Sermon; All Saints' Sunday; 2023

Today is All Saints’ Sunday.  I think I mentioned this in one of the articles I wrote, but All Saints’ Sunday has become a combination of two days.  First, it commemorates All Saints’ Day (Nov. 1), that day on the Church calendar when we remember the Saints and martyrs of the Church.  This is the day when we remember people like Stephen (Dec. 26), the Evangelists John (Dec. 27) and Luke (Oct. 18), Francis (Oct. 4) and many, many others.  When we don’t always have a chance to celebrate the Saints of the Church, it’s good to have a day to remember them.

Second, All Saints’ Sunday also incorporates All Faithful Departed (Nov. 2).  This is the day we remember all those who have died in the faith.  These are all those known only by some, but who are all known by God.  Some of those people we remembered at the reading of the necrology earlier.  Some of those named are of an unknown faith, or no faith, who were killed by violent acts and for whom God still weeps.

 All Saints’ is also the only Feast Day that may be celebrated on a Sunday, in addition to its specific day of November 1.  So this is the day we remember the Saints and martyrs of the Church, as well as all the faithful who have gone before.

It makes sense, then, that our first reading comes from Revelation.  Unlike popular opinion, or certain interpretations that see Revelation as some sort of magical prediction of doom and destruction, or seeing it as God’s revenge upon non- or wrong believers, Revelation is actually a book of hope.  It is a book that tells us of an uncountable multitude from every nation, tribe, peoples, and languages who will stand before the Lamb robed in white.  It is a book of comfort that reminds us God will wipe away every tear from our eyes.

Because of all this – remembering the Saints and martyrs of the Church, remembering All Faithful Departed who have gone before, and placing our hope in the Resurrection to live eternally in that place where there is no more sorrow or pain, but life everlasting – we use this opportunity to renew our own baptismal vows.  We use this opportunity to remember that we were buried with Christ through baptism into his death so that we may live a new life with Christ in his resurrection.

I’m going to assume that we were all baptized at some point in our lives, whether as infants or as adults. We either made promises, or promises were made on our behalf, that we would continue to live in the Faith.  Let’s do a little survey:

 

            How many of you remember your baptism?

            How many of you remember the promises you made, or that were made on your behalf?

            How many of you believe being a baptized Christian is an important part of your life?

 

Our baptism gives us a foundation for living our lives in a way that honors God.  Our baptism informs our lives in a way that should cause us to follow Christ more closely.  And as Episcopalians, our baptismal covenant gives us a framework to do all that.  It helps us make right decisions in everything from interpersonal relations to how we vote to how we live in union with God.  The baptismal covenant, you might say, is our guidepost on living life.  How can we be expected to uphold and live into this covenant if we don’t even remember the promises we made?  The answer is, “We can’t.”

I believe this is why the BCP says that if there are no baptisms it is appropriate to renew baptismal vows on the Feast of the Baptism of Christ, the Easter Vigil, Pentecost, and All Saints’ Day (or Sunday).  We need to be reminded on a regular basis of how we promised to live our lives.  We need to be reminded on a regular basis that our baptism wasn’t a one and done thing.

In that respect, baptisms are much like weddings.  A baptism is generally a big family celebration.  So is a wedding.  But then life sets in.  After a wedding comes the actual marriage, and as those who have been married for any length of time know, it takes work.  After the baptism comes the work of attempting to live into the promises we made.  I think renewing our vows four times a year helps us do that.

During the renewal, you will be asked a series of nine questions.  The first four questions are about what you believe.  The next five are questions about how you will live.  In looking at those questions, you will notice that they get progressively more difficult.  The first basically asks if you will continue to be faithful in prayer and worship.  The last one asks if you will strive for justice and respect the dignity of every human being.  These are not easy things to do; which is why the answers to the last five include the clause, “with God’s help.”  These are hard things to do, and unless we do them within the fellowship of God, we will fail.  We’ll probably fail anyway, we’re human; but we have a better chance of succeeding if we allow God to help.

On this All Saints’ Sunday, let us remember and commemorate the Saints and martyrs of the Church.  Let us remember All the Faithful Departed, those known to us and those known only to God.  Let us join with angels, archangels, and all the company of heaven as we sing, “Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might.”  And let us strive to live into the covenant we have made with God, loving our neighbors as ourselves.

Amen