ALL THE SAINTS: INCLUSIVE AND BLESSING
Revelation 7:9-17; Matthew 5:1-12
All Saints Sunday, November 5, 2023
Pastor Ritva H Williams
Those of you who know me well, will not be surprised to hear that this morning’s reading from Revelation is one of my favorite scriptures. It presents a vision of God’s dream, desire and intention for humanity: a multitude of people too great to be counted, from every nation, tribe, people and language — humans in all their wonderful and amazing diversity — gathered before the throne of God singing praises.
Here’s a cool thing about the book of Revelation you might not know. The author, John the prophet, was a refugee. About 35 years after the death and resurrection of Jesus, the Roman-Jewish War resulted in the death or enslavement of a million Jews. Others escaped and sought asylum outside their homeland. So here we have Jewish Christ-follower from Palestine whose mother tongue is Aramaic writing in Greek to Christ-followers in the Roman province of Asia (modern Turkey). I wonder if he was surprised to discover Christ present and active among the residents of his new country. I wonder if his experience as a refugee in any way informed his vision of a vast multi-national, multi-ethnic, multi-lingual choir proclaiming, “Salvation belongs to God!”
This multitude of humanity is joined by all the angels, elders and the four living creatures who respond, “Amen! Blessing, glory, wisdom, honor, power and might belong to God forever and ever.” One of the elders asks John, who are these people, where have they come from? John concedes he doesn’t know, so the elder explains that this multitude too large to count, have come out of a great ordeal. These are the millions who have experienced the violence of Roman military conquest, the famine and food shortages that accompany war, the economic and social injustices of imperial, autocratic rule. They are dressed in white robes signifying that they have been cleansed of sin — all the sins committed against them as well as the sins they committed. Christ, the Lamb of God who was also a victim of imperial oppression and violence shelters them from hunger, thirst, and scorching heat. The Lamb of God slaughtered by Rome has been raised by God to be the Good Shepherd who leads them to the water of life and wipes away their tears. “Salvation belongs to God!”
This scene shows us what the salvation belonging to God looks like — humanity united across across ethnic, racial, and linguistic boundaries, across religious, social and political divisions. A vast choir redeemed and restored to harmony. A world where glory, honor, power and might are shared fairly, with equity and justice for the common good. A universal chorus singing, “Salvation belongs to God!”
In our Gospel reading Jesus shows us that the salvation which belongs to God is not reserved for the world to come but is rooted in the here and now. Standing on a mountain overlooking the Sea of Galilee, Jesus declares that a whole host of unlikely people are “blessed.”
People whose spirits are poor, crushed by personal, social, or economic disaster.
People who grieve the loss of family and friends, jobs and security, health and vitality.
People who have been rendered “meek” — humiliated and humbled, shamed and silenced.
People who hunger and thirst of righteousness — relationships of equity and justice.
People who are rejected, harassed and persecuted for seeking fairness, equity and justice.
Let’s be clear — Jesus is NOT saying we are lucky or fortunate to experience these things. Jesus is NOT saying we should be happy in the midst of our suffering. Makarios, the Greek word we translate as blessed is not about luck or happiness. It is all about honor and dignity, value and worth. Jesus proclaims the honor and dignity, the value and worth of people society looks down on, neglects, despises, and actively traumatizes. Jesus revalues those who have been dis-valued. Jesus honors those who have been shamed.
The beatitudes are the most amazing good news — all of us will experience one or more of these conditions during our lifetime. The beatitudes call us to account, to confess that at least sometimes we fail to honor and respect our neighbors. At time we may even be guilty of cursing the people Jesus blesses. Jesus blesses people who are actively trying to do something about suffering of their neighbors.
Blessed are the merciful who think, speak, and act with kindness and compassion, goodwill and generosity. As James, the brother of Jesus, reminds us “mercy triumphs over judgment” (James 2:13).
Blessed are the pure in heart whose thoughts and feelings are being cleansed of their adoration of power, money, fame, and other false gods in order to be reformed and realigned with God’s values.
Blessed are the peacemakers who strive for the right relations, equity, and justice necessary for human thriving on all levels — physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being and wholeness.
In the beatitudes, Jesus shows us that the salvation which belongs to God is not reserved for sweet bye and bye, but begins right here and right now. Jesus proclaims the honor and dignity, value and worth of all who suffer because of the brokenness of humans and their societies. Jesus’ asks us to consider how we fail to honor, respect and value ourselves and our neighbors, and finally Jesus affirms that the honor and dignity, value and worth of learning and engaging in mercy, purity of heart, and peacemaking. This morning’s scriptures point to inclusivity and blessing as the vision to which our journey of faith is leading us.
You may be wondering what all this has to do with All Saints Sunday. A saint is literally a holy person. What better name is there for humans created in God’s image? Our All Saints worship always begins by celebrating the infants and children in whose faces the image of God is still fresh and new. We give thanks for the gift of baptism and its public affirmation of the honor and dignity, value and worth of every person without exception. We remember and give thanks for the saints whose journeys of faith are done. At Wednesday evening’s service we created a tree of life with leaves bearing the names of loved ones who have died in the past and whom we will always miss. This morning we honor those who died in the last twelve months with a rite of remembrance.
