November 1, 2020
/All Saint’s Day
Revelation 7:9-19; Psalm 34: 1-10, 22; 1 John 3: 1-3; Matthew 5: 1-12
The Rev. JAMES M.L. Grace
In the Name of God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. AMEN.
Blessed are those who have died in the Lord, whose names may one day be lost on earth, but known forever in heaven. Blessed are those who have died during 2020, whether because of a virus, a hurricane, or because of social unrest in our cities. Blessed are those who have died this year protecting us: nurses, doctors, and researchers who have courageously cared for those infected with COVID-19, women and men in our police and fire departments who have confronted unimaginable situations and horrors, giving their lives to an ultimate good of protecting our society.
The deceased police officer, nurse, and family whose livelihoods were prematurely lost will never be forgotten. They will never be forgotten because they are now Saints. They are now in God’s presence in a way that none of us on this side of eternity can fully understand. But that does not matter. Our job, as the living, is not to understand. Our job is simply to trust that the God who created us out of nothing, will claim us as a beloved saint the moment our heart has its last beat. That is what Christians courageously proclaim on All Saint’s Day.
“See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are” the apostle John writes to us today. He continues: “what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is.”
What I believe the apostle is saying to us is simple – none of us knows what the future holds. We do not know when a vaccine for a virus will be available. We do not know who our next president will be. We do not how many days remain for each of us to live. These are matters that only God knows. However, the apostle John reminds us this morning something upon which all of us easily, and frequently, overlook, and it is this: we are all God’s children now.
At this moment – we are all God’s child. That means that God has already claimed us as God’s own. We belong to God, and we already belonged before we were born, and we will continue to belong even after we die. This is why we baptize on All Saints day, and we are doing two today.
Along the exterior fence of this church is an art installation entitled “Faces of the Other” by photographer Joe Aker. One of the photos is of a priest named Martha Frances. I have known Rev. Frances for fifteen years. She died last year, however her photo’s placement upon Yale Street is a tangible reminder for to me that, even in death, there will always be a place for her. She belongs among Saints – just like all of us. We all belong. We are all saints. AMEN.