Sermon Illustrations for All Saints Day (2012)
Illustration
Object:
Wisdom of Solomon 3:1-9
The Wisdom of Solomon from the Apocrypha, those writings that illuminate the period between the Old and New Testaments, has the following words: "But the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and no torment will ever touch them" (3:1).
N.T. Wright, in his book Surprised by Hope, helps us to understand Jewish thought during this particular period and writes: "What then about the ancient Jewish world? Some Jews agreed with those pagans who denied any kind of future life, especially a re-embodied one. The Sadducees are famous for taking this position. Others agreed with those pagans who thought in terms of a glorious though disembodied future for the soul. Here the obvious example is the philosopher Philo. But most Jews of the day believed in an eventual resurrection -- that God would look after the soul after death until, at the last day, God would give his people new bodies when he judged and remade the whole world. That is what Martha assumed Jesus was talking about in their conversation beside the tomb of Lazarus: 'I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.' "
Richard H.
Wisdom of Solomon 3:1-9
The lesson refers to grace and mercy being on God's holy ones (v. 9). Only by grace and mercy can the saints be saints. Martin Luther put it this way once: "But we say that the real saints of Christ must be good, stout sinners who are not ashamed to pray the Lord's Prayer... They are not called saints because they are without sins or have become saintly through works... But they become holy though a foreign holiness, namely through that of the Lord Christ..." (What Luther Says, p. 1247).
Late nineteenth-century American journalist Ambrose Bierce says the same thing with a little more pizzazz: Saint: A dead sinner revised and edited.
Mark E.
Revelation 21:1-6a
When multi-billionaire Warren Buffett was eleven years old, in the spring of 1942, he made his first investment. He put down his entire fortune, $120, for three shares of Cities Service Preferred. By June the stock dropped drastically, and Buffett had little equity to his name. But as the shares slowly improved, he sold them at a small profit, which he again invested. And that beginning made for what is today Warren Buffett, 81, one of the wealthiest men in the world.
Application: John the seer saw a "new heaven and a new earth." He saw a "new Jerusalem." He had a vision of a new future. John was not overcome by the present losses in society, for he had a vision and a hope for a new beginning.
Ron L.
Revelation 21:1-6a
One thing that caught me is that we are one bride! Jesus was not a Mormon bishop with a whole bevy of wives. We are not even sister wives like that recent television program described. He does not have Lutheran wives and Baptist wives and Roman Catholic wives -- the list could go on and on!
We are one in the Lord. He has made us one! We are the New Jerusalem. The old order has passed away. Individually we may be "sons" of God (daughters too!). But we have to overcome Satan's temptations. We must not deny the one who loves us and has given us sonship if we accept it.
We can't earn it. It belongs to all who acknowledge the Lord and allow him to make us new. Don't be the unbelieving who sin without shame. Only believers will be saved. Make sure you are one!
Bob O.
Revelation 21:1-6a
Jose Guadalupe Posada, renowned Mexican cartoonist and illustrator, used calaveras (animated skeletons) in many of his works to comment on the irony of the human experience: death in the midst of life and life in the midst of death. In one striking piece he presents a collage of skeletons, dressed in bright, colorful outfits, drinking, dancing, bathing, playing guitar, and smiling through it all. It's as if something so dramatic had just happened that even the dead were given new life with cause to celebrate.
Mark M.
Revelation 21:1-6a
At 103, Ruby looked forward to church potlucks. With her dyed black hair, heavy makeup, and bright red lipstick, she stuck out. Bright nail polish topped it off. Ruby felt transformed, like a new bride. She waved Steve over. At age 89, this widower cut a fine figure.
"How you doing, Ruby?"
"Fine, now that you're here," she flirted.
He winked, "Better watch out, young lady. Someone's liable to sweep up a saint like you."
"Have to find a partner to kick up my heels with," she grred.
"I bet you dance a mean step or two," he quipped. "Your joy is very attractive. How about hitting the community center this Friday night?"
"It's a date." Ruby flashed him a bright smile. "I can't wait too long, Steve. I hope the Lord will give us a lot more close encounters," she chuckled.
Cynthia C.
John 11:32-44
There was much lamenting that had Jesus come sooner Lazarus might not have died (v. 32). But Jesus did eventually perform the miracle and raise him! There is a widely held aphorism among African-American Christians: God may not come when you want him, but he's always on time! It was that way with Lazarus' resurrection. Is it that way with living the Christian life? The growth in grace, the sense that we are living Godly lives, seems to elude us forever. Saints are patient to take the walk with God and not expect immediate results. It is as Robert Louis Stevenson put it: "The saints are sinners who keep on going." All the hopes and dreams of a closer walk with God will come -- on God's time. The journey is the destination.
Mark E.
John 11:32-44
Doris Donnelly, in her book Spiritual Fitness, challenges the stigma of weeping and shows how essential weeping is in so many different aspects of life. She cites the example of Oscar Romero, the archbishop of El Salvador, who identified with the poor of his land against powerful oppressors. She writes: "He wept with and for his people and he indicted their oppressors. The gentle archbishop called things as he saw them; he called parts of the government corrupt, he urged conversion, he invited repentance. When he read the riot act, everyone knew who the rioters were. He spoke the truth until he was silenced in a hospital chapel, gunned down as he was celebrating the Eucharist on April 2, 1980."
The gospel of John records that "Jesus began to weep" as he approached the tomb of his beloved friend Lazarus. This was not a sign of weakness but a sign of love and hope. Even though there is grief, yet hope remains.
Richard H.
The Wisdom of Solomon from the Apocrypha, those writings that illuminate the period between the Old and New Testaments, has the following words: "But the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and no torment will ever touch them" (3:1).
N.T. Wright, in his book Surprised by Hope, helps us to understand Jewish thought during this particular period and writes: "What then about the ancient Jewish world? Some Jews agreed with those pagans who denied any kind of future life, especially a re-embodied one. The Sadducees are famous for taking this position. Others agreed with those pagans who thought in terms of a glorious though disembodied future for the soul. Here the obvious example is the philosopher Philo. But most Jews of the day believed in an eventual resurrection -- that God would look after the soul after death until, at the last day, God would give his people new bodies when he judged and remade the whole world. That is what Martha assumed Jesus was talking about in their conversation beside the tomb of Lazarus: 'I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.' "
Richard H.
Wisdom of Solomon 3:1-9
The lesson refers to grace and mercy being on God's holy ones (v. 9). Only by grace and mercy can the saints be saints. Martin Luther put it this way once: "But we say that the real saints of Christ must be good, stout sinners who are not ashamed to pray the Lord's Prayer... They are not called saints because they are without sins or have become saintly through works... But they become holy though a foreign holiness, namely through that of the Lord Christ..." (What Luther Says, p. 1247).
Late nineteenth-century American journalist Ambrose Bierce says the same thing with a little more pizzazz: Saint: A dead sinner revised and edited.
Mark E.
Revelation 21:1-6a
When multi-billionaire Warren Buffett was eleven years old, in the spring of 1942, he made his first investment. He put down his entire fortune, $120, for three shares of Cities Service Preferred. By June the stock dropped drastically, and Buffett had little equity to his name. But as the shares slowly improved, he sold them at a small profit, which he again invested. And that beginning made for what is today Warren Buffett, 81, one of the wealthiest men in the world.
Application: John the seer saw a "new heaven and a new earth." He saw a "new Jerusalem." He had a vision of a new future. John was not overcome by the present losses in society, for he had a vision and a hope for a new beginning.
Ron L.
Revelation 21:1-6a
One thing that caught me is that we are one bride! Jesus was not a Mormon bishop with a whole bevy of wives. We are not even sister wives like that recent television program described. He does not have Lutheran wives and Baptist wives and Roman Catholic wives -- the list could go on and on!
We are one in the Lord. He has made us one! We are the New Jerusalem. The old order has passed away. Individually we may be "sons" of God (daughters too!). But we have to overcome Satan's temptations. We must not deny the one who loves us and has given us sonship if we accept it.
We can't earn it. It belongs to all who acknowledge the Lord and allow him to make us new. Don't be the unbelieving who sin without shame. Only believers will be saved. Make sure you are one!
Bob O.
Revelation 21:1-6a
Jose Guadalupe Posada, renowned Mexican cartoonist and illustrator, used calaveras (animated skeletons) in many of his works to comment on the irony of the human experience: death in the midst of life and life in the midst of death. In one striking piece he presents a collage of skeletons, dressed in bright, colorful outfits, drinking, dancing, bathing, playing guitar, and smiling through it all. It's as if something so dramatic had just happened that even the dead were given new life with cause to celebrate.
Mark M.
Revelation 21:1-6a
At 103, Ruby looked forward to church potlucks. With her dyed black hair, heavy makeup, and bright red lipstick, she stuck out. Bright nail polish topped it off. Ruby felt transformed, like a new bride. She waved Steve over. At age 89, this widower cut a fine figure.
"How you doing, Ruby?"
"Fine, now that you're here," she flirted.
He winked, "Better watch out, young lady. Someone's liable to sweep up a saint like you."
"Have to find a partner to kick up my heels with," she grred.
"I bet you dance a mean step or two," he quipped. "Your joy is very attractive. How about hitting the community center this Friday night?"
"It's a date." Ruby flashed him a bright smile. "I can't wait too long, Steve. I hope the Lord will give us a lot more close encounters," she chuckled.
Cynthia C.
John 11:32-44
There was much lamenting that had Jesus come sooner Lazarus might not have died (v. 32). But Jesus did eventually perform the miracle and raise him! There is a widely held aphorism among African-American Christians: God may not come when you want him, but he's always on time! It was that way with Lazarus' resurrection. Is it that way with living the Christian life? The growth in grace, the sense that we are living Godly lives, seems to elude us forever. Saints are patient to take the walk with God and not expect immediate results. It is as Robert Louis Stevenson put it: "The saints are sinners who keep on going." All the hopes and dreams of a closer walk with God will come -- on God's time. The journey is the destination.
Mark E.
John 11:32-44
Doris Donnelly, in her book Spiritual Fitness, challenges the stigma of weeping and shows how essential weeping is in so many different aspects of life. She cites the example of Oscar Romero, the archbishop of El Salvador, who identified with the poor of his land against powerful oppressors. She writes: "He wept with and for his people and he indicted their oppressors. The gentle archbishop called things as he saw them; he called parts of the government corrupt, he urged conversion, he invited repentance. When he read the riot act, everyone knew who the rioters were. He spoke the truth until he was silenced in a hospital chapel, gunned down as he was celebrating the Eucharist on April 2, 1980."
The gospel of John records that "Jesus began to weep" as he approached the tomb of his beloved friend Lazarus. This was not a sign of weakness but a sign of love and hope. Even though there is grief, yet hope remains.
Richard H.
