You can listen to this reflection here. Sunday's gospel reading is here.
Last week we celebrated 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 conferred not 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 Thessalonika.” 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.
Today is Election Day the United States of America. How does our identity as saints of God affect the way we exercise our citizenship, the way we seek to protect liberty and justice for all, especially those most vulnerable to having those things taken away? How does our identity as saints in the body of Christ dictate the way we deal with conflict in the “body politic?”
We are made saints at baptism. We grow into our sainthood as we increase our capacity to love, to hold God’s power and grace, and learn to carry that contagious love into the world. At our best, as saints of God we spread viral love, clustering to infect people with hope and dignity, scattering to carry this love far and wide. What if we think of saints as viral cells that strengthen rather than weaken the bodies with whom they come into contact? Who help people become whole?
Who might you want to “infect” with hope, compassion, dignity, love? How can you, working with the other saints with whom you worship and work, carry God’s contagious love into your community?
Whatever the outcome of this election, and however long it takes to determine that outcome, a good half of our citizenry is likely to have strong feelings of fear, anger, confusion and perhaps animosity. We will be called upon to take up our mission as citizen saints, crossing boundaries of difference, seeking to forge unity wherever we can, being intentional about spreading viral love.
It is not our own love we spread – that can be a flimsy and fickle thing. It is the love of the God who is Love, who cannot but love – that’s what we carry and share. And that Love is stronger than death.
© Kate Heichler, 2024. To receive Water Daily by email each morning, subscribe here. Here are the bible readings for next Sunday. Water Daily is also a podcast – subscribe to it here on Apple, Spotify or your favorite podcast platform.
Showing posts with label All Saints. Show all posts
Showing posts with label All Saints. Show all posts
11-1-23 - Holiness and Mercy
You can listen to this reflection here. Sunday's gospel reading is here.
Today is All Saints Day, so let’s talk about holiness. Holiness is not a word we hear a lot these days. People speak of “the holy,” and of “wholeness,” but holiness is not in vogue. In an age when the disadvantaged hunger for food and thirst for water, while the well-fed hunger for things and thirst for distraction, who yearns for righteousness?
Holiness is at the heart of Jesus’ prescription for disciples:
‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
‘Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
‘Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Righteousness and purity of heart are overlapping categories. Righteousness, being right, true, justified (as in a printer’s margin), means being grounded in God’s love and goodness, aligned to God's will. Purity of heart is an undivided focus on God. To thirst for righteousness is to desire integration, to be authentically ourselves, to have our inner and our outer life cohere; to say what we mean and mean what we say. When we really yearn only for God, we are promised we will see God - and people will see God in us.
Between righteousness and purity of heart on his list, Jesus places mercy, perhaps in recognition that there is no such thing as personal righteousness without engaging with other people. As soon as we engage other people, we face the need to be merciful, as we hope they will be with us. Trying to be righteous without being merciful makes us self-righteous. Purity of heart requires compassion.
As we pray today, let’s locate in ourselves that thirst for holiness and “singleness of heart,” as the Prayer Book puts it. Let’s let that hunger fill us like an empty stomach does. Let’s ask ourselves where the flow of mercy in us might have hit a dam, and invite the Holy Spirit to help us remove those obstacles. The promise for us, as we orient ourselves to desire righteousness, mercy and purity of heart, is that we will be filled, we will receive mercy, and we will see God.
The multi-talented priest, composer and jazz-band leader Andy Barnett composed a lovely setting of the Latin American Bread Prayer. The words are simple and sink into the soul. Listen, and pray:
To all those with bread, give hunger for justice, And to all those hunger, give bread.
Today is All Saints Day, so let’s talk about holiness. Holiness is not a word we hear a lot these days. People speak of “the holy,” and of “wholeness,” but holiness is not in vogue. In an age when the disadvantaged hunger for food and thirst for water, while the well-fed hunger for things and thirst for distraction, who yearns for righteousness?
Holiness is at the heart of Jesus’ prescription for disciples:
‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
‘Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
‘Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Righteousness and purity of heart are overlapping categories. Righteousness, being right, true, justified (as in a printer’s margin), means being grounded in God’s love and goodness, aligned to God's will. Purity of heart is an undivided focus on God. To thirst for righteousness is to desire integration, to be authentically ourselves, to have our inner and our outer life cohere; to say what we mean and mean what we say. When we really yearn only for God, we are promised we will see God - and people will see God in us.
Between righteousness and purity of heart on his list, Jesus places mercy, perhaps in recognition that there is no such thing as personal righteousness without engaging with other people. As soon as we engage other people, we face the need to be merciful, as we hope they will be with us. Trying to be righteous without being merciful makes us self-righteous. Purity of heart requires compassion.
As we pray today, let’s locate in ourselves that thirst for holiness and “singleness of heart,” as the Prayer Book puts it. Let’s let that hunger fill us like an empty stomach does. Let’s ask ourselves where the flow of mercy in us might have hit a dam, and invite the Holy Spirit to help us remove those obstacles. The promise for us, as we orient ourselves to desire righteousness, mercy and purity of heart, is that we will be filled, we will receive mercy, and we will see God.
The multi-talented priest, composer and jazz-band leader Andy Barnett composed a lovely setting of the Latin American Bread Prayer. The words are simple and sink into the soul. Listen, and pray:
To all those with bread, give hunger for justice, And to all those hunger, give bread.
10-30-23 - Saints Alive
You can listen to this reflection here. Sunday's gospel reading is here.
Next Sunday has a normal set of passages in sequence with what we’ve been reading. It is also the Sunday after All Saints Day, which has different readings that will be heard in many churches.We will focus on the gospel for All Saints Day this week.
Let’s start by defining what is a saint. Or, more properly, who is a saint. There is a reason we call it "All Saints" – it reminds us that all who follow Christ as Lord are saints of God. “Saints” was the term used in the early church for Christ followers; Paul would write a letter to “the saints who are in Corinth,” or “the saints in Philippi.” Saints were those called out and set aside, consecrated, made holy to the Lord, the way we use special consecrated vessels for holy rituals.
“Saint” does not mean “a really good person” or “holier than thou.” In fact, true saints are humble enough to be quite aware of their faults and weaknesses. Our doctrine of saints recognizes that saints are made, not born. We are made holy by being united with Christ, not through our own attributes. Many of our best known saints, like St. Augustine or St. Francis of Assisi, had quite rakish pasts before the Holy Spirit got hold of them. Some, like St. Teresa of Avila, were quick of wit and sharp of tongue. Some were martyrs, some monastics, some simple, some highly educated. Saints come in all shapes and sizes.
What kind of saint are you? When are you most aware of having been made holy? Another way to ask that is, when are you most aware of the Holy Spirit working through you?
If you want to become more aware of your sainthood, I believe God is always pleased to help you with that. “Make me more holy, Lord.” If you pray that prayer today, ask the Spirit to show you all the ways you already reflect God’s holiness and love. Saints are a work in progress.
The Holy Spirit’s presence always leaves a residue. Thus we become tinged with the holy, and as we keep inviting the Spirit to dwell in, with and through us, that tinge of holiness grows stronger and thicker until the holiness is more obvious than the mere humanity. And then, lo and behold, someone is liable to say of you, “S/He is such a saint!”
Next Sunday has a normal set of passages in sequence with what we’ve been reading. It is also the Sunday after All Saints Day, which has different readings that will be heard in many churches.We will focus on the gospel for All Saints Day this week.
Let’s start by defining what is a saint. Or, more properly, who is a saint. There is a reason we call it "All Saints" – it reminds us that all who follow Christ as Lord are saints of God. “Saints” was the term used in the early church for Christ followers; Paul would write a letter to “the saints who are in Corinth,” or “the saints in Philippi.” Saints were those called out and set aside, consecrated, made holy to the Lord, the way we use special consecrated vessels for holy rituals.
“Saint” does not mean “a really good person” or “holier than thou.” In fact, true saints are humble enough to be quite aware of their faults and weaknesses. Our doctrine of saints recognizes that saints are made, not born. We are made holy by being united with Christ, not through our own attributes. Many of our best known saints, like St. Augustine or St. Francis of Assisi, had quite rakish pasts before the Holy Spirit got hold of them. Some, like St. Teresa of Avila, were quick of wit and sharp of tongue. Some were martyrs, some monastics, some simple, some highly educated. Saints come in all shapes and sizes.
What kind of saint are you? When are you most aware of having been made holy? Another way to ask that is, when are you most aware of the Holy Spirit working through you?
If you want to become more aware of your sainthood, I believe God is always pleased to help you with that. “Make me more holy, Lord.” If you pray that prayer today, ask the Spirit to show you all the ways you already reflect God’s holiness and love. Saints are a work in progress.
The Holy Spirit’s presence always leaves a residue. Thus we become tinged with the holy, and as we keep inviting the Spirit to dwell in, with and through us, that tinge of holiness grows stronger and thicker until the holiness is more obvious than the mere humanity. And then, lo and behold, someone is liable to say of you, “S/He is such a saint!”
11-1-13 - Saints All
The day Jesus came to his house was a good day for Zacchaeus. Not only did he free himself 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 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.” 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 the letters those folks weren’t always “holy.” They were saints by virtue of their baptism into the holiness of Christ. You are too.
How would you like to celebrate your sainthood today? Maybe draw (“write”) an icon of yourself, emphasizing those gifts of God you particularly cherish in yourself. This is not an exercise in 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? Maybe you want to write a hagiography of one of them.
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 God-centered which we engage as Christ followers. We’re not “done,” at least not in this lifetime. But we’re already saints. Yes, you are! Enjoy your feast day!
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 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.” 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 the letters those folks weren’t always “holy.” They were saints by virtue of their baptism into the holiness of Christ. You are too.
How would you like to celebrate your sainthood today? Maybe draw (“write”) an icon of yourself, emphasizing those gifts of God you particularly cherish in yourself. This is not an exercise in 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? Maybe you want to write a hagiography of one of them.
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 God-centered which we engage as Christ followers. We’re not “done,” at least not in this lifetime. But we’re already saints. Yes, you are! Enjoy your feast day!
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