The story is told about a pastor who met the members of his congregation at the door on All Saints Day and handed a nametag to each person. The word “Saint” was already written on each tag, and he instructed people to write their own first name on the tag before attaching it to their clothing. The people were surprised but went along with the pastor’s request – the tags read “Saint Margaret” or “Saint Tom” or whatever. One woman, however, refused to write her name on the tag and refused to wear it on her dress. Her reasoning was that she didn’t feel worthy of calling herself a saint. She thought that the word “Saint” was reserved for people of great faith – people who had suffered and died and gone to heaven. She certainly hadn’t gone to heaven yet, and she felt that her faith just couldn’t be as strong as the great saints and martyrs of the early Church – people like Saint Peter and Saint Paul.
Her reluctance and doubts pointed to a basic problem with our understanding of the word “saint” as well as our reason for celebrating All Saints Day in the Christian liturgical calendar. The word “saint” represents our English translation of the Greek word ἅγιος. A literal translation of ἅγιος is “a holy one.” When we say that someone is a saint, we are saying that God has made that person holy. Notice that God does all of the work here – a saint does not make himself or herself holy by what he or she has done. Saints, while they still live on the planet Earth, are still sinners. The Bible is full of examples – after swearing on the night before Jesus’ death that he would never ever desert Jesus, a few hours later St. Peter swore three times that he didn’t even know Jesus. Before St. Paul became the great missionary to the gentiles, he worked full-time to persecute and imprison anyone who confessed their belief in Jesus as their Savior. Saint Peter and Saint Paul were sinners just like you and me.
Why are saints holy? The answer is simple – because God took away their sins. When Jesus said “blessed are the merciful” and “blessed are the pure in heart,” he wasn’t telling His listeners that they would be blessed by God because they were especially kind or generous or upright people – they weren’t, and neither are we. Instead, Jesus is simply pointing out how much they needed a Savior and how much we need a Savior. We may feel pretty smug about ourselves when we compare ourselves to other people who are neither merciful nor pure of heart – we aren’t in jail, we don’t beat people up, we don’t rob banks, we don’t murder. But when we compare ourselves to the perfect example of Jesus, we realize just how bad we look. Just how bad we are. We see how sinful we are.
If you believe that Jesus died to wash away your sins, then you are a saint. You deserve to wear that name badge. You have been cleansed. You have been washed by the blood of the Lamb. Your sins have been forgiven. By the grace of the Father, for the sake of the Son and by the work of the Holy Spirit, you have been declared holy. God the Father looks at you and sees you as His holy one. Does the way we become Saints sound a lot like the way we become Christians? It should. All Christians are saints – and all saints are Christians.
In today’s reading from the Book of Revelation, we heard St. John‘s incredibly beautiful description of Heaven and the life that the saints in heaven are already experiencing. We read that they are clothed in white robes and are before the throne of God, serving Him day and night. We read that they hunger no more, that they thirst no more. We read that the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and He will guide them to springs of living water. We read that there will be no more sorrow or sadness, for God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.
On All Saints’ Day we thank our Lord for the mercies he has shown to those saints who have already entered into their rest. We especially remember our friends who have joined the saints in heaven during this past year – Anita Bingaman, Bill Horton, Gerry Miller. They are in glory and they see God face to face. I don’t think that any of us can fully comprehend their joy and happiness that they celebrate for all eternity.
On All Saints’ Day it is entirely proper and appropriate for us to honor and remember those saints who have gone before us to join our Savior in the place He has prepared for us. We honor all the saints who rest from their labors because they have been redeemed by a Savior who was willing to suffer and die on the cross – to endure the agonies of hell – so that we would never have to endure those agonies and death. For when we honor the redeemed, we are also honoring the Redeemer. The saints who are holy in God’s eyes testify of the only one who is eternally holy – our Lord Jesus Christ. It is His blood that covers our sins and allows us to stand in his presence. It is being baptized into His death that allows us to wear the white robe of righteousness. It is His Word and Sacraments that bring us into the throne room of God Almighty where we will never again hunger or thirst. It his loving, gentle hand that wipes the tears from our eyes.
In our reading from Revelation chapter 7, we heard the saints in heaven described as “the ones coming out of the great tribulation.” But my fellow redeemed – my fellow saints – we who still live on this earth find ourselves still surrounded by those tribulations. I was especially struck by this fact this past week as Sharon and I visited those members of St. Paul whom we refer to as “shut-ins” – those faithful members who are no longer able to join us for a worship service. The faith of these saints is strong – by the grace of God, incredibly strong – but yet, the tribulations they face are incredibly strong as well. They face the financial tribulations of rising costs for just about everything while trying to live on a modest fixed income. They face the tribulations of bodies that make it hard to walk, hard to breathe, hard to live without sometimes constant pain. They face loneliness. Some face the fear of not being able to continue to live alone in their homes – while others face the tribulation of needing constant, 24-hour medical care in a nursing home.
But remarkably, not a single one of them fears death – and they don’t hesitate to tell you that! They know that at some point their mortal lives will end, and their time as saints on earth will come to a close. But they have no fear of death, for they know what lies ahead. They know that when Jesus is ready for them, they will leave their tired human bodies behind to join the saints who are already in Heaven.
Whenever Sharon and I visit the shut-ins of St. Paul Lutheran Church, we always join together to confess our Christian faith in the words of the Apostles’ Creed, where we confess that we believe in the “resurrection of the body and the life everlasting.” When one of our fellow saints on earth goes to join the saints who sit before the Father’s throne in Heaven, we need to remember that the story of God’s plan for us is not quite finished. God’s plan for us and for all of the saints will not be completed until Christ returns in glory on Judgment Day – the day when all of the dead for all ages will be resurrected from the dead. Resurrected in glorified, perfect bodies that will forever be free of sin, illness, sickness, suffering and death. Bodies that will forever be perfect and holy.
In today’s Epistle lesson, St. John writes: “Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.”
My fellow saints, the day will come when our bodies will be just like the body of our Savior Jesus Christ. Death could not hold Jesus’ body in the grave – and because we have become God’s holy ones, it cannot hold ours in the grave, either. Jesus was the first to rise from the dead and he promises that we, too, will rise from the dead. Our resurrected bodies will be sinless and they will be immortal – just as Jesus’ body is sinless and immortal. We will live forever with all of the saints – with all of the holy ones – with God as his dear, beloved children.
When we, too, have come out of the great tribulation, we saints who gather together here this morning will join Anita, Bill, Gerry and all of the saints who have died before us to worship God before His throne, forever rejoicing in these words recorded in Revelation chapter 7: “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”
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