Scriptures for Feast of All Saints, November 1 –
Isaiah 25:1, 4a, 6-10a; Psalm 67; Romans 15:7-13; Matthew 27:50-56
– Wilda Gafney, A Women’s Lectionary for the Whole Church Year A
This morning I want to share some thots my meditations on the isness of God. Not sure if that’s good English? Teachers? It’s my way of saying that God is. Sounds obvious and The implications of the isness of God can be life changing, especially if you believe God is Love. That is one of the 4 GOD IS statements in the Christian scripture…the others being God is Spirit & God is Light & God is a consuming fire. The first 3 I like the last one not so much. So why am I focused on the isness of God on this All Saints day.
The scriptures for today are much easier to read than other Sundays. The Hebrew text from Isaiah, includes — “Look! This is our God; in whom we hope, and who saved us. This is the CREATOR OF ALL in whom we hope; let us be glad and rejoice in God’s salvation..” The Psalm carries on this theme of thankfulness…when I read “let the peoples praise you” I think ‘let the peoples thank you” for all God’s blessings. It’s interesting Gaffney’s translation of Psalm 67 uses the boring, controversial name – God, rather than the one of the 108 names for God that she has in this lectionary.
Isaiah’s words “Look, this is our God” stood out for me this week as I meditated on the scriptures. Is he telling us to rejoice in the fact that God is and can do stuff in our lives? What are those blessings the Psalmist talks about? Paul tells the Romans that even the Gentiles are included. Everyone is blessed. These words suggest that God is and is present and active in the world and that’s good. It’s one of the unique religious truths that Christianity brings to the world religion table … Jesus incarnated God – God in the flesh. The implications of the isness of God can be life changing if you, if we, let that truth sink into our hearts, minds, souls…
It’s been almost 50 years when, as a new believer I started reading the Bible…cause that’s what you did as a Christian. I started with the first book of the NT jumping over the genealogy cause that was boring and read the words … “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise” … I was reading the KJV the only Bible I had at the time. “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise” When I read that I will never forget the physical sensation in my gut … it was like I had been punched. It took my breath away … that word “Jesus” became the name of a real person and I couldn’t deny that he existed anymore. AND that reality now meant that as a 20 year old I had to make decisions in my life taking the reality of Jesus into consideration. I could still pretend he didn’t exist or I figure out what Jesus being real meant for me. I’m still figuring it out and that reality changed my life … for the better I’m thinking. Exploring the reality of Jesus can change your life too – ask him today to … I was raised Pentecostal … altar calls are in my DNA.
Anyway, there are lots of questions about how the isness of God is expressed or seen or experienced. Despite all the politics, the wars, the climate crisis, aging and dying parents, you name it…the world seems to be going to hell in a hand basket…if you believe in hell… Things are bad and that doesn’t negate the isness of GOD. God is still Love. God is still Spirit. God is still Light. God is still a consuming fire … I’m sure there’s stuff needing to be destroyed … like hate and greed, fear and loathing, guns and drugs…just saying.
Thinking about the isness of God got me wondering if that’s mostly what all world religions are trying to express, in their own ways. Through sacred texts and teachings; the Koran, Torah, and the various Hindu texts…which I can’t pronounce. We all try to name that Mystery; God, Allah, Yahweh, Brahman, Great Spirit. Buddha doesn’t count ‘cause when asked if he was God he said – quote “think of me as Buddha.” The word buddha means means enlightened awakened human.
Humans try to understand and connect with that Mystery – whatever name we use in our sacred texts. To help that process with create sacred places where we gather to worship, teach, pray. And sadly we often get possessive about who’s right and wrong which causes problems AND the good news is that there are folk in every religion – the mystics and holy ones – who often ignore the rules, the dogma, the statements of faith. They want us to see that that Mystery is more than the religion. they remind us that all that stuff is pointing us towards something … and now we come to the saints…
As I meditated on the isness of God, preparing for a homily on All Saints Day … it seemed a no brainer that Saints are proof of the isness of God. No matter that horrible things that happen in the world since the beginning of time – we can’t deny that holy women and men, saints existed and still do. Proof to me of the isness of God. Many people refuse to believe that a God exists … atheists, humanists because of the horrors in the world – which by the way, much of the halloween stuff doesn’t help. I’m not sure why God gets the blame for bad stuff … religious people, who got political folk to agree to kill Jesus. I think the lives of the saints are proof that people can be good and saints tell us that it’s only through God’s grace that they are good which suggests the isness of God.
I brought a few representations of my favorite saints, living and dead. (I pointed towards the dozen books I’d put at the front) It seems that most saints are dead and watching us. Our reading from St. Matthew was written 80 years after Jesus died and rose. So Matthew’s been a saint for just over 2026 years, if he was sainted when he started following Jesus – most of those disciples weren’t that saintly when they started. maybe there’s hope for me for you. you know that Paul wrote letters to the people in Ephesus, Phillipi, Colossae and he writes “to the saints in .…” I wonder if he’d write letters to the saints in Winnipeg?
Speaking of saints in Winnipeg, there’s someone who reveals the isness of God to me almost every day. My best friend partner, wife, lover, mother of our children – Linda. You’ve heard me speak of how her constant love and support has got me through various physical and mental health crisis’s and I’m not even that old yet. She’s seen me at my worst and we’re still together after almost 40 years … she says on a regular basis that she really likes me, loves me even. If I needed convincing of the existence of God, the existence of Love – Linda embodies that for me. love you.
This community has many saints, who continue to love me…proof there is a God. James was my doctor. He knows too much about me and he’s seen me embarrass myself and he still invites me over for supper. St. James. St. Esther, St. Larry, St. Noelle. I could go on but we need to get to communion. Thanks for loving me and helping me believe, helping me KNOW the isness of God.
This morning I’ve shared how the saints speak of the isness of God . We’ve lit candles for those we love who are no longer with us, who despite not being always saintly we love – we’re not always that saintly and the grace to forgive others and ourselves is proof of the isness of God. We trust and hope and love despite the challenges of life. That surely proves of the isness of God. Can’t do that on our own.
Let me close with this … The Christian religion brings to all of humanity a special understanding of the Mystery that all religions are trying to understand and express. Our unique contribution is the truth of the incarnation. We say Jesus came show to the people of his day and to all of humanity that the Mystery that is beyond knowing is more than CREATOR OF ALL, GREAT SPIRIT, LIGHT OF LIGHT. God also cares for the poor and ill, women and children, washes feet. God with us. Incarnated Love. Matthew writes of Jesus’s ultimate humiliation, suffering and trust in the isness of God. Our understanding of Incarnated love is highlighted in the Church’s ritual of the breaking of the bread and drinking of the grape. Another proof of the isness of God — is that with all the diversity in Christianity, we all celebrate the eucharist, communion, Lord’s supper, whatever we call it or how often we do it … we all remember Jesus life and death and resurrection in the breaking of the bread and drinking of the grape. Jesus revealed the isness of God – in his birth and life and teaching and healing – and we celebrate God is still with us. We celebrate the isness of God in Christ. The isness of Christ in us.
God is Creator of All, God is Sustainer, God is Redeemer. God is Love. God is Spirit. God is Light. God is a consuming fire. ….. Thanks be to God. Thanks be to Love.
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That was the end of my homily. I usually have a few regrets when I speak. The main one that morning was that my 10 minute timer went off before I was 2/3rds done so I needed to rush the last 1/3 – I had good stuff to say and didn’t want to leave anything out. I’d done so much editing what I had written out was important…so… Another regret was that I missed reading some of Gafney’s wonderful God Names and Divine Titles, p.317 of her lectionary. I will include the ones I had underlined to read, here. Ageless One, Ancient of Days, Eternal One, Generous One, God Who Sees, Healing One, Mother of Creation, She Who is Holy, She Who is Strength, Source of Life, Wisdom of the Ages, Womb of Creation. As I mentioned in my homily she has 0ver 100. I will include the link to the whole worship service here. https://www.youtube.com/live/SXgo1ryahso?si=pkdrxhBg9NVHQ9EP
