All Saints Sunday

by Fr. Bill Garrison


Please note that the following sermon text was provided prior to the audio recording. The two versions may differ substantially.


John 11:32-44

Lazarus Come Forth - Harold Copping (Public Domain)

When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. He said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to him, "Lord, come and see." Jesus began to weep. So the Jews said, "See how he loved him!" But some of them said, "Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?"

Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, "Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days." Jesus said to her, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?" So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, "Father, I thank you for having heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me." When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Unbind him, and let him go."


As you know I often start our talks with a joke. But today, All Saints Day, doesn’t feel like the right time for a joke. Instead, how about a very short little story? It’s a story that could be the whole sermon truthfully.

A nine-year-old child lived next door to an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman’s yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said,

‘Nothing, I just helped him cry.’

As a priest of some experience, I can tell you we do nothing more important in our lives than what that little boy did. We can sit with people that are hurting, and be there with them as they cry.

As I get older, I get softer and softer. It seems sometimes that I cry at everything. I cry at the end of books. I cry during movies. Wherever people are hurting I cry. Maybe they don’t know it, but I do.

Right now, I am thinking about the movie “Gladiator.” I am sure most of you have seen it. The ending gets me every time. I know it’s coming, but I just can’t stop myself. When Maximus lies dead on the floor of the coliseum the sister of the emperor says these words that ripple through me. I can hear her now.

“He was a soldier of Rome. Honor him.”

It gets me every time.

Or in “Field of Dreams”. That movie wasn’t five minutes old and I knew I was in trouble. The scene in which the son asks his long dead father to play catch with him moves me every time. It reminds me that I would give anything to play catch with my father once again. I am sure some of the folks here today would like to do that too, wouldn’t you? Or at least do something like it that means much to you.

Right now, I can see my grandmother sitting in the corner of her living room at the farm working a crossword puzzle. Oh, how much I would like to see her one more time, to hear her voice speaking to me. I’m positive you know what I mean. Maybe it moves you to a tear or two?

The gospel today is fascinating, isn’t it? Jesus and Lazarus have a date to do something special. Jesus is going to raise him from the dead. The fact that it actually happens overwhelms the rest of the story. In my book we overlook some really special things as a result of this fabulous miracle. Let me reread the part that echoes through my mind every time I think about the story.

“When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died."

When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved.

He said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to him, "Lord, come and see." Jesus began to weep.

We ask ourselves why was he weeping? He knew he could and would raise Lazarus from the dead, so he isn’t crying because Lazarus was gone. And so since he could resurrect Lazarus, he wasn’t crying for either himself or Lazarus. So why was he so deeply moved?

The obvious answer is that he was deeply moved by the pain being suffered around him, by Martha and Mary and the others who were crying. Their suffering moved him to tears. Jesus was crying for them, not for himself. He was feeling what they were feeling.

And then, out of his compassion, Jesus gave Martha and Mary their brother back. Their pain filled him and he returned their brother to them. Lazarus walked out of the grave and back into their lives.

Jesus cries with us, and not for himself. Jesus suffers as we suffer. He feels our pain deeply. Like the little boy in the story, he helps us cry. And, as you know, because of the resurrection, suffering isn’t the end of the story. Life goes on.

Today we celebrate All Saints Day. It’s the day we remember those that have gone before us. We are invited to think about our time with them. We are invited to cry a little bit in our loss and in their stories.

And it is also time to think about the future when because of Jesus, we will see them again. Just as Martha and Mary were reunited with Lazarus, we will be reunited with those that have gone before us. We will see them again. Think about that. What a joyous day that will be.

Why don’t we take a few moments to quietly think about that day? Who do you want to see? What would you like to say to them? Let’s take a few minutes in our imaginations to think about what is coming. I will let you know when it’s time to move on. So go in peace to be with those you love for a little while.

Thanksgiving in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen

  

 

      

All Saints Day: "Blessed are Those..."

by Fr. Bill Garrison


Please note that the following sermon text was provided prior to the audio recording. The two versions may differ substantially.


When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
"Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
"Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
"Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

—Matthew 5:1-12 (NRSV)


There are certain special days we celebrate every year and All Saints Day is one of them. I think of Christmas and Easter as the most well-known of these days but All Saints is especially important too. In fact, here at St. Matthias we even have a special service at Five PM on this date, The Feast of Lights. If you aren’t familiar it is an Evensong service during which we remember those that have gone before and speak their name aloud.

Now please remember that last night was Halloween. All Hallows Eve is the name this night started with. The tradition originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts. Later the church in the 8th century began the celebration of All Saints Day to finish the story if you will.

Ok. I can’t help myself. Here is my favorite Halloween joke.

There was a man walking home late one night. As usual he took a shortcut through the graveyard. Since it was especially foggy, he didn't see a freshly dug grave and fell headlong into the pit. He tried for over 20 minutes to climb out but couldn't manage to escape. As he sat there pondering his options he was startled when someone else, apparently also using the same shortcut, fell in the grave. He sat unnoticed in the corner and watched the man try to climb out. Hoping to save the man some trouble he said, "You're not going to be able to get out." But he was wrong about that. He almost flew out of there!

The gospel today is a famous one. It’s the Beatitudes. I am not sure why the powers that be chose it for All Saints Day but there you go. It’s still a fun scripture to chat about. And you know what? As I write this, I realize it’s a perfect lesson for this day, two days before a volatile election in a very difficult time.

So, let’s talk about that. Let’s set a contemporary stage. We are in the middle of a surging pandemic. The economy is a mess. We are having a contentious election. The country seems to be split right down the middle. People of color are demanding to be seen and heard. Social media and the news channels are on fire shouting about everything that is going on. It seems like we can’t find quiet and solace anywhere. I am sure all of us are aware of the societal hurricane in which we are all enduring.

And along comes Jesus with a commentary about everything that is happening. Now before we look at what he has to say let’s clear up one very important translation once again. It concerns the Greek word ευλογημένος. Somehow that Greek word got translated as “blessed”. That might have made sense centuries ago but it makes none today. A better translation is “enormously happy”. So please listen as I read the Beatitudes with this correction.

"Enormously happy are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

"Enormously happy are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

"Enormously happy are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

"Enormously happy are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

"Enormously happy are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

"Enormously happy are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

"Enormously happy are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

"Enormously happy are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

"Enormously happy are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

Now I think it’s important to remind ourselves who is talking. This is Jesus Christ who had, and even more importantly continues to have, a special relationship with the God we worship. He was there at the beginning of creation. He rose from the dead and made eternal life possible for each of us. He has a perfect understanding of God’s nature and how God conducts business. When he says something, we can take it to the bank without reservation.

Within this speech to the people when he gave it, the speech we have since named the Beatitudes, he has made some incredible promises. I will pick out a few. You can be happy even though you are down and depressed because the Kingdom of Heaven will be yours. If you are mourning please know God cares and God will comfort you. Maybe your self-esteem is not what you would like but know that all of creation will be given to you one day. If you are seeking righteousness be happy and know you will find it in God. If you are merciful and a peacemaker God will show you mercy and God will acknowledge you as one of God’s children. Even if people make fun of you because of your faith and way of life be happy because your reward in eternity will be fantastic.

Photo by Spencer Selover from Pexels

Photo by Spencer Selover from Pexels

And so, we realize the speech was perfect for the first century. The people in the Holy Land needed desperately to hear it. Now what might it sound like if Jesus gave the same speech today, November the First, 2020? Let’s take a listen.

Enormously happy are those in this surging pandemic for God shall provide the needed answers for its resolution and greet those that are lost with God’s love.

Enormously happy are you who suffer economically because your relationship with God is much more valuable and is yours forever.

Enormously happy are you that worry about the election for you shall render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s and what you render unto God will return to you again and again and again.

Enormously happy are you that fear those with a different viewpoint as in time only God’s viewpoint will matter.

Enormously happy are you that feel downtrodden and ignored as God knows you and loves you and your day of reckoning is coming.

Enormously happy are you that are surrounded by frightening news for God promises that peace and security will be yours.

Enormously happy are you when others say you are wasting your time serving a God that no longer matters. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

God loves us. God cares for us. We have God’s promises. I quote the Apostle Paul: “What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else?”