The Festival of All Saints

November 2, 2003

The Rev. Dr. David M. Wendel

Saint Luke’s Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado

Lessons:  Isaiah 25:6-9;  Revelation 21:1-6a;  St. John 11:32-44

We all know that it's hard enough getting Lutherans, and other Christians to come to church on Sunday, without trying to get them to come celebrate a festival of the Church on a weekday.  But--if we could, I would almost guarantee we would have a greater appreciation of both, the Festival of the Reformation, AND the Festival of All Saints!

     My guess is many of us don't realize that the actual Reformation Day, is October 31st, and the actual All Saint's Day, is November 1st.  Bowing to the resistance of folks to coming to church during the week, yet still wanting to observe these two festivals with a significant portion of the congregation, it has long been the practice to move these feast days to convenient Sundays--Reformation Sunday always being the last Sunday in October, All Saint's Sunday being always the first Sunday in November.  Which is fine, except that you miss the whole historical, theological significance of Dr. Martin Luther nailing his 95 Theses, or proposals for academic discussion, on the doors of the Wittenberg Castle Church on the Eve of All Saint's Day--or, All Hallow's Eve--Halloween, as we call it.  The choice of October 31st was not by chance, but by design, as Luther wanted his theses posted on the door--to coincide with what was really the three day observance that began with All Hallow's Eve, Oct. 31st, when the folk of Wittenberg believed the restless spirits of dead relatives would walk the streets, looking for them to solicit their prayers, and to warn them to mend their ways before it was too late.  The observance continued on November 1st, when the frightened folk would go to the Castle Church to pay their fee, and pray at the accumulated relics of saints--both for their own souls, and the souls of their dead relatives, believing that the merits of the saints were a treasury that could be drawn upon to shorten the time of yourself, and your departed loved ones, in purgatory--speeding the time when you could enter heaven, purified.  The observance continued on November 2nd, observed as All Soul's Day, when the distinct focus was, not on the saints, but on all the souls who had departed this life, who were now in purgatory, needing, desperately, the help of those still in this life, to free them from suffering.  The message of All Hallow's Eve was, "No one lives forever--death brings a long, painful time of purging, by fire, for your sins in this life."  The message of All Saints was, "The saints and martyrs have accumulated a vast treasure--house of merits that may be accessed for the benefit of you and your loved ones."  The message of All Soul's Day was, "Won't you make a financial contribution, pray to the relics of the saints, receive an indulgence, freeing you, or your departed loved ones, from purgatory?"

     As you can imagine, these three days, together, were a powerful motivation for Christians in Wittenberg, using fear, guilt, and hope as tools to manipulate them into visiting the relics in the Wittenberg Castle Church, making financial contributions, praying to the saints, and receiving indulgences, which were pieces of paper that excused you, or your relatives, from time in purgatory.  Practically speaking, it was a great system!  Christians who were worried about their own salvation, or who were grieving the loss of a loved one, could do something concrete and pro-active.  The Church received much--needed funds, both for the local parish, and ultimately, for the re-building of Saint Peter's basilica in Rome.  Everyone got something--and the Church, and the people, were pleased, for the most part, with this three-day observance.  Everyone except Dr. Luther.  Everyone except Martin Luther, who believed the Church was leading individual Christians astray.  Everyone except Martin Luther, who believed the peasants should keep their alms for food and clothing and shelter, rather than purchase indulgences, which were mere pieces of parchment and nothing more.  Everyone was pleased, except Luther, who encouraged the people of Wittenberg to pray to Christ, for love, forgiveness and mercy; to pray to Christ, who died on the cross for our salvation, rather than to the saints, who may or may not be able to help you.  Luther knew that by disrupting the common observance of All Hallow's Eve, All Saint's Day and All Soul's Day, he would not only be knocking a stool out from under common lay people, but threatening the important income his prince, Frederick of Saxony, would receive from the crowds of Christians who would flock to the Castle Church during these three days.

     But Luther also knew, that ultimately, earthly works and paying money to buy salvation, and praying to relics, would save no one.  Luther knew that knocking the two legged stool of salvation by works, out from under Christians, would allow them to stand,  once again, on the solid rock, of faith in Jesus Christ!  This was Luther's desire, and intention, when he went to the Castle Church on All Hallow's Eve, 1517, and nailed his 95 Theses to the door.  Although the theses were in Latin, the language of scholars, and although his intention was to have these propositions debated by his fellow professors of the university, the fact that he posted them on the Church door on All Hallow's Eve; the fact that he posted them, publicly;  the fact that he was addressing an issue that struck at the heart of the people's faith, and the income of both prince, and Church--suggests Luther expected some response, if not a great Reformation.  And Luther got a response.  Immediately, almost as soon as the theses had been posted on the Church door, they had been copied, translated into German, and printed for mass distribution.  And--well, we know the rest of the story.  What we still don't often think about, or consider, is what it really means, for us.  Oh, we claim to be Lutherans.  We claim Luther, and the Reformation as our own.  But--do we grasp what this really means, for us--and for our dear, departed loved ones? 

     All Saint's Sunday has become, in many respects, a day when we think, in general terms, about all the saints of God, living and dead, who have tried to live and serve faithfully as Christians.  But, because this year we are observing All Saint's Day, on All Soul's Day, Nov. 2, we ought to consider, briefly, what salvation by grace, through faith in Jesus Christ, means for our departed loved ones.   Of course, we care as much for our loved ones as the Wittenbergers cared for theirs.  There's part of us that worries about where they are, and how they are, and how they stand, before God.  There's probably part of us that wishes we could get some kind of definitive answer, about whether our loved ones, all of our loved ones, will be received into heaven, to receive eternal life.  We can almost understand folks in Luther's world paying what they could, purchasing an indulgence, praying to the relics for hours on end, to try to control, to attempt to determine, what happens to departed loved ones after death.  But, we can't.  We each have one life, here on earth.  We have our chances--here, to hear the gospel, to experience God's love, and to respond in faith.  When we die, we are in God's hands.  And that's the best news of all.  We can't say, definitively, what happens to Uncle Harry or Aunt Martha.  Once they leave this earthly existence, they are in God's hands…and all the prayer to the saints, and all the indulgences purchased, and all the big financial gifts to the church, won't buy them into heaven.  The most we can say is, they are in God's hands.  We all, after death, are in God's hands--saints and sinners, alike.  And that is enough.  That has to be enough.  We know that God is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love.  We know that God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.  We can not, and we dare not say anything more about our dear, departed loved ones, than that after death, it's all up to God.  And for that--we can say, thank God!  Because then, we are free to live our lives, here and now, fully.  Because then, we need not spend our time worrying about our departed loved ones, we need not spend our short time on earth, trying to finagle our loved ones into heaven.  It is for us, the living, to live.  It is for us, the living, not to be consumed, obsessed with death, with the loss of our departed loved ones--but to be fully engaged, in life, here and now.

     And if you think about it, our gospel passage for All Saint's Sunday, the account of the raising of Lazarus--encourages that as well. Yes, Jesus uses this event as a sign--of his power over death and life.  He uses this sign to tell us, "I am the resurrection and the life."  And for this reason, some talk about this event, as if Lazarus was resurrected--but this was not a resurrection--but a restoration.  Resurrection is what happens to the dead, when they are raised to eternal life.  Lazarus, whom Jesus loved, was restored to earthly life.  In other words, he was given a second chance.  And that, is what Jesus gives to each of us, who die with him in baptism, and are raised to live a new life, in Him--now!  Right here, right now!  In a sense, you and I are Lazarus--as good as dead, through our sins, our disobedience, our destructive behaviors.  But Jesus raises us up, and gives us new life--gives us new hope and courage for living, so that we may life fully--so that we can commit ourselves 100%, to living as fully and as faithfully as we can, in this one life we have, on this earth.  And we live, fully and faithfully, not to earn our salvation, not to win salvation for our dead relatives--but simply, to be the people God has created us to be; to love, and serve, and obey, and follow, not because we have to--but because we want to.  Because we have been set free, to…love, serve, obey, follow.  Because we have been set free, to…make a difference in our world, to proclaim forgiveness and salvation in Jesus' name, to share the good news of the light of God's love, with those who are living in darkness.  We have been set free, not to obsess about whether we will be saints in the next life--but to be, fully, servants in this life--to the glory of God, and the benefit of our neighbor in need.  The final words of Jesus in our gospel lesson, after restoring Lazarus to life, are, "Unbind him, and let him go."  And Jesus speaks the same words to us, who are sometimes bound by our grief and fear about our departed loved ones;  sometimes fettered by worries about whether we are worthy, whether we are living faithfully, whether we are doing the best we can.  Jesus restores life to us--Jesus unbinds us--and sets us free from this grief, fear, and bondage--so that we may go…to live--so that we may go…in peace, and serve, our Lord, fully and faithfully.  And that, is not just good news, this All Saints Sunday--it is the best news of all!

     In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.