All Saints Sunday, 2005:

      St. Peter was checking the ID’s at the Pearly Gates.  A Texan came up and St. Peter said, “Tell me, what have you done with your life?”

     The Texan said, “Well, I struck oil, so I became filthy rich, but I didn’t just sit on my laurels.  I divided all my money among my entire family in my will, so our descendants are all set for about three generations.”

     St. Peter said, “Well, that’s admirable.  Please come on in.”

     The second guy in line had been listening, so he said, “I struck it big in the stock market, but I didn’t selfishly just provide for my own like that Texan.  I donated five million to Save the Children.”

     “Wonderful,” St. Peter said.  “Come right on in.”

     The third fellow had been listening, and said timidly with a downcast look, “Well, I only made about fifteen thousand dollars a year for thirty years.”

     “My goodness,” St. Peter said.  “What church did you serve?”

     I am deeply grateful that I have been paid much more than that.  Not as much as if I had struck oil or made it big in the stock market, but I consider myself a truly wealthy man.

     This is All Saints Sunday in our church.  We gather to worship God, offer our prayers of gratitude to those who have been our gentle teachers through their witness to us, and to remember that love connects us to all who have gone before and all that may come after.

     The Episcopal priest was doing his children’s sermon.  He was talking to the children about the importance of living right, about making good decisions, and about looking to God for guidance every day.  He asked an innocent-enough sounding question.  “Now, if all the good people in the world were red and all the bad people were green, what color would you be?”

      One little boy thought for a brief moment and said, “I’d be streaky.”

      I would want to say that those whom we remember today, those who have gone before, and those of us gathered in this beloved place are “streaky.”  All Saints Sunday ushers us toward an honest self-appraisal.  We do not remember perfect people today.  Sainthood is not about some earthly attainment of a sinless life, nor is it about those who have attained a higher standard of holiness than the rest of us.  Sainthood is not about people who have never said a cross word or been depressed or have never thought or spoken an unkind word about a neighbor or spouse.  Sainthood is not about being super human, nor achieving moral perfection.  This celebration ties us all together in our striving to be faithful to God and giving proper honor and respect to our loved ones.  All Saints Sunday helps us take an honest look at how well our inner values and beliefs match our words and deeds; those tangible things that other people can see.

     All Saints Sunday would have us look at the paradoxes in the honest striving to live the Christian life.  To help us do that we have the first twelve verses of the Gospel of Matthew, commonly known as the Beatitudes, a type of blessing.  These are not the typical blessings we might assume would come our way from our striving to live by the mind of Christ.  The Greek word we translate as “blessed” might also be translated by the word “happy” or “congratulations.”  The way of the world, using the standards we have been taught in our culture, would have us assume that being blessed or happy or being congratulated might be extended when good things come our way.  People send congratulations our way when we have come into a positive streak of good luck.  A quick glance at the Beatitudes would lead us to confusion.  Jesus is not extending blessings on good fortune, but everything is flipped upside down.  Congratulations, happiness, and blessings are heaped on those who are empty.

     Congratulations to the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  We can’t make ourselves rich in spirit; that comes only as a gift.  Those who believe their piety, acts of devotion, church attendance, or liberal to conservative political stance might earn their way into heaven don’t know how very misguided they are.  Congratulations to those who mourn, for they will be comforted.  This not only means mourning a loss for whatever reason; it also means mourning our own sinfulness, our wrong-headed allegiances.  Congratulations to the meek, for they will inherit the earth.  The world seems to tell us that the proud, the boastful, the braggart are running things.  The meek are not those whom the proud run over; they are the ones behind the scenes, doing the small things that keep life on an even keel.     Congratulations to those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.  In a world that would have us hunger and thirst for the tangible indicators of success and good fortune, those who hunger and thirst after righteousness are the ones who are being filled.  Congratulations to the merciful, for they will receive mercy.  Defending the weak, helping the voiceless find and use their voice, standing up for the underdog, and working for full human legitimacy for all makes mercy come full circle.  Being a merciful person allows mercy to come to that person.  Congratulations to the pure in heart, for they will see God.  Those whose hearts have become hard, those who have given in to the callousness in the face of human tragedy and need have jeopardized their access to God.  The happy ones, the blessed ones are those who have large, soft hearts.  Congratulations to the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.  Stepping into the fray, standing between warring parties, working tirelessly for reconciliation, and risking life and limb in the cause of peace leads to the robe of royalty.  A child of God works for peace, not because something is earned, but because something is preserved; the precious lives of the children of God.  Congratulations to those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Always be careful when you ask “what would Jesus do?”  If we follow his teaching we will spend a great deal of time in trouble; especially with those who want to impose their wills on others.  The power hungry aren’t seeking righteousness as a general rule.  Standing over against them will usually lead to persecution.

     So, the Beatitudes shine the blinding beam of God’s light and show us the paradoxical nature of the Christian faith.  Blessings, happiness, and congratulations are showered on those who, at first glance, do not seem blessed or happy or deserving of congratulations.  But, remember this is God’s world.  We have been surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses who have struggled as we do with living the Christian life.  Like them we acknowledge that we are “streaky.”

     Earthly saints are not perfect, but they are faithful.  They show up, forgive easily, love deeply, are there when others need them, and realize that to respond to God’s urging in their lives means to be of service to God’s children.  Many have sat in the pews in which you are sitting this day.  We remember them and offer our prayers of gratitude for their example.  We also are aware that many sit in the pew right beside us.  For them we are also deeply grateful.  They seem a bit “streaky,” but so are we.  Amen.