November 5, 2006 Sermon
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Sermon (11/05/06)
All Saints’ Day—Year ABC
Gary Sanford San Angelo, TX
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer. Psalm 19:14
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit Amen
Today we celebrate All Saints’ Day, a time to remember those who have gone before us and a reminder of just how short and precious our life on earth is. We pass this way but once, a fleeting moment in history that can never be repeated. How will we be remembered?
John Steinbeck wrote in his epic novel East of Eden:
“It seems to me that if you or I must choose between two courses of thought or action, we should remember our dying and try to live that our death brings no pleasure to the world.”
In other words, we only have one chance to live in this world, then we die, and, hopefully, we have lived that life in such a manner that we will be missed by our loved ones and remembered respectfully by those whose lives we have touched. We are given only one chance to love God, and be obedient to God, and to love our neighbors.
Joseph J. Mazzella, a contemporary essayist from West Virginia, reflected on love when he wrote:
“As we go through our often busy days it is funny how the best parts of them seem to be those little moments we make for sharing love. They take so little of our time and yet the rewards they bring us are beyond belief. They strengthen our hearts, uplift our souls, and energize our bodies. They make our lives a joy to live and a delight to share. They bring us peace, happiness, goodness, and most of all oneness with God. Three of the most important words in the Bible are: "God is love." Every moment we spend living in love then is a moment spent living in oneness with God.
Mazzella goes on to say, “Try to spend and share some moments for love in your own life today. Pet your dogs, cuddle your cats, and feed the birds. Hug your loved ones, look them in the eye, and say "I love you." Smile at the cashier in the store, give a compliment to a friend, and share a good laugh at work. Open a door for a stranger, help an elderly person with their bags, and do a few random acts of kindness when no one is looking. They only take a few seconds each day, but they bring you joy for a lifetime.
In his concluding remarks he says, “It takes so little time to live in love. It takes so few moments to share that love with the world. It is these moments, however, that join your heart to God’s and fills your life with light. Don’t miss out on them. Make time for them and choose them everyday of your life. Moments of love lead to a lifetime of love and a lifetime of love leads to an eternity of love.”
As with most of Jesus’ teachings, the Sermon on the Plain is very simple yet very complex. Simply put, we see in Luke’s Gospel a message about those things that truly matter and the importance of getting it right the first time. It is all about life and death. What we need to think about today is how we will live up to this text in our lives.
In its complexity we see that truly living out this text means accepting that the Gospel is controversial, that it can create enemies, and that we must recognize and accept that there is a battle between the forces of good and evil. To live into this text we have to be more that just ‘nice’, we have to live to the glory of God embracing all God’s people…even those who are our enemies.
I’m not going to tell you that this is an easy thing to do. It’s not. It goes against our sense of self preservation, our natural desire to achieve, to be the ‘leader of the pack’, and that age old belief that you have to fight for everything you get. No, it is not easy and it requires an intentional act of living, a great degree of humiliation, and belief in God as the father and creator of all. We have to search within our selves to find that love and compassion that is deep in the soul of all of us. Its there, trust me, even in the most hardened of us. Just as you can pour a boiling hot liquid into a thermos bottle, yet the outside remains cool to the touch we, too, tend to insulate ourselves, jealously guarding that love, protecting it from hurt and pain. “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?” (Luke 6:32) We have to crack that liner and let the warmth of our love flow out to all God’s people—even those who do not love us in return.
I lived most of my youth in small central Kansas towns. The only paved road in most of them was the highway that ran through the center of town, the rest were all dirt. Anyone who has driven on dirt roads can tell you how rough and uneven they can become and dirt roads have to be graded regularly to maintain a drivable surface. I have always seen a dirt road as a metaphor for life. No matter how smooth the surface appears, the potholes and bumps are always there. We know from experience that these hidden obstacles lay beneath the surface, yet even the deepest hole does not stop us from continuing our journey. We try to avoid them, but even the best driver will fall into some. Most are just minor annoyances, some can be bone jarring, teeth rattling experiences yet, we continue to our destination. Sure, we could stay on the highway and have a safe, comfortable drive, but that road does not always take us to where we need to go.
“But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.” Will we get hurt? Probably, but only love can overcome hate and only compassion can overcome oppression. And when we are hurt our belief in God, who is all in all, and in his son, our Lord Jesus Christ, the savior and redeemer of all, will heal that hurt and give us the strength to continue.
Today we celebrate All Saints’ Day. We think of the saints that have preceded us, the saints of the Bible, those who have done extra ordinary things and preformed miracles, however, I would submit to you that the true saints are the ones we encounter every day. The people we know who give willingly of themselves in the love of others. Just regular people…just regular people like you and me.
Let us pray.
Heavenly Father, give us the grace to follow your will in all we say and do. Lead us in the path of righteousness and love as we follow the good example of your son, our Lord Jesus Christ, servant to all. Glory to the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Copyright © 2003 Emmanuel Episcopal Church. All rights reserved.
Revised: 11/13/06