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All Saints Day-Ecclesiastes 2:1-11, Revelation 7:2-4, 9-17, and Matthew 5:1-12

By Charlie Vensel | June 12, 2008

On this feast day called All Saints Day, the Church offers us a chance to reflect upon and savor our baptismal gifts and commitments, with a look both at the past and at the future. It is located in the liturgical year at the transition point in the Sunday lectionary between the earlier part of the post-Pentecost season, with its emphasis on growth in grace, to the last Sundays of the church year, when the emphasis shifts to “the last things,” the final consummation of history, culminating in the feast of Christ the King which we will celebrate on the 25th this year.

Looking back through liturgical history, it is not entirely clear whom we are to include in this celebration. Originally it was a commemoration of martyrs in the early persecutions whose names were unrecorded, and who therefore were not, and could not be, included by name on the day of their martyrdom. They were not, in the language of the later West, ‘canonized,’ although they may have qualified if anything had been known about them. Yet, the New Testament calls all baptized Christians ’saints,’ a‚gioß, holy ones. Even in writing to the Corinthians, whom he has to castigate for the worst possible moral offenses, Paul can call them ’saints.’ Their sanctity is not a moral achievement, not even the complete triumph of grace, but rests on their having been made objectively holy by grace through faith. Lastly, it was also a natural development that the term ‘saint’ should have come to be reserved for those in whom grace had its most significant triumph.

The communion of All the Saints, then, the “great cloud of witnesses,” is the assembly of those in what St. Ignatius Loyola used to love to call “the heavenly court” and those who are gathered in this quite earthly assembly around the Lord’s table. All one church, one ecclesia, gathered in praise, in thanksgiving and in hope.

Today, we look to our spiritual forbearers, the ones in whom God’s grace worked the same transformation we hope for in ourselves. We look at ourselves here, in the present, and marvel, sometimes with a touch of irony, at how amazing is the grace that God gives us for our salvation. We look into the future for the coming of the kingdom where the fullness of grace abounds and all are swept up into the life, the love, and the glory of God. And we join them in their hosannas.

Let us walk through our readings this morning, looking at our past, at our present, and towards our future to see what we might learn from the saints and about ourselves, as saints. We will start with Ecclesiastes 2:1-11, looking to our forbearers’ legacy of endurance.

I believe it has often been taught that Ecclesiastes was written as an apologetic to those who are ignorant of God or rebellious against him. I would not take issue with that entirely, for the book surely reveals what life is like without God. But, if we were to review the whole book, I think we would conclude that it focuses on how God’s people should live on Earth in the face of life’s difficulties and enigmas. It is wise counsel to those cognizant of, but perplexed by God’s ways. In this regard, it is much like the book of Job, probing the limits of proverbial wisdom by balancing expectations of justice and prosperity while contending with the harsh realities of living in a fallen world controlled by the inscrutable wisdom of God.

Those who have gone on before us have wrestled with these issues. “Life is not fair here,” is the lesson they have learned; yet they endured. They, like the King writing the words in Ecclesiastes, have dealt with life’s futility. Many worked hard all their lives to end up with very little material wealth to show for it. Others amassed great wealth only to realize it counted for very little in the end. Many attended church faithfully, they tithed, they prayed often; they raised children as Christians and modeled perfect biblical parenting only to see their children wander away from the faith. Many labored for years and retired only to have their health decline so quickly that they never got around to doing the things they always dreamed of doing; unable for the first sixty-five years because of time and money, and then incapable for a host of other reasons. Many others suffered with infirmities their whole faithful lives; some were very short while some were so short they never really got a chance to get going.

Many were married, but lived in a marriage that was little more than a truce, even after years of praying for their spouse to come to faith. Many were laughed at in school or fired from their jobs because of their faith. All at some point or another have had to wrestle with the inconsistencies of life. It all seems unfair, does it not?

I think, more often than not, most lives, even of the faithful, are filled with broken dreams, paltry earthly rewards, and a certain sense of futility; there is a sense in which we feel cheated. Things did not go as we planned, hoped or dreamed. We did everything right, but found no tangible reward but more of the same struggles. We recognize this very early on ourselves, as the cry coming from every playground is, “That’s not fair!” The children are right, life is not fair and faithfulness is no guarantee that everything, even most things, will go our way. Life is hard in a fallen world. Everyone longs for something more, in fact, as St. Paul says, “We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.” (Romans 8:22 NIV) This longing for redemption is universal.

So, what is the lesson we might learn from those who have gone on before us; the great cloud of witnesses? To be sure, if they have entered heaven, they have endured to the end, and they are awaiting their final rewards. From this side of heaven, we see through a glass dimly (1 Corinthians 13:12), yet they now see clearly. If we could hear from the faithfully departed, and I am not suggesting we could, I would imagine that they would encourage us to remain faithful to God in the perplexing difficulties so many of us face.

They would tell us, as the King does in Ecclesiastes 12:13, that the proper human response to this apparent random injustice is to, “fear God and keep his commandments”. They would tell us to ponder what Job’s response was, “I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted. [You asked,] ‘Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?’ Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know.” (Job 42:2-3 NIV) That is, we are to submit to God and demonstrate our awareness of his supreme wisdom by obeying his law, trusting that he is full of wisdom and goodness, in spite of the enigmas life presents, even to those who know him. Our faith is not, “chasing after the wind,” and one day, all the unfairness we perceive on this side of heaven will be no more. That is our real hope.

They would remind us of Romans 8:28, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28 NIV) They would remind us that we are works in progress and God is using even the injustice and sinfulness of others to sanctify us. They would remind us that our suffering produces patience and allows us to identify and minister to others who are suffering what we once suffered.

They would remind us that our suffering is not in vain. They would remind us of James 5, “Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. Don’t grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door! Brothers, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.” (James 5:7-11 NIV) One day, we will be vindicated. May we endure in faith and zeal until that day.

So, that is what we might learn from the past - patient endurance. Now, what about the present? It would be very hard, if all that kept us going in this present life was a longing for our eventual departure and final sanctification; that is what Buddhists and Hindus believe. Yes, indeed, we long for our departure as Paul did when he wrote, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:21 NIV) But Paul recognized more than his final goal. He recognized that to live was Christ. What does that mean? Let us turn to our reading from Matthew today, the Beatitudes to gain some insight.

The Beatitudes, so familiar to us, are not merely intended as a general statement of inversion of present condition and future reversal, or an expression of poetic, or even social justice. They seem to break into two groups, the first more passive; the second more active. They are addressed directly to the disciples, who have already left everything to follow Jesus. The first group of Beatitudes describes the condition of the followers of God.

Jesus himself is the exemplar of the Beatitudes. He is the have-not, the Man of Sorrows, thirsting for righteousness, who humbled himself to be a slave, in the words of the Letter to the Hebrews. The disciples are called to be poor in spirit. They are the ones who realize that they are spiritually the have-nots, who have no righteousness of their own, and therefore they hunger and thirst for God’s righteousness, which comes to them through Jesus.

The second group of beatitudes has a more active cast to them, also modeled after the life of Jesus. It is the merciful, the pure in heart, and the peacemakers who are called blessed. Faith, if it is genuine, works through love. It is those who combine both the passive and the active sides of a true relation to God who are pronounced already here and now to be blessed, and promised future participation in the kingdom of God.

Did you hear that? The Beatitudes are not primarily a prescriptive list of moral behaviors that we all need to go home and polish up today; they are a descriptive list of who we already are. As believers, we are those whom God has enriched our spirit and the kingdom is ours. Though we mourn now, we have God’s word, the Holy Spirit, the Church, and each other to comfort us. We are those who have submitted to Christ, we have been broken as a horse has been broken; we are the meek who will inherit the new earth. We hunger and thirst for righteousness and the Holy Spirit is given to those who believe and in abundance to those who ask. We are the merciful, forgiving others as we have been forgiven. We are blessed by our trials and persecutions, for we are being made over into Christ’s image, and for that our reward is great!

Paul recognized that he was living as the blessed of God. We are not a forsaken people who will finally, one day, have our just reward. We now taste heaven as Christ’s own. We have been set aside as righteous and actively participate in the renewal of the creation. We are equipped and empowered from on-high to not just endure, but have life and have it in abundance. Paul got this, and like Paul, we are kingdom-builders, laborers of redemption. If the cloud of witnesses could speak again, they would say, “Get a bigger vision of who God is and who you are in Christ. Listen to Paul, “become what you are” now. Do not waste your time just getting by. Step up and realize the joy, meaning, purpose, and value you have already. Step into your dignity and power. Get your eyes off of yourself and spread the good news of Jesus Christ.”

When Paul wrote, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain,” (Philippians 1:20-21 NIV) he was not writing as an exhausted person just plodding through life until he could escape the monotony. No, he desired to work for the redemption of the world. He wrote, “If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me.” (Philippians 1:22-26 NIV) That is our present ministry too; that is why we are all still here.

If we want to escape the futility of a fallen world, we need to focus on something else. We need to get up off our assets, live into the Gospel promises, keep the commitments we made in our baptismal covenant, and take our place in the restoration of the earth.

Yes, the earth is still filled with sin and post-fall futility, but we are empowered and equipped to push back the darkness now. We sit in the King’s court. We are the honored chosen ones, the soldiers in the Lord’s holy war against sin, unbelief, and rebellion. We have a commission and it is not to sit around and wait for a better day; it is to make a better day. There is much to live for now. There is much joy to be found in laboring for the King. We are blessed beyond belief already.

We have another blessing too. Each Sunday, as we celebrate the Eucharist, we are not only receiving our spiritual food, but the church militant, the church on earth, joins with the worship of the church triumphant, the church in heaven. While the church on earth has not yet attained the full glory for which she is destined, we are united in the worship with those who have gone on before us; our prayers join theirs, our music joins theirs, our voices join theirs.

The church is so much bigger than this room, the church in America, or the church in the world. It is made up of all those who have ever been called out of the world to worship the Lord Jesus. We are part of so much more than we can see with our natural eyes.

The church triumphant prays for us; they long for the day when the church on earth is blended with the church in heaven. The church in heaven is interceding for us as Rev 5:8 reads, “And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints [our prayers, that is].” (Revelation 5:8 NIV)…talk about a prayer team!

So, as we grow into our baptismal covenant and our kingdom building tasks, let us be encouraged that the whole company of heaven is watching, cheering us on, and much nearer to us than we often believe; you are singing with Paul, Peter, your loved ones, and the Lord himself.

So, from the past, we have a message of patient endurance. From the present, we have a message of empowerment, blessing, and encouragement. What message do we have from the future? Victory!

Let us turn now to our reading in Revelation. In short, we will find this; because Christ won, we win. I have said repeatedly in this sermon, the redemptive history of the world is not about having an exit plan from the monotony of a fallen world. It is not about making the best of our situation here, where one day we will go on vacation with God. Hardly. It is about participating in the new heavens and the new earth. It is about final restoration of the cosmos and our place in it. Though we labor through the futility of life, we ought to labor with great joy and expectation; we are laboring towards final victory.

Look at verse 7:3, the angels must put God’s seal on God’s servants or slaves prior to the judgment of the earth. Why? What is a seal?

When you buy Motrin at the CVS and open the lid, what do you find? The opening to the container is covered. You have to break this cover or seal in order to get to the pills. Why is this cover there? For two reasons: to protect the product from adulteration, ensuring that no one tampers with it, and to ensure that the medicine in genuine. Just so here: God’s seal serves as God’s stamp, saying, “This one is genuine! This one is My child!” And God’s seal guarantees that the marked person cannot be harmed ultimately. God will bring him safely to Himself.

Paul uses the language of sealing in Ephesians. We read, “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.” (Ephesians 1:13-14 NIV) Thus, the Holy Spirit seals us, showing that we are genuine, and serving as a guarantee that we will receive that inheritance that is “…an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you,” (1Peter 1:4 NIV). This sealing of the Holy Spirit is accomplished for every believer.

We are first introduced to those who are sealed in Rev. 7:3, when they are called “slaves” or “servants of our God”. Who are the slaves of God? This is a common New Testament expression. Paul writes in Romans 6, “But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.” (Romans 6:22 NIV) For Paul, all those who have been set free from sin, all believers in Christ, are slaves of God. And since we know that all believers are sealed (Ephesians 1:13), it makes most sense to understand this phrase as referring to all believers.

So John, quite familiar with Paul, must expect that those sealed would be all of God’s people. But then in verse 4, John hears “the number of the sealed.” Note that John does not see anything, he only hears the number: “144,000 from every tribe of the sons of Israel.” Note every tribe. He then breaks down that 144,000 into 12,000 from each of twelve tribes, but these twelve do not include every tribe of Israel! The list leaves out Dan. It also leaves out Ephraim while including Joseph, Ephraim’s father, and Manasseh, Joseph’s brother.

When studying Revelation it is important to remember that the numbers in this book are often symbolic. Perhaps here the numbers and the entire picture are symbolic. Indeed, it is impossible to interpret 7:4-8 literally, for verse 4 would contradict verses 5 to 8; if the 144,000 are from every tribe, there must be some from Dan, but verses 5 to 8 list all 144,000 without including any from Dan.

That this entire picture is symbolic is confirmed by what happens next. Consider the sequence of events: John hears, “Don’t harm the earth until we have sealed the slaves of God.” He then hears the number of those sealed, 144,000, 12,000 from this strange list of 12 tribes; then he sees something quite different, “a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.”” (Revelation 7:9-10 NIV)

John hears, “slaves of God”; he hears “144,000 from every tribe of the sons of Israel”; and he sees all the redeemed, an unnumbered multitude dressed in the righteousness of Christ. All believers are slaves of God, all are sealed, and John sees them all here. The number 144,000 is Hebraic mathematical symbolism for all of God’s people.

Let me draw out two characteristics of these redeemed. First, in verse 14, an elder says, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation.” What tribulation? Most likely, the tribulation referred to in chapter 6. This may well correspond with the expression, “the tribulation that is in Jesus” that John uses in 1:9, as well as the various types of tribulation referred to in the letters of chapters 2 and 3 (such as 2:9, “I know your tribulation”). Indeed, it is the author of Revelation, the Apostle John, who records Jesus as saying, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33 NIV) Therefore, we might best understand “coming out of the great tribulation” as referring to the tribulation that all believers face in this world; the monotonous futility of living in a fallen world. The point is that God has protected them from harm; he has used these trials to accomplish His good purposes. So His people need not fear any tribulation, no matter how great. He is in charge and assures us of our victory.

Second, look at Revelation 7:17, “For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” (Revelation 7:17 NIV) This is a lovely, intimate picture of God’s watchful care over His people. It echoes Psalm 23 in picturing the Lamb as our shepherd. But the closest Old Testament parallel to this verse is in Isaiah 49; the chapter promises that all the nations will come to the Messiah. I am reading Isaiah 49:9, 10, 13, “Say to the captives, ‘Come out,’ and to those in darkness, ‘Be free!’ “They will feed beside the roads and find pasture on every barren hill. They will neither hunger nor thirst, nor will the desert heat or the sun beat upon them. He who has compassion on them will guide them and lead them beside springs of water. Shout for joy, O heavens; rejoice, O earth; burst into song, O mountains! For the LORD comforts his people and will have compassion on his afflicted ones.” (Isaiah 49:9-10, 13 NIV)

These too are coming out of affliction and tribulation. God promises them, “Even in sorrow, even in tribulation, I am with you. I watch over you. And I will comfort you, wiping away every tear.” God and the Lamb are thus pictured as the perfect guardians who protect, sustain, and comfort God’s people. God’s people face difficulties and tribulation. There are tears, but God Himself wipes those tears away, now in part, and one day finally.

We know this is our end, to have every tear wiped away by God himself. I am sure that if the saints in heaven could speak to us now, they would say, “Keep on fighting the good fight and running the good race. You are already winning because Christ has already won.” One day, we will join the cloud of witnesses, stand in the winner’s circle with them, with our loved ones, and have a party with the Lord at his banquet table. Not only will the effects of sin be no more, but the fullness of redemption will be complete. This is our victory.

Brothers and sisters, the lesson from this All Saints Day is this: May we always have before us an idea of where we have been; God’s faithfulness has been and will remain sufficient to see us through the hard times. May we look forward to a day when our tears are dried, catching a vision of the amazing glory of heaven and the new earth. May we have a larger vision of the church and the Eucharist, reveling that the saints join us in worship and cry out to the Lord on our behalf. May we labor with vigilant and joyful hearts for heaven and the new earth. May we wake up, receive, and grow into the all the blessings God has for us now; may we honor our baptism.

These things would make the cloud of witnesses proud! Amen.

Topics: All Saints Day, Ecclesiastes, Matthew, Revelation |

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