All Saints and other musings
As I prepare to put the pieces of the sermon together it seems I am a little overly attracted to the humorous side of death. In the United Methodist Church we have moved toward a higher liturgy in the years since the 1850s and are making some changes back to what might be called low-liturgy. In some ways it seems that just as the Episcopals call themselves Catholic-light, I think of the UMC as Episcopal-light. But we celebrate on November 1 All Saints Day. this is a day to remember the saints of the church. In the Catholic church there is a panopoly of saints. What's more intriguing is that the UMC has even more than the Catholics. You see when John Wesley was talking about saints he determined that anyone who was seeking after Jesus Christ, as Lord and Savior (or Saviour for you Queen's English folks), was to be considered a saint.
That makes a very interesting dilemma in my head. What does it mean for me to be saintly? Can I think of myself in the same category as St. Francis, St. Augustine, or Mother Theresa? I am not as charitable to the animals, nor do I have stigmata as St. Francis. I am not nearly as debauched, nor therefore as reformed, let alone as articulate and as much of an apologist as St. Augustine. I haven't led my life dedicated to the poor and needy of a region (any region). Do I have anything that resembles a saintly faith, one that is earnestly trying to seek after God? I will try to dive too deep into those depths at this point for fear of despair. But, I will try to pick it up today and do a little more research and study of the scriptures, add in some prayer and a few pastoral conversations.
The ironic thing in one sense is that I started out wanting to write some about football, american and international, as I watch the Premier League games on Fox Soccer Channel and get excited about the array of college games on TV today too. is God reviving the saints in each of those places too? I know God is present, and real in each, so it makes for a very interesting preponderance.
Blessings,
posted by David @ 10/29/2005
1 comments
1 Comments:
i'm not sure that we are all called to live as St. Francis, Mother Theresa, etc. those are exemplary lives that inspire us as a kingdom, but not to be replicated. we are of our own calling with our own people to be that saintly towards. much along the lines of what jw said.
i think much of being a saint in every day life is reflect what it means to be of Christ while living in the world with human tendencies. those looking for a way don't need to see perfection as the only way, that's not real and difficult to attain (not even the saints had that).
just some thoughts.
oh, Roll Tide!!
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