"God's Saints"
A sermon preached on All Saints and Souls Sunday, November 4 at Edgemont Chrsitian Church (Disciples of Christ), by the Rev. Christopher E. Yopp. The sermon is based on Ephesians 1:11-23.
Perhaps you’ve heard the story that is told of two brothers who lived in a particular town where they were involved in corruption and deceit. They were dishonest and squandered many of the townspeople out of lots of money. And, as one might imagine, there was little grief in the town when the older brother suddenly died. But his younger brother, wanting to honor his older brother, went all out in planning the funeral. However, the only problem was he couldn’t find a minister who was willing to do the service. Knowing that one of the local churches was in the midst of a capital campaign for some much needed repairs, the younger brother called upon the minister of that church. "Pastor," he said, "I know my brother and I never attended your church, as a matter of fact we never attended any church. I also know that you've probably heard a lot of bad things about us, but I’d like for you to do my brother’s funeral. And if you’ll say he was a saint, I’ll write you a check for $50,000." After some thought, the pastor agreed to have the service. The pastor, however, had one condition. The $50,000 had to be paid in advance. And so it was, and on the day of the funeral, the church was crowded. Curiosity brought dozens of people in, who were certainly not there to honor this man, but to see what the minister would actually say about him. The service began as usual, with scripture readings, hymns and prayers and then came time for the sermon. The minister began slowly, but then step by step launched into a long litany of the horrible things this rich man had done, how he had been selfish and greedy, corrupt and dishonest. In fact, he went on and on for quite some time. The younger brother was furious and upset. Finally, after about ten minutes of outlining the man’s flaws, the minister concluded his sermon by saying; "And yes, my friends, this man was a no-good, dirty, rotten scoundrel! But, compared to his brother, he was a saint!"
Not many of us here would refer to ourselves as saints. Our imagine of a saint is someone who has lived a holy life - a life that has had a tremendous impact upon others. When we think of saints we think of people like the apostles and many of the church’s early fathers and mothers who were martyrs; or, we think of people like Mother Teresa of Calcutta and others who have lived a life of poverty and selflessness - those who have put the church and others before themselves. Never do we think of ourselves as being saints!
However, on this All Saints and Souls Sunday we come not only to remember the lives of our loved ones and friends; perhaps, those who have been saints to us like our parents or grandparents or some other relative or friend, but we also come to be reminded that we are all called to be God’s saints.
Perhaps, our difficulty with seeing ourselves as saints comes from not fully understanding what the word "saint" literally means. The word "saint" is derived from the Latin word sanctus, which is translated as holy. And perhaps, that’s the problem, we don’t see ourselves as being holy. However, our Scripture Lesson this morning applies that those who believe and follow Christ are indeed holy. More than anything, a saint is literally one who has been "set apart," for a specific purpose or function. And, as Christians, we are mindful of how we have been set apart by God for a specific reason and purpose. Our lives are made holy and righteous, not from our own doing, but from Christ who dwell in us. We are all saints. We are all called to be saints that we might witness to other God’s love and grace in and through Christ.
Personally, I enjoy reading and studying Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, because it communicates the Christian vision more powerfully and effectively than any of Paul’s other letters. You see, keep in mind, most of Paul’s letters are directed to a particular problem in a given church. For instance, Paul wrote to the Galatians about the threat of legalism. He addressed a variety of problems in the church at Corinth. But his letter to the Ephesians is blissfully free from such turmoil or problems.
Many scholars believe that the letter was not actually written solely for the church at Ephesus; but instead, was probably a circulation letter sent to the Christian communities of Asia Minor and other provinces, especially in areas where Paul was not personally known. Unlike most of Paul’s letters this letter lacks a personal greeting; there are no individuals mentioned here or greeted by name. In fact, some early manuscripts even lack the words "in Ephesus" that are found in verse 1 of chapter 1. Instead are found the words: "To the saints who are also faithful in Christ Jesus." But at an early date the letter became associated with the Ephesian church, probably because they were responsible for consolidating these letters into a single volume or collection. And so, many later manuscripts have "to the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus," and then ultimately this letter became known as the letter to Ephesians.
But whoever the original readers were or were meant to be, ultimately, this letter is written to you and me - the Church of Jesus Christ of every time and place - to God’s saints. Because this letter enables us to see the full sweep of God’s program or God’s plan from before the creation of the cosmos to the ultimate union of everyone and everything in Christ Jesus. In fact, it puts our entire lives in the context of eternity.
I think it is a fitting letter to be read on this All Saints and Souls Sunday. For this passage proclaims the eternal hope that faith in Christ brings to all believers. It sets before us the good news of what will happen by the power of God’s gracious love so fully revealed in the life, death and resurrection of Christ. In fact, Paul reminds us, through this letter, that all who believe in Christ may live victoriously here and now, and even more so in God’s presence in the life that is to come. It is indeed a letter of hope!
The theologian and scholar, John C. Kirby has proposed that the form of the opening chapters of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians is very similar to the traditional Jewish blessing known as a berakah. Such Jewish prayers offered praise to Adonai - God for the mighty acts by which Israel had been brought to the Promised Land and guaranteed protection. And so it is, that this hymn, which Paul has written, praises God for what God has done in Christ by raising him from the dead, and redeeming those who are faithful and destining them to eternal life.
But notice how, in our Scripture Lesson this morning, Paul switches from those who, like him, were Jewish by birth. And he stresses this by saying, "we," in contrast to the "you" he uses in addressing his Gentile readers. Paul also places the emphasis on the work of the Holy Spirit, reminding us that it is God’s Spirit which seals every believer, thus making them God’s special possession. Paul reminds us that it is through God’s Spirit that we are adopted into the family of God.
In fact, in verse 11 we read; "In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance, having been destined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will..."
Paul is saying, "we" Jews "have obtained an inheritance" in Christ, far better than the inheritance promised to us under the old covenant. And Paul also reminds us here and in other lessons that the new covenant was not some afterthought - it wasn’t something new, but was destined. And for that reason, many scholars refer to the "Old Covenant" as the "First Covenant" and the "New Covenant" as the "Second Covenant" as a way of stressing that. God had planned the Second Covenant the covenant that Christ instituted and instated, as Paul reminds us, "according to the purpose" of God from the beginning.
I find it interesting that three important words, all of which are somewhat related, appear in verse 11. The first word is the word, thelema. Paul had already used this word twice before in this same chapter, in verses 1 and 9. The word thelema conveys the idea of desire; more appropriately, a passionate or a heart’s desire. Thus, God’s will is not so much God’s intention, as it is God’s passionate or heart’s desire. Then there is the word prothesis, which denotes an intention or a plan. It literally means "a laying out beforehand," denoting the idea of a blueprint. God’s plan for salvation was created in God’s counsel, which is a translation of the third important word found in this verse, boule, reminds us that behind the plan and the counsel of God’s New or Second Covenant was not just a mastermind but a heart of love and grace, compassion and mercy and, more importantly, that it wasn’t some afterthought, but that this thelema was a prothesis, a part of God’s eternal plan.
How wonderful! God has chosen us in Christ to be God’s saints! But the question is, are we willing to live as God’s faithful saints?
There is a story that is told about a little girl who was visiting a beautiful cathedral with her Aunt. It was afternoon and the sun’s rays were streaming through the beautiful stained glass windows of the church. The stained glass windows all featured several Saints. The little girl pointed to one of the figures standing out in the strong light and asked, "Who is that?" "Oh, that’s Saint Peter," the aunt replied. Then pointing to another, the girl asked, "And who that was." "That’s Saint John" the aunt said. When she pointed to still another she was told that it was Saint James. Then, with a sigh of satisfaction, the little girl said to her aunt, "Well, now I know what a Saint is. A saint is somebody the light shines through." Does the light of Christ shine through you?
We see that within these verses Paul offers really three affirmations when it comes to God’s purpose and our place in that purpose or plan. First of all, Paul affirms that "we are chosen by God." Secondly, he affirms that "we are redeemed by Christ." And thirdly, "we are sealed by the Holy Spirit." You see, Paul reminds us that it is God’s Spirit which gives us power and guidance to "work out our salvation." And that it is God’s Spirit which gives us a foretaste, right now, of the inheritance that is awaiting us.
Sure, we may not think of ourselves as saints, but God does! Why? Because, as Paul reminds us, it is God who makes us holy and blameless; it is God who has chosen, and redeemed and sealed us; and it is God who has set us apart to be saints!
One of my favorites stories, that I want to close with, and which also emphases this real well, is the story that I heard several years back of when the government began to run low on silver coins during the 17th century in England. Oliver Cromwell sent his troops to investigate a local cathedral to see if they could find any of the precious metal there. They made their investigation, returned to the great man and reported; "The only silver we can find is in the statues of the saints standing in the corners." To which Cromwell replied; "Great! We will melt down the saints and put them in circulation." And, you know, friends, that should be true of our lives. And so, may we pray:
Not many of us here would refer to ourselves as saints. Our imagine of a saint is someone who has lived a holy life - a life that has had a tremendous impact upon others. When we think of saints we think of people like the apostles and many of the church’s early fathers and mothers who were martyrs; or, we think of people like Mother Teresa of Calcutta and others who have lived a life of poverty and selflessness - those who have put the church and others before themselves. Never do we think of ourselves as being saints!
However, on this All Saints and Souls Sunday we come not only to remember the lives of our loved ones and friends; perhaps, those who have been saints to us like our parents or grandparents or some other relative or friend, but we also come to be reminded that we are all called to be God’s saints.
Perhaps, our difficulty with seeing ourselves as saints comes from not fully understanding what the word "saint" literally means. The word "saint" is derived from the Latin word sanctus, which is translated as holy. And perhaps, that’s the problem, we don’t see ourselves as being holy. However, our Scripture Lesson this morning applies that those who believe and follow Christ are indeed holy. More than anything, a saint is literally one who has been "set apart," for a specific purpose or function. And, as Christians, we are mindful of how we have been set apart by God for a specific reason and purpose. Our lives are made holy and righteous, not from our own doing, but from Christ who dwell in us. We are all saints. We are all called to be saints that we might witness to other God’s love and grace in and through Christ.
Personally, I enjoy reading and studying Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, because it communicates the Christian vision more powerfully and effectively than any of Paul’s other letters. You see, keep in mind, most of Paul’s letters are directed to a particular problem in a given church. For instance, Paul wrote to the Galatians about the threat of legalism. He addressed a variety of problems in the church at Corinth. But his letter to the Ephesians is blissfully free from such turmoil or problems.
Many scholars believe that the letter was not actually written solely for the church at Ephesus; but instead, was probably a circulation letter sent to the Christian communities of Asia Minor and other provinces, especially in areas where Paul was not personally known. Unlike most of Paul’s letters this letter lacks a personal greeting; there are no individuals mentioned here or greeted by name. In fact, some early manuscripts even lack the words "in Ephesus" that are found in verse 1 of chapter 1. Instead are found the words: "To the saints who are also faithful in Christ Jesus." But at an early date the letter became associated with the Ephesian church, probably because they were responsible for consolidating these letters into a single volume or collection. And so, many later manuscripts have "to the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus," and then ultimately this letter became known as the letter to Ephesians.
But whoever the original readers were or were meant to be, ultimately, this letter is written to you and me - the Church of Jesus Christ of every time and place - to God’s saints. Because this letter enables us to see the full sweep of God’s program or God’s plan from before the creation of the cosmos to the ultimate union of everyone and everything in Christ Jesus. In fact, it puts our entire lives in the context of eternity.
I think it is a fitting letter to be read on this All Saints and Souls Sunday. For this passage proclaims the eternal hope that faith in Christ brings to all believers. It sets before us the good news of what will happen by the power of God’s gracious love so fully revealed in the life, death and resurrection of Christ. In fact, Paul reminds us, through this letter, that all who believe in Christ may live victoriously here and now, and even more so in God’s presence in the life that is to come. It is indeed a letter of hope!
The theologian and scholar, John C. Kirby has proposed that the form of the opening chapters of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians is very similar to the traditional Jewish blessing known as a berakah. Such Jewish prayers offered praise to Adonai - God for the mighty acts by which Israel had been brought to the Promised Land and guaranteed protection. And so it is, that this hymn, which Paul has written, praises God for what God has done in Christ by raising him from the dead, and redeeming those who are faithful and destining them to eternal life.
But notice how, in our Scripture Lesson this morning, Paul switches from those who, like him, were Jewish by birth. And he stresses this by saying, "we," in contrast to the "you" he uses in addressing his Gentile readers. Paul also places the emphasis on the work of the Holy Spirit, reminding us that it is God’s Spirit which seals every believer, thus making them God’s special possession. Paul reminds us that it is through God’s Spirit that we are adopted into the family of God.
In fact, in verse 11 we read; "In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance, having been destined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will..."
Paul is saying, "we" Jews "have obtained an inheritance" in Christ, far better than the inheritance promised to us under the old covenant. And Paul also reminds us here and in other lessons that the new covenant was not some afterthought - it wasn’t something new, but was destined. And for that reason, many scholars refer to the "Old Covenant" as the "First Covenant" and the "New Covenant" as the "Second Covenant" as a way of stressing that. God had planned the Second Covenant the covenant that Christ instituted and instated, as Paul reminds us, "according to the purpose" of God from the beginning.
I find it interesting that three important words, all of which are somewhat related, appear in verse 11. The first word is the word, thelema. Paul had already used this word twice before in this same chapter, in verses 1 and 9. The word thelema conveys the idea of desire; more appropriately, a passionate or a heart’s desire. Thus, God’s will is not so much God’s intention, as it is God’s passionate or heart’s desire. Then there is the word prothesis, which denotes an intention or a plan. It literally means "a laying out beforehand," denoting the idea of a blueprint. God’s plan for salvation was created in God’s counsel, which is a translation of the third important word found in this verse, boule, reminds us that behind the plan and the counsel of God’s New or Second Covenant was not just a mastermind but a heart of love and grace, compassion and mercy and, more importantly, that it wasn’t some afterthought, but that this thelema was a prothesis, a part of God’s eternal plan.
How wonderful! God has chosen us in Christ to be God’s saints! But the question is, are we willing to live as God’s faithful saints?
There is a story that is told about a little girl who was visiting a beautiful cathedral with her Aunt. It was afternoon and the sun’s rays were streaming through the beautiful stained glass windows of the church. The stained glass windows all featured several Saints. The little girl pointed to one of the figures standing out in the strong light and asked, "Who is that?" "Oh, that’s Saint Peter," the aunt replied. Then pointing to another, the girl asked, "And who that was." "That’s Saint John" the aunt said. When she pointed to still another she was told that it was Saint James. Then, with a sigh of satisfaction, the little girl said to her aunt, "Well, now I know what a Saint is. A saint is somebody the light shines through." Does the light of Christ shine through you?
We see that within these verses Paul offers really three affirmations when it comes to God’s purpose and our place in that purpose or plan. First of all, Paul affirms that "we are chosen by God." Secondly, he affirms that "we are redeemed by Christ." And thirdly, "we are sealed by the Holy Spirit." You see, Paul reminds us that it is God’s Spirit which gives us power and guidance to "work out our salvation." And that it is God’s Spirit which gives us a foretaste, right now, of the inheritance that is awaiting us.
Sure, we may not think of ourselves as saints, but God does! Why? Because, as Paul reminds us, it is God who makes us holy and blameless; it is God who has chosen, and redeemed and sealed us; and it is God who has set us apart to be saints!
One of my favorites stories, that I want to close with, and which also emphases this real well, is the story that I heard several years back of when the government began to run low on silver coins during the 17th century in England. Oliver Cromwell sent his troops to investigate a local cathedral to see if they could find any of the precious metal there. They made their investigation, returned to the great man and reported; "The only silver we can find is in the statues of the saints standing in the corners." To which Cromwell replied; "Great! We will melt down the saints and put them in circulation." And, you know, friends, that should be true of our lives. And so, may we pray:
"Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me.
Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on me.
Melt me, mold me, fill me and use me..."
Make me a saint in circulation.
May that be our prayer on this All Saints and Souls Sunday.
posted by Pastor Christopher @ 12:12 PM
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