Sermon - All Saints Day 2018 - 1 John 3:1-3

The feast of All Saints’ Day is one of the oldest of Christian festivals. It began in the 2nd century when the church was faced with fierce persecution and many Christians were martyred for the faith. While it was customary at the time to commemorate different martyrs on the day they died and entered into heaven, with the extreme persecution they were facing, there were simply too many martyrs to be able to give each one a day. As such, they chose one day to commemorate all the faithful departed and eventually the church settled on November 1st. 

So today we are observing All Saints’ Day. Today is an opportunity for us all to remember those faithful who have gone before us and entered into that peaceful rest. When we remember those faithful departed, we remember their example and their faithfulness, we learn from them wisdom and an example of holy living.  What’s more, we remember not only their faith, but we remember the faithfulness of God our Father who sent His Son Jesus to forgive their sins. God has promised His people that He is merciful and loving and will bring them to be with Him in heaven; God remembers His promise. He remembers His promise which He made to those who died in the faith, He has not forgotten them, but He loves them and they live with Him already.

As such, there are a few notable things that take place in our service today. During our prayers we remember by name those members of our congregation who have died in the past year. The paraments are colored white as a reminder of the white gowns we shall wear on the last day. The paschal candle is lit, reminding us of our baptisms which makes us children of God. Because in baptism, the heavenly Father declares that we are His beloved Children.

“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are… Beloved, we are God’s children now.” A week ago we heard that we are no longer slaves of sin, but we are slaves of God. Today we hear that we are not only slaves of God, but we are children of God. 

“You have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”” You see the slave is very different than a child, and the child is even very different than the first-born son. For one thing, you are a child of God the Father, not only a slave. Jesus taught us last week that the slave does not remain in the house forever, afterall, the slave has not been adopted to be one who receives the inheritance of the Father. The slave is ultimately a slave, not a child, not truly a part of the household even if the slave does receive such great care from the master. 

But we are more than children of God, we have received the Spirit of adoption as sons. In the ancient near east, the first-born son was the heir of all the father’s treasure. We have been adopted by the Father, not just as some child, but as the first-born son who receives all of the Father’s inheritance. 

Your adoption as the first-born son of God is no little thing. Because who is the only-begotten Son of God? Who is the light of light, very God of Very God? Who is begotten not made, being of one substance with the Father? Who is the Son of God? Jesus is the Son of God. You have been adopted not just as some random child, but as the Son of God. You receive the inheritance the same as Jesus the only begotten Son of God! 

“The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ.” That is what it means to be a child of God! You are heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ! You will receive a great inheritance: the very kingdom of God. 

The Kingdom of God, His treasures, His gifts all belong to you now dear Christian! These treasures are the treasures of heaven, and those who have gone before us from life to death are enjoying this treasure already! Yes, heaven is real!  It is a real place with real people! The souls of your loved ones are already there and on the last day when all flesh is risen from the grave, we will all be in heaven together with both our bodies and souls. 

But heaven is more than just something experienced on the last day. “Beloved, we are God’s children now.” This inheritance already belongs to us, the Kingdom of God is not far away, heaven is not so distant as you often imagine. Instead, heaven is on earth already. 

No, I’m not talking about some tropical paradise like Hawaii or the Caribbean. I’m sure those places are very nice and very beautiful, but that’s not heaven. I’m not talking about some idyllic commune where we all walk around barefoot, growing fruits and flowers, and singing songs all day. That sounds quite nice and peaceful, but it’s not heaven. 

Instead, in heaven we are all gathered together “before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple… for the Lamb is in the midst of the throne.” Heaven is being in the presence of God. This heaven is already here on earth. Where is it you ask? You’re already there. Here Christ is present in His Word! Here Jesus is present in the Sacrament of the Altar! Here Christ is present in the absolution! Jesus is here and if He is here in the midst of His people standing upon the throne then this is heaven! There is no greater place on earth for you than this sanctuary. This is heaven on earth.

And yet we get bored with it and we don’t even want to be here half the time! The church feels to us like an old dreary cobweb ridden giant yawn. The hymns are stale. The readings are boring. The liturgy is archaic. The preaching is tiresome. If you had to choose between going to church and living in a tropical resort or living in that idyllic commune or living in that dream place doing the thing you want, you already know what you would choose. 

But the fact of the matter is it’s not God’s fault that you don’t want to be here, it’s not the church’s fault that you find it all boring. It is our fault that we don’t recognize we’re in heaven. We are God’s children now, but we’re still infected with sinful flesh on this earth. “What we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.”

So when you look around your sinful eyes see scratches and dents, outdated carpeting, and dim lighting, but it doesn’t see Jesus. Your ears only hear the mistakes and you miss the Gospel. Your mind wanders and daydreams during every part of the service, so that the only thing your mind doesn’t think about is Jesus. So far I’ve only been talking about my own sinful flesh! Only you and God our Father knows your own heart.

So let us repent of our sinful flesh which is so easily bored and distracted, and turn our hope to Christ who purifies us in His blood just as He is pure. He has given us “the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” God is the one who declares us to be His children; God is the one who has declared all those saints before us to be His children. With His loving Word He declares you are His child, adopting you by placing His name upon your heart: “Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.”

No, being a child of God is not an easy thing in this life. “The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know Him.” The world will hate you if you’re a Christian and espouse your Christian beliefs. It’s a fact. So don’t be surprised when the world doesn’t love you. As Children of God and heirs with Christ, we will “suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him.” Don’t be surprised when you one day get sick and begin to die, don’t be surprised when your friends don’t like you because of your faith, don’t be surprised when your family doesn’t like you because of your faith.  “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

In the meantime, find comfort and consolation in the commemoration of the faithful departed. Remember all of those who have gone before us and are with Christ already. Find comfort in those great hymns of the faith, those hymns which were sung by Christians not only yesterday but in the last millenia. Find comfort in those readings which were heard by your parents, grandparents, and all your family in the faith even from thousands of years ago. Find comfort in your baptism which has adopted you as God’s child, you along with all the faithful cloud of witnesses before us. Find comfort when you receive upon your tongue the same body and blood of Christ which the apostles ate and drank.

And while you find comfort in all of these things, make sure to sing out in the hymns, listen with earnestness to the lessons and sermons, reverently and frequently receive the Lord’s Supper, for in all of these things the whole Christian Church across all time gathers together in the Divine Service here in heaven on earth. The faithful departed are not gone, they’re not ghosts haunting the graveyards, they’re not specks of dust floating in the breeze. They are with Christ and they are in heaven with us and together here we join our voices with theirs to praise God and rejoice! 

While you’re singing with gusto, speaking with boldness, and listening with reverence, keep your ears peeled. For in those hymns, you might just hear the whole church singing, even your dad in heaven. When you stand for the Gospel, you’re not standing alone, but side by side with all the church, even your sister in heaven. When you take in your mouth Christ’s body, the chancel doesn’t end at these walls, this is heaven and there are a lot to be fed, you receive together even with your husband and grandparents who are in heaven.

So on this commemoration of the faithful departed, be strengthened and encouraged by all the cloud of faithful witnesses which surrounds us. “See what kind of Love the Father has given to us, that we should all be called children of God, and so we are.” God is your loving Father, and He “will wipe away every tear from your eyes.”