints Sunday is to give thanks
that God uses the example of the saints
to help us grow in faith.
Today we don’t just remember our loved ones who died -
we remember and give thanks
for the impact they have had on us,
and for the impact they will continue to have.
Sometimes God uses the saints
to show us a glimpse of an alternate reality
that we call the kingdom of God.
Jesus talked about this a lot - the kingdom of God.
It begins Jesus’ greatest sermon:
Blessed are you who are poor,
for yours is the Kingdom of God.
Jesus gives us a glimpse into the life that really is life.
Jesus reminds us that,
in the kingdom of God,
everything is backwards,
and backwards is blessed,
backwards is very good.
We hear Jesus’ words and
we are forced to use our imagination,
because the kingdom of God is backwards.
Blessed are the poor and the hungry;
blessed are those who weep,
and those who receive hate and exclusion.
Jesus warns us not to put our trust in our wealth,
nor the food in our stomachs,
nor in good fortune.
Jesus invites us into a way of life
that strives for God’s kind of love:
love extended to our enemies,
doing good to those who hate,
blessing those who curse,
praying for those who abuse,
giving to those who beg and take.
It’s backwards,
but imagine our world if we could live into this?
In Christ, with Christ, by Christ,
this alternate reality we call the kingdom of God
is near.
I think about Susan’s aunt Bea,
and I think she lived into that reality.
Here’s the thing,
Aunt Bea didn’t become a saint when she died.
She didn’t become a saint
because of the good she did in that small town.
Aunt Bea was a saint while she lived.
She lived her life like a forgiven sinner -
She saw her townsfolk through Jesus glasses.
She treated others as they wanted to be treated,
with truth, with grace,
with appreciation, with love.
We often think of the saints
as those who died in the faith,
and, that is true,
but death is not the prerequisite
for being a saint
- forgiveness is.
God’s saints are everywhere.
Some of them even go to church.
Oh when the saints go marching in.
Oh when the saints go marching in.
Oh how I want to be in that number.
When the saints go marching in.
By God’s grace, you are the saints.
You are forgiven sinners.
You are the baptized,
you are filled with God’s Spirit,
Imagine if we could see our own townsfolk
through Jesus glasses?
The saints are marching,
can you see it?
Rich, poor,
hungry, full,
laughing, mourning, weeping,
Sainthood is promised to you
in your baptism.
The saints are marching,
can you see it?
Today we all have the opportunity to be that person
that our loved ones will remember with gratitude.
Luke’s gospel is clear:
Jesus is all about God’s reversal.
Jesus’ ministry is release to the captive,
good news to the poor,
recovery of sight to the blind,
the oppressed going free,
debts being forgiven.
Jesus reverses any notion of relying upon ourselves
for our wellbeing and purpose -
Jesus is bringing the kingdom of God to the poor.
Jesus is bringing fulfilment to the hungry.
Jesus is bringing laughter
to those in tears and mourning.
Jesus is including the excluded,
exalting the humble,
loving those who are hated, reviled, defamed
on account of the Son of Man.
Jesus does this in and through the saints.
That means us.
Oh when the saints go marching in.
Oh when the saints go marching in.
Oh how I want to be in that number.
When the saints go marching in.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
