Honouring all the Saints



 Gate Pa – All Saints/Souls 2013
Readings:
Hebrew Scripture:                 Daniel 7:1-3, 15-18    
Psalm:                                     Psalm: 149
Epistle:                                    Ephesians 1:11-23
Gospel:                                    Luke 6:20-31

What I want to say:
Explore All Saints/All Souls as a day to celebrate the lives of those who have gone before us, and to do that facing our own mortality, so that we can live each day as a gift both from God and those we celebrate.
Explore blessings and woes from Luke as what it really means to live each day as gift from God 
What I want to happen:
people to reflect on their priorities in life 

The Sermon

       1.      Introduction:

2 weeks ago trying find where Luke talks about who God’s chosen people
found this passage
            equivalent Matthews sermon on mount
            Matthew – has more engage-able – poor in spirit
Luke is all about poor, the hungry, those who weep and those persecuted for Son of Man

      2.      Luke

one problems with stories like these is we hear them as hypotheticals
As we hear these words need remember in Luke Jesus is not speaking in abstract ways
he is speaking to people who are poor, hungry, filled with despair
and in Luke’s community – to people being persecuted (layer thing going on)
not feel blessed
far from it
feel God abandoned them
to them Jesus states
è despite all evidence
è despite what others will tell you
è you are blessed
è you are important to God
è you are among God’s chosen people
Jesus not saying
            all fixed and made better (although promise eventually be so)
            nor saying that being poor, hungry, sad or persecuted is a blessing/ good thing
è Statement of worth in God’s eyes of those people
If Luke had stopped here it would have been all good
doesn’t
carried on talk about those normally thought to be the blessed
            what makes reading hard for many us
woe to you who are rich, full, happy and well thought of
again
not abstract concepts
these people there listening
thing makes that hard
            at some level I would guess these are all things we aspire to
            wealth
            happiness
            being well fed
            and being well thought of
common sense says these are all signs of God’s blessing
Jesus puts a whole lot of woes in there instead.
again – not that those things are necessarily bad
but when they become the aim of our lives – then bad
those things all draw us away from God and away from God’s people
put it in terms what talked about last week
            gift seeing world through God’s eyes offered to all
loose ability see world through eyes of God

      3.      Last Verses

so what does look like if we live seeing world as God does?
last few verses of that reading are about
all pretty radical stuff
In his time this is how treat family
honourable way behave
generosity
but Jesus does what he seems to do all time in Luke when talks about these obligations to our family
            our neighbours
            people like us
takes down walls make all that safe and manageable
Says     that is how you are to treat all people
treat all like family
cos they are
spend a moment reflecting on how we live this out?

      4.      Honouring

today celebrate both all saints and all souls day
what are these 2 days about?
NT –saints– everyone
            with persecutions and martyrdom, became martyrs
            then wider all those great people of faith
                        look up to
                        inspired by
            @C8th day to remember them all -> continue being influenced by
English church all saints was All Hallows
Halloween is All Hallows (or All Saints) eve – day before all saints.
grew desire some circles remember not just great saints
            all who have died in faith
C12/13 All Souls –
remember all people of faith
acknowledge and celebrate role they had in our lives
today we remember all saints of God,
great saints,
little saint,
nameless ones who have lived their faith
today also we remember saints of God we have known and loved
who helped shape who we are today
whose passing we remember and mark
today is a day to give thanks and remember
                        honouring those gone before us
            recognise the influence they have had on our lives
            acknowledge their part that played in shaping who we are
Invite us take some time in silence to remember
            give thanks
Greatest way honour them is how we live our lives
how we pass on that legacy to others
take time
when ready
invite you to light candle

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