“Feebly Struggling, Shining in Glory”
“Feebly Struggling, Shining in Glory”
Matthew 5.1-12
Matthew 5.1-12
In the name of the Living God and his risen Christ. Amen.
When I was a young man, growing up in church I had a small sense of the importance of All Saints Sunday. Beautiful music and stirring hymns echoed in the sanctuary. The older folks (and some younger ones too) often had tears in their eyes. A sense of something greater, something beyond us and more important than what we could see with earthly eyes filled the service in the music, and the powerful words of scripture, and the fervent prayers, and the moments of silence.
Now that I’m a bit older, I think I might understand it all a little better… might. I anticipate as I grow older still, and more and more people I know and love die in the faith, and even as I get closer to my own “exodus”, I’ll hopefully gain an even greater sense of the importance of today.
But we do know that our sight and insight will always be limited here. We see “as but in a glass dimly” as St. Paul put it. “What we will be, has not yet been fully revealed,” this morning’s Epistle reminds us. Only when we finally stand with that countless crowd and shout with that one great voice and sing that forever-song and drink from that living water and have every sad tear wiped away will we fully know, even as we are now fully known by God.
But this morning I would like to offer a few insights from the Church’s teachings which, while not so much as explaining the sense of the mystery of All Saints, might help us appreciate it all the more.
The first point is that today is not so much a celebration of heaven, or even those who are in heaven with Christ, as it is a celebration of the Church. Not the building, mind you, located at 1301 LaSalle, nor a 501c3 non-profit, nor a denomination with its headquarters at the Holy City of St. Louis (a-hem), nor even a finite group of worshippers gathered on a Sunday morning—rather today is a celebration of the one holy, universal people of God which extends beyond space and time.
This is important because it means that we discern two parts of the one church, which remain ever united. Sometimes this is described as 1) the Church Militant and 2) the Church Triumphant.
Now, by the “the Church Militant” we don’t mean all the negative baggage connected to the word, “militant”—as if Christians are to be angry, heartless warmongers. No, Jesus’ teaching of the Beatitudes from our gospel for today is all we need to hear to dispel this notion. Jesus calls the poor in spirit blessed—and the meek, and the merciful, and the pure in heart, and the peacemakers. Instead, it might be better to say that we are the part of the Church still in the struggle, still at work, still under persecution, still imperfect, still grieving. The battle against the devil, the world, and our sinful selves rages on so long as we remain in our earthly bodies. And we need saints here on earth to continue God’s work as much as we need them in heaven.
That’s why today, All Saints Sunday, is also New Member Sunday. This was intentional, not just a function of how quickly we could move through Luther’s Catechism. (They get me easily distracted!) We’re all saints of God, equally redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, equally washed in the baptismal waters, equally equipped for the struggle by the same Spirit. For sure, God has used particular Saints throughout the ages in particularly dramatic ways—and who knows, maybe some of those we welcome today will be among that number! But this morning is a recognition of the sainthood of each of us, who believe the gospel and are united to Christ in baptism. From baby Andrew, our most recently baptized child; to our members hospitalized or in care facilities around Chicagoland; to those serving in foreign missions, like the Clausings or the Coopers; to the Church in Ethiopia, or China, or Lativia or Honduras. We’re all equally saints, redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, but still here in “the great ordeal”, as Revelation puts it. The Church in the struggle.
But all this is only half of the church. The other half of the circle we can’t see with earthy eyes. There are other voices we can’t hear which sing our song. There are others present at the feast of victory. This we call “the Church Triumphant” or the Church Shining in Glory.
We’ll remember some of their names in a few minutes. Some worshipped here at this very altar and labored with us here on the North Side; in other places some sang with us, or walked hand in hand with us, or taught us the faith, or carried us in their arms when we were young. But honestly, they also all struggled with us too. They were part of the Church of the Great Ordeal, the Church in the Battle, which meant sin and suffering and imperfection and eventually death.
But no more. Now they see face to face; now they know fully, as they stand in the presence of God, in joy and thanksgiving awaiting the final resurrection. We can take comfort that they are at peace with Christ, and that the Lord himself has dried every tear from their eyes.
But we can take comfort in something else too. We’re united with them. That’s what I want you to take with you this morning on this All Saints Sunday: there’s the part of the Church feebly struggling, and the part of the Church shining in glory, but there’s only one Church. People in this world so desperately want to somehow connect with those they love who have died. Here’s the mystery: all those who believe and are baptized into Christ are connected, and in fact can never be separated. And there’s no better expression of this “mystical sweet communion” than to be right here speaking with one voice, singing the same song, joining in the one feast of victory.
So keep struggling all saints. Curb sin and the effects of sin in your heart, your life, and your world. Resist the devil and all his works and all his ways. Bear witness boldly to the hope that is within you. Hunger and thirst after righteousness. Seek first the kingdom of God. But as you do, always keep in mind that we’re united with those in glory, and that what they know now we also will know one day.
Come soon Lord Jesus. Amen.