Sunday after All Saints’ Day (Revelation 21:1-6)  11/04/2012

Listen to an audio recording <select here>

I was glad to see the Halloween trick-or-treaters out this past Wednesday evening. The fun and innocence of young folks in costume is fun to watch and fun to share with others. Images of Halloween festivities remind us of a time when we shared in their innocence and lived in a time when the harsh realities of this world did not crowd our minds. The festivities of this Halloween were a happy change from last year’s terrible storm, but the disruptions of the recent storm felt here at St. John’s were a reminder that millions of people south of us were not as fortunate. The clashing images of happy young children in costume and the raw images of storm destruction were not lost on us, people who have lived through both experiences. But pictures of happy little trick-or-treaters take us back to a time, for some of us a distant time, but a time prior to having given way to the realization that the world is comprised of many complexities. As a young boy during the 1960s there were many worldly realities that I did not understand during that time. Among my first realizations of this turbulent period of American history was the return of my Uncle from a far away place called Vietnam. After his service as a US Marine he may have physically left the country of Vietnam, but the experience itself was not something that was easily left behind. His stories brought me to a growing awareness of this world and a new awareness of his journey through life, a journey that proved the difficulties of war cast a long shadow. And the images and experiences of this past hurricane have reminded us of the power of nature and have highlighted the truth that there are cosmic realities far greater than what we can control or even imagine. Life can point us in a direction that we had not anticipated; and on this holy day of All Saints we remember that in the midst of complexity and change we are anchored by those whom we love, and on this day we remember especially those whom we have loved and have gone to a place where we know not, a place we can only imagine.

This morning we celebrate All Saints and we hear Scripture that gives us hope; Scripture that does not shy away from proclaiming that although there are challenges in our earthly journey we are always children of God and children of Christ’s redemptive love. Our Epistle reading is from the closing chapters of the Book of Revelation, the final picture of the seven images of God’s redemption and the full restoration of God’s heavenly kingdom. The Book of Revelation presents us with imagery that can be challenging and quite mysterious, but our lesson this morning provides us with a beautiful image of “a new heaven and a new earth,” a renewed and redeemed creation that has been restored to fully realize the perfection of God’s will and God’s goodness. The image presents us with a new creation that is cast in a perfection that only God can provide. But today, today we live as children of God striving to serve God and serve others in an imperfect time; in a world where sadness and pain have an all too real place among us, as these past few days have made so apparent. We live in a time where we strive to help others as we hope to reflect God’s love throughout the world. We live in a time where we are strengthened by recalling the saints who have walked this road with us; some of those saints are mentioned in our bulletin this morning. Surrounded in the remembrance of the saints of God we are strengthened to know that even in our times of difficulty there is great joy; joy in knowing that we are not far removed from the glory of God’s hand.

The celebration of All Saints is a holy time of reflection; a time of thanksgiving for the lives we have been blessed to share during our earthly pilgrimage. Reflection is a practice of looking back upon our experiences and our lives together, which is an important practice to take up. But as we give thanks and remember the saints we have known, our Epistle reading from Revelation points us forward; forward to a time of redemption and perfection. We are pointed to a time where our cups will be filled with only joy and gladness; a time where there will be no sadness or pain, where even death is no more. As we look forward we are filled with hope because hope, by its very nature, is a courageous belief in the goodness of the future. As Christians, our hope rests in the arms of a loving God. Martin Smith, an Episcopal Priest and retreat leader (who has visited St. John’s recently) speaks of this hope as he describes the heavenly wholeness of God: “The New Testament envisions a new heaven and a new earth to be our ultimate environment. These are metaphors for God himself, whose ‘body of experience’ includes all that has ever been. If we return to God after death, everyone agrees we can’t take anything with us. But we don’t need to. It is already there in God, whose memory teems with the infinite abundance of all that has ever been made in this universe, and any other there may be.”[i] Smith’s vision of heaven is a wonderful image of God’s work of perfection and humanity’s blessed peace and wholeness, a perfect peacefulness that only God can provide.

In my reflections on this holy day, I remember that my Uncle experienced many joys and many challenges throughout his life, as I imagine we all experience throughout our lives. Last Sunday afternoon, he faced his final challenge and entered in to the everlasting joy of God’s saints in the light. I will remember many things about my Uncle; especially his sharp wit and humor that were ever present, regardless of the time or circumstance. I inherited my Uncle’s rather large dog a few months ago and as I arrived at his apartment I was welcomed by a large sign, the sign read: “Welcome to my home: Marines welcome anytime, family by appointment only.” Fortunately I had an appointment and the dog is now a family member of my own. All Saints’ reminds us that we walk our journey through life together, and until all things are made perfect through the redeeming love of God’s grace, we are here to make things a bit more perfect for each other through our love and service. Through joy and challenge, through sadness and funny little trick-or-treaters, may you remember the saints of God and strive to be one too.

AMEN.