Loving God, you invite us today to remember and to give thanks, reminding us of your great love for each one of us.  Teach us both to trust in you and to honour you in all that we do, secure in the knowledge that those who honestly seek you will lack nothing that is good; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

    November tends to be a month for remembering.  In Canada, of course, we observe Remembrance Day, instituted following World War I so that people would remember and never let the same thing happen again.  However, with humans being the way that they are, World War II also happened, and many other wars since.  Still, we continue to remember, and the remembering leads to giving thanks: Thanks for the freedoms that we enjoy.  Thanks for those who put their lives on the line for others.  Thanks for the gift of peace, as well as for the peacemakers.

    As you might well notice this morning, remembering is also something that we do on a regular basis as Christians, and remembering leads to giving thanks.  In the Baptism service, we remembered how God created the world and brought forth life.  We remembered how Noah and his family were saved from the flood that covered the earth.  We remembered how Israel was rescued from slavery in Egypt and brought to the freedom of the promised land.  We remembered how Jesus was baptized, shared our life on this earth, died and was raised from the dead, all in order to set us free from the power of sin and death.  We remembered all of these things, and we gave thanks.  And this remembering gave us the confidence that this same God would act with power here today, pouring out the Holy Spirit and receiving a new child (and a new saint!) through baptism.

    Really, we do the same type of remembering every time we celebrate the Lord’s Supper.  No matter which prayer we use, each one helps us to remember how Jesus gave himself for us, and each one gives thanks for the gift of Jesus.  As we remember Jesus giving himself in love for our salvation, we are able to approach the altar with thanksgiving, praising God for his love and forgiveness through Jesus Christ.

    Today, of course, we also remember all the saints – those of every time and place who belong to God and who gather with us at the Table.  We will also be remembering by name those who have died since the last All Saints’ Day.  These are those who are baptized children of God – those who have been made saints through their union with Jesus Christ.  We remember them today, and hopefully this remembering will also lead to giving thanks: Thanks for the privilege of knowing them and loving them.  Thanks for the promise of salvation through Jesus Christ.  Thanks for the love of God that was poured out on them at their baptism.

    At the same time, there are those here who still mourn – who grieve the loss of loved ones and who feel their absence day by day.  There are others here who suffer, whether physically, emotionally or mentally.  Some here are consumed by anxiety and worry.  And some simply wonder, “what is this world coming to?”  For these people, and for all of us, today’s readings are filled with promises and reminders for us of who we are, whose we are, and how things are not always as they seem.

    For example, we heard a reading from Revelation today that was originally addressed to people who could have slipped so easily into despair.  They had put their faith in Jesus, and yet many of them were being imprisoned and tortured and fed to the lions and sent out there to fight for their lives for sport in the Roman arena.  And so, some of the visions in Revelation describe things that are even more horrific and then ask, “who is able to stand?” (Rev. 6:17)

    The reading that we heard today is part of the answer, and a marvellous vision for those in the midst of such suffering.  It is a vision of what awaits all those who have been claimed by God in baptism and who have put their faith in Jesus Christ.  This vision reminds all those who are oppressed and suffering that they belong to God, and that ultimately they will stand in the presence of the God who loves them.  It reminds them that Jesus himself is their shepherd, and will lead them to the “springs of the water of life” and “will wipe away every tear from their eyes” (Rev. 7:17).  Remember whose you are, and give thanks for the life that is to come.

    However, faith in Jesus Christ is not just about the future and the life to come.  Rather, it has everything to do with how we live our lives now and brings life in all its fulness.  Once again today in Psalm 34, we find a message of great comfort and confidence that addresses whatever we might be going through.  It was also written while remembering a time when David was wandering from place to place, hiding from King Saul, who wanted to kill him.

    In the midst of such a life and death situation, and in the midst of our challenges in life, the psalmist invites us to “taste and see that the Lord is good” (Ps. 34:8).  Put your trust in God, says the psalmist, and you’ll see.  You’ll discover that when you really seek to know God, you won’t lack anything that is good.  When you honour God and have reverence for God (which is what “fear the Lord” really means), you will discover that God’s holy angels will protect you and deliver you.  Seek God’s kingdom and God’s righteousness above all else, and all that you need will be provided.  This is a message that is found in the Psalms and is also taught by Jesus.

    And so, remember how God’s power has been made known in the past.  Remember how those who put their trust in God were saved and rescued.  Remember how important it is to honour and to seek the Lord.  Remember, and give thanks, and your entire outlook will change.

    In fact, better yet, remember how beloved and cherished and blessed we really are.  Remember “what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God” (1 Jn. 3:1).  Each and every one of us are created by God, redeemed by God, and made holy - or made saints - through our baptism into Christ.  The Scriptures remind us over and over again of the depth of God’s love for us, and yet, how easily we forget – especially when we are faced with troubles in this life.

    Perhaps one of our greatest challenges as Christians is to trust and to pray and to give thanks in all circumstances.  So how do we get to the point that we are able to do this?  To some extent, it happens over time, as we walk with God and talk with God and see answers to prayer happen and come to know how deep and high and wide God’s love for us really is.  At the same time, it helps for us to remember: to remember how God has acted in our own lives as well as the lives of others, and to remember how faithful and merciful God is shown to be throughout the Scriptures.  Above all, it helps us to remember Jesus, who gives us the best idea of what God is like and who loves us without limits.

    And so, today, remember whose you are, and give thanks.  Remember that you are beloved and cherished and blessed by God.  Remember that you have been claimed and made holy through your baptism into Christ.  And remember that God has done and is doing and will do great things through us.  For God has put his Spirit upon us and nothing will be impossible with God.  Amen.

All Saints Sunday (A)                            Revelation 7:9-17
November 6, 2011                                Psalm 34:1-10, 22
St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church                        1 John 3:1-3
Pastor Lynne Hutchison                            Matthew 5:1-12
© 2011 Lynne Hutchison  All Rights Reserved