Psalm 119: 137-144; Ephesians 1: 11-23 by Rev. Carson Overstreet
Van Wyck Presbyterian Church
October 30, 2016
All Saints Day
You are righteous, O Lord,
and your judgements are right.
You have appointed your decrees in righteousness
and in all faithfulness.
My zeal consumes me
because my foes forget your words.
Your promise is well tried,
and your servant loves it.
I am small and despised,
yet I do not forget your precepts.
Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness,
and your law is the truth.
Trouble and anguish have come upon me,
but your commandments are my delight.
Your decrees are righteous for ever;
give me understanding that I may live. - Psalm 119: 137-144
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, so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, 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, and had believed in him, were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit; this is the pledge of our inheritance towards redemption as God’s own people, to the praise of his glory.
I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love towards all the saints, and for this reason I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, 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.
God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. - Ephesians 1: 11-23
Have you ever turned the pages of a loved one’s Bible? It can be an open window into their life of faith. Last year my mother shared her mother’s Bible with me. Her name was Evie but I called her Granny. I loved turning the pages of her Bible. It was sacred space to look for Granny’s handwriting in the margins, to see what she had underlined, and to read random prayers and notes from Sunday School classes and sermons. Granny had left insights about her spiritual treasures.
My mom shared Granny was a woman of deep faith. She went to church as often as she could. Faith was not just important to Granny; it was the hope that kept her going. Faith was a guiding promise through the challenges of tobacco farming, in the highs and lows of marriage, and in the joys and struggles of parenting. Sadly Granny passed away when was just 5 years old.
When I was in early elementary school I remember sitting next to mom in church and hearing my mom recite the Lord’s Prayer. I remember being in awe that everyone in the pews knew how to say those words together in unison. I asked Mom after worship how she learned that prayer. “Your Granny taught it to me when I was your age,” she said. The gift of faith that Granny so treasured was passed down to my mom, who passed it along to my sister and me. Now Doug and I are passing this treasure along to our children. The passing down of faith has been the experience for many of us gathered here today.
The Apostle Paul tells us that in Christ we, as believers, have obtained a great spiritual treasure – a saintly inheritance. In baptism we are engrafted into the fulfillment of God’s promise made with Abraham through Jesus Christ. Not only do we share in Christ’s death and newly resurrected life, but we are adopted into God’s great family of faith. The children of God are as numerous as the stars and for over two-thousand years we have continued to inherit God’s rich blessing of the Promised Land.
Our saintly inheritance teaches us that in life and in death we belong to God. The gospel of our salvation (Ephesians 1:13) is illustrated with the biblical image that in our Father’s House are many dwelling places where Christ goes and prepares a place for us to live eternally (John 14:1-2). For in the fullness of time through Christ, God is gathering up all things in heaven and on earth (Ephesians 1:9-10).
There is just a breath between this life and life eternal. When our loved ones enter into the Church Triumphant this saintly inheritance brings us great comfort. The eternal hope of the Resurrection lifts our hearts praising and trusting in God’s glorious power. Nothing in all the world can separate us from the love of God in Jesus Christ – not death, nor life, nor any power or principality (Romans 8: 37-39
God’s love creates all that is good and faithful and inspiring in us. God’s love forgives and redeems us. God’s love quells our pain and suffering and forever wipes away the tears from our eyes. God’s love brings full healing and wholeness to our broken bodies and broken hearts. God’s love embraces us in such full measure that we cannot comprehend it all on this side of eternity.
But this saintly inheritance is not just a comfort in our times of grief. Paul says we have obtained an inheritance so that as we set our hope on Christ we might truly live right here and right now for the praise of God’s glory (Ephesians 1:11-12).
This week I was seeking some spiritual treasure in Paul’s words – how do we truly live today praising the richness of God’s blessings? The Westminster Confession of Faith from our Book of Confessions gave me some insight: “The chief end of humankind is to glorify God and enjoy him forever” (Book of Confessions, 7.001).
We glorify God as we walk the ancient paths of faith. With each step taken, we remember what we have learned through our spiritual ancestors. We remember beloved family members and friends who have inspired us by their faithfulness.
Remember faithfulness is not about a life lived perfectly, but it is about striving to follow God one day at a time by Jesus’ example and the Spirit’s guidance. Through this gift of faith God is able to accomplish far more than we can ever hope, ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20) That is the hope that keeps us going!
We enjoy God forever as we seek to live each day in a growing relationship with God and one another. Any good relationship needs attention, nurture, and purpose therefore; we make these a priority also in our faith journeys.
We pray for spaces to focus our attention upon God to reveal a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the ordinary places of life (Ephesians 1:17). As we come to know God’s heart more and more, our hearts and minds and lives are nurtured, enriched, and hopefully changed day by day (Ephesians 1:18). The more united we become with God’s heart, the more we discern the hope to which God has called us (Ephesians 1:18). Through this saintly inheritance God has given each of us spiritual gifts and treasures to bring about God’s purposes in our homes, communities, and in the wider world. As we glorify God and enjoy him each and every day, we find the secret of what it means to live fully alive in our joys and in our sorrows.
The secret is found in the cross of Jesus Christ.[1]
Just look at the cross in the chancel area. The vertical beam stretches a great distance from top to bottom. It symbolizes the unity Christ grants us with God’s immeasurable greatness at the very top and reaching down to unite us with the generations of the saints; those who have entered the Church Triumphant and even down to our biblical ancestors.
The horizontal beam reaches wide just like Christ’s own arms reached openly with compassion for all of God’s children to come to him. Christ’s open arms of sacrificial love unite us with our current sisters and brothers in faith stretching from here and all the way across the world.
It is where the vertical and horizontal beams of the cross intersect that we see the secret of the cross. It is here that God reveals that the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ unites the saints of the past and the saints today in a never-ending community held in God’s deep embrace.
It is in the cross that we see Paul’s image of a saintly inheritance. It proclaims our eternal hope when our baptismal journey is complete. It proclaims God’s presence and peace in the midst of our grief and loss. And it proclaims how we truly live to glorify God and enjoy him forever in an intimate relationship.
On this All Saints Day may we remember our cherished stories of this saintly inheritance that has been passed down through the generations. For it is through remembering our stories that God opens spiritual windows with new meaning.
In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Source Referenced:
[1] David Bartlett and Barbara Brown Taylor, Feasting on the Word: Year C, Volume 4 (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2010), Pastoral Perspective by Sarah Birmingham Drummond, p. 234.
No comments:
Post a Comment