God of holiness, your glory is proclaimed in every age:
as we rejoice in the faith of your saints, inspire us to follow their example with boldness and joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

And the one who was seated on the throne said: ‘See, I am making all things new!’

How we long for new beginnings, a fresh start, an opportunity wipe away all the mess and muddle that we have made of things and begin again. A new start for the world would surely reset all the conflict, all the damage we have done to the life of the earth, all the suffering and sorrow.

As the seasons change and the days draw in, we long for comfort and security, a safe place, a warm hearthside, the company of friends and loved ones. Outside, the leaves are falling and as everything begins to die back for the winter, the sparseness of the garden and the countryside has a kind of peace about it, a
simplicity that is harmonious.

In all of this change and seasonal endings comes the readiness for new things – the one cannot happen without the other. In the visions that John the Divine retells in the Book of Revelation he speaks of new
beginnings after endings – ‘I John, saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth has passed away. The old order and way of living has gone, and a new way of being has already
begun..

John writes in the full knowledge of the death and resurrection of Jesus and the astounding new beginning that this is and what it means for all people, indeed for all creation.
‘See, I am making all things new!’

It is in the same knowledge and belief that the saints of God live their lives. Today we remember the saints of old, whose stories are told in glass and wood and stone in this building and who therefore, as it were, surround us as we gather here week by week. We know how their faith in the one who is making all things new enabled them to live and often die courageously – and this is true both for the famous saints, and those who are lesser known but who we especially give thanks for today.

And we remember too the saints we have known personally – our dearest and our best – those who have inspired us in the faith and whose memory we cherish. We honour them especially this afternoon in our All Souls’ Service.

We think of the saints when we hear the words from the Wisdom of Solomon – ‘the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God – in due time they will shine forth, they will run like sparks through the stubble.’
What a staggeringly wonderful image – each soul lighting up the world, catching others on fire up and up into the glory of God’s love. We are surrounded by their lives, enfolded by their stories which have inspired us and we live on together as one family of God.

Each time we worship here we join with that great company that worships around
the very throne of God in heaven. Each week as we celebrate the Eucharist, every part of the service brings us closer into the very heart of God – at the beginning we greet each other ‘The Lord be with you – and also with you’ And as we gather at the altar we pray:

‘To you we come, Father of lights, with angels and saints, where heaven and earth unite. May Jesus meet us in the breaking of the bread.’

In the Eucharistic Prayer, the great prayer of thanksgiving, we enter into the events at the heart of the very mystery of Christ’s death and resurrection. When the bread and the wine are held up at the end of the Prayer and you all say ‘Amen’ – together we have remembered the whole of God’s salvation and are caught up in the life of heaven itself. We are uplifted to heaven and heaven stoops down to earth and all time and eternity are one.

When we come to the table to be fed – we are made one with Christ Jesus himself – we are made holy and sanctified – God is with us, within us – and we are made one holy people together, together with each other here, and together with all the company of heaven – all the saints, angels and all God’s people through the ages. Its no surprise then that coming to church, sharing in communion, makes us feel different – better – connected – healed – holy – sanctified. ‘See, I am making all things new!’

In today’s Gospel, we hear of astounding new things in the story of Martha, Mary
and Lazarus. But it starts at the point of endings – Mary, whose faith in Jesus has never wavered,
who sat at his feet to hear his words of life, now kneels, weeping, and speaks words that must have cut him to the heart – ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.’ Is she accusing him or simply stating what she knows to be true?

Seeing her grief, and coming close to the reality of the death of his dear friend at the
place of his tomb, Jesus, too, weeps. We know that strangely, Jesus seemed to deliberately hold back from going to Lazarus when he was desperately ill – his disciples who were with him when he heard the news certainly thought so. But because Lazarus has died, Jesus can now demonstrate his power and so this becomes not just a human story of grief but a revelation of his power over life and death and the promise of heaven. ‘Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?’

But this is just a foretaste of heaven – for raised from death as he has been, Lazarus will die again, as will we all. But the death and resurrection of Jesus turns anything we ever thought we knew about life and death on its head. Suddenly we see what it is all about – death is not the end but a whole new beginning. And this is what all the saints through the ages have come to understand. That what is promised is so wonderful that we can live in a completely different way in this world because of the certainty of heaven – if we are no longer afraid of death then we can really, fully live. And living like this, we help bring about heaven on earth too.

We are all members of the body of Christ – the Church of God – the saints of today – and the world needs saints more than ever – to be like sparks that run through stubble – lights to enlighten the world – the sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life. Saints who are holy, set apart for God, who is one with us, in our suffering and in our joys – the one who brings new life even out of death.
‘See, I am making all things new!’

Service: Reverend Michelle Dalliston 3rd November 2024. (St John The Baptist Church Peterborough UK)

Readings: Isaiah 25.6-7, Wisdom 24.1-6; Revelation 21.1-6a; John 11.32-end