Just imagine a world in which we lived together in love, joy and peace.
A country where everyone shared a common purpose and felt themselves to be valued and needed.
A city of people who look after those who have the greatest needs and where everyone is safe.
A church which lived out the promise of the Gospel and is full of the life giving power of God’s love.
A home where everyone was welcomed and where there was enough for all.
A heart full of contentment and overflowing with love for ourselves and each other.
Wouldn’t that be heavenly? In fact, wouldn’t that be heaven?
Well, this is the promise of God to us – it is already ours – obtained for us in Christ – the promise of glory, the hope of salvation, the inheritance of the saints. And today we celebrate the saints – those famous saints of old, faithful true and bold.
The stories of the saints are stirring stuff – often becoming the foundation of myth and legend too – but always underpinned by faith and such certainty of heaven that to give up even their life could be done joyfully. You see, if we really believe in heaven, then what is there to fear in death?
The thing we need to know is that heaven is not to be earnt, but to be lived. As the saying goes; “Christian belief is not about pie in the sky when you die, but cake on a plate while you wait.” Yes, you can have your cake and eat it! And more besides….
St Paul puts it more poetically – “In Christ we have obtained an inheritance, destined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will.”
Marked with the seal of the Holy Spirit at our baptism we have already entered into that inheritance – we are already saved! If this is so, and we have already been saved for ever to live in the light, why do we carry on as if we were still living in darkness?
Yesterday Becka and I were part of a team of volunteers running the Halloween’ Fear Not’ Trail at the Cathedral, where children and their families discovered that Jesus is the light of the world who makes even the darkest night like the brightest day.
In this Kingdom Season, which starts with All Saints, we get ready for the beginning of the new church year at Advent – a season all about waiting for the light to come again into the darkness of our world. Because, while it is true that we are already saved and our inheritance is assured – yet the world is still a dark and dangerous place and the course of our lives does not run smoothly.
In fact, is it actually harder for us now, than it was for those first saints of God? Those whose names we remember with thanksgiving for their courage even to death. For them, the belief that Christ would soon come again and bring judgement upon those who opposed him and his Father’s kingdom, must have helped strengthen their hearts and stiffen their sinews. There was an urgency, an imperative and a common belief and purpose – an understanding that their service and self-sacrifice would help change the world.
We are seeing a similar focus and commitment in the protests in Iran today, in the resistance of the Ukrainian people, and in every place where people see beyond their own needs and recognise a different narrative which speaks of love over all and freedom for all people.
And we see this too in the lives of the saints we celebrate here – Luke, the doctor and evangelist, John the Baptist, the herald and proclaimer of the Christ, Mary the Christ bearer and Mother of God, Joseph, the father of Jesus on earth and protector of Mary, Peter, the rock on which Christ built his church and the patron of our Diocese, and all around us in wood and stone and glass, saints and martyrs, prophets and angels – many of whom local to us – Symon Gunton, William Law, Captain Thomas Mellows, Edith Cavell – and we will be able to think of others, more recent than this too, who over the years once sat in these seats/pews, and who are saints in love and faith to us.
To be a saint is not to be perfect! To be a saint, it is often said, is to be like a stained-glass window. The colours may be ours, but the light that shines through us is Jesus, and by our lives, we help others see God. But to be a saint is also to be like a mirror – to reflect the light of Jesus into the world and to know ourselves to be blessed.
The beatitudes in Luke’s Gospel help us see this very clearly – much more directly than the version in Matthew we are perhaps more familiar with. Luke says:
Blessed are YOU, who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
Blessed are YOU, who are hungry, Blessed are YOU, who weep….
Imagine we are seeing ourselves in the mirror –
Blessed are YOU, and YOU and YOU and YOU – whatever our lack or our need, God will meet it, God blesses us as we are, and promises a future of even more blessing – we can look at ourselves, the beloved, the blessed, the saints of God!
And the more we know ourselves to be poor, hungry, weeping, hated, excluded, reviled and defamed, the more we are blessed and can rejoice and leap for joy! Knowing the reward that is promised us, knowing that we are the saints of God, we can help create a world in which we live together in love, joy and peace;
A country where everyone shares a common purpose and know themselves to be valued and needed.
A city of citizens who look after those with the greatest needs and where all are safe.
A church living out the promise of the Gospel, full of the life giving power of God’s love.
A home where everyone is welcome, where there is enough for all.
A heart full of contentment and overflowing with love for ourselves and each other.
And so as the saints of today, we can live as citizens of the Kingdom of heaven, with our hearts enlightened by faith. Saints then, are those who live physically in the world but whose souls and hearts live as if they were already in heaven! And it is this that allows us to love even our enemies, do good to those who hate us, bless those who curse us, pray for those who abuse us, give to everyone who begs from us, give over and above what is due.
To be able to live this way is what our world needs more than ever – in the war in Ukraine, in the famine of Somalia, in the hatreds in American politics, in the fears of food and fuel poverty in our own nation. It is what we hope to offer at both our churches as part of a Community Support Hub.
It is how we help God make heaven on earth. Amen.
Service: Reverend Michelle Dalliston. 30th October 2022.
(St John The Baptist Church Peterborough UK)
Referenced Scripture: Ephesians 1: 11-end, Luke 6:20-31