We enter the holiday season in November. In fact, the first day of November is All Saints Day. We normally pay more attention to Halloween – “all hallows eve” – than to the more liturgically significant All Hallows Day.
Who are these “saints”? The New Testament calls Christians saints. Paul opens several of his letters by speaking to “all those called to be saints” or simply “saints” (Rom. 1:7; 1 Cor. 1:2; 2 Cor. 1:1; Eph. 1:1; Phil. 1:1; Col. 1:1). A saint is a person called to be set apart, separate. And that is what all Christians are: a holy work of God, not so much because we are good, or better than others, because, in fact, we may not be better than some others. Rather, we have been called by God into the life of Jesus Christ and his beloved community.
Saints. Do you feel like a saint? I sure don’t most days. In fact, if I were to characterize this society in which we live, I would describe it as dedicated to the “de-saint-ification” of the world (there’s a word for you!).
In this commercial world, we are not called to be set apart, but to be readily involved as consumers. Eat this, buy that, go here or there, experience this or that. Be all that you can be. Just do it. Just buy it.
All Saints Day follows Halloween where we have gorged on zombies, horror shows, and candy. Actually, the zombie theme is apropos to All Saints Day since worship on All Saints Day is especially alert to departed saints – those who have died and are now in paradise. Pity the poor zombies who are dead but still roaming the earth in a pointless effort to find and destroy those who remain alive. But what are the still-living in these stories reduced to? Hiding and relentless violence against predatory zombies.
Yikes! What a metaphorical description of our world.
The kingdom of saints called forth by Jesus Christ is to live differently. We have hope that’s based on more than our own power or desperate quest for more of this or that. We are taught by Jesus to be saints and to see others, even those who are zombie-like, as potential saints, or at least as souls. When you read this, All Saints Day will be past, but the message of that day is always good.
Peace to you, and to our world – Pastor David