God’s Grace: All Saints’ Sunday invites us to look way back to the very early days of the Church and to people whose lives are an inspiration for us. It also invites us to remember those whom we love that have gone on through the gates of larger life. It calls us to notice those in our midst who show us a brighter way to live. In some mysterious way we are gathered, now, with all those who have gone before, with those we love who live in different parts of the world, as well as with those in the room with us. From the earliest days, the church has taken this opportunity to celebrate and we are invited to join in the celebration.

This passage from Luke is known as the Sermon on the Plain. As we think about the lives of the saints who came before us—including those who led extraordinary lives of self-sacrificial love—Luke’s Sermon on the Plain reminds us that to be a follower of Jesus is a blessing that may come at a cost. We may lose our wealth, our comforts, and our status. We are told to pray for and love those we may not like: something easier said than done. It’s a reminder that the Kin-dom of God doesn’t prize earthly markers of success, but instead relies on the teachings of the Golden Rule.

What emotions are you scared to bring before God? Why? When and how do you feel most connected to the communion of saints? Why do you think that is?

Prayer For All Saints Sunday: Holy God, giver of blessing to hungry and hated, you overturn tables of privilege and greed. Teach us a new way of being beyond reward, beyond revenge, so that we may do to others as we would have them do to us; through Jesus Christ, who prays for all who crucify him.  Amen.