Feast of All Saints
Magnificent! Glorious! Breath-takingly beautiful! Do you think that I’m
describing the fall foliage this autumn? Yes, I am but I’m also describing
you. Yes, you, all you saints. As I look out over this sea of saints, the words
“Magnificent! Glorious! Breath-takingly beautiful” come to mind! Today on
the feast of all saints, I’m asking you to see you as God sees you. Yes, we
are all sinners. We have our imperfections, our quirks, our created flaws but
today is all about seeing as God sees. To paraphrase the book of
Revelations: I Bob had a vision. I had a vision of a multitude of saints,
dressed not in white robes but in colors of every kind.
It has been an autumn of elegant elms, of magnificent maples, of beautiful
birch. Think of it. Since spring we have seen green, yes different shades, all
seeming the same, difficult to distinguish one from the other. But now each
red, gold, yellow, orange stands out ablaze with color saying, “Here I am,
look at me.” The unique beauty of each is seen for what it is. I wonder if the
firs and pines are deciduously jealous in this season for they do not change
color and make a display of themselves in the same way. But they will have
their moment when covered with snow or Christmas lights.
Why am I waxing poetic this morning? Why this wanting to see the “dearest,
freshest, deep down things”? (Thank you Gerard Manley Hopkings) It’s not
just that I am overwhelmed by the beauty of the season and the inner beauty
of each and every one of you. It also comes from reading Eliabeth
Johnson’s Abounding in Kindness. In the first chapter on handing down faith
she quotes theologian Karl Rahner:
The devout Christian of the future will either be a mystic, that is, one
who has experienced something, or he/she will cease to be anything at
all.
Johnson says, “the Christian will be one who has experienced something of
the beauty and love of the living God, one who has felt the attraction so that
it becomes personal knowledge, or faith will be a dead fish!” (No dead fish
here! Only those caught and captured by God’s overwhelming love for
them.)
Oh Saints, can you see in the letter of John that we are even now God’s
children and what we will be has not yet been revealed?
Johnson goes on to say: “At the heart of it all , what does Christianity
proclaim? It announces the good news that the reality of God surrounds us
with forgiving, abounding kindness in the midst of our darkness, injustice,
sin and death. All the doctrines and rituals aim to unpack this basic wonder.
Faith means entrusting yourself to this presence, leaning your heart on this
Rock, and responding with your life’s energies. This is normally done with
others in a community of disciples called church.”
Oh saints, can you see? Can you look around you and see this holy
communion of saints you are gathered with today? Can you see the inner
light of God in each one of you here? If you are a minister of communion
you know how beautiful it is to see each individual face who comes face to
face with the body and blood of Christ. Each amen resounds around the
assembly, each saying “Yes, Amen” to the Christ not only whom they
receive but who they are. How blessed are we!
Don’t be downed by drab today!
Be Dazzled by the beauty within you!
Be Dazzled by the beauty of creation!
Be Dazzled by the wonder of God’s love
Have a Be-Attitude!