Reverend Philip Stringer
Isaiah 25:6-9
Revelation 21:1-6a
John 11:32-44
LET US PRAY: We ask, O Lord, that the words which we hear this morning, and the worship which we offer, may bear fruit in our hearts and be acceptable in your sight, our strength and our redeemer. AMEN
"It is lost in the sand." That was the answer that was given to Dr. David Livingston as he stood surrounded by the natives of the interior of Africa. He had asked them a simple question, "Where does your great river go?" He was referring to the Congo river, which was the source of water that nourished all of the life which the people depended upon.
They had never seen the sea before. And so they had nothing but a legend and their guessing to offer him. They had made the best answer that they could. "It is lost in the sand."
If they had followed the river's course, they would have known that the river is not lost in the sand, but empties into the sea, which teams with life. No one had ever seen the sea. It was beyond their comprehension. And so, even after Dr. Livingston’s visit, their answer remained. The river is lost in the sand.
All Saints Sunday is noted by many as a time when we remember and give thanks for those dear to us who have died -- especially those in the past year. It is fitting and appropriate that we make such an expression.
But we must be careful to note that All Saints Sunday is not a day for simply remembering the dead as if they have been lost in the sands of time. It is a day for celebrating those who are alive in Christ. We celebrate that the river of life is not lost in the sand of time but flows into the kingdom of God -- the city of God. We celebrate a unity with those who have gone before us, in both recent years and centuries ago into the Church Triumphant. It is a unity we share with them, and with those who walk the earth today with faith in Jesus Christ.
Martin Luther struggled with the observance of saints in the church. He objected fiercely to what the observance of saints had evolved into during his day -- but held a high regard for the witness of saints in its earlier usage.
The celebration of individual saints used to be a means for inspiring people to model their lives after those people from their community -- people like themselves -- who strove to conform to the way of Christ. Because they were ordinary people who did often simple but significant things that demonstrated their faith, they were truly examples that would inspire others to do the same. They were genuine local heroes of the faith who bought groceries and ate dinner with the people of their neighborhood.
By Luther's day however, Saints had been elevated to a status of superhero -- larger-than-life, atypical people that we cannot realistically expect to imitate. They appeared more divine than human -- in a separate class from us -- and for this reason, they came to be thought of as the natural go-betweens for mortals and God.
This was Luther's dilemma -- to revere saints as perfect, otherworldly, superhuman beings of faith was destructive to the faith of people. And yet the proper recognition of saints was so important. Faith must be lived if it is to be real. Saints help us to understand what the gospel demands of us as disciples of Christ. And so, Luther insisted that we understand that "saint" is not a title earned by good works and perfect living -- but a title bestowed upon us through our baptism into Christ. We are made the saints of God by God's grace. Those who live out the sainthood are those who live with faith in Jesus Christ.
While the witness of those who have already died continues on, we must also look to the living saints in our own time, as examples of faith. And, indeed, as Luther insisted -- we must understand ourselves as God's chosen saints -- called and equipped to bear witness to Jesus Christ in the choices we make in our day-to-day living.
The witness of saints is a witness that blankets the globe. Some are remarkable individuals who are well-known in the public eye. But most of them are unnoticed -- by the millions they live out their faith in Jesus Christ, and thereby witness to their hope in him. They include a host of denominations and various traditions, but here are a few stories within that sliver of Christianity known as “Lutherans.”
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Since the Russia-Ukraine War began nearly 3 years ago, more than 1.4 million refugees have arrived in Poland and registered to stay there — more than in any other country. Several Lutheran churches are providing support for them, including the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Poland. Katarzyna Rudkowska -- one of the first 9 Lutheran women to be ordained in Poland — is director of the “I Overcome Barriers” program, which helps Ukrainian refugees master the Polish language so that they can secure jobs and begin rebuilding their lives. The project is supported by you through the Lutheran World Federation and the ELCA Division for Global Mission.
Your Lutheran sisters and brothers in Poland gathered for their Sunday morning worship about 6 hours ago.
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“We were born with nothing,” says Enma Mendez Sinchitullo. She is sitting under the shade of the cacao trees on her farm in Peru as she shares her journey as a farmer-turned-chocolate maker.
Enma lives in the Valley of the Apurímac, — one of the poorest and hardest-to-reach regions of Peru.
This region is notorious for producing the coca leaves used in illegal cocaine production, and up to 77% of families here live in poverty. The drug trade has led to violence and terrorism, and many men have lost their lives to it. This has left many wives, mothers and children behind to manage the land and fend for themselves.
The valley’s fertile soil is perfect for growing a crop that is better in every way: a native variety of fine aromatic cacao highly sought after in the global cocoa market.
That’s when you come in. To help women farmers like Enma increase their incomes and cultivate a healthier future, in 2018 Lutheran World Relief supported a small group to establish a cacao farming cooperative called Qori Warmi, which translates to “Women of Gold.”
The women have learned all aspects of growing and processing cacao — from the cultivation of the soil all the way through production and marketing.
Starting with just 35 members, the cooperative grew to 85 by 2023. Farming high quality cacao was only the beginning of their transformation. The cooperative also founded their own chocolate company, called Tsinane, which has consistently won international awards the past few years — including the top prize at the prestigious Salon du Chocolat in Paris last year.
For the first time, Enma and the other women in the cooperative feel they have a voice and a place in society.
Peru is in the same time zone as us! And right now, members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Peru are gathered for worship.
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Tomorrow marks the one-year anniversary of a catastrophic earthquake that hit Karnali Province in Nepal, claiming the lives of over 157 individuals, leaving hundreds injured, and destroying thousands of homes. In response to the earthquake, the Nepal Evangelical Lutheran Church with support from Lutheran World Relief, provided transitional shelter to 175 vulnerable families and psychosocial services to more than 2,000 impacted community members. Today, — even though they number only about 1,300 members, the Nepal Evangelical Lutheran Church continues their service to their neighbors through many ministries that strengthen communities, teach job skills and advocate for women’s and children’s rights. Nepalese Christians gathered for their morning worship on All Saints Sunday about 11 hours ago.
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And right here in North Carolina — as people give of their time and money to help victims of flooding. As a grandmother offers unwavering love and support to a grandchild struggling to find his way — As a teacher quietly offers encouragement to a student from an abusive home — and on and on and on.
This is a day for you to remember and give thanks in a special way that you are counted among these as the partners of Jesus Christ in the world. Partners with hundreds of millions of brothers and sisters that blanket the world.
But above all of this, we celebrate that this is no meager social movement among people. We are the instruments of God, and partners with God in the unfolding plan of salvation and redemption in Jesus Christ. The one who joins us together in baptism is also the one whose Holy Spirit is working through us and beyond us in the world. "See! The home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them as their God; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe every tear from their eyes." . . ."the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces . . ." . . ."See," says the LORD, "I am making all things new . . .These words are trustworthy and true."
Your baptismal calling as God's saints is to be workers with God in making all things new for all people -- starting right here in High Point -- and spreading throughout all the world. That means taking to heart your baptismal calling to put on Christ -- to be imitators of Christ -- to have within you the same mind that was in Christ Jesus, taking the form of those who will serve. The Holy Spirit, who has come to you in your baptism, will give you the strength to do these things. To not only watch what other Christians do, but to follow your own calling of witness and service in your own unique way.
Today, on All Saints Sunday, we take courage and strength from the witness of those who have gone before us -- and of those who are in the world today, who live by faith in Jesus Christ. We take our courage and strength from them because the Holy Spirit speaks to us through their witness, of our own identity in Christ, and God's own faithfulness to us.
Today we celebrate that we are within the ranks of those serving in the kingdom of God, and that our lives are not "lost in the sand" -- they do not merely fade away into nothing -- but our witness is added to that great cloud of witnesses of all time who proclaim not only with their words, but their whole lives -- that Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
AMEN
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