Call to Worship (Romans 8)

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Words of Assurance: Hebrews 11:16, NIV

(Those who were living in faith) were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

Opening Song: The Tabernacle Choir, “For All the Saints”

Scripture: Revelation 21:1-5, NRSV

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “See, the home of God is among mortals.  He will dwell with them; they will be his people, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe away every tear from their eyes.  Death will be no. more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.” And the one who was seated on the throne said, ‘See, I am making all things new.’ Also he said, ‘Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.“

Sunday Sermon

It feels right to have All Saints’ Day land on a Sunday. All Saints’ Day is when we publicly remember the loved ones who have gone to heaven before us, and celebrate the spiritual connection between earth and heaven. All Saints’ Day follows All Souls’ Night, which is also known as Halloween – “Holy Eve” – and is purely religious in nature.

We have a lot more saints than the Catholics, because we call anyone who died believing in Christ a saint. But the Catholics have cooler saints – they even have saints stickers and trading cards – because they have a patron saint for pretty much everything. These include St. Isidore (patron saint of the internet), St. Drogo (patron saint of coffee) and St. Cecilia (patron saint of music). There’s even a patron saint of pizza ~ St. Anthony the Great.

It’s hard for me to call my friends saints because, well, I knew them; but I can totally picture them in heaven. In addition to lighting a candle for my aunt Dolores, I lit a candle for my friend Mike this morning. Like many of my friends, Mike died way too young at the age of 53. He was in my first youth group way back when I was in college in Georgia. I flew down to do his wedding and baptize all three of his children. He passed away just before seeing one of his sons get married.

This week, that son is moving with his wife to Kailua, HI, one mile from the friends that I will be visiting next week. How’s that for a reason to believe in God? I will get to introduce two of my favorite families to each other. When I see Will, I think of Mike, and what an amazing father he was, and how his legacy lives on. I also think that he will be watching, which is comforting and a source of joy.

Scripture tells us that we are surrounded by either a cloud or a crowd of witnesses. I like to think of them cheering us on, encouraging us and helping us from afar. I know they love to be remembered, to be thought of as alive, because they are, on another plane. It is because they are cheering for me that I want to do my very best ~ because I want to see them again.

As a pastor, I’ve done hundreds of funerals, so when I combine family, friends and parishioners, I know a lot of people up there ~ perhaps more than I know down here. As we age, the balance starts to shift; many older people tell me that the people they love the most are gone. That can make this a very sad day or a very hopeful day, depending on how one looks at it. The more people we lose, the more we have to live up to; the more examples we have to follow; but also, the more we realize that we have loved and been loved on this earth.

From our perspective, death seems like an ending, or at the very least, a transition. From God’s perspective, death is a continuum, as the soul moves from one place to another. It’s easy to picture, but hard to fathom. But the more we believe in heaven, the lighter our earthly troubles can seem.

One of the hardest things about losing loved ones is that at a certain point, other people tend to stop talking about them. Others are afraid to bring up sad feelings, so they dance around the topic, then the person who has lost a loved one stops bringing it up because they don’t want to bring other people down. I believe this is a mistake. If we really believe our loved ones are alive somewhere, then let’s talk about them, because they are certainly talking about us!

Some of the duties given to patron saints are arbitrary; Saint Drogo never drank coffee, and St. Isidore died before the internet was invented. Why let Catholics have all the fun? I’d love to think of my grandfather as the patron saint of covered bridges; or my friend Marissa as the patron saint of independent movies, or my friend George as the patron saint of Sunday phone calls just before kickoff. It can’t be all harps up there, they’ve got to be having some fun.

We’ve been studying the book of Revelation every Wednesday morning this semester, and this week we’ll finally be getting to the end, which is where today’s Scripture came from. The book of Revelation is largely symbolic, which is a relief because it’s also very graphic. Fortunately, the symbols are easy to decode, and when we hear that “the sea was no more,” we don’t have to worry that we’ll never be able to go to the beach again. Back then, the sea was considered dangerous and filled with monsters, so to say “the sea was no more” means “fear was no more.”

There’s a huge emphasis on newness: a new heaven, a new earth, I am making all things new. The idea is that everything will be pure and lovely beyond our imagining. We can see only glimpses of it on earth. To say every tear will be wiped away means that all the things that cause us to cry, except for joy, will no longer exist: no more worry, no more anxiety, no more fear, no more pain, no more death. But we will remember what we have been through, and it will help us to appreciate what we have all the more.

Perhaps the biggest revelation is that God will be with us all the time – neither distant nor absent, but right there with us. We might not have questions, but if we do, we’ll be right next to the answers. We will always feel safe. We will always feel loved. When we get there, there will be reunions, and if we leave loved ones behind, we’ll be able to look forward to even more reunions, but from the other side, filled with confidence and calm.

As we remember our loved ones, let us do so in solemnity, but also in joy; not only in loss, but in gratitude; not only in the sorrow of losing them, but in the hope of seeing them again. And as we run this race of faith, may we listen for the far-off cheers from the crowd of witnesses who are hoping to see us again as well. Amen.

Closing Song: Phil Wickham, “Hymn of Heaven”

This Sunday is All Saints’ Day, when we honor loved ones who have gone to heaven before us. We hope you’ll join us for a special communion service and light a candle in honor of a friend or family member. The younger Sunday School class will start at the same time as the service, and the older class has the week off. Later on Sunday, Confirmation Class and Youth Group will meet. Remember to turn your clocks back an hour the night before for Daylight Savings Time!

Call to Worship
Fear not!
God is in charge.
Be not afraid.
God is in charge.
Are you worried?
God is in charge.
Are you anxious?
God is in charge.
Cast your cares upon him,
And he will give you peace.

Unison Prayer (Psalm 121)

I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;
indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord watches over you—
the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.

The Lord will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;
the Lord will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.

Words of Assurance: Psalm 46:1-3, NIV

God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.

The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.  Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.  Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.  And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil; for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever.  Amen.

Opening Song: Cageless Birds, “Safe in the Covering”

Scripture: Psalm 91:1-5, NIV

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.  I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”  Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence.  He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.  You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day.

Sunday Sermon

How has your year been so far? I was reading an essay this week in which the writer summed up the year as absolutely terrifying. We’re scared of the elections, we’re scared of the weather, we’re scared for our children, we’re scared about the environment, we’re scared of crime, we’re scared of each other, and when we’re really scared we reach into our pockets to check a device that gives us even more reasons to be terrified. It’s as if we’re living in a never-ending Halloween; it’s become harder and harder to separate horror movies from real life.

Where does one go to escape all this, to find refuge? Some head to the movies; some watch TV; some hide in their houses; some go on vacation. But is this refuge or distraction?

The word “refuge” has slipped from our everyday vocabulary, It means a place of shelter, where one is safe from harm: the word “refugee” comes from the same root word. The idea is that people are not only fleeing from something, but to something. This may mean another country, but in the old days churches were known as “places of refuge,” where one could go for protection and help. This is still taking place today as churches shelter immigrants from arrest and deportation.

I should probably not admit to a crime, especially on Sunday morning, but when I was a teenager, sometimes I would break into my church in the middle of the night through a basement window that I may or may not have left unlocked during Coffee Hour; and head up to the sanctuary to pray. This was a great comfort to me, and it really felt like a sanctuary – a safe place, alone with God, away from the conflict of home and the pressure of the outside world.

Sunday morning worship is a refuge: a place to go not only to escape fear and anxiety, but to gather strength and encouragement for the week ahead. It’s like a pit stop for the soul. But eventually we have to leave, which pushes us to remember that our primary refuge is God, who is ever present, who never sleeps and is always ready to protect.

There are a lot of promises in today’s Scriptures, literal and metaphorical. God is our fortress; he will keep us safe from arrows and disease; he will shelter us with his wings. The one thing the Scriptures have in common is that they tell us not to fear. This is a common teaching in the Bible, found at least 365 times in the Scriptures, because we have a natural tendency to be afraid and need to be reminded every day to be brave, or at the very least calm.

But how can we be calm when the whole world is going crazy? How can we be brave in the face of constant danger? David writes, “we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,” a line that may sound familiar to Led Zeppelin fans as the basis for the song “Thank You.” The lesson seems to be that in some way, the earth is always collapsing. Mountains are always falling into the sea. The sea is always surging. Arrows are always flying. We can look at all this and be terrified, or we can look at God, who is always awake, always watching over us, always offering refuge and strength and help.

Let’s look at each of these three things in turn.

First, refuge. Last summer I made a rookie mistake; my friends on the South Shore invited me to dinner at 6:30 on a Friday night. I left half an hour early because I knew there would be traffic, but I didn’t know how much traffic. In fact, that night there were not only one, but two accidents, road closures, detours and a car fire between here and there. A car was stuck on the railroad tracks because the cars in front of him couldn’t move and after some frantic yelling he got off the tracks just in time. It took me two hours and ten minutes to drive 16 miles. And of course I was very late. I was getting more and more anxious and frazzled; I just needed to get there. My friends were calm when I arrived; they had been watching the traffic on their phones and had ordered appetizers. And just seeing them felt like refuge.

Our minds are often our own worst enemies. We start thinking something and we can’t stop dwelling on it. We exaggerate the problem in our mind and can find no way out. We need to get to a safe place: to our homes, to a friend, to church, to God, and as soon as we arrive a load falls off our backs, because we know that in that place, the danger has already subsided. For a refugee, it’s the moment they cross over the border; they are still fearful, they are still anxious, they are still hungry, but they know the literal war, the soldiers and guns and bombs, can’t follow them there.

Now let’s talk about help. When I arrived at the restaurant, of course I needed to talk about my experience on the road. And my friends were there to listen, but they also said, “here, have some of the appetizers and let’s get you something to drink.” And that’s when the real help began. In the same way, first God will say, “You’re safe.” Then God will listen. And then God will help, whether through feedback or advice or encouragement. Sometimes God will open our eyes to see something that was there all along, or suggest a way of looking at things that we’ve never considered.

And finally, strength. I left the restaurant feeling much stronger than I did when I arrived, but also much stronger than I’d felt when I’d left the house, even before all the traffic. Simply put, it’s always nice to spend time with friends. They are a source of strength. And if friends are a source of strength, how much more can God be a source of strength? God offers a level of strength that even the best friends can’t provide, because God has seen the future and has come to the conclusion that we should not be afraid, even if the arrows fly and the ocean surges and the mountains fall, even if the stock market collapses and A.I. takes over and California falls into the heart of the sea. God says, “Yes, I can see why you would think all of these things are scary, but I’m bigger than all that, and I am with you ’til the end.”

This week I was leaving volleyball in Patchogue when I looked across the street and saw that someone had already put up their Christmas lights. I asked the person next to me, “Too early for Christmas?” and he said, “God, yes.” But when I got in my car and drove closer I saw what I hadn’t before; the house next door was decked out for Halloween. Then I rethought the whole thing. If the world seems like a big bunch of flashing lights and displays telling you to be afraid, why not counter that with a reminder that God’s light in shining in the darkness as well?

Closing Song: Eliza Gilkyson, “Safety Zone:”