No Sad Story

The Difference Between Memorial Day and All Saints' Day

Who and what do we commemorate on Memorial Day?

We remember those who died in service to their country.

Who and what do we commemorate on All Saints' Day?

We celebrate those who live with Christ in Glory, awaiting us to join them.

Matthew 5:3–5 ESV

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

Jesus speaks, in this passage, of being "blessed," not as a future privilege, but as a present possession.

A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, Third Edition μακάριος

pert. to being esp. favored, blessed, fortunate, happy, privileged

Many people look at life and death through the lenses of Shakespeare's King MacBeth, who said,

Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player That struts and frets his hour upon the stage And then is heard no more: it is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing.

The bleak promise of naturalism, with its genesis in random change, proclaimed in an evolutionary un-gospel that promises nothing, offers nothing, and hopes for nothing, is a spiritual adulteress that has captivated the hearts and minds of so many:

Proverbs 5:3–6 (ESV)

For the lips of a forbidden woman drip honey,

and her speech is smoother than oil,

but in the end she is bitter as wormwood,

sharp as a two-edged sword.

Her feet go down to death;

her steps follow the path to Sheol;

she does not ponder the path of life;

her ways wander, and she does not know it.

Unlike those false incentives offered by those who reject the Gospel, the Word offers us this encouragement:

2 Peter 1:3–4 ESV

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.

As Luther declared in the Small Catechism, Article II, the First Article of the Apostles' Creed (p 322 of LSB):

THE FIRST ARTICLE

Creation

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.

What does this mean?

Answer: I believe that God has made me and all creatures. He has given me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my limbs, my reason, and all my senses, and still preserves them. In addition, He has given me clothing and shoes, meat and drink, house and home, wife and children, fields, cattle, and all my goods. He provides me richly and daily with all that I need to support this body and life. He protects me from all danger and guards me and preserves me from all evil. He does all this out of pure, fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in me. For all this I ought to thank Him, praise Him, serve Him, and obey Him. This is most certainly true.

McCain, P. T. (Ed.). (2005). Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions (p. 328). St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House.

Yes, we know, by faith that receives the revelation of God's word, that because of sin, death has come to all. We also know, by that same strong Word, the promise of 1 Thess 4:14

1 Thessalonians 4:14 ESV

For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.

That "He will bring with Him" tells us where they are today, not simply "mouldering in the grave," as was sung of John Brown's body. Jesus declared, rebuking the Sadducees for their lack of understanding concerning the Resurrection, that God "is not God of the dead, but of the living, for all live

That "He will bring with Him" tells us where

We cannot mourn those whom our Heavenly Father has called to Himself, not as those who have no hope, not while they are watching over us.

Hebrews 12:1-2 says:

Hebrews 12:1–2 ESV

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

They finished their course; they completed their assignment. It is truly their time to rest from their labors among us, as it is written in Revelation 7:16,

Revelation 7:16 ESV

They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat.

The Lord Jesus Christ redeemed All Saints' Day, and every other day, at the Cross. This is the day that the Lord has made. Now is the present time, today is the day of salvation. When God has wiped away every tear from their eyes, how can I cry? When God has taken away their hunger and thirst, why should I look with longing at "the fleshpots of Egypt" that try to entrap me in the world's hopeless sorrow?

God is good, all the time; and all the time, God is good. On this day, we join the saints in glory and Celebrate Jesus!!!

Not only this, however, for the estate of those who rest in the Lord is also ours, for we are all still members of the One Body. We are, together, the One holy Christian and Apostolic Church. Together, we sing the song of the Lamb and worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness - a holiness not of our own making, but which is a gift to us from He who is holy in Himself, and who, out of love, shares his righteousness and holiness with us.

Even now, we share, with them, in the patience and comfort of the saints. We wait for the Lord to “return with ten thousands of His saints,” as the Psalmist wrote in Ps 149:9

Psalm 149:9 ESV

9 to execute on them the judgment written! This is honor for all his godly ones. Praise the Lord!

The Feast of All Saints not only looks back in celebration of the lives of those who went before us, it looks forward to the fulfillment of God’s exceeding great and precious promises when we will, together, “praise God from whom all blessings flow!” then we will know as we are now known; we will taste and see that the Lord is good, and we shall experience the reality of the Kingdom of Heaven in a way that we now only know by faith.

We thank God for those who went before us, following the path laid by our Lord Jesus Christ, who conquered death and the grave, and purchased eternal salvation for us. We remember with joy, those who went before us, confident that the same God who preserved them until the day, will preserve us also.

And the peace of God, that passes all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds, through Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.