All Saints - C - November 2022

Daniel - apocalyptic - not sure I will use it.

Ephesians - Inheritance - we live for the praise of Jesus’ glory, we receive the Holy Spirit - the pledge of our inheritance. A lot of it is specifically to the community of Ephesians

Luke - a strange All Saints text:

Hope on the horizon - for no poverty, hunger, and sadness.

Careful now - we are not to actively antagonize people - it may happen, but it is not to be a source of righteousness

Being rich is an consolation - its own reward?

Being full -> will be hungry

laughing now -> you will mourn and weep

Be careful about praise - false prophets were praised

Love enemies - it is a waste of energy to hate; however, abuse is not okay, no matter the time and place! Abuse is abuse. And to treat others as they should be, maybe we need to take a look at how we are treated as well.

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Good morning,

Today is All Saints Sunday - a transferred special day, because well, we do not do many in the week services anymore, save for certain special occasions and seasons. Biblically speaking, we are looping back to almost the beginning of Luke and thus the beginning of Jesus ministry. The sermon on the mount is probably quite familiar to many of us… However, now we have an opportunity to consider in a different context - as an All Saints text.

How does it connect with the complicated grief that takes a hold of many of us - we miss the people that passed on into another realm, completing their baptismal journey, but at the same time we trust that our God is loving and caring, so they are in a better place....a place that is fully under the love and grace of God - one where there is no more poverty, hunger, and distress - all very human and human caused creations. So what now?

Truth be told, we cannot speak of anyone’s grief but our own....so I will not try.

But let’s address this - our grief is comunally shared, just like God’s grace and love is shared…and yet, it is a little different for all of us. What a paradox, something we Lutherans seem to enjoy. Both grief and grace are not contained within a single person - they are free flowing, they saturate our world! It’s like that air we breathe and the sunlight the world absorbs.

My own relationship to grief as a pastor is well… complicated. First off, let me tell you a secret - We pastors and church leaders in general do not know it all! Just like we may have here right now better experts on the Book of Daniel than I am or maybe ever be, I do not know all there is to know about grief. And I am not supposed to! But as a leader I am trained not to shy away from someone’s grief and also not get overwhelmed by it and still be able to listen, affirm, and support. Ideally, all of us should be able to do that, but many are gifts that are needed and they cannot all fit in y’all. Most recently, it has been my privileged to provide the commendation of the dying for Lillian Oppel and then also perform the funeral - there were rites to perform and a listening ear to provide, but beyond that…I was simply present for everyone’s grief. And I think that is the main thing we pastors do - we listen and people have much to say and express - there is no hiding from grief, one said or the grief ebbs and flows, but never goes away, the other said.

And there are many things we may be grieving. We’ve already talked about those that died, but it may a beloved animal, in a lot of senses an integral part of the family - a dog, a cat, a horse, a cow, a goat or perhaps an inanimate object or a place. For example, I have recently returned to my seminary for their Homecoming and in many senses the school was saturated with grief! The seminary’s bulding, a brutalist structure built in the 70s, has been sold to University of Chicago and by next summer, they will have to move out - it is the last homecoming in the same building! For some, it has been a part of their lives for many years - staff and faculty that worked there for 10, 20, 30, 40 years… I too am grieving the loss, even though I understand the decision that hopefully will focus the reduced budget on the mission and the people, rather than the upkeep of facilities.

And then…well, we may be grieving lost relationships - people we lost connection with or people that we no longer can contact or meet. They are likely out there somewhere, but they are no longer a part of our lives, for multitudes of reasons. And, some of you may have guessed it, that is where our text comes in again.

One of the reasons may be a grievance we have against the person - a property or money not returned, an argument, a hurt caused.... And it seems like if that grievance will not get resolved, then there is no way to repair the relationship. The text proposes a solution - a change of mindset on our side. They may never change, but we can pray, do good to them, and perhaps even forgive. OF course, there is an asterisk next to the text every time we read it - abuse is never okay and the victims are not called to just take it and then just shrug it off. It is merely an invitation to release the negative energy on our side, where it is feasible and move on with your life! A surprise may resolve from it…or perhaps not, but we will set ourselves free. Recently, I have been surprised by a message from one of my coeds in Slovakia, whom I helped with something in exchange for the promise of a modest payment as it has been quite the undertaking and we all had a lot to deal with. I was never paid, but after about a year I forgot all about. Apparently, not that person! They were insistent on finding a way to pay me, even though there is a literal ocean in between us, because they wouldn’t rest easily otherwise. I could have simply shrug it off as the sum is really small, but I understood that it was more important to that person than to me. By making it work, I could provide a release from the bondage of their conscience. By our acts of love, it doesn’t always work that way....but is it not REALLY nice when it can?

Beloved, today we remember and celebrate ALL saints - both living and dead We are ALL a part of the same of cloud of witnesses and we all share the same grace and also grief. There may not be an escape from grief, not a permanent one, but the good news is that there is also no escape from grace! God’s grace saturates EVERYTHING just like the air we breathe and the sunlight the earth absorbs. Whether our grief is small or big, for a person, an animal, a place, or a time in our lives.... God is with us and walks with us and I believe that God sends us helpers to walk us here on earth and well, we may as well become a helper to someone’s grief as well. Let us allow both the grief and grace flow. Amen.