All Saints Sunday

             November 4, 2007

     An elderly gentleman was invited to his friend’s home for dinner one evening.  He was impressed by the way his friend preceded every request to his wife with endearing terms: “Honey,” “My love,” “Darling,” “Sweetheart,” “Pumpkin,” “Sugar Plum,” etc.

     The couple had been married almost 70 years, and clearly they were still very much in love.  While the wife was in the kitchen, the visiting gentleman leaned over and said to his host, “I think it’s wonderful that after all these years you still love your wife and call her those sweet names.”

     The host hung his head.  “I have to tell you the truth,” he said sadly.  “I only call her those names because I forgot her real name about 10 years ago!”

     Well, this is All Saints Sunday.  Today, we remember names, but more importantly, we remember the persons who names they were.  These are particular names of special people.  We have listed family members, friends, neighbors, and others.  These were our gentle teachers.  It is good to remember them and have a day in the church year when they are lifted up in the context of the Eucharist.  We say it every week in the Preface: “And therefore with angels and archangels and the whole company of heaven.”  It is a reminder that those whom we remember, have listed on the insert, and countless others are members of the “great cloud of witnesses.”  We celebrate the lives of those who have made sacrifices in order for us to be who we are and where we are.  Their legacy is best explained by the many blessings we enjoy.

     As I have said many times before, one of the outstanding qualities of Jesus the Christ was his sheer honesty.  He often reminded those who would be his followers, both then and now, that discipleship carried a cost.  Those who have gone before have provided vivid examples of paying the cost.

     We live in a culture where it is the socially acceptable thing to say one belongs to a church.  That is especially true during political campaigns and right before an election.  Perhaps it would be helpful to look at the first followers of Jesus.  What we see in that scene is that every area of life was often disrupted.

    Work was disrupted.  The stone mason, busy cutting and shaping marble and limestone for the building of the temple dedicated to a heathen god, had to make a decision.  The tailor, stitching together the elaborate robes for the heathen priest, had to make a decision.  The farmer, raising sheep and goats to be sold for use in the sacrificial system, had to make a decision. 

     Does our work sometimes put us in compromising positions between the priorities of the world and the priorities of Christian discipleship?  Do we sometimes glance in the other direction when someone is being hurt and abused because we don’t want to get involved?  Do we experience a tension between loyalty to discipleship and making a living?  If that tension is not there, we may need to ask why not?

     Social standing was disrupted.  Feasts were held in the temples dedicated to other gods and friends and neighbors invited the newly converted Christian to come enjoy the potluck meal.  Sacrificial meat that had been offered to idols was very often sold in the marketplace.  A cup of wine was raised in toast to the god Serapes, like a grace before a meal. 

     Are there times and places in the exercise of our Christian freedom that we have given allegiance to a false god?  Jesus reminded his followers, both then and now, that the time might come when a person had to be prepared to stand alone in order to give testimony to their Christian allegiance.  We sometimes justify our behavior by saying that had we known impressionable folks were in attendance or watched the videotape, we certainly wouldn’t have participated.

     Home life was disrupted.  One member of the family would become a Christian; others in the household would not.  One member of the family would worship in a house church; another would be off to the pagan temple.  Jesus reminded those who would be his disciples, both then and now, that conflict would result from a personal encounter with the living God.

     Our modern homes may be places where one person truly wants to become active in the life of the church, while another sees Sunday as the time for rest and play or indulging in personal hobbies.  One may wish to tithe; another may have other plans for the family’s money.  Jesus often reminded his disciples, both then and now, that to be a disciple required an allegiance and commitment beyond those made in this world.

     All Saints Sunday places a question before those who would be modern-day disciples.  Does our faith cause some tension in our work, our social status, or our home life?  If not, perhaps we have some growing to do in our discipleship.

     We remember today those who have been the strong witnesses to us that following Jesus the Christ may bring moments of decision to our work, our social life, and our home life.  Perhaps we remember them with fond affection precisely because they were not afraid to stand up and gladly place the way of Christ as the first priority in their lives.  It is the very nature of the Gospel of Jesus the Christ that we are invited to do the same.  So, dear friends in Christ, we may have forgotten a name or two, but we remember enough of them to be eternally grateful for their example to us.  Amen.                   

          ~The Rev. G. Thomas Mustard