Saintly Wisdom

Societal Prejudice

We have many irrational prejudices in our society. One of them is a prejudice toward the elderly. We give those of us who have lived for many years a discount on entrance fees to amusement parks, movies, some types of insurance, the national parks and a few other things. But we really ignore them in many other ways. Such is not the norm in several cultures.

In Native American tribes the elders pass down their wisdom to the young men who are stepping into leadership roles. Koreans are socialized to respect and show deference to older individuals. This is fundamental to Confucianism. Chinese general believe that the highest virtue is to show respect for your elders. The average age in ancient Rome was around 25. If someone lived into their 70s they were generally respected for their wisdom. The Roman philosopher Cicero was fond of saying “For there is assuredly nothing dearer to a man than wisdom, and though age takes away all else, it undoubtedly brings us that.”

HuffingtonPost “7 Cultures That Celebrate Aging And Respect Their Elders [online] November 3, 2017, https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/25/what-other-cultures-can-teach_n_4834228.html

That is why

These cultures illustrate for us the glaring contrast in attitudes toward the aging. This also might explain why young people do not have much enthusiasm in celebrating All Saints Day. They think that it is a day and/or hour of hearing about the lives of a bunch of old men. And for the most part that is true, although there we can learn a lot from these ancient men.

The first thing we must do is gain a proper perspective of sainthood. I understand and respect the RCC, the GO, and the Anglican intention of honoring men and women who live exemplary lives of faith, commit heroic deeds of service, display great courage under the threat of torture and death, and/or are empowered by the Holy Spirit to perform miraculous acts of healing. These women and men should be respected and honored, just as Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Bob Feller, Mickey Mantle, Hank Aaron, Reggie Jackson and others are honored by enshrining them in the Baseball Hall of Fame. However, the gospel does not support a hierarchy of righteous deeds or persons. The gospel is more egalitarian than that. By that I mean we all are treated equally by God. We also will be surprised when we discover who will be honored because they were least in this earthly Kingdom.

This is especially supported by the meaning of the word saints. Throughout the NT it is used to refer to every believer.

Romans 1:7 NIV84

To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 1:1 NIV84

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus:

Phil

Philippians 4:21–22 NIV84

Greet all the saints in Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me send greetings. All the saints send you greetings, especially those who belong to Caesar’s household.

Prior to the Reformation the Saints held a prominence place in the church. People believed that the saints could interceed for them in answering their prayers. Some still believe that by showing their devotion through the wearing of medallions, saying prayers or lighting candles, the saints will watch over them and protect them. Calvin and Luther were very much opposed to this viewpoint. They believed that we have one mediator who stands between the Father and Us, Jesus Christ the Son of God and God the Father sends the Holy Spirit to accomplish his will through signs and wonders.

So why do we have All Saints Day?

Secondly, I believe that are celebration of All Saints Day reminds us of the many believers who have gone before us. Some gave their lives to the advancement of the gospel and some paid with their lives merely because they believed. We are also reminded that God does not expect us to walk this journey alone. The word saint never appears in the singular. We always read saints, plural. God intention is for the company of saints to live, learn, worship and serve together.

Third, I believe that we can gain a great deal by remembering the lives of those who some how risked and excelled beyond the lives of us ordinary spiritual folk. This was my reason for traveling to Lindisfarne England. From that little island God evangelized all of norther England. I wanted to learn how these men had accomplished this.

The man who God used was Aidan who was living in a community of monks on the island of Iona. The community received a request from King Oswald for a bishop to convert the pagans of Northumbria. Oswald was trying to unite a deeply divide region. Each town and village had its own customs, norms, and religions. One faith, Oswald, knew would not only remove a contentious subject.

The conversion of Ireland had one man, Patrick, who took the main leadership role, the evangelism of northern England had many men and a women. The story begins shortly after King Oswald defeats

Aidan was not the Bishop of Iona’s first pick. The man the community sent had a rather harsh disposition. After preaching for some time he returned home reporting that the people were “...intractable men, and of stubborn disposition.” During a meeting Aidan questioned the methods employed by the bishop accusing him of being “...more severe to your unlearned hearers than you ought to have been” and did not give them first the milk of the gospel. After much discussion he was elected to go and was appointed a bishop.

Elements for a Great Movement

Another reason that monks of Iona were willing to accept Aidan as a missionary was his piety, learning, charity and simplicity. This is the first principle that stands out on All Saints Day.

All great movements are propelled by people of great devotion. We could easily conclude that religious works of piety are important in the advancement of the Kingdom of God. I look at it from a different perspective. In the Reformed tradition, the spiritual disciplines are look upon as “means of grace.” They are the activities through which we enjoy God’s favor. The amount of time does not earn us special privileges but it does extend our enjoyment with God. The amount of money we give to charity does not by us forgiveness but it does bring enjoyment that comes with knowing we have helped someone

During his travels he might turn aside to talk to whomever he saw whether rich or poor. If they were infidels, he would encourage them to receive the mysteries of faith. If they were believers he would strengthen them in the faith and stir them up by words and actions to giving alms to the poor and the performance of good works.

He was devoted in his study of God’s word and anyone who spent time with him had to engage in the reading of Scripture or a psalm.

Great movements of the Kingdom require people of deep devotional life and study of God’s Word.

By accepting this call Aidan demonstrated a great deal of faith and/or arrogance. Some times the two are intertwined. But that is for another sermon. I will assume for this sermon that it was faith. Aidan had many things going against him. He did not know the language of the local communities. A place of residence had not been constructed. He lacked a first hand account of the local customs and traditions.

But Aidan journeyed to the east coast in spite of these obstacles. After he chose Lindisfarne as the location for the monastery, across the bay from the King’s castle, at Bamburgh, Aidan sought to get to know the people. He travelled from town to town, village to village sharing a gentle doctrine. When he needed to share at a deeper level, King Oswald who was fluent in both Irish and the local vernacular, would come along and translate. Think of the difference the US Military could have if President Trump accompanied them and served as translator?

This highlights the second principle of all saints day: great movement must be propelled by faith.

The final principal of all saints day is revealed in Aidan’s character. He was consistently generous. An historian records that he taught nothing that he did not practice. He neither sought nor loved anything of this world. He delighted in redistributing any contributions he recieved to the poor.

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