This Sunday, we will be focusing on All Saints Day. Pastor Becky will be out of town, and Tim Good will be filling in. Here are some of his thoughts and questions for this Sunday...
What is a Saint? Are there still Saints? Why do we think a Saint is always someone else?
Our first reading will be from the Old Testament, Joshua 3:7-17. Ol’ Josh could have been intimidated by having to fill Moses’ giant shoes, but instead he stood on Moses’ giant shoulders. What does Moses have in common with other Saints? What does Joshua?
Our New Testament reading will be from the Gospel of Saint Matthew 5:1-12; part of the “beatitudes”. In the Catholic church, beatification is part of the process towards being canonized as a Saint. What is the relationship between Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount and being a Saint?
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3 comments:
Great questions to ponder! I have learned over and over that saints in the protestant tradition are just those faithful Christians who have gone on before us. I know that definition, but when I think of a saint, I still think of someone who is bright and shining and ... perfect.
I think that I even "cannonize" some of my friends or professors. In my head, I turn them into saints.
Perhaps the reason is that if they are "saints" then they had some magic potion to get them there, and I don't have to try so hard. Or maybe it is easier to admire and copy them than it is to look for God.
I like the idea of standing on the shoulders of giants. We can use the triumps and glories of the past to lead us into the future.
Interesting tie-in to tonight's discussion (7 P.M. 10/29/08 @ MUMC)of the movie "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone". Throughout the series, Harry's deceased parents are portrayed in a manner similar to our common view of saints. Their loving sacrifice of their lives for their son provides him a certain level of intercessory protection. Yet it develops that it is the living characters who repeatedly sacrifice of themselves to save others and to fight against the evil of Voldemort. Living sacrifices. Paul would have been comfortable writing "to the saints at Hogwarts...".
A saint is one who lives a Kingdom life in a fleshy world; sacrificing pride, power, self interest, and yes occasionally life, to benefit the community of God's children. Sometimes though, it is easier to sacrifice our lives than it is to sacrifice how we live. So to me, it is these living saints who live and work in obscurity that bring about the Kingdom.
I think this especially applies to those behind the scenes people who so faithfully visit and send cards to those in need, or those who volunteer tirelessly at food pantrys, or serving in the kitchen, and to those always willing to read or speak in church. I give thanks for those people who are living sacrifices!
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