As we celebrate the 150th anniversary of our church with a service today, gratitude to God is at the center. This gratitude is accompanied by astonishment because 150 years is a very long time. Of course, some churches are older and have a much longer history, but this does not detract from gratitude and astonishment, the two keywords of this service.
We express gratitude and trust through this service today, through our prayers and the songs with which we praise God. It is gratitude for God's work here in Kobe since the founding of our church and for his guidance in the present time. Sixty years ago, our church celebrated its ninetieth anniversary. On this occasion, the pastor divided these ninety years into five periods. The years of birth from 1868 to 1871, the years of getting organized and growth from 1872 to 1903 followed by the years of trials of growth and the years of war from 1904 to 1942. This period also included the building of the new church in Ikuta-cho and the move in 1929. It was followed by the trial by fire in the years from 1942 to 1956. The last period from 1956 to 1961 had the title 'The Church in the Challenging World of Today'. The closing was a historical reading entitled: The Church of Tomorrow: Need for Perpetual Rededication. Because our predecessors met these challenges and there were always people who were ready to commit themselves to this church, we can now look back on another sixty years of history. We also are part of this history for 10, 20, 30 years, or even longer. Now, this periodization is not to be questioned or continued here. I take up the second keyword and reflect on it. The second keyword was astonishment. Nobody can imagine what life was like here in Kobe 150 years ago. Pictures of this time show a small town with a harbor and the life in that town. There are also photographs of the first church in the Kobe Foreign Settlement. With modern technology, some of these old photographs have been colorized. Nevertheless, it remains a different world. We know little about the fears and hopes of the people who gathered here in Kobe to trade or open a business. However, we know that 150 years ago foreigners of different nations decided to worship here together and build a church. They decided to do this for themselves, and they wanted to become witnesses to God and His guidance in this foreign land. Here in Kobe, they started to sing God a new song and proclaimed his salvation day after day. Today we can only marvel at this because they could have spent their time differently. Amid their busy daily lives, they found time to thank the One to whom we all owe our lives. Perhaps it would be better to say that they took the time to thank God and listen to His Word. Of course, the missionaries sent out by American churches, namely Daniel C. Greene, played a significant role in the founding of the church. We are amazed at this because their commitment was not only limited to attending church services on Sunday. Many supported the pastors and the board of directors. For most of them, it was a matter of course to work for the church. Without them, an active parish life would not have been possible. We marvel at this because today only a few expatriates find their way to the church. It is no longer self-evident to go to church on Sunday. Besides that, the church is far up the mountain. It takes time to go there. And there are also other things we can do on Sundays. Even 150 years ago, people were very different and had different interests. Not everyone liked everyone else. But they were united before God in common praise. That includes the willingness to listen to God's word. I don't mean the sermon but the Bible, which wants to be listened to, understood and interpreted in the community which is provided by the church. That should continue, even if it is becoming increasingly difficult. It is easy today to join a community where only what one wants to hear is told. "The Church in the Challenging World of Today" was intended to characterize the years 1956 to 1961, but it is still as relevant as ever. The challenges in 2021 are different. It is now our task to face them, not to stop at the amazement of our predecessors. Three questions follow from the threefold astonishment, the astonishment that people took time to celebrate worship, the astonishment at their great commitment even in difficult times, and the astonishment at the community of people from different backgrounds and with diverse interests. What does worship mean to us? What does it mean to us to make time for it? How can we get involved, and what can we contribute to the community of this church? What does it mean to us to hear God's Word together with people we would not otherwise meet in our daily lives? Everyone will answer these questions differently, but at the center of all is God, who has called us here to sing a new song to Him, today, tomorrow, and in the future. If we do not forget this, we need not worry about the future of our churches. God has already guided and protected this church for 150 years and will continue to do so in the future. Amen.
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The theme of this month is “giving.” Rev. Tabuchi preached on giving last week. You heard the testimony in giving from Elisabeth and Ben Tan…… (highlight some points here on their talk)
You just heard the story from scripture found in the Gospel of Luke 17. Only Luke’s gospel has the record of the ten men with leprosy who were cleansed by the Lord while he was on his way to Jerusalem. Normally these ten men would not have been together, for some were Jews and some were Samaritans - look up John 4:9; but often people who are in the same kind of trouble are thrown together. The story ends with Jesus looking at the 10 men with leprosy and saying: “Go and show yourselves to the priests and as they went, they were made clean.” The reason Jesus had told them to go to see the priests was because it was the priest’s role to offer a diagnosis - clean or unclean. (Leviticus 13: 45-56) Jesus heals different people in different ways depending on the situation. So, these guys were told to run to the synagogue to have the priests confirm their healing. Actually, only nine went, one did not immediately do as he was told. Rather, when he noticed, when he saw that he was healed, he turned back instead and thanked Jesus. It is interesting that the one who turned back was a Samaritan – he was a double outsider – an outsider by virtue of his leprosy and by virtue of his non-Jewish blood. He fell at Jesus’ feet thanking God. Jesus looked at him, the one who came back to give thanks, and said “Rise and go your way, Jesus said, your faith has made you well.” Or, in the original Greek, it says, “your faith has saved you.” Ten were healed day of their leprosy but only one was saved. Only one came back to give thanks. Do you remember that I preached on October 31, Reformation Sunday about the great reformer, Martin Luther? Pastor Luther, once was asked to define worship – he said worship is the “10th leper moment”, worship is not obligation, but “the return of a thankful heart to the source of its healing.” We can remember Luther’s words and be inspired to remember that all of our life is meant to be worship. We can also remember his words and consider how gratitude might just be the heartbeat of our lives. Our truest prayer, the first real gift we have to offer to God, is thanksgiving. God is the giver and we are the thanks-givers. We are called to live as grateful people because of God. The writer Alice Walker once said, “ 'Thank you' is the best prayer that anyone could say. I say that one a lot. Thank you expresses extreme gratitude, humility, understanding.” Another great writer Maya Angelou wrote this poem: Continue / To let gratitude be the pillow / Upon which you kneel to / Say your nightly prayer / And let faith be the bridge / You build to overcome evil / And welcome good. (Maya Angelou, “Continue” written in 2016) How do we continue to be grateful? How do we continue to give back to the God, the giver of all good things? This is not always easy. We may go through hard times. Sorrow, loneliness, death. We know that sometimes it’s very hard to give thanks or to see the gifts of God in our lives. But remember there is no greater love than God’s love. Thank God, no-one is too sinful, too diseased or in too great a difficulty to call upon God and receive God’s blessing. God loves all of us. Here we had Jews and Samaritans who were enemies, but we can look up Romans 10:11-13, ‘As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Our sins – which are like our open sores on the outside of our bodies or the festering ones on the inside – can’t make God give up on us. God longs to heal us and loves us completely. And the practice of learning to notice that love, to receive it, take it into ourselves – and offer it to others - is the life-long practice of learning true gratitude. Or learning to say thanks. The Greek word translated “thanks” in this verse is eucharisteo, meaning to be grateful, to express gratitude. The word “Eucharist “ is also called Communion Communion. Communion is known as “The Great Thanksgiving.” In the Eucharist, we remember Jesus. We remember His act of supreme love and we can be grateful. When we give thanks, we are grateful. We are eucharisteo. Thomas Merton, a Trappist monk, author, mystic and theologian, once said, “To be grateful is to recognize the love of God in everything.” (Thomas Merton, Thoughts in Solitude (1956) ) God’s love teaches us to be grateful and to give that love to others. How have you given God’s love to others this past week? Have you given God thanks? What act of kindness have you done? Who have you said thank you to in the past few days? How have you given to your church especially during this pandemic? Some folks think you come to church to “get” something and while true, we also can think of what we give. We give thanks verbally and we give thanks through service. A century ago lived Dr. Albert Schweitzer, a theologian, a 1952 Nobel Peace Prize winner, Lutheran missionary and physician to Africa. He gave a hospital in Lambaréné, Gabon Africa which is still there this day. Why did he open this hospital? He wanted to atone for the sins white Europeans had committed against black Africans. From 1913 until his death in 1965, Schweitzer ran this hospital in what was French Equatorial Africa and is now the nation of Gabon. It is called now The Albert Schweitzer Hospital in Lambaréné, Gabon. Dr. Schweitzer gave all he could to his patients and with great joy. It is true in his case that “God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Corinthians 9:7) Dr. Albert Schweitzer once said, “The greatest thing is to give thanks for everything. He who has learned this know what it means to live. He has penetrated the whole mystery of life: give thanks for everything.” Schweitzer was restating a bit of wisdom from Paul in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 in the New Testament. “Rejoice always and pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” And he was, of course, correct. To learn gratitude is to know the mystery of life. Yet, we may struggle to give thanks for everything and we may want to dig deeper into this scripture’s meaning. Actually, the scripture does not say, “For all things, give thanks.” Gratitude is not about giving thanks for anything that is evil or unjust. Never for violence, lying, illness, hunger, racism, oppression, abuse, poverty and suffering. Do not be grateful for these things. The verse says, “Give thanks in all circumstances.” That little Greek word, “en,” means in, with, within, and throughout. It locates us, in the here and now. In the past, in the future. In happiness, in despair. In all things. In all times. In all situations. We shouldn’t be grateful for COVID, for political chaos, for the broken climate, for economic suffering, etc. But we can be grateful through these times, while we are struggling in them. I’m not grateful for COVID, but through these days I’ve been reminded of the fragile gift of life, treasuring what I had taken for granted. I was grateful that KUC could connect with so many people and get to know others who have joined our classes like people from the Yokohama Union Church, West Tokyo Union Church, and other people in other countries. We have made a global community of Christ. We have connected with so many others. For this, I am thankful. Let us give thanks “ in” all circumstances and not “for “all circumstances. I’m not grateful for destructive fires and storms this past year, for climate change, but through them the awesome power of God remains, reminding us of our dependence on the earth. However, this calls me to greater awareness and to take action. I’m not grateful for economic distress, but through it I’ve remembered how we can live more simply and with more generosity and fairness. All of this has made me understand the giftedness of life, work, and wonder — strengthening my love of God and neighbor, more deeply aware of the tenderness of life and the necessity for dignity and justice for all. We may not be thankful for this terrible year and a half of the pandemic. But, if we stop and reflect, we see that we can be thankful through it. Gratefulness grounds our lives in the world and with others, always reminding us of the gifts and grace that accompany our way no matter how hard the journey. Gratitude is an emotion. Gratitude is a practice, an awareness, a set of habits. But ultimately, gratitude is a place – perhaps the place – where we find our truest and best selves. To know the mystery of life is to be grateful in all things. In all things. With all things, through all things. To be grateful in these days is an act of resistance, of resilience, of renewal. We may not have been able to gather together for in-person worship until these last two Sundays. We still are cautious. We may be worried about the future. We are not thankful for any of this. But the mystery of it all is that we can still be grateful as we make our way through it all. Let me share a brief story about the person who wrote the hymn we sang earlier, “Now thank we all our God.” Martin Rinkart, a Lutheran minister, based the words to this great hymn on 1 Thessalonians 5:18, "Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." Pastor Martin Rinkart lived in Eilenburg, Germany, and faithfully served his congregation during the time of the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648). There was also a severe plague in 1637, Rinkart was the only surviving pastor in Eilenburg, and he performed more than 4000 funerals in that year, including that of his wife. Yet, through it all he wrote this hymn: "Now thank we all our God, with heart and hands and voices. Who wondrous things has done, in whom this world rejoices. Who from our mothers' arms, has blessed us on the way. With countless gifts of love and still is ours today." I love this hymn and imagine how can we, at KUC, can thank God with our "hearts, hands and voices.” The story of how he wrote this hymn and the words of this hymn enables me to put into perspective the day-to-day trials that I might experience and that my neighbor might experience. We have neighbors everywhere and we, as people who follow Jesus Christ, can give them the resources and love that they need. We give thanks for our neighbors. Let us expand our definition of neighbor - our neighbor is definitely near—others who experience the troubles, worries, pain, and struggles as we do. Our neighbor is far—on the other side of the country or continent or world. Who is our neighbor and how are we called to give to them and connect with them? We can give by showing God’s love and acting on it. We give by connecting – we connect people to people, people to resources, and people to God. We give by sharing. Our neighbors are everywhere, near and far, now and in the future. During this month we celebrate our 150th anniversary of KUC and I give thanks for the many years of ministry. I give thanks for our Church Council members who work so hard and is a wonderful council to work with because of their dedication. I give thanks for the Growth Plan which is now called our Vision 2021-22 and for the many people who played a part in defining it and helping it evolve. I give thanks we are once again meeting in-person. I give thanks with a grateful heart to all who serve in ministry at KUC and all who enter our doors. Thank you, God, that each day can be one of gratitude and grace. Each day give thanks to God. Amen. It is a bit early to talk about one of my favorite Christmas hymns today but I am going to do it anyway. ☺ The reasons are that we only have only two weeks left until Advent and in some parts of downtown in Kobe, we can already hear in the background Christmas music. Also, when Claudia and Akiko sensei told me that our November’s sermon theme is “giving” then one line of this Christmas hymn came into my mind. It goes like this; “What can I give him poor as I am?” These words appear in the fourth verse of this hymn, “In the Bleak Midwinter,” (#229 in our hymn book). The lyrics were written by an English poet, Christina Rosetti, in 1872 and the music by an English composer, Gustav Holst, in 1906.
It is a beautiful hymn you should learn to sing if you don’t know it. But today, I don't intend to explain or teach you to sing this hymn but do want to talk about what I was reminded of in this particular hymn. In this hymn, someone who wanted to celebrate the birth of Jesus felt sorry for being poor and couldn't afford to get a gift for him, and this verse concludes with these words: ”If I were a Shepherd, I would bring a lamb; If I were a Wise Man. I would do my part, -- Yet what I can I give Him, - Give my heart.” Beautiful thought, isn’t it? But, still, I find in these words something missing if we seriously consider our sermon topic at KUC, of “giving.” Even if we are poor, we can offer our hearts to Jesus, and that is true, however, this verse might somehow be understand as if we are rich, we can then prepare some more useful or precious gift which might amuse or be appreciated by our Lord. But is that really true? In the story of Cain and Abel in Genesis 4 (Genesis 4:3-5), “Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil” and “Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock.” Did “the Lord look with favor on Abel and his offering”, because of the difference of their offerings, one being just a simple/ordinary one and the other a fat portion? Well, I don’t think so and we could look a bit deeper into this story. In connection to that story, I will quote a phrase from the Psalms here: “You do not delight in sacrifice, you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit.” (Psalm 51:16-7, NIV) So, beside the crib in Bethlehem, that person offered his or her heart. Indeed, the Lord will accept our heart or our broken humble spirit as our offerings and bless them, but my point is, even so, does this our heart or spirit really belong to me? Do we really own it? I think I have come to consider that point. As mentioned above, the hymn line goes, “…if I were a shepherd…or a wise man…,” or any other person with wealth, could and can they really give Jesus what they own? Can you see my point? In the well-known story of Jesus’ parable of the workers in the vineyard, there are some groups among the workers who were hired at different times of the day. The first group was at dawn, the second at nine, the next group at noon, then another group at three in the afternoon, and the last group was at five, accordingly. The first group was promised to be paid one denarius for their daily wage, and the last group was treated the same as the first group. But this caused some of the ones in the first group to be deeply unhappy and they complained against the landowner, saying it is not fair at all! But why was the last group not be hired much earlier in the day? “‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered.” (Matt. 20:7) They have no qualities presumably that could be met for them to be hired. Maybe it was their outlook or health was not good or some psychical condition. Maybe they were elderly or disabled. They did not own any merit for themselves and they were hired at last with the same pay with the same one denarius. This sum denarius could cover their daily cost for living, and all people - rich or poor, healthy in shape or not, needed a denarius for their daily living. And God feeds them. This story is an answer to our prayer, “give us this day our daily bread.” Indeed, we are not in the position to feed but to be fed by God, even if we are in a privileged condition to work or serve or not. And, my point is, what I found in that hymn that caused me to consider it more deeply is, whether we are rich or poor, we are the ones to be fed and given everything good by God, and if we think we may give something to others, that is not for our own cause but God has granted me to be given to them. In other words, when we consider we owe something only by our own effort or work, we are somehow misguided. The first group to have been hired in the early time of the day were those thought to be healthy, tough or powerful enough to work all day long. But it was simply because they were granted good health and their ability by God, which they wrongly claimed as their own merit and advantage. In the creation story of human beings found in Genesis 2:7, God created us from the earth and we are only “jars of clay,” (2 Corinthians 4:7) and into it God “breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being,” (Genesis 2:7). Therefore, everything we have is from God, and we have provisions from God for all that we need. So, giving does not come from our goodwill or kindness, but thanksgiving to God. And, somehow it is coincidence or just a matter of seasonal setting though, or thoughtful providence, it is very meaningful to celebrate the Thanksgiving Holiday (an American custom) just before Advent/Christmas season. We do appreciate many things however, that we have been given by God and find that our service to God is to share them with our sisters and brothers who are in need. For this we are blessed and gifted. Let us pray: Merciful God, at this time of the year, we are more aware of ourselves as blessed and gifted with many things. These are not gained to us because of our merit, but things You trusted us for good use to share your blessings with neighbors. God, make us thankful and ready to welcome this Christmas more meaningfully, since you have sent and given your only son to our world. We just humbly bow and pray in front of you to receive your most precious gift through Jesus Christ. Amen Today we celebrate All Saints Sunday. It is so appropriate for us to be back for in-person worship at KUC on this day and celebrating together with the saints of God! Praise God!
You are all saints. In the Apostles' Creed, the phrase "Communion of Saints" is used as a synonym for the Christian (or universal) Church. In that sense, “saints” is a reference to all believers in Christ. If you are a believing Christian, you are a saint! :-) John Wesley, the 18th century founder of Methodism, said that All Saints Day was his favorite Church Festival. Maybe he liked it because it is a day we are surrounded by a great “cloud of witnesses” as it says in today’s scripture reading from Hebrews 12:1. So, who are the “cloud of witnesses,” and how is it they “surround” us? To understand this, we need to look at the previous chapter, as evidenced by the word therefore beginning chapter 12. Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, and the rest of the Old Testament believers looked forward with faith to the coming of the Messiah. The author of Hebrews illustrates this in chapter 11 and then ends the chapter by telling us that the forefathers had faith to guide and direct them, but God had something better planned. Then he begins chapter 12 with a reference to these faithful men and women who paved the way for us. What the Old Testament believers looked forward to in faith—the Messiah—we look back to, having seen the fulfillment of all the prophecies concerning His first coming. We are surrounded by the saints of the past in a unique way. It’s not that the faithful who have gone before us are spectators to the race we run. Rather, it is a figurative representation and means that we ought to act as if they were in sight and cheering us on to the same victory in the life of faith that they obtained. We are to be inspired by the godly examples these saints set during their lives. These are those whose past lives of faith encourage others to live that way, too. That the cloud is referred to as “great” indicates that millions of believers have gone before us, each bearing witness to the life of faith we now live. We also read that wonderful passage in Revelations 7, and which some of us, never hear without wanting to sing it as Handel set it to music in the Messiah, is a passage of remembrance of the heroic witnesses to the faith. In remembering people of the past who had an influence on our lives and the church shapes who we are. Our memories can lead to hope. And that’s what is happening in this passage from Revelation that we read. The writing to the seven congregations in Asia Minor somewhere near the end of the first century and the beginning of the second. In the 50 or 60 years since Jesus was crucified, the new movement of people who believed that he had been raised from death spread significantly over the whole Roman Empire, as far west as Gaul and what is now France and Spain. Christians made up a significant block of the population and were recognized (potentially at least) as a powerful political force. This made the emperor Domitian a bit nervous, and to make sure he was able to hold the empire together, large and unwieldy as it was, he instituted an oath of loyalty. The people, as well as Roman citizens, were required to offer once a year in one of the temples of the state religion, a sacrifice to the emperor. Failure to do so was punishable by imprisonment, excite, or even death. The doctrine of the emperor’s divinity was a political doctrine. If the emperor was descended from the gods, then his rule was considered legitimate. Much like Japan’s emperor was thought to be a God before World War II. Back on the Graeco-Roman world, most of the Christians were cosmopolitan people, and the Emperor Domitian thought he could easily ensure their loyalty. Wrong. He was in for a surprise! It seems most of them were as devoted to the worship of their God as the Jews were to theirs. But when they were threatened with exile or possibly death for refusing to take the oath of loyalty to the emperor they acted in a surprising way. They didn’t revolt or use their numbers to create political instability but instead willingly walked singing praises to God to the stake to be burned, or into the arenas where the lions waited to eat them. They became martyrs. The word “martyr” literally means witness. Their witness to their faith in Christ was so strong that they would rather die than compromise their faith. So, to these Christians who were living through a great ordeal, John, one of their pastors who had been exiled to a penal colony, in the Aegean Sea, wrote this visionary letter to them. By adopting this visionary style of literature, he invites them to use their imaginations to glimpse a different reality. As the flames begin to lick their feet at the stake and they hear the roars of the hungry lions in the arena, they can take hope that above and behind and within this terrible ordeal is a different reality. He also calls to their remembrance the example of faithful people who have witnessed to their faith in God. He turns their eyes toward a future when they will be part of that throng from every nation, tribe and language, who stand around the throne of God singing “Blessings and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and might be to our God forever and ever!” The memory of the past faithful inspires them to faithfulness which binds the whole people of God, past, present, and future into one vast and thrilling community of worship. And this remembrance will renew and strengthen them in hope. We have encountered and have memories of people in our lives - relatives, friends, colleagues, teachers, neighbors. Why is it that some of them stand out in our memories? One memory of a someone that I will share now with you since we are in the 150th anniversary of our church is about Rev. Arthur Gamblin. He served from 1973 to 1980 at Kobe Union Church. I will share parts of a short article written by Morse Saito, a UMC missionary whom I also knew many years ago although I was living in Tokyo at the time. Morse and I were under the same mission board. Morse was living in Kobe and an active member at Kobe Union Church, president of Keimel Girls' School in Kobe, taught at Palmore Institute, and wrote for the Mainichi Shimbun. Morse Saito compiled a bunch of his articles covering some of the history of KUC and this is where I found the article on Arthur Gamblin. One of our former pastors, Pastor Arthur Gamblin, was born in 1928 after World War II. As an 18-year-old US Army chaplain assistant, Arthur came to Kobe. Later he attended Drew University and married Haruko Ono from Kobe. They returned to Kobe for his language study. Two years later they went to Awaji Island as Methodist missionaries to do evangelism. About 10 years later, the Gamblins took a Methodist church in New Jersey. Then they came back to Japan and Osaka again as United Methodist missionaries to work in educational evangelism. At 6’5” Arthur was an opposing figure. He brought many new ideas to Kobe Union Church. A community information center was established in Kobe Union Church known as CHIC. (Community House & Information Centre is a non profit community service organization committed to meeting the needs of the international community in Kansai.) CHIC is still in operation today on Rokko Island near where FBC (Foreign Buyers’ Club used to be located.) KUC used to host Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and Pastor Arthur attended all their AA meetings and he always available to listen to anyone in need. Some of the members of AA would ask Arthur, “Pssst, are you one?” (meaning “are you also an alcoholic?”) He replied with a smile, “I don’t know. I could be!” And quietly to said to himself, “if I drank.” He had a unique sense of humor. Ecumenicalism was important for Arthur Gamblin. Often a Catholic priest could be seen at Kobe Union Church repairing something and assisting in the Sunday morning worship services. Arthur was also active in other Christian communities. Arthur worked too hard. He loved everything about Kobe Union Church. After two short vacation they return to Kobe mid-August. Two days later Arthur died of a massive heart attack. He was 52 years old. This was in August, 1980. Kobe Union Church named the fellowship hall Gamblin hall. If Arthur was still here, he would have said, be sure there’s no extra “g” in that name! Arthur Gamblin influenced KUC. Many of us may have been influenced by or impacted by someone who encouraged and helped us on our life’s journey. We might also have been influenced by reading about someone else in the Bible or throughout history. Who are the ones you remember? Who are the saints in your life who brought you to where you are today? We can remember these saints today and memory often brings hope. There are the well-known saints such as Augustine, Theresa of Avila, Martin Luther, John Wesley and his mother Suzanna, Harriet Tubman, Oscar Romero, Toyohiko Kagawa and his wife Haruko, and Mother Teresa whom I had the honor of meeting in Tokyo back in 1981. These people all loved the Lord and did what they felt called to do by God. Then there are those saints that are unknown, except to those who lives they personally touched and to whom they brought hope. Do you remember some of them? There are the quiet saints. The humble saints who serve behind the scenes in our church and in our community. Perhaps you can think of some of them now. We have encountered lots of people in our lives - relatives, friends, colleagues, teachers, neighbors. Why is it that some of them stand out in our memories? I think of the saints no longer with me. My mother, my father, my two brothers, my sister’s husband, some of my dear friends, my sons’ godmother, Pastor Chuck and others. These saints touched my life in so many ways and are missed. All Saints Sunday is a time to remember them. For some people remembering those who are no longer with us might be a time to think about grief and forgiveness. And how part of grieving the loss of someone involves forgiving ourselves for all the ways in which we feel like we may have not spent enough time with them or, for some people, maybe failed them. We may think of the times we didn’t return their call, the times we weren’t the best version of ourselves, the times we could have been kinder, more patient, etc. For others, maybe you just wanted to have one last hug with your loved one, one last chat, or one last meal together. I’m wondering if any of you have had this kind of experience? If so, this might be a day to reflect on your memories but also realized that God is beside you as you mourn and for some of you, to forgive yourselves. In life, in death, and in life beyond death we are not alone. Thanks be to God. Let us be saints of God and live our lives to the fullest following the Lord. Let the Lord use us in reaching out to and ministering to others, allowing the grace, love, compassion, and generosity of God to shine through us and flow out from us to others around us. Let us go forth inspired by those in the past and those who inspire and encourage us now. Knowing that someday we will join the great cloud of witnesses - the saints – ourselves someday. Let us prayer. Almighty God, whose people are knit together in the one holy Church, the body of Christ our Lord: Grant us grace to follow your blessed saints in lives of faith and commitment, and to know the inexpressible joys you have prepared for those who love you; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. Blessing (based on Hebrews 12: 1) Go on your way rejoicing; Surrounded as you are by such a great cloud of witnesses, take courage as you face each new challenge, and comfort when you pick yourself from a fall, In whatever good you choose to do, precede it with hope, accompany it with prayer, and follow it with thanksgiving. The blessing of God Most Wonderful, whom the saints have trusted as God, Son and Holy Spirit, will be with you now and ever more. Amen. ---------------------------------------------- Call to Worship On our pilgrimage of faith, in a changing and uncertain world – we do not walk alone: the Lord is with us. We remember all those who taught us faith – that cloud of martyrs whose example burns bright in our memory. God of grace, by whose love the world exists – show us your face once again and reveal to us your glory. —————————————————————————-- |
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