All Saints Sunday is celebrated this weekend as we remember all the saints who have come before us, are present with us now, and those yet to come. I often think that saints are those who use their incredible imagination to reveal God’s gracious presence in our lives. They are the ones who use their courage to challenge us to take needed risks for the sake of doing God’s mission in the world around us. Saints can sometimes make us uncomfortable as their lives and actions dare us to do the same holy work that they do and that God calls each of us to do. Saints are incarnational, embodying Christ for others no matter the circumstances. This Sunday we are all invited to think about our favorite saints and how they inspire us to live a Christ-centered life – making God’s hope and love known to all.
One of my favorite blogs to read is by The Rev. Chris Yaw, an Episcopal priest who is serving a parish in Southfield, MI (www.chrisyaw.com). He is the author of Jesus Was an Episcopalian (And You Can Be One Too!). Here are some of his thoughts on the Gospel reading for this All Saints Sunday (Luke 6:20-31):
Here’s my take on the Beatitudes:
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Blessed are you:
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When you’re poor because you gave your money away.
When you’re hungry because you gave your sandwich away.
When you’re sad because you’re helping your depressed friend.
When you’re not part of the ‘cool crowd’ because following Jesus pretty much guarantees you won’t be a part of the cool crowd.
Unblessed are you:
When you’re living the high life really selfishly.
When you overate because you didn’t share.
When your life is primarily about entertaining yourself.
When you are king of the cool club because having other people like you is really what life is all about.
So the beatitudes aren’t like solving a sudoku– rather they’re pretty obvious statements about what it means to lead a Christian life – and pretty much a happy and fulfilling life in general.
I think we hear them on All Saints’ Day (we’re celebrating it Sunday) because the saints are the ones who’ve figured this out – and really want us to get this.
So read ‘em again and be blessed.
Mary Grace+
