The day Jesus came to his house was a good day for Zacchaeus. Not only was he freed from a burden of guilt and debt that must have been heavy to bear – he received the best hospitality gift ever: Then Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.”
Zacchaeus became a saint that day. Jesus declared that all his sins and crimes couldn’t wipe out his true status as a son of Abraham, an inheritor of the promises of God, just as all our sins and self-orientation can’t wipe out our true status as baptized members of God’s household through Christ. However we may define “lost,” if someone as sinful and destructive as Zacchaeus could be restored to wholeness and integrity, so can we. So can anyone.
Today is All Saints Day – a major feast day in the Christian calendar. It is a day that affirms your sainthood, and mine. The term “saint” is not conferred only on those who are “holy” or “a good person.” In the New Testament it is simply a label assigned to those who follow Christ, however straight or wobbly our path may be. Paul’s letters are often addressed to “the saints who are at Ephesus,” or “the saints in Thessalonica.” We know from the contents of those letters those folks weren’t always “holy.” They were saints by virtue of their baptism into the holiness of Christ. You are too.
We are made saints at baptism. We grow into our sainthood as we learn to carry God's contagious love into the world (the new mission statement for the Christ Churches, and the focus for worship this Sunday - here is our gospel reading.)
How would you like to celebrate your sainthood today? Maybe draw (“write”) an icon of yourself, emphasizing those gifts you particularly cherish in yourself. This is not self-promotion – it is a way of celebrating the great thing God did when God created you; the wonderful work Jesus has done in making possible your wholeness; the transformation the Holy Spirit brings in and through you every day.
Or maybe you’d like to write a brief hagiography of yourself – how you came to be the saint you are. Who are the saints in your life who led you closer to God, or who have helped you stay in relationship with God?
At minimum, let’s spend some time in thanksgiving today, thanking God for making holiness available to all of us, and through us to others.
Recognizing our sainthood does not mean we stop the processes of healing and becoming more Christ-centered. We’re not “done,” at least not in this lifetime. But we are already saints. Yes, you are! Enjoy your feast day!
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