SERMON, ALL SAINTS SUNDAY B, LUKE 6:20-36

Today is All Saints' Sunday. Here's a bit of liturgical trivia for you: All Saints is the only Principal Feast with a fixed day that may be moved for observance to the Sunday following the actual feast day. On this day we commemorate all those faithful people and we pray "to follow [God's] blessed saints in all virtuous and godly living."

And just who are the saints? They are people like Matthew and Mark, James and John, Peter and Paul, Augustine, Francis, Mary, Margaret, Cecelia and Claire. And they are people like Johnathan Daniels, William Dubuse, Enmegahbowh, David Pendleton Oakerhater, Emma of Hawaii, Sojourner Truth and Harriet Ross Tubman. And they are people living today who have yet to be identified.

There are hundreds of examples of saints. People who did good, blessed those who cursed them, prayed for their abusers, loved their enemies and lent to others expecting nothing in return. They were and are people who realize that God is kind to the godly as well as to the ungrateful and wicked.

Sometimes that can be hard to grasp -- the idea that God is kind and merciful to all people. The parables of the laborers in the field and the prodigal son are two perfect examples of God's mercy. But still we have a tendency to look around and say, "What about them? How can we be kind and gracious and merciful to them?

We live in a fallen and sinful world and it's easy to wonder why God just doesn't obliterate the evildoers. But that's not how God operates. And that's not how we operate. We are called to rise above the pettiness, the arguing and such and shine the light of Christ onto a world darkened by sin. We are to be a beacon of hope. We are to be merciful, just as God is merciful.

We will be reminded of just how we might accomplish that when we renew our baptismal vows in a few minutes. I will ask if you will proclaim the Good News, if you will seek and serve all persons, and if you will strive for justice and peace. These aren't just words on a page, but they are reminders of how we are to live as Christians on a daily basis.

In your bulletins is an insert from our new presiding bishop entitled, "For Global Good." In it, she talks about the Millennium Development Goals and how the Episcopal Church can have a worldwide impact. And while I think that is important (we are, after all, trying to get Mrs. Ref and The Kid to Belize), we also need to have an impact in our own community. "Think Globally, Act Locally" comes to mind.

The Church is called to be the light of the world. We are called to be the light in our community. We are that local light. There are people right here who need loving. There are ungrateful and wicked people right here. We are called to extend mercy to our neighbors right here.

If we are to be that light, if we are to be saints in this valley, then we need to show a pulse. We need to translate our faith into action. We need to do more than show up on Sunday mornings. It's realizing that church growth happens only when we offer our time, talent and treasure.

Our time on Sundays, yes, but also at other events and services as well. Lessons and carols, Christmas Eve, Ash Wednesday, Easter, maybe a study group or prayer breakfast might be on the agenda.

Our talent by serving on vestry, yard work, offering rides, cleaning and whatever else you like to do that helps with the life of the church.

Our treasure by pledging from our gift of abundance. Bills need to be paid, sure, but we also use money for outreach, cooking meals, and buying supplies for engaging group studies.

You will also find in your bulletins a pledge card. This is more than a pledge card, though. This is a way for you to make a statement about how important this place is, both to you and to the larger community. It's a way for you to help equip the saints for ministry.

I encourage you to take the pledge card home and to think and pray about some questions. What does this place mean to you? What does it mean to the larger community? What would be missed if it weren't here? What can this place become?

Then, after you've mulled that over and prayed about that, I would ask that you offer a pledge that reflects those values. Is it only worth $5 a Sunday because that's what you've always offered? Or is there some other value that reflects more closely what you think we can accomplish through your time, talent and treasure?

If we are to survive and thrive, it must start here, with you. We need to be serious and intentional about our mission here. There's no doubt about it, it's going to take hard work, sacrifice, generosity and intentionality. But it's no harder than what people like Matthew or Mark or Claire or Cecelia or Enmegahbowh or Harriet Ross Tubman faced. Being a saint is a difficult and sometimes painful proposition. But that's who we are; we are the saints of today.

So today don't simply remember the dead saints of ages past. Know that saints live today and you are them. You are the ones to follow the blessed saints in all virtuous and godly living. And remember that it will only be through your efforts that the kingdom of God will be manifested on earth.