All Saints Sunday - First Post Tuesday

All Saints Sunday is this Sunday. The scripture is as follows: Ecclesiasticus 2:1-11, 13, 14. Makes you wonder what verse 12 is all about? Psalm 149. Ephesians 1: 11-23. The Gospel lessons in Luke 6:27 - 36.

I have entitled my sermon "The Saints - Up Close and Personal". So where does the idea of Saints come from? According to the Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, the principal theological basis of the practice is the Pauline doctrine of the body of Christ, in which all members have their particular office as fellow citizens with the saints and of the household of God. In Hebrews the description of Saints are as a cloud of witnesses which Christians are to imitate. In Luke 16:19-31 the idea that the the dead may intercede on behalf of the living has been found in the parable of Dives and Lazarus. And in Matt. 19:28 the gift of special privileges for certain persons in the next world is held to be indicated in Christ's promises to the Apostles.

The Gospel is about how to act. If we lived into this gospel we could be called a saint. How do we do that in today's world???
Who are current day saints?

We are all called to be a cloud of witnesses. This conjures up the person on the street corner screaming repent or the missionaries going from door to door with phamplets or people telling you to "get saved". How are we called to "witness".

What is it about the idea of sainthood that you are interested in? Do saints have a place today? I do think people want heros. The movie "Flags of our Fathers' really talks about how some of the men who held up the flag at Iwo Jima didn't really want the attention as a hero. They described themselves as just doing their job. The men who died at Iwo Jima were the real heros. But people turned out to see these men and they helped raise money for the war effort. People want to aim at something. They want to celebrate those people who have done "great things".

Let me know what you think.
Blessings,
Julie