Sharing the Saints in Our Lives

1 John 3:1-3    Matthew 5:1-12

All Saints Celebration   November 2, 2008

It is so interesting to me that looking back at photographs we can see the child in an adult face.  Who we will become is there, in seed form, when we first emerge into the world as an infant.  But there are so many possibilities, so many ways for us to go, that no one could tell exactly what direction we might take ourselves.  As we grow and change, moving through childhood and into adulthood, the choices we make determine who we will become.  Watching a child grow, it is amazing and wonderful to see the full person unfold.

First John 3 speaks of the promise we each hold as God's children.  Given God's love, we are each one a child of God because of that love.  We are defined by love, which to me is pretty powerful.  Of all of the things to define oneself by, love has to be one of the better ones, don't you think?  Reading this scripture, I got to thinking about how God's love changes us, how it shapes us into the people we are called to be in the world.  Much as a parent's love provides the atmosphere in which a child can grow well and strong in themselves, God's love offers us a strong foundation upon which we might build ourselves.  The Matthew reading, the Beatitudes, offer ways in which God's love shapes different folks, how God's love creates people who live in the world differently than most.  

Here as we celebrate All Saints Day, it can be interesting to look over the Beatitudes and assign each one to a different person who has been a part of your life.  Who has expressed the kind of poverty that is willing to let someone else hold the wealth here and now?  Who has mourned?  Who do I know who is meek and shy, yet holds within themselves hidden gifts?  Who has a real hunger for justice and does things to bring it about?  Who offers kindness and compassion even when they could easily turn away?  Whose heart is so pure and beautiful that they are transparent in God's love?  Who holds the place of peace even in the midst of terrible mistrust and anger?  Who is willing to take a stand for Love in an age when fear is far more popular?  

These qualities define people who have moved through my life over the years, people whom I felt blessed to have known.  This morning, I invite each one who would like, to tell the story of someone they know who brought one of these qualities to life.  Who taught you how to embody God's love, perhaps according to one of the Beatitudes, or maybe by giving of themselves in another way.  Let's share some stories of God's love as we have seen it come alive in people we have encountered.

(Sharing Stories)

Prayer: Loving God, we thank you for all of the special saints who have touched our lives.  We thank you for what we have learned from them.  We thank you for the way they made a difference in the world in large ways and in small.  We pray that we might live in such a way that we, too inspire others to walk closer to you.  Amen.