Luke 6:20-31 – Jesus’ “Beatitudes” in the Sermon on the Plain
This time of year is rich with meaning, and I’m not even referring to the impact of last Tuesday’s elections. I want to talk about some larger things that give our life meaning no matter what we encounter.
Harvest season is rapidly giving way to early signs of winter, and Thanksgiving is just 18 days away. Nestled in these days is a rich and ancient holy-day that’s unfamiliar to many of us. All Saints Day is November first by our calendar, and this first Sunday following is All Saints Sunday.
If you grew up Catholic you probably know your patron Saint and may remember a few of the more important Saints for particular causes. In Roman Catholic theology these patron saints serve as intercessors, standing with you and interceding on your behalf with God:
• Everyone knows St. Christopher who aids travelers; but did you know he also covers surfers and toothaches?
• accountants have St. Matthew; doctors have St. Luke; dancers have St. Vitus; florists have St. Dorothy;
• St. Jude is patron of lost causes and desperate situations (but I promised not to talk about election day…) and also patron of the Chicago Police Department (go figure);
• Grocers get the three archangels: Michael, Gabriel and Raphael;
• And the saint for those who have poor memory… well I don’t recall.
By the 8th century the Pope had established November 1st to honor all the saints, known and unknown, and to make amends if any of the saint’s feasts had not been sufficiently observed.
The night before All Saints Day was called All Hallows’ Eve, or in the old English, Hallow-e’en. In generations past both children and adults would parade in costumes that represented the saints. Once a minor holiday, today’s Halloween has emerged as one of the top six for retailers with shoppers in the US spending about $5 billion on costumes and candy.
It’s interesting to note that the Celtic pagans had long observed this same day, October 31st, as Samhain (sow’-en). It’s half way between the autumnal equinox and the winter solstice, the final harvest celebration, and therefore the last day of the old year. As the earth seems to be dying, Samhain emphasizes mortal death and so is believed to be the time when the veil between this world and the next is thinnest.
It’s easy to see why the popular emphasis on things that “pierce the veil” persists in Halloween though today’s observances seem to have taken on a decidedly sinister and gruesome tone.
Since the Reformation in the 16th century Protestants shifted away from the Roman Catholic idea of saints as somehow super-holy disciples who can intercede between us and God. So November 2nd is more our day. It’s All Souls Day, more attuned to remembering all the commonplace, everyday saints who’ve touched our lives.
And one of the elements familiar to many of us is the children’s hymn “I Sing A Song Of The Saints Of God,” written by Lesbia Scott and first published in Britain in 1929. It’s still little-known in Britain but has become very popular in the United States – particularly in the Episcopal Church, where it has been incorporated into the Hymnal since the 1940s.
Lesbia Scott (1898-1986) composed a number of children’s hymns which she sang to her own children as a young mother in her twenties. She wrote both the words and the tunes and in 1929 published them in a collection, Everyday Hymns For Little Children, which she also illustrated.
Each hymn was devised for a different occasion, and one of them, Saints’ Days, found its way to the United States and was set to a new tune (‘Grand Isle’) composed especially for it by retired Episcopal priest John Henry Hopkins, Jr.
As our hymn says, the saints of God are just folk like me… and like you, a distinctively Protestant idea. Still, we know how the love of God shines particularly through some people. I can list a handful of people I’ve known over the years who were true examples of the life of discipleship. You likely can, too.
So let’s take a few moments right now in silence so each of us can remember and offer a prayer of thanksgiving. Draw a deep breath and bring to mind the saints who have blessed you…
[Silence]
If each of us were to tell aloud about an everyday saint we’ve known do you suppose they’d have anything in common? Several things come to mind.
For one, I’d guess these saints would be the last ones to recognize that they are saints! The true saints among us are people of humility who don’t draw attention to themselves but simply go about life, doing the right thing and easing other’s burden. Don’t just think of famous people like Mother Teresa, but the caring souls who nurture us and comfort us and help others put their lives back together.
Secondly, I think true saints teach the faith by living it much more than by talking about it: the quiet deed of kindness, or just being there. By being present to us in our times of questioning or anxious worry everyday saints give us perspective and hope. In offering us hospitality they show us God’s love in a tangible way.
Third, I think saints are those wise souls who keep the faith regardless of what life hands them. True saints are persistent and hope-filled.
Our Gospel lesson from Luke’s version of the Beatitudes, points us to that truth. Sometimes the poor, the hungry, the sorrowful and the persecuted can point us to a greater truth. When we encounter a truly godly person we may never see the struggles that shaped them.
Everyday saints have been learned life’s most important lessons not from times of comfort and ease, but from times of challenge and disappointment.
On this All Saints Sunday we thank God together for the everyday saints, and for each one who connects us to the larger life in the Spirit… including you, right here.
In a few minutes as we share the bread and cup, we also recall that God’s sustaining Spirit is present in every time and place: even in days that trouble us, even in seasons that make us anxious, even in times that leave us afraid.
Together, we open our hearts to the love of God, offering thanks for the commonplace, everyday saints who have blessed us along the way.