All Saints Sunday
November 7, 2010
Spring Forward, Fall Back, Spring Forward Again
Pastor Ronald T. Glusenkamp
20Then he looked up at his disciples and said:
"Blessed are you who are poor,
for yours is the kingdom of God.
21"Blessed are you who are hungry now,
for you will be filled.
"Blessed are you who weep now,
for you will laugh.
22Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. 23Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven;
for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets.
24"But woe to you who are rich,
for you have received your consolation.
25"Woe to you who are full now,
for you will be hungry.
"Woe to you who are laughing now,
for you will mourn and weep.
26Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets.
27But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. 29If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. 30Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. 31Do to others as you would have them do to you. Luke 6
Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
The prayer for All Saints Sunday says it so lovely and elegantly, “Almighty God, you have knit your people together in one communion in the mystical body of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” So, please join hands with those next to you and look them in the eye and know, sense and feel that we are knit together with the saints of the church, past, present and future.
Today’s sermon/message can be boiled down or dehydrated into the title for today,
Spring Forward, Fall Back, Spring Forward Again. It is of course a connection to the time change that took place last night. But, more importantly it is about cosmic time being changed because of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Way back in the Garden of Eden when God breathed into the nostrils of humankind, woman and man became living beings. In other words they SPRANG FORWARD. And then due to some fast talking by the serpent and basic disobedience and sin, humankind, Adam and Eve FELL BACKWARDS.
Bruce Springsteen sang,
When I look at myself I don’t see
The man I wanted to be
Somewhere along the line I slipped off track
I’m caught movin’ one step up and two steps back
As you know this season of Stewardship we have been talking and walking our way up to Consecration Sunday, November 14th. It is our goal our desire to FOLLOW JESUS. And because we follow Jesus we can FACE THE TRUTH. So, that is why and how we are able to name, to confess, to boldly state that although we SPRING FORWARD into following Jesus, sometimes because of as Luther said, “the devil, the world or our flesh” we FALL BACK. Life as you know is often moving “one step up and two steps back.”
FACING THE TRUTH means that as we declare on Ash Wednesday, “you are dust and to dust you shall return.” This morning we read the names of those who have died since last year’s ALL SAINTS SUNDAY. As you look at their names and hear the names you can see and sense how they FOLLOWED JESUS.
We recall today how we have been “knit together” with them because of Jesus. So our goal is to FOLLOW JESUS as he leads us and guides through “the valley of the shadow of death” and to green pastures. Listen to how we are called to live
27But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. 29If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. 30Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. 31Do to others as you would have them do to you
That my friends is to SPRING FORWARD AGAIN. It is to acknowledge that we are KNIT TOGETHER. This isn’t some “pie in the sky” thing but as Beth Lewis said last week, a call that is “counter-cultural, radical and reforming” to FOLLOW JESUS. And that has something, in fact everything to do with how we use our time, our talents and our money. We have been blessed. We have been greatly blessed. Now, I know there have been times when the economy was better, when there were more jobs and more stability.
I also know that to FOLLOW JESUS means that we share our gifts with one another.
As you know I love musicians like Sting and Bono. Bono says in one of his songs, “so much more to ask of you and of ourselves.” I am asking you to pray this day and every day how you might SPRING FORWARD AGAIN into recognizing and sharing our gifts. I am asking you to FOLLOW JESUS. I am asking you to FACE THE TRUTH that Jesus is calling us to be connected stay connected and re-connect with the riches and treasures of knowing that we are forgiven and redeemed children of God.
Amen
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