Daniel 7:1-3. 15-18
Psalm 149
Ephesians 1:11-23
Luke 6: 20-31
Today, we celebrate All Saints Sunday. This sermon will be short so that we can hear from our Convention delegates.
All Saints is a wonderful feast. Our Collect reminds us that we are all members of the Body of Christ. We are knit together in one fellowship which spans all time. We are part of the Communion of Saints going back into the time of Peter and Paul and Martha and Mary Magdalene and going forward into eternity.
We are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses, saints, people just like you and me who loved our Lord and followed him. And, as part of this faithful multitude, we gain strength from their presence so that we can run the race that is set before us.
We are not alone. We do not have to run the race alone. We have help, very strong and good help. We are never alone. Together with the capital S saints such as the folks I mentioned earlier, we have our wonderful small s saints. And here at Grace, as we celebrate the bicentennial of this amazing parish, we can feel them cheering us on—Albert Hopson Bailey, Kate Whittemore, Hoddie, Charlotte, Laura, Harriet, Geraldine, Ruth, Gertrude, Arthur, Gwen, A. J. and Theresa, and all the people who have made Grace Church the faithful, loving, hopeful, and resilient community that it is.
We are not alone. They are all with us, helping us to be faithful to our Lord’s call to love and serve others, here and around the world.
Thanks be to God for this cloud of witnesses! Amen.
Filed under: Reverend Janet Brown, Sermons | Tagged: Albert Hopson Bailey, Daniel 7, Ephesians 1, Kate Whittemore, Luke 6, Psalm 149 |
Grace Episcopal Church (Sheldon, VT) 