A young man once came to a
great rabbi and asked him to make him a rabbi.
It was winter time and a
rabbi stood at the window looking out upon the yard while the rabbinical
candidate was giving a glowing account of his piety and learning.
The young man said,
"You see, Rabbi, I always go dressed in spotless white like the sages of
old. I never drink any alcoholic beverages; only water ever passes my lips.
Also, I perform austerities. I have sharp-edged nails inside my shoes to
mortify me. Even in the coldest weather, I lie naked in the snow to torment my
flesh. Also daily, the shammes [a synagogue sexton] gives me forty
lashes on my bare back to complete my perpetual penance."
And as the young man
spoke, a white horse was led into the yard and to the water trough. It drank,
and then it rolled in the snow, as horses sometimes do.
"Just look!"
cried the rabbi. "That animal, too, is dressed in white. It also drinks
nothing but water, has nails in its shoes and rolls naked in the snow. Also,
rest assured, it gets its daily ration of forty lashes on the rump from its
master. Now, I ask you, is it a saint, or is it a horse?" (from A
Treasure of Jewish Folklore, page 109)
Today is All Saints’ Day in the Christian calendar - As early as the second century,
Christians gathered for worship at the tombs of the martyrs, celebrating the
power of God’s grace in the lives of these faithful men and women who did more
than roll in the snow and abstain from alcoholic drinks.
From this came the early understanding
that the phrase ‘the Communion of Saints’ referred to the bond between the faithful
on earth and the faithful who had gone before,
especially those who were killed for their faith.
The word itself
‘communion’
suggests a link, between us and the Saints – that link may be that we think of their
lives, the challenges they faced and the terrible treatment they usually got
from a world that was intolerant and unjust.
There are
thousands of churches dedicated to ‘All Saints’ and this church is too, and
this evening is the start of our patronal festival.
In our faith, the
word “saint”
became a title of honour referring to exemplary
lives among the faithful. The
celebration of All Saints as we know it comes later, about the 7th century.
Egbert of York brought the festival to Britain and by the 9th century it had
become a major feast in the church calendar.
Today, we
continue to celebrate Saints…
Of course we
have our very own Welsh saints – generally they have fought dragons, or swam
from Ireland.
Many people
have favourite saints, those who we admire or seem to think would understand
the difficulties we have in our own lives.
Many years ago,
I had a neighbour who was dying, and I did what I could to help, we spent time
talking about her life, and I think she wanted to give me some wisdom. She was Polish, and in her life had
seen some hard times and experienced many upsets.
She told me
that she had favourite saints, those, she imagined, would understand her own
life, and share the journey with her, they brought her great comfort, and as
soon as the valley’s chapel boy got
over his natural reticence about even thinking about Saints, I have too.
When we have challenges,
we need to believe that we can
We all need to
believe that there is someone there to understand what we are going through.
And in the saints there are these two threads that run through them all – they
are both ordinary and extraordinary at the same time. Human and filled with grace, all at the same time.
The Greek word usually
translated saint is hagios. Literally it is an adjective meaning: "holy"
It can refer to "holy things" or "holy people". The word "holy"
means "to set apart".
I frequently paraphrase it
to mean "special".
· Holy Eucharist is a "special" fellowship between God and us and each other.
· The Holy Bible is a "special"
book.
· The Holy Spirit is the "special"
breath or wind from God. God said, "Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy"
means to make that day "special".
· A form of that word is used in the Lord's prayer:
"Hallowed be thy name." That means to make or treat God's name
as holy -- to make it a "special" name.
And today, on this special
day, we remember those who have been ‘set apart’ for God’s work, and pray
that in some small way we can be too.
In
the name of God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen
Prayers
for Sunday and the week ahead
For all the
saints who went before us,
Who have spoken to our hearts and touched us with
your fire,
We praise you,
O God
For all
the saints who live beside us,
Whose weaknesses and strengths are woven into
our own,
We praise you,
O God
Who
challenges us to change the world with them,
We praise you,
O Lord, in
every age you reveal yourself to the childlike and lowly of heart, and from
every race you write names in your book of life, give us the simplicity and
faith of your saints, that loving you above all things, we may be what you
would have us be, and to do what you would have us do. So may we be numbered
with your saints in glory everlasting.
Lord
in your mercy Hear our prayer
Father God, you
have brought us near to the spirits of those who have been made perfect, and to
an innumerable company of angels; grant us during our earthly pilgrimage to
abide in their fellowship, and in the heavenly country to become partakers of
their joy.
Lord
in your mercy Hear our prayer
Lord God, we
thank you for calling us into the company of those who trust in Christ and seek
to obey His will. May your Spirit guide and strengthen us in mission and
service to your world; for we are strangers no longer but pilgrims together on
the way to your Kingdom.
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