Saints

I am going to be preaching on All Saint’s Day this Sunday even though it is not November 1st.  I had thought about going the Reformation Sunday and preaching on Martin Luther but with the number of funerals that I have done since I have arrived I feel called to honor those who have been called home.

As I was preparing my sermon, I came across this definition of a saint from Crazy Talk.  I wanted to share it with my readers.

“Saint: Every Christian, including you, and many other persons whom you wouldn’t want to hang out with.

So you think you already know what a saint is? Let’s guess: someone who is (a) so admirable that if you died you’d want them to take care of your puppy (b) but with whom you wouldn’t want to go to an R-rated movie.  And you certainly wouldn’t want to be one!  As a T-shirt we saw on a little kid said, ‘I tried to be good, but I got bored.’

In this view, saints are people like Mother Teresa who are so selfless that we feel downright wicked by comparison.

But in the New Testament, the word saint never refers to a special class of super-duper Christians, rather it always refers to all Christians.  For instance, the Letter to Ephesians (which is what I will be using in my sermon) is addressed ‘to the saints of Ephesus.’  Saints are not saintly because of what they do but because of what Christ has done for them.  Christian saints are identified not by their wisdom, good works, holiness, and wholeness but by the fact that they belong to Jesus.

And that means, of course, that you are qualified to be a saint, too.  As is your worst nightmare of a neighbor.  Grouchy Marx may have said, ‘I don’t want to be a member of any club that will accept me as a member,’ but Jesus said, in effect, ‘Only sinners need apply—and I will make you saints.” (p. 153)

As the article stated and certainly what is true that we are all saints not by our works, but in our faith in Christ.  The reflection I want to leave you is given your status as a saint, how are you living that out in your life?