All Saints

My trick on the evening before All Saints Day - is to sit on my garage with a spider puppet on a fishing rod and use it to scare the trick or treaters...

My little spider is not very scary - but when he surprises you he makes you jump.

And I enjoy sitting on my garage roof - because I think I am a little bit afraid of the monsters.

Losing Christmas and Easter

So just like Easter gets lost in the excitement about Easter Eggs and Bunnies.

And Christmas gets lost in the big tree and the guy who comes down the chimney.

So - All Saints gets lost in the monsters of Halloween.

And the modern tradition of Halloween isn’t quite the thing that started centuries ago.

Morality Plays

But there was a tradition of morality plays in which players acted out the conflict between good and evil in people.

In the play a devil would whisper one suggestion and an angel another - until the play ended in the good guy going to heaven and the bad guy going to hell.

The focus of the evening before All Saints - Fear of Death.

Not just fear of death, but fear of the dead - who might come back to haunt you - or curse you.

All Saints & All Souls

All Saints day and All Souls day are an opportunity for us to celebrate:

Freedom from fear.

Fear of Death.

Fear of or for the Dead.

And not just freedom from fear.

But - Hope. The Hope of God’s Glory revealed in us.

Because our hope - is based on so much more than just the idea of heaven.

But the confidence we have of God’s purposes being worked out in us.

Unfortunately (or fortunately) I’ve only got a few minutes to preach.

So - we do the scary things on Halloween to remind ourselves that we’re not afraid of death - or the dead. And our hope is in heaven.

But when we think of heaven - we think oh my - I’m not good enough for heaven.

Thats a place for saints and angels.

Saints

In Revelation 7 we read:

Revelation 7:9 NRSV

9 After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands.

St Peter’s Tour

There is a sill joke about an Anglican priest who died - and is having his tour of heaven.

On the tour he notices a section with a giant wall around it -

He asks St Peter- who is that over there with the great big wall around them?

And St Peter replies:

“That’s the Methodists, they think they’re the only ones here.”

Great Multitude

As John - in the book of Revelation gets to see heaven he is overwhelmed by what he sees happening.

A great multitude that no one could count...

Every nation All tribes All peoples All languages (Rev 7:9)

For anyone who thinks that they might get to avoid foreigners and strangers in heaven… They need to think again.

Its the most diverse picture you can imagine.

How can you tell?

Somehow - at a glance - John sees that they’re all different. Maybe its their skin colour - maybe their hair - maybe their dress.

But they’re all united about one thing.

Revelation 7:10 NRSV

10 They cried out in a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

Salvation

Their words are “Salvation belongs to our God...”

We think that Saints are somehow super special. Amazing hero people who do wonderful things.

But the word for Saint in the scripture is simply: Holy - maybe Saints are Holy Ones.

So - As Paul begins Romans - he writes in Romans 1:7

Romans 1:7 NRSV

7 To all God’s beloved in Rome, who are called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

To all God’s beloved… WHO ARE CALLED TO BE SAINTS.

He is obviously not just writing to the Holy people in the congregation - as you go through the letter you will see how he speaks.

Pointing out so much sin and brokenness.

Yet at the same time - we can read the whole letter with that phrase in mind....

CALLED TO BE SAINTS

When Paul speaks about the Saints he simply refers to the whole church.

One of the most helpful lines of introduction - in 1 Corinthians...

1 Corinthians 1:2 (NRSV)

2 to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints,

Salvation Belongs

That multitude - of Saints - robed in white - standing before the throne and before the lamb… Are not pointing to themselves saying: We are so Holy.

No - they are pointing to God saying Salvation belongs to God:

As Paul Says - “Those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus...”

Pointing out that the saints he is writing to are not saints in their own power - But Saints because Jesus is making them saints.

Making them Holy.

Transforming them.

Renewing them.

Forgiving their sins - and changing their hearts.

Reformation Day & All Saints

31 October was not just All Saints Day in the ancient church - but it was also the day that Martin Luther ‘nailed his 95 theses to the door of the Castle church in Wittenberg’ - Way back in 1517.

The main argument that Luther made was that Salvation - was by grace and through faith.

Ephesians 2:8–9 (NRSV)

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— 9 not the result of works, so that no one may boast.

His problem with the church of his day was their insistence that you had to pay your tithes to the church to get saved.

You had to do this and this.

And they abused people - making them so afraid to benefit themselves.

And we still see that sort of behaviour even in us reformed churches today.

We can be spiritually abusive. Acting like we have the right to give or take God from you.

Our saints of Revelation 7:10 seem to be testifying:

Revelation 7:10 (NRSV)

10 “Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

We are not here because we are good.

We are here because God is good.

The salvation we have received - belongs to him.

You are Called to be Saints

And its not in your own effort - it is by surrender.

Salvation - belongs to God.

And to the Lamb - the Saints remind us.

The book of Revelation offers us strange imagery - We will just take a second with that - especially because this is our communion Sunday - the Sunday where we participate in a new sort of passover feast.

Revelation 5:4 NRSV

4 And I began to weep bitterly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it.

All of heaven is looking for someone to open the scroll...

Revelation 5:6 (NRSV)

6 Then I saw between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders a Lamb standing as if it had been slaughtered,

Revelation is full of spiritual imagery and political imagery.

At the time - Caesar - represented by a wolf - the symbol of Rome - is persecuting the church - the body of Christ.

How fitting that the church should be represented as a lamb. A lamb that was slain.

Lamb Power

And then all the creatures, saints and angels of heaven sing a new song:

Revelation 5:9 NRSV

9 They sing a new song: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slaughtered and by your blood you ransomed for God saints from every tribe and language and people and nation;

By your blood you ransomed for God saints from every tribe...

All the saints confessing:

Salvation belongs to our God. And to the the lamb.

John’s Context

Writing from exile on the Island of Patmos - John has seen some of the most horrific persecution of the church.

Horrific killing of his friends.

Israel / Gaza

I just can’t imagine the heartache in Israel and Gaza right now.

In Israel - so many people killed in Hamas’ incursion.

And in Gaza - so many killed by the bombing.

In Ukraine.

This demonic love of war and violence that we need so desperately to overcome.

John’s Trauma

But John is like someone from a war-zone who has seen so many friends killed.

Traumatised

The visions he has - are comfort.

Those who have died.

Are in God’s care.

And his message - from God - from his vision - carried to the seven churches.

Good news my friends. You do not need to fear death.

I’ve seen heaven.

And in heaven - it is true.... our saints in all their frailties...

Stand in robes of white - washed in the blood of the lamb.

Care of the Saints

Beyond that - one of the elders of heaven goes on to tell John how they will be cared for:

Revelation 7:15–16 NRSV

15 For this reason they are before the throne of God, and worship him day and night within his temple, and the one who is seated on the throne will shelter them. 16 They will hunger no more, and thirst no more; the sun will not strike them, nor any scorching heat;

We don’t only learn - “How they will be cared for”

No more thirst

Cool shade.

No more hunger.

But also - Who will care for them:

Revelation 7:15 (NRSV)

15 the one who is seated on the throne will shelter them.

Just as we worry today about those who have gone before us - so the Romans and Gentiles worried about life after death.

There were various rituals in the gentile religions around making offerings for the dead. Praying for them.

To make sure they wouldn’t harm you. And to ask them to help you in difficult times.

John’s words of comfort:

God has got them.

The lamb will shepherd them.

God himself will shelter them.

And finally - Rev 7:17

Revelation 7:17 (NRSV)

17 and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

Death

All saints and all souls - are days that are meant to draw our attention to death.

And to face death - and all the fears we have around it - with the hope we have in Christ Jesus.

In this short passage from Revelation 7 we answer some questions...

We don’t have to be afraid.

God will care for us in death.

We don’t have to be saints in our own power… we put our trust in Jesus who died for our sins to be forgiven.

Communion

Today as we gather for communion remember that we are taking part in this new passover feast.

Revelation 5:9 NRSV

As we receive this communion we also remind ourselves to put our trust in Jesus who died and rose again - for our sins to be forgiven.

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