The Saints are Calling Out
Ephesians 1:11-23
“Saint” is a word that has a lot of ambiguity. We often think of Saints as these venerated characters in Christian history like St. Francis or St. Anthony—names we often seen as the name of local hospitals. The Apostle Paul is considered to be a Saint, as well as Peter.
In our Methodist tradition, we often think of Saints as a choir of dearly departed loved ones. In the book of Ephesians where Paul encourages the church that “I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints,” he was probably referring to the community of early Christians in Jerusalem.
When we think of Saints, maybe we think of people who live particularly virtuous lives. Five hundred years ago, Martin Luther preached that “we are all saints, and cursed be the one who does not boast and call himself a saint. If you believe the word of Christ, then you are just as much a saint as St. Peter and every other saint!”
I take comfort in the idea of a communion of saints, a cloud of witnesses, or a choir of dearly departed souls. I think those who have passed on from this life still remain with us and still pray for us. This time of year is a time of honoring those who have left us. For me, it is a reminder of those whom I have lost. And this is certainly a process of grief, but it is also a beautiful time of remembrance.
And I also think it is a time to recognize that the “saints” of our communities have left us an abundant legacy of blessing, and they have also passed their baton to us as well. When we honor the saints, we must also take up their work in building God’s kin-dom and continue it. We inherit the riches AND responsibilities of the saints who have gone before us.
And saints that have gone before us have, in the name of their faith, strove to fight hunger and poverty. They have yearned for peace and justice. They have walked in protest, fed their neighbors, and cared for those in need. And that responsibility now falls on us in a time when our government is defined by its chaos and abandonment of those who have the greatest need.
The “hope to which Jesus has called” us is rooted in the call to take up the work the saints have left us. And the fruit of that hope should be a better world. It should be a world where there is more justice and more peace. It should be a world where abundance is normal and not a luxury. It should be a world where our neighbor has enough, and everyone has access to the joy that comes with simply knowing we are all beloved. May it be so.
