ALL SAINTS’ SUNDAY
November 3, 2024
“God Is At Work in You”
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:1-2)
With last Sunday’s celebration of the beginning of the Reformation, we now turn to the observance of All Saints, a day of remembrance, gratitude and joy. We sing of all those “who from their labors rest,” recalling those whose lives of faith taught and inspired us in our faith journeys. And then comes the message that can be a little challenging to accept: that we ordinary, 21st century people are also saints! It doesn’t seem appropriate to be included with an array of heroes in the faith (what we might classify as real saints!) such as the Apostle Paul, Martin Luther, Dietrich Bonhoeffer (Lutheran pastor executed for resistance in Nazi Germany) or Mother Teresa and her life of sacrificial service. The good news (and there’s always good news!) is that this sainthood is not something we earn through our own endeavors.
Nadia Bolz-Weber, a Lutheran pastor and author, writes in Accidental Saints: “. . . it has been my experience that what makes us the saints of God is not our ability to be saintly but rather God’s ability to work through sinners. The title “saint” is always conferred, never earned. Or as the good Saint Paul puts it, ‘For it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.’ (Philippians 2:13).”
With these words in mind, we can put our good Lutheran modesty aside, and let God get to work in us, enabling us and giving us both the will and the ability to work for whatever he wishes. a privilege it is to give God “good pleasure.” Paul’s letter to the Romans leads us to understand, at least within our abilities, the breadth and depth of God’s love for all people, when he says: But God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8). There are no special categories, no hierarchy of faithfulness, just God’s love. That’s enough to make all of us saints, whether we think we are or not.
Martin Luther wrote extensively, including the Large Catechism, in which he expresses his conviction that God would continue to use Scripture to speak to and work among individuals and communities. He wrote: “God’s word is the treasure that makes everything holy . . . At whatever time God’s Word is taught, preached, heard, read, or pondered, there the person, the day, and the work is hallowed, not on account of the external work but on account of the Word that makes us all saints.”
That “cloud of witnesses” teaches us, inspires us, and encourages us, reminding us that we are part of that priesthood of all believers, and God is at work in us, strengthening and leading us in his ways.
Grateful for all the saints who so generously shared their faith,
Your friend in Christ,
Mary Rogers