Sunday, NOVEMBER 2, 2025 | SPECIAL DAYS ALL SAINTS (C)

Good morning,

I think it is interesting that All Saints follows so closely after Reformation - they are related together. The whole idea of indulgences sprung up from the idea that some saints generated so much good that it ended up being stored up in heaven and with an indulgence it can be reached and use it for yourself. At the time, Martin Luther was not against it in its essence as a devout Catholic, he objected to the profiteering off of it and even believed that surely it is not the action of the pope himself, it is only being misused! We now know that the pope in the Vatican was involved in it, but historical hindsight is 20/20.

Lutherans do not believe in veneration of Saints quite in the same way - there is no need to pray to a saint to reach God like Martin Luther that prayed to St. Anne, the patron saint of miners, in the fateful thunderstorm, where he promised to become a monk if he survived. Instead, we are encouraged to pray directly to God just like Jesus taught us in the Lord’s prayer. However, we do recognize that there is a cloud of witnesses that continue to be in fellowship with us as we gather and that exemplified what a faithful belief in God looks like. Be it St. Augustine for his contributions to theology, Katharina von Bora for her leadership alongside Luther, Olavus Petri for his contributions to spiritual care for those about to be executed, Harriet Tubman for her faithful fight for abolition of slavery, Rev. Dr. Dietrich Bonhoeffer for his struggle against Nazis, Dorothy Day for her contributions to Catholic social teaching and care for the poor, or Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Junior for his struggle against racism and segregation informed by his faith. Again, we do not pray to them, but we recognize them, celebrate them, and enter into fellowship with them.

We believe that our fellowship is with God, as well as with those that are present and those that preceded us. And in a way, I think we are also casting the reach through hope into the future. Our gathering is not static - either stuck in the past or in the present moment. Through our gatherings, we experience God’s timelessness, I believe - we are in a special time, not time as chronos (chronological), but rather time as kairos (an occasion, an opportunity) and in this moment we are connected to others through the body of Christ.

And I think that is what truly can give us hope as we remember those that passed on, those that completed their baptismal journey. Through our lived faith and hope in the resurrection, we remain connected to them until the very end of times, when the kingdom of God comes and we shall all become one. This is the good news, God is all about connection and remaining together and not separating us and keeping us apart!

Beloved community, life is a journey that is meant to be shared. The author of Ephesians wrote it well:

11 In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance,f having been destined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will,* 12 so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of his glory. 13 In him you also, when you had heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and had believed in him, were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit;* 14 thisg is the pledge of our inheritance toward redemption as God’s own people, to the praise of his glory.*

New Revised Standard Version: Updated Edition (Friendship Press, 2021), Eph 1:11–14.

There is this sense of continuation we talked about earlier - in Christ, there is an inheritance for those that preceded me, for me, and for those to come after me.

In the same way Jesus talks about it through Luke:

22 “Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame yout on account of the Son of Man.* 23 Rejoice on that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven, for that is how their ancestors treated the prophets.*

New Revised Standard Version: Updated Edition (Friendship Press, 2021), Lk 6:22–23.

The people he preaches to are likened to the prophets of old that held onto hope and pushed on, even as they experienced hardship and grief from the world. Their reward was great and yours will be as well. Our faith and worship are never just about the present moment - they always also point back in remembrance and thanksgiving and point forward in hope and anticipation. Nothing in God’s creation is ever truly lost and that includes our loved ones that passed on. We are all making up the cloud of witnesses.

It is what can also give us hope for a better world even as the world around us crumbles with the unpredictable weather patterns of the climate change, growing fascism and xenophobic nationalism in our backyard and around the world, pointless and never-ending wars, corporate greed that starves people, and all the other things that threaten to end the world as we know it day by day.

Our Daniel reading speaks to this - Daniel has a terrifying vision of "four great beasts" rising from the sea—monstrous symbols of earthly empires, of raw, chaotic power, of "might makes right." These beasts are the very picture of the "growing fascism and xenophobic nationalism" that frightens us today. They are what the world looks like when it is governed by violence and greed.

Daniel is rightly terrified by this vision. But the interpretation he receives is the entire promise of All Saints Day. The angel does not deny the reality of the beasts, but he reveals their limit. He says, "But the holy ones of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever—forever and ever."

Who are these "holy ones"? In Aramaic, the word is qaddishin. In Latin, sanctus. In English, they are the Saints.

The good news of Daniel is not that the beasts do not exist; they clearly do. The good news is that they do not last. Their power is temporary, but the kingdom is given to the "cloud of witnesses"—to Augustine, to Katharina von Bora, to Bonhoeffer, to Dorothy Day, to King, and to the loved ones we remember today. They are the true inheritors of the world. This is the truth that unmasks every aspiration and artifice of every empire and every demagogue. This is why nothing in God's creation is ever truly lost.

We are empowered to 'vote, to advocate, to give' because we are free from the ultimate fear of loss. We can risk boldly for justice in this world because our ultimate hope, and our loved ones, are already secure in God's kairos. Our work is not a desperate attempt to create hope, but the joyful result of a hope we have already been given.Even in the most desperate of times. I like to remember the reminder from my studies in Slovakia about Job - he never truly lost hope even though he had no hope of resurrection to hold onto! The world he lived in was it - blessings come in his lifetime and then sheol. How much more can we hope now that the hope in Christ was revealed to us? We have no valid excuses not to try for we have enough in Christ and thus we can labor much for our neighbor and our worlld! Amen.

Children’s time:

Children's Sermon: The Greatest Cheerleading Team

(Theme: All Saints Day - The Cloud of Witnesses)(Time: 4-5 minutes)

Visual Aid: (Hold up a picture of a crowded stadium, or a photo of your favorite local sports team with lots of fans.)

1. The Greatest Team (1 minute)

Pastor: Good morning, everybody! It is great to see all of you up here today. Let me ask you a question: Does anyone here play on a team? (Wait for responses) Maybe soccer, or a swim team, or even just a class team? (Nod)

When you are playing, what is the best part of the game? Is it the trophy? Is it scoring a goal? (Wait for responses)

For me, one of the best parts is when you hear the cheering section—the fans! When you are tired and things are getting hard, and you hear your family and friends cheering you on, it gives you new energy, right? It reminds you that you are not alone!

2. Our Forever Cheering Section (2 minutes)

Pastor: Well, today we are celebrating something called All Saints Day. And the Bible says that followers of Jesus have the greatest cheering section of all time! It calls them the "Cloud of Witnesses." (Gesture widely, like pointing to a giant crowd)

[show picture of saints]

A "Saint" is just a regular person who loved God and loved their neighbor. They were people who showed us how to be brave, how to be kind, and how to never give up.

Imagine them up in heaven, looking down like fans in the top row of a giant stadium!

Harriet Tubman is cheering when you stand up for a friend who is being treated unfairly.

Martin Luther King, Jr. is cheering when you share your lunch with someone who doesn’t have enough.

Even your grandparents or great-grandparents who loved Jesus—they are all up there!

They are our witnesses. They are saying, "We did it! We stayed faithful! You can do it too! Go, team!"

3. What We Do Now (1 minute)

Pastor: The world can be a little scary sometimes. We see grown-ups arguing, or we see people being mean, or we worry about things like the Earth being too hot. When we feel too small or too scared to help, what do we do?

We look up at our Cloud! We remember that these Saints—these people who showed unbelievable courage and love—are reminding us that we are connected to them. We are part of their team that will win in the end!

Because we know our team wins, we don't have to be scared. We can risk being kind. We can risk being brave. We can risk being good neighbors. We do good things not because we are trying to earn their cheer, but because we are so happy and thankful to be on their team!

4. Simple Prayer (30 seconds)

Pastor: Let’s say a quick prayer to our Great Coach, God.

(Ask children to repeat a line after you, or simply fold their hands.)

"Dear God, thank you for the Cloud of Witnesses. Thank you for our Saints. Help us to be brave and kind, knowing we are never playing alone. Amen."

(Thank the children and send them back to their seats.)