Isaiah 25: 6-9 On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine— the best of meats and the finest of wines. 7 On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations; 8 he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove his people’s disgrace from all the earth. The Lord has spoken.9 In that day they will say, “Surely this is our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us. This is the Lord, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.”
Revelation 21:1-6 Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” 5 He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” 6 He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life.
Click here to listen to this week’s sermon.
Last Sunday was Halloween! Halloween – an abbreviation of All Hallows Eve – is the day before All Saints Day. Halloween is said to be largely influenced by an ancient pagan Gaelic festival from Scotland, Ireland and England that marked the end of the harvest season and the start of the darker half of the year. Food and drink were offered to the spirits during that festival, and it was thought that the souls of the dead revisited their homes during this time. On All Saints Day, we remember and give thanks for those who have died and gone before us into God’s eternal kingdom. All Saints Day helps us to remember that death is not the end, and that death has been vanquished by the Risen Christ.
It’s interesting that the date for the celebration of Christ’s birth, December 25, coincided with the pagan festival of the winter solstice. On that night, light began to push back the darkness and it seemed a perfect day to celebrate the birth of Christ, the light of the world.
All Saints Day is a day of remembrance. We will light candles remembering those who have died who were a part of this faith community since the last time we celebrated this day. Beyond this we will light candles remembering loved ones who have passed through that door we call death. It is a solemn day of mourning.
For some of you here the candle you light is a visual reminder of the raw grief of loss that you are experiencing in your life. That loved one’s death has been so recent, tearing apart the fabric of relationships and love, that your loss is a gaping hole in your life and your heart. You are still figuring out how you are going to knit those raw edges together into a new reality, a reality that you would just as soon never have had to deal with. If this is you, know we are all holding you in our prayers during this time of intense grief.
For others, the deep pain of loss has been replaced by the sweetness of memories. This doesn’t mean that you do not miss your loved one but now, as you recall them, you remember your life journey together and, though there is an ache because of their passing, even more there is a smile, a joy, as you remember.
For many of you, I have been privileged to have made this journey with you. Initially I was called at the time of the death to help you deal with memorial services and to help you process your loss. Sometimes the grief was so great that it seemed to suck the life out of the room. Yet, some months later, you are smiling as you tell a wonderful story of a time past. All Saints Day is a time to remember because memories are a gift that heals the raw edges of grief. In our thoughts, the loved one is still alive. As we figure out how to live going forward without them physically beside us, we still take them along in our hearts and minds, and somehow those memories begin to dry our tears. So, All Saints Day is, first, a day of remembrance and a celebration of how those memories help us and encourage us.
Today’s Scripture lessons come from both the Old Testament and the New Testament. Both has soothing words of hope that we need to hear again as we ponder All Saints Day and it’s deep meaning to each of us.
Listen to Isaiah 25: 6-9 again: On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine— the best of meats and the finest of wines. 7 On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations; 8 he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove his people’s disgrace from all the earth. The Lord has spoken.9 In that day they will say, “Surely this is our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us. This is the Lord, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.”
Who does Isaiah see coming to the mountain? All people. Many nations. People who have tried their own wisdoms and strategies, only to have wept bitter tears and experienced disgrace. If death has been the fruits of their previous labors, life is in view as they, too, come to the mountain of the Lord, to receive and live by God’s Torah, to feast on the banquet of God’s eternal provision, given first to Israel alone but now offered freely to all.
What a day that will be, when God will wipe away all the tears and disgrace of all peoples. And, while we are feasting on the best foods and wine, God is swallowing down death forever. A place prepared. A feast for all peoples. Wisdom enough to go around. All the old has passed away; behold, the new has come!
Let’s also move to the Book of Revelation — Revelation 21:1-6 Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” 5 He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” 6 He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life.
Again, from the Book of Revelation we read about a scene from heaven that Isaiah is seeing. There is a great multitude from every nation standing before the throne and before the Lamb singing the praises of God. We are promised that when this happens there will be no more hunger or thirst. There will be no more pain. The Lamb will be their shepherd and he will guide them to springs of the water of life. At this moment the tears will dry up. Why? It is because all of those things that cause us physical and emotional pain and tears are gone. The pain of separation is gone. The fear of want is gone. The limitations of our physical bodies are gone. And so, we sing praises and celebrate the joy of being with God. For our loved ones who have gone before us this is what we believe and hope they are experiencing. For us, this is what we look forward to. One of the realities of life is that we shall die. Sometimes people die way too young, tragically or because of disease. Their loss is especially hard to process because we think of all the lost possibilities that will never occur in their lives. The disruption in families is more profound when people die at an early age and so we also mourn for all those who are affected by such tragedies. Others die in the fullness of their years. Yes, we will miss them, but it is much easier to release them because they have lived a full life and their passing is not unexpected.
Whether we want to admit it, we too will die. Someday loving family members will light a candle for us. When we can embrace the journey of life, celebrating the past, living faithfully today in anticipation of tomorrow we too can face our ending with grace.
Refer to the book — this is the book of members of Pleasant Grove UMC. It is a valuable – unreplaceable book – it records the life events—birth – baptisms — marriage and the death of many people. These are people who had made binding commitments to their loved ones and to the church. As we sit in this place of worship, we remember the many people who have gone before us. Many of our relatives, friends, loved ones — many generations before us have worshiped here. Today we remember again their lives, their contributions to us, their formative skills, and their presence. These people – ordinary people – with all of their human traits and failings and with God’s help– have brought our church to where it is today. We are truly grateful.
One of these All-Saints Days our names will be read. We are the potential saints for future generations. We are the shoulders on which others will stand. Will we be ancestors who sat on their hands and did not respond to the needs of the community and world or ancestors who raised their hands and became deeply involved in the pain of our families and friends? Sometimes we forget that we aren’t just living our busy lives. We’re also laying a foundation, molding a future and establishing a legacy for the next generation.
Here is a question for us to take home with us. Will we leave a legacy of justice, or will we leave a bequest of selfishness? Those we admire as witnesses to Christ are the ones, we believe are our best examples of living the simple commands of Jesus to love God with our whole being and our neighbor as ourselves. Those who do, Jesus said, are not far from the kingdom of God.
When we gather in worship, we praise God with believers we cannot see. When we celebrate Holy Communion, we feast with past, present, and future disciples of Christ. We experience the communion of saints, the community of believers––living and dead. This faith community stretches beyond space and time. We commune with Christians around the world, believers who came before us, and believers who will come after us. We believe that the church is the communion of saints, and as a believer, you belong to the communion of saints.
When we celebrate Holy Communion, we do so with all the saints. I celebrate with my grandparents and parents who are among the company of heaven. I celebrate with my congregation, those in attendance and those not. I celebrate with past, present, and future believers in the communion of saints. My belief in the communion of saints reminds me that God’s gift of salvation is for everyone, everywhere.
Thanks be to God!
Dick