All Saints Day Hebrews 12:1-3 Oct 23, 2011

Sermon Oct 23rd Hebrews 12:1-3 n
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

All saints day
Where did it come from- all hallows eve
How we celebrate it - Song – find us faithful

How are you doing with the race of life
7th grade math- mr willins……everyone did well. There was one F I wont mention his name, just his initials…..jeff brinkman
What grade would you give yourself?

The race of life. Living with or without god
Living with god at the center or with self at the center

Lay aside sin….every weight
Like a robe on a runner
Weight- any inordinate love of a person or thing

Run with patience- there is much to see, much to encounter
Run with perseverance- the race is long
Raise a child, hold a job
Stay the course
Speed less important than endurance
Eccl 9 – the race is not always to the swift nor the battle to the strong

Saints are not the holy, but the dependable, those who persevere
Not the perfect, but the one who seeks to be better than he is
There is something about such people

Saints provide roots
The tree in Lebanon
The role of significant adults in the lives of a child
Roots do not exist of their own accord- they give life to the tree
Roots sustain you

The saints before us. They have lived and they have died
Some good, some bad
I celebrate my parents
You can learn something from everyone
Others made it….they bear witness
To the power and triumph of faith
They did it, so can we

If their testimony is not enough, we have jesus
Blazed the trail was opposed, hated, persecuted
He despised the railings, he gave them no attention
Jesus motivation was the joy in living… the joy in doing the work of God

All saints day is ultimately a time to consider and give thanks for the investments of others, and to consider the investments that we are making.

The cloud of witnesses influence us
Are we allowing ourselves to be a positive influence
What are we giving our voices to?
Nothing greater than to be used by god to effect positive change
We begin to do this when we see the value of a person

The people that shaped us, see us. Value us. Illustration from Glenda A below

Glenda Accardo shared with me a story that she remembered from the upper room 2005 - In Africa, instead of using "hello" as a greeting, they say to each other, "I see you". It means to see all who came before you, shaped you, influenced your life and formed your thinking, is evident to me this moment when we met.

Over the last several years, I have spent significant time in Africa. There, identity with family, group, culture, or heritage comes before individual identity. There, when a friend greets me by saying"I see you," that "I" means the speaker as a member of a family, culture, and tribe sees me and my family, my tribe, and even my ancestors. I look in your eyes ad see your mother's care, your grandfather's teaching. I see that God has been at work in many ways, through many people and over time, preparing us to greet each other

How does god see people? Respond to people? When we remind ourselves to look at others in this broader way, we can respond to them the way Jesus did.

Who are those who have influenced you
Lets talke a moment to name them. To thank god for them.
And to commit to pursue

All Saints Day Mark 12:28 Nov. 1, 2009

All Saints Day Mark 12:28 Nov. 1, 2009

Today is all saints day
Where did all saints day come from?
Honoring the saints of all time.
Honoring those who have died that we knew and loved
Goes back solidly 1200+ years

Explain the series
Star dates:
10,000 bc
one million years bc www.10000bcmovie.com

why go back 10,000 years - Honoring those who looked up at the sky and honored God
Abraham was not counted for righteousness because he believed in Jesus or because he went to the temple, no Bible, no doctrine, no priests, only the heart of a man seeking after the god who reveals himself in all of creation.

I find to be an amazing picture.. yes the scriptures and the church needful, but it all begins with the heart of a man seeking after God.

Medieval saints, Augustine, Aquinas, St Ignatius, St. Francis, John Wesley, whomever is on your list.

Some feel that the veneration of saints begins to lean towards polytheism

I think we can appreciate the contributions of those who have gone before us that we never knew without worshiping them...
St. Francis...I can love his statue and love his prayer and not get hung up on the rest of it
Prayers of Ignatius of Loyola

Let us give thanks for their lives

Honoring those loved ones whom we have known that have died in our life
My mom, my dad - I miss my Dad. There are so many questions that I want to ask him.
just as we are getting things figured out, he was gone.
He never got to mentor me thru my late 40's or 50's
I miss him

If you have loved ones that you are not sure about their salvation...
don't be too hard on those that you don't think fit the bill.
A vision
I was asking God about someone and I received a bit of paranormal experience, a vision that told me that they were in heaven
Laugh if you like, but I am just saying, don't go so hard on those folks

Give thanks to God for their lives

wondering who the saints are around us
Write down a name or two on you bulletin
Who is an example of the Christian faith...
Tear it off, give it to me....

Asking the question, can I be one?
worried that we will not measure us
I am suggesting to you today that we have made Christianity too hard - too complicated

• You must know all of this
• You must believe all of this
• You must do and not do the following...
• The result is a guilt laden, confused, group of people
• that we cannot carry the load
• so we so not try

Jesus made it very simple...only two things...
Love the Lord
Love your neighbor

Points to this story....

Of the Prodigal Son after he goes off and lives tumultuously and wastefully
There is a wonderful phrase - The line days, "And then he came to himself."
It wasn't something strange or bizarre or coming into some new experience. It was like coming home in the deepest kind of way. You come not to something foreign or some new discovery or special knowledge, but you come to yourself. Jesus made it very simple. Once we strip away all of the human rules and just get down to what we are supposed to do and be.

There is a wonderful phrase - the line says, "And then he came to himself."

it wasn't something strange or bizarre or coming into some new experience. It was like coming home in the deepest kind of way. You come not to something foreign or some new discovery or special knowledge, but you come to yourself.

Jesus made it very simple...only two things...
Love the Lord
Love your neighbor

You see, I think it is possible. Once we strip away all of the human rules and just get down to what we are suppose to do and be.

What is your purpose that in your life there would be only 2 rules...love God, love your neighbor

I think in 20,40 or 100 years, we will be on someones list

Love God, Love your brother and sister. Measure everything by that. and give thanks that Jesus made it this simple.