For All The Saints

(Scriptures: Joshua 24:1-25, I Thessalonians 4:13-18, Matthew 25:1-13)

Today we celebrate All Saints Day – Tottenfest is what the German founders of the congregation called All Saints, when we remember our saints – our family members, members of Emanuel church, other people who have touched our lives before passing from this life to be gathered to the Church Triumphant. It’s a time of gratitude, a time of giving thanks for the ways in which God’s grace was at work in the lives of our loved ones. And by remembering our saints, those who have gone before us, we are led in turn to remember who we are, and more importantly, whose we are.

All three of today’s Scripture readings have something to tell us about the importance of remembering who we are. Our reading from Joshua gives us Joshua’s farewell speech and final charge to the Israelites whom he had led into the promised land. The children of Israel had driven out the Canaanites and settled the promised land. The Lord had granted Israel rest from the enemies. But Joshua is concerned that peace and prosperity may lead the children of Israel to forget their covenant with the Lord. And so Joshua begins his farewell speech by retelling the entire story of Israel, beginning with God’s call of Abraham, the entry of Joseph into Egypt, the Exodus of Moses from Egypt, the long years in the wilderness, and the various conquests made by Israel as they settled the land of promise. Joshua recounts all this history in order to tell the people of Israel – remember who you are. Remember where you have been, and what you have gone through to arrive where you are. Most of all, remember how all this came about: not by your might, but by God’s gracious will. God says, “I gave you a land on which you had not labored, and towns that you had not built, and you live in them; you eat the fruit of vineyards and oliveyards that you did not plant.” All this goodness is God’s gift.

Having recounted all of God’s mighty acts on their behalf, Joshua begins to tell how the people must respond, beginning, “Now therefore….” God’s mighty deeds on their behalf demand a response. “Now therefore revere the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and faithfulness; put away the gods that your ancestors served beyond the River and in Egypt.” Joshua challenged the people with the choice that was before them: “Choose this day whom you will serve.” You can serve the gods that your fathers served beyond the River, or those of Egypt, or those of the people you just got done driving out of this land, but – Joshua says – “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Those Emanuel saints whom we remember today confronted that same choice. Faced with options to devote their lives to accumulating wealth, or to pleasure, or to any number of other things, they chose to serve the Lord. They served the Lord by attending this church or other congregations, by being active in the life of their faith communities and supporting the church financially, by living their faith in their family lives, by clinging to the Lord in time of trouble and remembering the Lord in time of plenty. Just as the Israelites had their stories of how God had called them and delivered them from slavery and led them through many difficulties, we at Emanuel have our stories of those saints who taught us the faith, who served this church faithfully through good times and bad.

In our epistle reading from I Thessalonians, Paul is comforting those who have suffered the death of loved ones, and are worried that they’ll never see their loved ones again. Paul relieves their fear by telling them that those who have died in Christ will rise first, before those who are alive at the time of his coming. So we have assurance that we will see our loved ones, our saints, again. Reunited with our loved ones, we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore, Paul says, encourage one another with these words.

Finally, our Gospel reading reminds us that while we don’t know the times God has appointed, we are to live in such a way as we are ready at any time – to meet our Lord at the moment of death, or to meet our Lord at the second coming. Not a one of us here – not you, not me - has any assurance that we will wake up tomorrow morning. So we need to be ready. If there are those to whom we owe a phone call or a letter, a word of forgiveness, or an “I love you” - do it now. Do it now. Don’t delay. Don’t wait until tomorrow, for tomorrow may never come. We are prepared – for Christ’s coming, or for our own departing – when we share the good news of Jesus with those around us, when our love of God overflows into love for neighbor. In our Gospel reading, what made the bridesmaids wise wasn’t that they knew when the bridegroom was coming. After all, when the bridegroom was delayed, both the wise and foolish bridesmaids fell asleep. But the wise bridesmaids brought extra oil, so that their lamps would go the distance to the wedding banquet. In the same way, we need a durable faith, so that the light of our faith will go the distance, lighting a path for others.

Our saints here at Emanuel had that durable faith that went the distance. Through a Great Depression and two World Wars many of them married, raised families, and supported the ministries of the church. They were faithful during the years Emanuel was growing, and they continued faithful in more recent years as our numbers declined. Now they are with God, part of that great cloud of witnesses spoken of in the letter to the Hebrews. That great cloud of witnesses surrounds you, and you, and you, and me, and all of us. They have run the race of faith, and I think of them now up in the stands, up in the bleachers, cheering us on as we run the same race they ran. We feebly struggle; they in glory shine.

In a portion of the book of Joshua immediately following this morning’s reading, after the people covenanted to serve the Lord, Joshua set up a stone, and when he had set up the stone, he said to the people, “see, this stone shall be a witness.” And we have stones that have been set up as witnesses. The headstones outside our window are a witness to the faith of our fathers and mothers. On this All Saints Sunday, may their faith inspire us to keep faith with the God of our fathers and mothers. May their faith live on in all we do, as individuals, and as the gathered community of Emanuel Church. Amen.