Almighty and Everlasting God,
who dost enkindle the flame of Thy love in the hearts of the saints, grant unto us the same faith and power of love; that, as we rejoice in their triumphs we may profit by their examples, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Some of the folks who have spent some downtime with me, especially on mission trips or St. Michael’s Conference, come to know that I have a real passion for big Hollywood movies. While my enthusiasm for the original Star Wars trilogy is fairly well-known, some are surprised to learn that another George Lucas creation actually began my love of movies in general; that being the Indiana Jones series. For me, Raiders of the Lost Ark is close to a perfect movie, though watching it now, I can spot all the film makers’ tricks and movie magic that went into making it (which is part of the fun). But it wasn’t until coming to faith that I realized that behind the gas-powered explosions and choreographed fight scenes lay an interesting comment on how some people might perceive the holiness of God. Do you remember those iconic scenes from Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade? Where personal contact with the holiness of God causes someone to literally melt in the most gruesome way that film effects of the 1980’s could muster? That was the best! Man, I love those movies so much.
So, face-melting. That’s where we’ll start on this All Saints’ Day, a day where we celebrate God’s Holy saints, His Holy Church, and perhaps His Holiness in general. You see, one of the few things that the makers of the Indiana Jones movies gets right, historically speaking, is that the Bible (especially the Old Testament) depicts the holiness of God as being something so pure that it is in fact dangerous for human contact. Remember that part of the Exodus story when The Lord tells Moses that He will pass Moses by rather than let Moses see the fullness of His face? That is because to see the face of God is to gaze upon something so holy, so pure, that it would literally vaporize the unclean humanity of Moses. After humanity’s transgression in Eden, as far as the Old Testament is concerned, we are unable to sit in full fellowship with almighty God. Of course, this is only part of the story because the grand sweep of the Old Testament is really about God in His Holiness reaching out to his Human creation, especially in His chosen people Israel, to make known His Holiness, so that all people can eventually come back into full communion with Him. God even set up a way for His people to worship Him in his fullness by giving them plans to build a tent of presence, a tabernacle, and ultimately a temple where he would dwell with them. I’ve always found that fascinating and encouraging, by the way, that God would always make a way to be with His people, despite how far astray they find themselves.
And we do, as God’s people the Church, find ourselves astray, don’t we? Our own transgressions are affronts to the holiness of God, which is the shared experience of all humanity in light of God’s glory revealed to us in Scripture. But, God isn’t interested in letting us stay stuck in sin. In the Old Testament the prophets came to tell Israel how to get back in line with God’s intention. And then, there was the One who came to bridge the gap between the holiness of God and corrupted humanity. In Galilee, God sent His Son, Jesus, to finally reconcile humanity to its Creator. Think about that for a second. Remember what St. Paul writes in the Letter to the Colossians Chapter 2:
For in him (that is Jesus) the whole fulness of deity dwells bodily
Which is to say that the holiness of God was present among us in Jesus Christ. And even a cursory reading of the New Testament shows that there is very little in the way of face-melting; in fact quite the opposite. Jesus, the Incarnate Son of God, houses God’s holiness. The Gospel stories show it in action as it reaches out to heal, to fully restore, and to draw people back into relationship with the Father. This is the part of the story that should be relatable to us as the gathered Church, as we are the people that have been drawn by Christ into a community that is becoming holy, not to melt faces, but to participate in God’s restoration of all creation. Put again, through and in Christ, we are holy.
That, to me, is what is at the heart of All Saints’ Day. It is a day to celebrate and reflect on God’s holiness at work in a special kind of humanity past, present, and future, a humanity that is in the process of being made more and more like God’s intention for us.
Perhaps along the way, if you’ve been around here a while, you’ve wondered what all this is really about, or perhaps what one gets out of participation in something like this church thing. My response, beloved, is nothing less than the holiness of God working in you to change the world. From Sunday mass to Bible Study, to mission trips; from baptism to requiem, God’s holiness is putting the saints to work here at Redeemer. As God shines His Grace upon us to unite us to His Son, even in the small acts of devotion throughout the week and especially at the mass on Sunday, our hearts are inclined towards the Most Holy, Life-Giving God. This Living and Life-Giving God means to use his Holy People to fan out over the neighborhood, indeed the globe, blessing and telling of God’s full benediction in Christ our Lord. Through Christ, the Holiness of God doesn’t so much as melt faces as it melts hearts, bringing the sinner and the saint together in recognition of the mighty works of God.
At 9am/In a few minutes, we’ll be witness to the promise of God in the sacrament of baptism. New Holy People will join our ranks. This All Saints’ Day, I encourage you to pray earnestly through the reaffirmation of your baptismal vows and consider how God is calling you to be one of His Saints in this place. We should all ask God to melt our hearts (leaving our faces intact) allowing His holiness to overcome that which keeps us from living into his full intention for us.
Finally, as Beka and I prepare to leave this Hallowed place to serve in another vineyard, we want to thank you for your friendship, for the stories you’ve shared with us, and for the opportunity to grow in Holiness with you. Thanks to the Students and parents of the Episcopal Youth Community for all the inside jokes, for your patience, and for the real community you all helped us build. Thanks especially to Christoph for his hard work and his stepping in to shepherd the students while we transition. Thanks to Jacki and Annie for putting up with my whining and for their great advice. Thanks to all the parish staff for their faithful support. Thanks to Fathers Wilson and Marsden for being such solid friends in ordained ministry. And thanks to your rector, Fr. Robinson, who took a chance on a scruffy hipster and taught him how to be a priest.
It’s been awesome. We love you. Come see us in Orlando soon.
In the Name of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Amen.
The Rev. David Bumsted
The Church of the Redeemer
Sarasota Florida
All Saints’ Day
1 November 2015