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

     Given that we are celebrating All Saints Sunday, and it's funny to think that we are all saints, let's talk about humor. Rather, let's talk about one kind of humor-the kind referred to as "reversal"-or "reversal of fortune". What makes this kind of humor funny, is that what ends up happening, is the opposite, or reverse, of what is desired or expected. For example, a little boy wanted $100 very badly, and prayed for two weeks, but nothing happened. So, he decided to write a letter to God, requesting the $100. When the post office received the letter address to God, USA, they decided to send it to the White House, where it finally ended up on the president's desk. Thinking it cute, and touching, the president instructed his secretary to send the little boy $5.00, thinking five dollars would be a lot of money to a little boy. When he received it, the boy was delighted with the $5, and sat down to write a thank you note to God, which read, "Dear God, thank you very much for sending the money, however I noticed you had to send it through Washington, and as usual, those crooks deducted $95 for themselves!" You see, that's funny, because it's not what is expected.it's a reversal of fortune. And then, there are the world's shortest books:

     + THINGS I LOVE ABOUT MY COUNTRY by Cindy Sheehan-film version by Michael Moore;

     + THINGS I LOVE ABOUT BILL by Hillary Clinton;

     + MY LITTLE BOOK OF PERSONAL HYGIENE by Osama Bin Laden;

     + THINGS I CANNOT AFFORD by Bill Gates

     + AMISH QWEST DEX

     + THE BOOK OF VIRTUES by Bill Clinton

     + and just finished: THE COMPLETE BOOK OF MILITARY STRATEGY! by Nancy Pelosi

     + And in the interest of non-partisanship, there's DEEP THOUGHTS, by George W. Bush.

     Now, don't get caught up in the politics of it-it's just meant to be funny, and things like that are funny because they are the reverse of what you'd expect. And isn't that what makes our gospel lesson so darned humorous, because it's the exact opposite, of what we perceive to be reality! And its not just our reality today, its been our human reality since the beginning of time-and at least, since the time of Jesus, when he presented these, so-called beatitudes, which in Luke's gospel, contains not just blessings, but woes, as well! And what do we find in these words of Jesus, but a complete reversal of fortunes! In all cultures and societies, it has always been the case, that those who are poor, hungry, weeping, hated, reviled-are the lowest of the low. In some, there are even caste systems set up recognizing the difficult plight of those who are in the grip of poverty and dejection, and recognizing, also, that once in those places in life, you rarely get out. And so, in India, for example, there are the untouchables-the lowest and the least, and those who are not allowed to associate with the well-born and the well-off. And people there consider that's just the way life is-poverty, hunger, rejection-can be self-perpetuating. Even in this country it's a cycle that's hard to break, so why not acknowledge reality, and accept the fact that blessings come to those who are rich, and full, and respected, and woes come to those who are poor, and hungry and downcast. That is our human reality-that's how it is-that's what we expect. And that's what makes it so-could we say, humorous, laughable, that Jesus suggests a reversal of fortune?

     Who ever thought that the poor, are blessed? Who would say the hungry are happy? The sad, laughing? The hated and reviled, blessed? And then the reversal, as well, on the other side of things. Woe, to the rich? Woe to the full and satisfied? Woe to you when all speak well of you? Jesus is telling a joke, right? He couldn't be serious! Surely those who were listening to Jesus, broke out into at least, a grin, or maybe even burst out laughing! Because life just isn't that way. Things don't get reversed, in real life, as Jesus says they will. But that's what Jesus says. Not just here, but everywhere. Jesus believes there will be, and promises, just such a reversal of fortunes, that ends with exhortations to do the opposite of what human nature tells us to do-love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. It's like we've entered Jerry Seinfeld's "bizarro world", where everything is upside-down and backwards, and you never know what to expect.

     Which is precisely what Jesus is suggesting.the kingdom of God is like, "bizarro world", where you never know what to expect. Which, when you think about it, isn't such a bad thing. Because, if you think about it, that means life might turn out better than we expect; it means even when we are feeling dumped on, and cast down, and downright abused in life, God might just turn things around for us, and we end up blessed! It means sometimes, from grief and loss, come joy and peace; from illness can come healing; from struggle can come growth; and yes, from death, can come life! And that, really is the message of the Festival of All Saints, isn't it? That even the lowliest of all, can be chosen by God, and adopted by the Father to be children of the kingdom. St. Paul writes in our second lesson, "In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance, so that we might live for the praise of His glory. In Him you also, when you had heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit; this is the pledge of our inheritance toward redemption as God's own people.so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power, for us who believe, according to the working of his great power." What St. Paul says is, we who are least worthy of being called saints-we who sin and disobey and turn away from God, can still hear the word of truth, the gospel of our salvation, and be marked with the seal of the Holy Spirit, and receive the riches of his glorious inheritance! Even we, who never win anything! We never win the lottery, we never hit the jackpot, we sometimes seem to have the worst luck in the world-but in God's kingdom, we are winners, and not just winners, but heirs of God's riches-we are blessed-yes, we are saints, not because of who we are, or what fortune has befallen us, but because of who Jesus Christ is, and what He has done for us-when God raised Jesus from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places. Now, as Daniel prophesied, the holy ones of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever-forever and ever! And we are part of that kingdom! We are some of the holy ones of the Most High-in spite of poverty, hunger, bad financial planning, poor choices in life, illness, grief, loneliness, failure, depression, rejection. In spite of all this-in spite of human life itself-we are blessed.we are saints, because we have received the riches of God's glorious inheritance, through faith in Jesus Christ.

     And that means-be prepared for great reversals in life. Be prepared for joy in the midst of sorrow; peace in the midst of confusion and uncertainty; healing in the midst of illness; love in the midst of hatred; yes, life, in the midst of death. Because that is what Jesus promises, in the beatitudes today-the great reversal. Blessings in the midst of woes, for all the saints. And Jesus promises even more, life after death. St. Paul says, "if for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all men most to be pitied. (I Corinthians 15:19) But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead, to be the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep." So that then, in the ultimate great reversal, from death itself, we will be raised to new life, in Him. Yes, and not just you and me, but all the saints-all those who struggled in life, and were considered at times the poor and the outcast; all those who wrestled in life with cancer and disease and brokenness; we shall all, be raised, and find our fortunes reversed, as we are brought, from death to life, from tears to laughter, from old age, to new vitality and energy!

     And because that is how our fortunes will be reversed, by our great God and King-let us then, as Jesus commands, reverse the fortunes of others. Let us then, love our enemies, do good to those who hate us, bless those who curse us, and pray for those who abuse us. Let us turn the other cheek, and give to those in need-and do to others, as we would have them do to us. Because, as God is all about reversals and turning things upside down, let us do the same!

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