Good Morning Friends,
Forrest Gump said that life was like a box of chocolates… you never know what you are going to get. And I would have to say that life can also be like a baseball game, a World Series game. Like the one played between the Dodgers and the Blue Jays and had the drama of going extra innings when a person who had not had a hit the entire series made a difference.Then in the 11th inning, a solo homerun made more history giving the Dodgers the Championship two years running. But maybe you didn’t even know that they were playing and it was game seven last night and that the Dodgers were behind for most of the game. Honestly, the honor of our national pastime game and life itself is not what it used to be. It could have been “Casey At The Bat.” Still the game itself and many of our institutions are under question…even the way we live. Things change, and sometimes they change for the better but often for the worse. Hopefully in time there will be a reason for celebration for us all. So too today, On All Souls Day, rooted in the traditions of the early church, we are to join in the hope of a celebration in the newness of life remade in Christ and our ongoing sanctification. So, on this day I seek to aspire to a growing holiness and winning attitude that can face evil no matter if my team won or not. So, Are We Looking Beyond Halloween, Hurricanes And Baseball To Something Even More Important?
Scripture: I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, having the seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to damage earth and sea, saying, “Do not damage the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have marked the servants of our God with a seal on their foreheads.” And I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred forty-four thousand, sealed out of every tribe of the people of Israel: After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands. They cried out in a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!” And all the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, singing, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.” Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, robed in white, and where have they come from?” I said to him, “Sir, you are the one that knows.” Then he said to me, “These are they who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
Revelation 7:2-4, 9-14 (NRSV)
See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is. And all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.
1 John 3:1-3 (NRSV)
When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Matthew 5:1-12a (NRSV)
Message: We are on a journey toward holiness and the saints are cheering us on, but I for one am not there yet and frankly the image of all the suffering is a bit discouraging. Thankfully I believe there will be a time when God shall wipe away all tears from all the saint’s eyes. Maybe we should experience the courage of that time even now as a show of victory. Friends, every one of us, and every human being on earth, is called to be a saint. And that means that we are called to be holy, set apart for God’s service. We are not called to be merely kind or popular or admired or even famous. We are not called to just avoid sin. We are called to be holy. And in this future, we hope and believe with the conviction that suffering in this life, whether physical, emotional, or spiritual, will one day yield to unfathomable bliss and blessings. Friends, sorrow shall not always have the upper hand. Sure, we might get depressed and angry and be in denial of it all, but a day is coming on earth when God will have removed every trace of the cause of tears. Friends, we live in a culture that tells us we deserve everything that makes us happy…but somehow in this perspective we miss the truth, that the cost must be paid for everything…Here we face the reality that suffering might just be part of God’s good, wise, and perfect plan. The reality is that becoming a Christian does not make us healthy, wealthy and free of pain. In fact, we might thrive best in the tension of life. The deal is not about being happy but becoming holy. That is our purpose! Everything in our lives… our jobs…our marriage…our family and church…everything is designed to accomplish this goal. Here we discover our sufferings are not necessarily random or meaningless. There can be a hard purpose to it all. Perhaps we are made weak to eventually become strong. Perhaps that is the way of God’s plan. So, let love motivate our attitude, our mind, our will, and belief. Trust and obey in the love of Christ. Know the truth about the trials of life. Get up and take the next step with Jesus. We do not need to be anxious. We can succeed through faith in Christ during the trials of our lives and in the grace of a loving heart that witnesses the comfort and encouragement of the Spirit in us. And yes, we are to aspire to this holiness even in the face of evil.
And So, imagine all the saints across all time are praying with us and our creator, redeemer, and sustainer right now in the hope for a new heaven and a new earth. When I think about my favorite saints I am inspired by their actions and the reality that they faced real challenges and still had peace.So, this day I do not mourn the dead saints, but celebrate the life we together have in Christ. And so, this morning we consider the joys before us in communion, realizing that terror takes the joy out of the moment but might also prepare us for the fight ahead. Thankfully, despite the evil in the world, divine love transcends time…all time…even this time as we look to a future without tears.To get you in the mood check out CeCe Winans rendition of “Holy Forever.”
Pray we are equipped for sanctified living that hits a run home. Pray for the coming of a new heaven and a new earth that helps people get on base for Jesus. Pray we all become new creatures in Christ as our King strikes out evil in our lives. Pray that the Lord helps us exhibit serenity under pressure, courage during intense opposition and wisdom in times of great confusion when errors are made. Pray we realize that joy, and peace and contentment do not come from our circumstances of winning alone, but from God’s grace-filled love that prepares us through training to compete in the game of life. Pray that we trust and obey the rules. Pray that we become more holy team players. Pray God encourage us and sustain us in service to others as we join with the saints in the Spirit of more than just a game. Pray in the spirit of unity for all believers across all time that have glorified God and won the crown of a champion. Pray we are part of a love that lasts and that we receive a crown that lasts.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 
Good morning, Brother John. I am in the process of sending out my Sunday text, but I thought I would stop for a moment and offer some correction to today’s message from my brother.
First of all, today is not All Souls Day. It is always the day after Halloween. So, that holy holiday was yesterday. However, it is good of you to acknowledge those heroes and heroines of the faith. We in the Western world often fail to remember those who led us into our faith responsibilities. This is especially true of us Protestants.
Secondly, you may want to consider how what we call the beatitudes are used by Jesus in his sermon on the mount. Like all good speakers Jesus needed a ‘hook’ to get his audience ready to hear the central part of his message. Each of these statements invites them to look ahead. Each one is an ‘if-then’ statement. They were all used to this kind of thinking. If we want this in our lives, then do that. If we want to see God, be pure in heart. If you want to be invited into the kingdom of God, then practice being poor in spirit. This is what they are used to doing. From the most ardent Pharisee or Sadducee to the dirtiest shepherd listening to his words, this was just what they wanted to hear. I suspect we are the same. If we want something, we have to do something. And if we don’t want to work hard for that something, then we’ll opt for something easier to attain.
At that point, I suspect Jesus had his audience right where he wanted them. So, he hits them with the heart of his message. “You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world.” What??? What happened to our willingness to seek the future we want? Jesus knows quite well how they are responding and he promises them that he is not abrogating the Law or the Prophets. He is reminding them that God has called them. And God has a plan for the future of each one of them. For the religious elite it feels like and insult. For the dirtiest shepherd it is a present and future possibility they cannot imagine.
Which brings me to your opening question. Are we looking beyond this day? Are we looking forward to the kingdom properly? I hope not. Today is what we are given. What we do should be our focus. God has our future prepared. We don’t need that promise to generate our use of the gifts we have been given. Our goal is to use our salt and light to the best of our abilities without any reward. What we do is encounter God right here and now. We don’t need goals to guide our actions and our words. We just have to be who God created us to be.
chesed ve shalom
Malcolm
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