Scripture Text (NRSV)
Luke 6:20-31
6:20 Then he looked up at his disciples and said: "Blessed are you
who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
6:21 "Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled.
"Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.
6:22 "Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude
you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man.
6:23 Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward
is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the
prophets.
6:24 "But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your
consolation.
6:25 "Woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry. "Woe to
you who are laughing now, for you will mourn and weep.
6:26 "Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their
ancestors did to the false prophets.
6:27 "But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to
those who hate you,
6:28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.
6:29 If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and
from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt.
6:30 Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away
your goods, do not ask for them again.
6:31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.
Comments:
One idea I've used for All Saints Day or Memorial Day... before is to
send a letter a couple of weeks prior to the celebration of All Saints
Day...to all the people who have had a loved one die in the
congregation... (those whose services I had or were held in the
church's sanctuary)... and then I had a gal (Actually Julie Wolf, a
lay person from Minot, ND) she came up with the idea on her own, she
does it during Memorial Day weekend...) you ask for three pictures...
happy times, sad times, family times... then they are made into
slides, it takes a day or so to get them back... we also made slides
that said... "In loving memory of ____________" Faith UMC'S family
includes... (name or list the relatives who survive them) then the
birth and death dates... then we time it to music, usually just
instrumental... however, last time we did it before my move to the
current church I serve, I found a piece by John Denver, one of the
last songs he wrote prior to his sudden and tragic death... it is
entitled... "All this Joy..."
The words go something like this... "All this joy, all this sorrow...
all this promise, all this pain.. . such is life, such is meaning...
such is Spirit... such is Joy..." etc. etc... it is a beautiful
song...
then, you darken the lights of the sanctuary and it becomes a silent,
yet coorperate prayer of the congregation... the last slide reads...
"In loving Memory of ALL the Saints who have witnessed to us through
their faith and their lives.."
It is a powerful medium...
One year we had a picture of a grandmother reaching up to pick an
apple off a tree, almost as if she was taking the hand of God... other
times you see the smile of a grandparent for a grandchild... etc.
etc... picture DO speak a thousand words of hope... to future
generations... children are messages we send to a time we will never
see...
Blessings to you all,
pulpitt in ND or pulpitt@att.net
Wonderful Idea!! I just don't think I have time to pull that together
for this year! I will have to remember it for next year! Our church
kicks off its 125th anniversary celebration this Sunday. We thought
All Saints Sunday would be a good time to kick off the celebration
with remembering those who have been faithful in the past, and all our
present "saints"!! Not sure yet how to tie Luke's beatitudes into
this! Katrinka in Iowa
What does anyone think about the idea that goods, happiness, wealth,
and popularity block us off from recognizing (and clinging to) our
constant need for God?
Happy are those who are in a position to be fully aware of their need
for God!
I set before you blessing and curse, good and evil (Deuteronomy
30:15-20)
I set before you blessings and woes .....
Choose life!
There is such an interesting comparison here. We are called to live
into the values of God, to see the world the way God sees us, to
embrace the enemy as a child of God.
tom in ga
Just a note... this is also the International Day of Prayer for the
Persecuted Church. To combine these two days - remembering our own
loved ones who've gone and those who've given their lives for the
faith - it couldn't be more appropriate.
Those who suffer persecution ask us to pray. What do they ask us to
pray for? Most often, perseverance, the ability to hold on, but the
one that sets me to weeping is, they ask us to pray that they will
love their persecutors. I can't even imagine doing that. I suspect
they've uncovered the sacred secret Jesus was pointing us to in Luke
6.
JG in WI
My sermon, a simple baptismal service piece based on the "Golden Rule"
can be found at
http://www.stfrancis-ks.org/subpages/csermons/allsaints-c-y2k+1.htm
Thanks and blessings, Eric in KS
Previous:
Why in the world does the lectionary progresssion take us back to Luke
6? Is this a misprint? What's the singnificance?
OKBob
This is the alternative lectionary for All Saints. The other suggested
gospel is Matthew 5:1-12.
In our congregation, this is stewardship Sunday. My sermon will need
to address stewardship. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Pam in San Bernardino
To Pam
Blessed are you poor. Woe to the rich. Wow! Better sell everything and
give it to the poor and follow Jesus, if we are ever to get through
that needle's eye!
KenTucky
Pam, if I were using this for a stewardship text, I think I would be
pointing out all the wonderful ministries to the poor and hungry we
can be a part of as good stewards for Christ. 6:30 Says give to all
who beg of you. I think that gets to the heart of the matter.
Hope the sermon goes well!
ST
I will be using the text from Luke 19:1-10 and preaching on "A Little
Man with Big Faith." It relates to the theme of giving away all your
money and following Jesus, which all of us could probably hear again.
Our society has a theology of scarcity (as Tony Campolo calls it)
where we think there are only a few "new cars" or "new t.v.'s" so we
had better run out and get one right away before they are all gone.
All our resources become as important as air! Some people eat that way
. . . like someone else is going to grab the food from in front of
them - scarfing it down or inhaling it before it is all taken away.
And the reality is that most of the time we aren't really all that
hungry to begin with . . . and missing a meal or fasting is something
we never do unless it relates to the youth 30 hour famine! Give me a
break. Most people in my church never miss a meal - me included.
I'm also getting tuned into being debt free thanks to Financial Peace
written by Dave Ramsey - I highly recommend it.
Art in KY
Way to go Art! I've been impressed with Ramsey's ministry leading
people to debt-free living. I wonder how his emphasis on mutual funds
would stand up to against O. T. warnings against usury. Just
wondering. Maybe I'll hear you on one of his debt-free Fridays!
KenTucky
There was a particular translation of Scripture from the 1960s, the
first edition of the New English Bible, I believe, which rendered this
passages, "How happy are you ...", rather than, "Blessed are you".
Even if the translation is a bit more accurate, I note with bemused
interest that it didn't exactly catch on, and has not become the
standard of the day. We still struggle to find the meaning behind the
rather enigmatic "blessed".
For myself, I must confess that I have never done "delayed
gratification" very well. When I was a child, it was always, "wait
until you are grown, Dear". When I was a young adult, it was always,
"wait until you have more experience (the 'Dear' having been dropped
for reasons of political correctness). "You can't have your dessert
until you eat your spinach", Jesus seems to be saying. Whether it be
"happy" or "blessed", I chaff at the instruction to "wait".
Yes, yes, I know, there is a difference between "my time and God's
time". Yes, yes, I know that the good news of the Gospel always speaks
more profoundly to the poor and dispossessed. And, yes, yes, I know,
Jesus is ever enigmatic, turning things upside down and inside out.
It's just once that I would like to hear, "Rejoice TODAY and leap for
joy, for surely your reward is great...!"
Oh, come on, Jim, stop your nagging! Where's the good news? The good
news is that we find our "blessedness" (i.e., our happiness) not in
doing for ourselves, but in doing for others. "Love, bless and give,"
Jesus says. Sounds good to me.
Jim
Art in KY, Thanks for the recommendation of Ramsey's book........I'll
be looking for it. With student loans hovering and other accrued debts
from years of theological study, I'm secretly hoping for the Jubilee
year in the truest sense of the word!
As for the text this week, I am hoping to focus on the All Saints Day
aspect of the day. I think I would like to look at the "invisible"
saints among us....the ones that are easy to miss, who quietly go
about the work of Christ without fanfare or applause. These are very
early musings, but that seems to be my starting point for now....
SueCan
Ever since I've been at Island Grove, I've used All Saint's Day to
celebrate the lives of those who've died in the faith over the past
year (from All Saint's to All Saint's). I grew up in the military, and
to me Memorial Day is for war dead, not Christian saints. I think,
perhaps this passage was selected -- wouldn't we like to get behind
the minds of the lectionary committee???? -- as
examples/rules/whatever for becoming a saint. If you do all these
things, you will be counted among the saints. Any comments?
I didn't say anyone COULD do all those things . . . just if they did,
they would surely BE a saint. Can anyone give a brief description of
the Roman Catholic procedure to sainthood?
RevJan
The Greek word that is translated "saint" is hagios, which means "set
apart for God's use." We usually think of a "saint" as a sort of
super-Christian, but Paul addressed all the Christians at Ephesus and
at Corinth as saints. The Corinthians were a pretty "un-saintly" lot
from the sound of his letters.
I suspect we are all called to be "set apart for God's use." I'm
willing to accept that description, but I resist the handbook for my
behavior that I find here!
AL in OR
Dear SueCan,
I noticed your posting last week on children not being welcome in
church. I am in a church where the sentiments have been the same. When
i came I asked for pictures of everyone, so i could learn the names in
advance (being a slow learner.) Many came with comments like "Sue &
John Jones, and children). Parents told me their children weren't
welcome. I began doing small things, and continue to do small things
to change that. During announcements, we talk about what the kids are
doing in Sunday school. Soon we will hold coffee hour at Sunday
School, so we can admire their African village (we are studying
Christianity in Africa). I have preached about God calling us out of
our comfort. Kids are out of their comfort zone, just trying to behave
in church. Adults, just allowing for the extra noise. And I have
(gulp!) scheduled Sunday School after church, with the kids in the
whole service. (Yes, we have a nursery.) We are the body of Christ.
The body of Christ is imperfect. Noisy, sometimes, also whining and
grumpy. Gee, we have an 80-year old lady who tears into the goodies
every Sunday before dismissal, and she is the Body of Christ. For our
denom. (Episcopal) we must honor children and meet them where they
are, or allow the church to decline. Too bad they aren't quiet like 50
years ago. Fifty years ago the old people only lived till 65 or so.
Things change. God treasures us all, anyway.
Prayers for you, Sue. And courage for us all. Jesus said 'let the
children come.' Come Holy Spirit, and ignite us with a passion for
God, greater than all our pettiness! (Mine, especially....)
HW in HI
(yeah, we got Halloween, and malls and traffic and drugs, and new age,
and fundamentalists, and beaches and bikinis and surfers. And All
Saints.)
On the Feast of All Saints, there will be two baptisms - I need help
discussing the beatitudes (with those woes) in relationship to the
baptism - any help would be appreciated.
Tom in GA
Tom in Ga. I had a baptism last week, praise God! If I were baptising
this week, I would go with the Ephesians scripture: putting the seal
of Christ on their foreheads. We are His and He is ours.
Tom & RevJan (and all!), I struggle with the notion that I don't see
much blessing/happiness amidst poverty, mourning, hunger, etc. Is this
scripture really true? It helps to remember that Jesus is talking here
about true discipleship which will naturally lead to persecution.
Those who are blessed are those who are faithful to the point of
persecution; those who are "woed" (?) are those who think life/faith
is about being comfortable. But we aren't persecuted in America, so
what do we do? Will we ever know the blessing that Jesus promises to
saints here? Or put another way, will we ever be saints enough to
receive the blessing? It occurs to me that perhaps vs. 20-26 are
primarily descriptive, while vs. 26-30 (and following) might be
prescriptive. In other words, if you want to be a blessed saint in
America, the answer isn't to go get poor and hungry and
grief-stricken. The answer is to love your enemy, bless those who
curse you and curse those who bless you, give more than others try to
take from you (to the IRS????!), and give to EVERYONE who begs from
you? Now there's a sure plan for becoming poor, hungry,
grief-stricken, reviled, and perhaps even crucified. And sainted ---
not because it will make you perfect (although in the long run it
might), but because it will set you on the road to the cross in the
footsteps of Jesus. Because it will give you a chance to live a salty
faith. Because it will wear you out and beat you down, and you won't
look a thing like those white-robed, shiny saints in the pictures, but
your fingernails will be caked with mud and your face will be streaked
with sweat and you will become a laughing stock. Stuff I don't have
the courage to do, personally. Kyrie eleison. Kay
For those who may be using this week's text in the setting of Sunday,
November 1st, as the Feast of All Saints: First, Rev. Jan, you may
find the more recent volumes of the Catholic Encyclopedia at your
local library. The most recent edition, and annual updates, may be of
the best source in your search for information on the canonization
process and about "saints" in general. The 1913 edition of the
Catholic Encyclopedia can be found on the net. Beware, it is outdated
regarding contemporary insights on the topic....Second, Catholics and
other liturgical traditions, celebrate the feast of All Saints (Nov.
1st) followed by the Feast of All Souls (Nov. 2nd). I mention this
because these two feasts together capture some sense of the the
communitarian and mystical qualities, once reflected in the expression
of the "Communion of Saints", i.e., the "canonized saints" (whose
lives are a "measure" for our own aspirations), deceased family
members and friends held dear in our memories and prayers, and those
of us still on earth growing in virtue and struggling to honor our
faith commitments.... Third, while I applaud those preachers and
communites who honor their seniors and elders, as our "forgotten
saints," I personally think that at their age they would also
appreciate the assurance that they will eventually (after death) be
included in that "great cloud of witnesses" and be part of our
on-going Communion of all the Saints!... Finally, I hope this more
poetic sense of "saints" is helpful to my beloved friend, Rick in VA.
I found it ironical that many recent posting defended children among
us at our Sunday services. (In this discussion Rick, cast his vote
with the orderly elders). Rick, apparently you also seem to find it
difficult to accept the "older children" among us in worldwide
cultures who bury statues of saints upside-down! Like little children
in our pews, such "adult-children," can be a bit of an embarrasement
as well. However, Rick, it will take more than a village of puritans
to raise all of God's children to the strictures of Bibical canons!
(Pardon me, Rick, I could not resist the irony!) To all you struggling
and desperate saints... .Happy Feast Day on Sunday! Gregory in Dot, MA
Tom in Georgia:
Perhaps my reflections, posted earlier today, October 26, would also
be of some assistance to you for the two Bpatisms, which you will be
celebrating on Sunday, All Saints Day. It is into the Communion Saints
(poetic and mystical sense) that the newly baptized are received
through the Lord's death and resurrection. See the above posting. I
hope it got through to DPS. Gregory in Dot, MA
Tom in Ga All Saints day is wonderful for baptism, I may well use it
next year. And the Luke text can tie the whole thing; We are baptised
into a community of faith {all saints} and the community must respond
to the sacrament of baptism by vows to love & support for thier new
member. The saints of your community {if they are anything like mine}
are not winged, white robed, glowing, and always praying - More often
the are struggling financially, and spiritually, praying for their
enemies as best they can, supporting the work of God as best they can,
and finding in their trials, a sense of satisfation {blessing} which
cushions the cruel blows of this world. No one who sets out to be a
saint makes it, rather those who feel unworthy, and thus strive all
the more, are the ones recognized by others as saints. This is what
your baptized are getting into, a community of blessed, and struggling
saints lifted ultimately by the love of God. Peace, PAB
To HW in HI, Thanks for the encouragement and suggestions! I like the
idea of announcing the Sunday School activities -- after all, this is
an important part of the life and work of the congregation. Good
stuff......
Has anyone read a book called "St. George and the Dragon" by Edward
Hays? I read it some time ago and no longer have a copy. In the first
chapter, Hays describes how the "St." in the title actually refers to
"Sent" rather than "Saint", and implies that we are all as Christians
part of the "sent-hood" of God's people. These are early musings, but
I like what that says about all of those saints among us that struggle
as PAB described, but are faithful seekers of Christ's way.
SueCan
Gregory in DOT MA,
I'm a bit slow and haven't been to seminary yet and so sheepishly
wonder what it is meant by the following statement: "Rick, apparently
you also seem to find it difficult to accept the "older children"
among us in worldwide cultures who bury statues of saints
upside-down!"
I accept (less than perfectly but then who does so perfectly) all
people. I don't accept all behaviors. If it was clear that God calls
us to bury figurines in the ground as a means to get to know him
better then I would be soon be signing my posts here in the DPS as
Rick "the Mole" in Va. I haven't come across that Scripture yet. Maybe
a someone can point me in the right direction. Scripture does say a
ton about idolatry. In my view of Scripture, it seems that this
practice borders on being idolatrous. This view does not in any way
mean I don't 'accept' practitioners of the ritual, I simply find no
Scriptural basis for the behavior nor any valid traditional teaching
on same. Quite the contrary, I see the buried figurine as a substitute
for Christ's advocacy to the Father on our behalf. We should be going
to Christ with all petitions, although I find it difficult to go to
Him for the pressing need of "good luck".
Also written was the aentence "However, Rick, it will take more than a
village of puritans to raise all of God's children to the strictures
of Bibical canons!" The strictures of Biblical canons is an
interesting phrase. Maybe you could explain it further to me by
e-mailing me at rrice@bcharrispub.com. I'm assuming (hopefully
wrongly) that the puritans comment was meant as sarcasm. If so, I'm
curious as to how my desire that children not be allowed to misbehave
in or during a worship service would logically lead to an assertion
concerning a village of puritans raising children or as means to block
the access of these children to God. As a father of 2 boys, I need all
the help I can get. I haven't figured out yet what the secret to
child-rearing is but I can tell you this quite honestly, I would
rather seek the counsel of a village of puritans than a village of
secular educrats attempting to experiment on my children with the
latest God-less theory on child rearing.
Rick in Va
Art: I, too, have decided to use the Wee Little Man text as the
alternate gospel text. Since it is stewardship Sunday, I intend to
focus on Zaccaeus' response to his encounter with Christ, and also to
talk about some other dramatic encounters. However, the real thrust of
my sermon will be for those of us who have known Christ for a long
time. Our encounters may not be dramatic, but they are very real. And
they call for a response from us. Can we who are long term Christians
learn from the enthusiasm of Zacchaeus as he responds to his encounter
with the Christ? I'd appreciate any thoughts from any of you about the
potential for God's word to speak through this message. I'm rather new
at this.
Pam in San Bernardino
Hello all!
I always look forward to ALL SAINTS. It seems as though it is an
opportunity to give the person in the pew a "red letter day;" it's the
feast day for all of us. It's a good time to tie into our being
sanctified, made holy, set apart, by virtue of our baptisms. Is anyone
going in the direction of "ordinary saints?"
Bill Adams Trinity Episcopal, Sutter Creek, CA.
Hi Bill in Sutter Creek!
I like the idea of ordinary saints. I am hoping to tie in some every
day souls with saintly styles (just gotta find them) with actual
saints. I suppose it is tacky, but I plan to tie in All Souls and All
Saints. I've asked our people to provide the name of their favorite
saint(s) -- living or dead. Ahhh, the very first name on the list, in
a childish scrawl, was "St. Nickeles". The only other saint I got was
St. Francis. I am wanting to tie the good lives of these with the good
lives of some more touchable people. My spiritual director used to
tell me, "All the saints, if you look closely enough, have feet of
clay." In this day of scrutiny, I guess the clay feet overwhelm us. My
own favorite is Saint Martin Luther King, Jr. And we all know of his
feet....
Just musing!
Aloha, HW in HI
PS to Rick in VA: I know what you mean. Noisy kids can annoy us. But
times have changed so much. It is such a joy to have them with us. In
our struggle to encompass the whole body of Christ, I do believe we
find him. A few years ago a 6 year old girl in my parish gave me the
theme for a whole sermon. She was explaining why she wanted to go to
the local Christian school. "In my school kids p-r-e-y and that is
okay, but they cannot p-r-a-y." This from an unruly 6 year old who ran
down the aisle. I know it is a struggle, but some kids are
sit-still-challenged. They still deserve to be in church if it can
possibly happen, methinks.
Rick, as children, we would dig holes in the back yard looking for
buried treasure. Occassionally we would find a penny, or dime! More
than not we found medals, St. Christopher, the Blessed Virgin. My
parents explained that people used to bury them for good luck. So, I
was very interested in the fact that some faithful still bury objects
of faith. Although I personally view the act more as superstition,
something passed down from the old country, I am grateful that the
faithful are believing in God. My guess is that hopes and prayers are
lifted with the act, as foreign as it is to me. God is surely big
enough to receive such prayers. What does God think of the act? I
think He looks at their hearts. This Sunday, I will be using the
"Cloud of Witnesses" scripture also. Blessings, LS
TO THE IDEA OF BAPTISM ON ALL SAINTS' DAY, ONE WAY TO GO (oops, sorry
about the caps) but one way to go is to use the day to remember those
saints who have gone on to their eternal reward in heaven and contrast
or compare that with those being baptized just beginning their
journey. STAN
To HW in HI, Ordinary saints! What a wonderful idea. As a lay person,
I enjoy All Saints' Day in our church because we always sing the hymn
that goes in part: "I sing a song of the saints of God--patient and
brave and true, who toiled and fought and lived and died for the Lord
they loved and knew.
And one was a doctor, and one was a queen, and one was a shepheress on
the green: they were all of them saints of God--and I mean, God
helping, to be one too.
They lived not only in ages past, there are hundreds of thousands
still, The world is bright with the joyous saints who love to do
Jesus' will. You can meet them in school, or in lanes, or at sea, in
church, or in trains, or in shops, or at tea, for the saints of God
are just folk like me, and I mean to be one too."
Best wishes and thanks for the wonderful insights you share with us
all.
