Sermon - All Saints Day 2022 - Matthew 5:1-12

The Eight Beatitudes, Philip Galle & Hendrik Goltsius, circa 1578

The saints are blessed.

1. Saints on earth

2. Saints in glory

The Feast of All Saints’ Day is fairly popular among us. It’s a day in which we celebrate the fact that the saints are blessed. Usually on this day we focus on those saints who have fallen asleep in the Lord and are now at rest from their labors. That’s certainly part of what this day is about, as we hear in Revelation about the saints in glory. That said, there’s another part of this day which is often neglected, namely that the saints are blessed even while here on earth. On other saints’ days, such as the feast of St. James from a few weeks ago, we don’t just rejoice that the saints rest from their labors, but we rejoice that the saints labored! Afterall, you can’t really delight in rest unless you first labored and have a reason to rest.

Thus when we’re considering our loved ones who have died in the faith and are asleep in the Lord, we don’t just take note of their death. Anyone and everyone dies, that’s not particularly unique for Christians. What’s notable about Christians, and about the Christians we love, is that they lived lives of faith. They didn’t just die, but they died in the faith, they died while believing and trusting in their Lord Jesus, and even before they died they lived as Christians!

We don’t only celebrate that the saints died, but we celebrate that they lived. The reason for this is that Christians are saints not only in death but in life. Like St. John said: “Beloved, we are God’s children now,” now, just later, not just in paradise, not only after we die, but now already we are saints, we are God’s children through baptism. He has already called us children of God, and if we are called children by God, then we are indeed His children. Since Christians are saints already, it means that their lives lived on earth, before they reach paradise, are worth remembering.

So what’s worth remembering and celebrating about the lives of Christians? This is the question that Jesus answers in the beatitudes. The things that Jesus lists are not the same kinds of things that the world would list. “Blessed are the poor in spirit… those who mourn… the meek… those who hunger and thirst for righteousness… the merciful… the pure in heart… the peacemakers… those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake.” And when Jesus says that they’re blessed, it’s a nuanced word, because this isn’t the same Greek word used for blessed as we see in other parts of the Bible. It means dignified, strong, enviable, receiving God’s provisions, honorable. In a way Jesus is describing His disciples and commending all the saints, because these beatitudes describe Christians.

This isn’t the way that the world talks about the dead. The world remembers very shallow and generic things about people. Think about it for a moment, what are some common things people say: “She liked to have a good time.” “He really liked the Packers.” “She was a very hard worker.” Those things may be true and they’re fine to say, but, is that all there really is to say? Does a Christian’s life really boil down to a few generic platitudes which could be said of anyone, Chrsitian or not? 

But Jesus focuses on things particular to His Christians. They are poor in spirit. Instead of self-sufficient and providing for themselves, they are poor and need to beg of the Lord to provide their spiritual care. Of course everyone needs God to provide, but the Christian acknowledges their need. The Christian looks ahead to the kingdom of heaven, not the pleasures of this life.

Christians mourn. It’s not so much that Christians are always depressed, rather the Christian is constantly plagued by sin and evil, and therefore has reason to mourn. Since the Christian is poor in spirit, realizing their pitiful state before God, the Christian cannot help but mourn over sins. The Christian receives comfort from God in the forgiveness of sins, not by continuing in more sins.

Christians are meek. Instead of belligerent and haughty, thinking very highly of oneself and one’s position, the christian gently and humbly lives in the station in life God has placed them. The world is set on self-promotion, pride, and self-esteem, but the Christian is meek. The Christian doesn’t expect any good or any privileges in this world. Nevertheless, the meek Christian shall inherit the earth as a gift from God, not by their own merits.

Christians hunger and thirst for righteousness. Being poor in spirit, mourning over sins, and meek, the Christian longs for the righteousness described by God in scripture. The longing for righteousness is a great hunger and thirst, manifesting in a love of God and a desire to receive what He offers. The world only cares about self-righteousness, but the Christan hungers for Christ’s righteousness. So the Christan will at the last be satisfied and filled with God’s righteousness.

Christians are merciful. Since God has shown such mercy to us in forgiving our sins and daily preserving us, so do we actively show mercy to others. Just as christians are called to forgive others their sins, so are christians called to be merciful to others. If we refuse to show mercy, then God will refuse to show us mercy. But since the christian is merciful, then God is merciful to them.

Christians are pure in heart. The very idea of purity is scorned and ridiculed by the world, since the world is hardly even conscious of sin. However the Christian doesn’t adopt the impure lifestyle of the world, but rather works to keep their lives unstained by sin. Only the holy and pure can see a holy and pure God, so when we are purified by Jesus and made holy, we shall see God.

Christians are peacemakers. The world loves war and fighting, holding onto grudges and getting revenge. But the Christian has received eternal peace from the Prince of Peace, and therefore the Christian is called a son of God, a child of the heavenly Father.

Christians are persecuted for righteousness’ sake. Christians aren’t hated because they’re jerks and rude and belligerent, but because Christians abide by God’s word and seek after all of these beatitudes instead of the ways of this world. This makes the world angry and so they persecute Christians. But Christ tells us to “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

These beatitudes describe the saints on earth. So instead of being described by your love for some sports team, let us strive to be described in the way that Jesus would describe you, His saints. Because in the end you and all the saints are blessed not by the riches of this world, but by receiving the great reward awaiting you in heaven. 

For the saints in glory are standing before the throne of God, clothed in robes washed white in Jesus’ blood, while praising God with a loud voice. The saints are always in the presence of God, serving Him day and night in His temple, and thus sheltered by Him from any and every danger. No longer do we hunger or thirst, for we shall be satisfied. The sun from above shall not burn us, since the Son of God has risen with healing in His wings. The Lamb of God shall be our shepherd, guiding us along the way.

In one of the most delicately beautiful verses in the Bible, God will wipe every tear from the eyes of the saints in glory. The mourning over sin, both ours and others, shall be done away with, and our tear stained faces will be wiped clean. Thus, the saints both in life and in death, on earth and in glory are blessed by God. Truly, blessed are you dear saints of the Lord.