The communion of saints

Ephesians 1:11-23

October has come to a close and November is here, which means 2019 is winding down…which means Christmas is right around the corner.

But before we get to the festivities of that holiday, I want us to stop and recognize what today is.  Today is the Sunday that we as the church celebrate the Saints.  All Saints Day, or All Hallows Day as it has been known through the centuries, happens on November 1 every year, following All Hallows Eve, or what we call Halloween.  Traditionally this day began as a commemoration of the martyrs who had died for their Christian faith.  While we as the people known as (United) Methodist don’t really “do” saints, most of us are at least familiar with those that are more well-known:  St. Peter, St. Paul, St. Francis of Assisi, St Patrick, St. Nicholas (yes, really).  Over the years, All Saints Day (and All Saints Sunday, for our purposes) has evolved into not only  a commemoration of the martyrs, but a celebration of all the saints in our lives; those, who, in death have joined the Church Triumphant. 

But this is actually something we celebrate each and every Sunday when we connect to one another in affirming our faith publicly when we say our Apostle’s Creed:  I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic (which means “universal”) church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting, amen.  It’s right there on page 881 in your United Methodist Hymnal, but none of us need the words because we know it by heart.  So when we say those words, when we claim and confess that we believe in the communion of saints, do we know what we are saying?  Do we know what that means? 

This phrase, or affirmation, goes along with the “holy catholic or universal church” line.  What we are saying, is, we believe that there is life after death and this life after death is joined with ours (those who are still physically living) in many, many ways.  We refer to the transition of the saints who have died as moving to the Church Triumphant, because we believe and affirm that there is one holy, universal church (don’t think denominations, instead think of one single body).  This universal body, this church of ALL the saints both who were, who are, and who will be, are joined together in worship of Almighty God.  This is why, when someone in a pastor’s care dies, their membership is symbolically transferred to the Church Triumphant; me as a pastor, this is when I get to let go.  This is my affirmation and the public claim and celebration of the existence that person has transitioned into. 

Isn’t it wonderful, and mystical, and amazing that we know, we believe, and we affirm life after death through Christ?  It doesn’t stop here.  We actually aren’t just a collection of cells and amino acids…we are the beloveds of God and through Christ will live on forever and ever.  We will get to rest from our labors.  We will get to worship without end.  We will join that company of heaven in their unending hymn and shout “Holy, Holy, Holy Lord, God of Power and might.  All of the universe are full of your glory.  Hosanna in the highest.”  What an amazing day that will be.

But, there are times that this isn’t a lot of help in bringing us comfort.  There are times that I miss the presence of these saints.  I have been very fortunate; I have not experienced a lot of death in my life, and I really hadn’t thought about that until a recent conversation with my mother.  I have lost a paternal grandfather and that’s the closest death to me.  I have lost friends; in the 8^th grade a lost a classmate in a car wreck.  A few years ago we lost another due to an aortic aneurysm.  In 2004 my best friend was hit head on by a drunk driver; his name was Tracy, and he was the kindest soul.  I have lost many people I’ve known, but I am not acquainted to death that’s close to me.  My parents and siblings are still living.  I’ve never lost a child (because I’ll never have children).

I know, though, that many of you here have experienced this close death.  You have lost your mother, your father, or both.  Some of you have lost children.  Some of you have lost your spouse.  Some of you have lost lifelong friends.  This loss is hard.  Sometimes it’s abrupt and knocks your feet out from under you on an idle Tuesday.  Sometimes you get a warning and you have to helplessly watch as this loss crests on the horizon.  And even after the pain of the initial impact wanes, it is replaced with emptiness, and longing, and all of these devastating emotions that we struggle to manage.  There are good days; there are bad days; then there are the worst days.  I have a close friend who lost both of her parents a few years ago just months apart; this week she received a big promotion at work and she instinctively called her mom to share the news with her.  The impact that these saints who have gone to the church triumphant before us last for our entire lifetime.  They are panels in the quilt that is our lives.  Today, we celebrate and share those panels together, and as we celebrate we remember that celebration takes on many forms.  We celebrate through laughter, we celebrate through tears, we celebrate by sharing memories; we even celebrate by acknowledging the pain that has filled the place their physical presence once existed.  And it’s ok to celebrate in all of those ways; we need to do that. 

I love that All Saints Sunday always occurs on the Sunday we celebrate the Eucharist, because all of these amazing saints meet us here at this table.  When you come to this table and we receive this means of grace, know that you do so with your mother, your father, your brother or sister, your child, and your best friend.  This same table that we approach is the same table where our grandparents are seated.  Today we celebrate this “communion of all the saints.”

And while we celebrate today as All Saints Sunday and we celebrate those saints who have gone on before us, we also celebrate the living saints among us. The people who have shown us or taught us something about God.

We stop and reflect upon the things we have learned about God through our children and young people.  We think about Who has spiritually invested in you during your life? And who are you spiritually investing in right now? We all have something to learn and we never know who God will use to teach us.

In the same way, we all have something we can teach or model and we never know who is watching and learning from us. The incredible thing about being joined together as the Body of Christ is that there are saints all around us! Each of us, young and old, can be a saint or a shepherd to someone else right now. And whenever we join together at Christ’s table, we do it knowing we are surrounded by a ‘great cloud of witnesses’, all the saints who have gone before us into God’s full presence.