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All Saints’ Day – November 5^th, 2023 Trinity Lutheran Church, Block, Kansas Rev. Joshua Woelmer Text: Revelation 7:9–17 “Saints in Heaven and on Earth” Theme: Saints are those whom God has made holy by the blood of His Son. Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. We celebrated Halloween recently. It’s a fun time for kids (and adults) to dress up and ask for candy. Some dress up as their favorite athlete, superhero, or princess. They’re a kind of wish fulfillment—we wish we could be like those heroes in games, movies, or stories. Some kids dress up as scary or ghoulish figures like vampires or witches or zombies. I’m not the biggest fan of those, but as long as you stay away from the outright demonic, it’s part of the season. But sometimes kids dress up as what they want to be in the future. Even if it might change later, I appreciate kids dressing up as policemen, farmers, nurses, or other such occupations. I must admit that there’s a picture of me in a photo album dressed up as a pastor, borrowing one of my dad’s collars. This speaks to part of our human nature. First, kids want to be like their parents, and that might include in their work. Our parents are our first superheroes in a way, and even if teenagers might not see it that way any more, they reflect their parents more than they know. But this idea of honoring those who are strong or virtuous or helpful is nothing new. In the medieval Christian church, people would look to saints for example on how to live. They provided examples of holy living. They provided examples of faith. Take for example God promising to Abraham that he should pack up and go to a land that he will show him. That took a lot of faith. Joseph trusted in God’s plans even when he was rotting in an Egyptian prison. Daniel trusted that God would save him from the lions, and so on and so forth. Peter had his great confession of who Jesus is. This is one reason to read the Bible: to learn examples from those in Scripture. We should also remember that we can learn from their failures too. They were flawed people who failed and sinned. David defeated Goliath, but he also took Uriah’s wife. Solomon became the wisest, riches man alive, but then he added the idols of his pagan wives later in life. Right after his great confession, Peter followed it up by saying that Jesus shouldn’t suffer and die. In all of this, every believer in the Bible gives you a different aspect of humanity and is someone to learn from. Even more than this, when they are at their best, they are pointing you to Jesus. When David defeats Goliath, you should see in that story a picture of Jesus defeating your greatest enemies of sin, death, and the devil. When Isaac is willing to die on the altar that his father has built, he trusts in God’s promises that he will live again one day, foreshadowing Jesus’s willingness to die. These biblical figures can teach you a lot about yourself, but they also teach you about Jesus. It’s good for us to consider this about the saints. So, November 1^st became a day to honor all the saints, for all the reasons I’ve listed. Over time, though, this list got expanded past the biblical saints into saints of the early church. There were men and women who died martyrs’ deaths or who contributed much to the church, and the church wanted to honor them too. Maybe it was fine for a time, but then it got to be too much. People started praying to them. Shrines and medallions and statues were made of them. There’s a whole process by which someone becomes a saint—that’s called beatification. For example, the Pope requires miracles to be done by the individual before or after their death before they can become a saint. It’s a mess. Our Lutheran response is a good one: saints are those whom God has forgiven and made holy. This includes all those who have died in the faith. They are with Jesus now in heaven. Today is a day when we remember them and their faith. It might be a father, mother, brother, sister, spouse, or child. It’s good to remember them—their personality, their sense of humor, what they did for you, and so forth. Maybe they too impacted your faith and are the reason why you’re here. But guess what? We see a picture of them in our text from Revelation 7. They are part of that “great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands” (9). They are worshiping God and the Lamb. They are in a better place. We should note a number of things about this Revelation passage. First of all, it’s beautiful, isn’t it? The promises at the end are refreshing. The worship is grand. There’s a picture of this multitude in white clothing. That clothing has been washed in the blood of the Lamb. That seems strange, right? Blood stains clothing. It's hard to get out of clothing. No one washes in blood. Unless it’s Jesus’s blood that “cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). This is the key to understanding our place in this whole picture. We too have been washed in the blood of the Lamb. God has placed on us a robe of righteousness. He did this in our Baptism. He forgives all our sins, and we stand before Him today in white robes. Imagine you can see God sitting on the altar today. What is He seeing when he looks out at you? Does he see you in nice clothes or a dress? Sure, I guess. Does he see you covered in the dirt of sin? No. When he sees you, he sees people who have been won for Him by His son. You, then, are saints. You do not need to be beatified by the Pope to be a saint. “Saint” means “holy one.” God has declared you holy through his Son. So in this picture from Revelation, you see your future. There will be worship in heaven after we die. We will be gathered with all our loved ones who have gone before us in the faith. We will also be gathered with all the saints of the Scriptures, those whose stories we have been reading and learning from. Imagine that! You will get to see David, and Abraham, and Peter. Their sins will be remembered no longer, nor will yours. But what will be remembered is how they pointed the church to Jesus. In the midst of that Revelation gathering is Jesus. He is the Lamb, as John the Baptist cried out, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). We owe our whole existence and worship and thanksgiving to Him. Without Him, we would have nothing. So come, let us continue this worship in which we join with all the heavenly hosts in praising Jesus Christ our Lord for what he does for us. Now may the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Amen. Return to Top \| Return to Sermons \| Home \| Email Church Office

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All Saints’ Day – November 5^th, 2023

Trinity Lutheran Church, Block, Kansas

Rev. Joshua Woelmer

Text: Revelation 7:9–17

“Saints in Heaven and on Earth”

Theme: Saints are those whom God has made holy by the blood of His Son.

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

We celebrated Halloween recently. It’s a fun time for kids (and adults) to dress up and ask for candy. Some dress up as their favorite athlete, superhero, or princess. They’re a kind of wish fulfillment—we wish we could be like those heroes in games, movies, or stories. Some kids dress up as scary or ghoulish figures like vampires or witches or zombies. I’m not the biggest fan of those, but as long as you stay away from the outright demonic, it’s part of the season. But sometimes kids dress up as what they want to be in the future. Even if it might change later, I appreciate kids dressing up as policemen, farmers, nurses, or other such occupations. I must admit that there’s a picture of me in a photo album dressed up as a pastor, borrowing one of my dad’s collars.

This speaks to part of our human nature. First, kids want to be like their parents, and that might include in their work. Our parents are our first superheroes in a way, and even if teenagers might not see it that way any more, they reflect their parents more than they know.

But this idea of honoring those who are strong or virtuous or helpful is nothing new. In the medieval Christian church, people would look to saints for example on how to live. They provided examples of holy living. They provided examples of faith.

Take for example God promising to Abraham that he should pack up and go to a land that he will show him. That took a lot of faith. Joseph trusted in God’s plans even when he was rotting in an Egyptian prison. Daniel trusted that God would save him from the lions, and so on and so forth. Peter had his great confession of who Jesus is. This is one reason to read the Bible: to learn examples from those in Scripture.

We should also remember that we can learn from their failures too. They were flawed people who failed and sinned. David defeated Goliath, but he also took Uriah’s wife. Solomon became the wisest, riches man alive, but then he added the idols of his pagan wives later in life. Right after his great confession, Peter followed it up by saying that Jesus shouldn’t suffer and die.

In all of this, every believer in the Bible gives you a different aspect of humanity and is someone to learn from. Even more than this, when they are at their best, they are pointing you to Jesus. When David defeats Goliath, you should see in that story a picture of Jesus defeating your greatest enemies of sin, death, and the devil. When Isaac is willing to die on the altar that his father has built, he trusts in God’s promises that he will live again one day, foreshadowing Jesus’s willingness to die. These biblical figures can teach you a lot about yourself, but they also teach you about Jesus. It’s good for us to consider this about the saints.

So, November 1^st became a day to honor all the saints, for all the reasons I’ve listed. Over time, though, this list got expanded past the biblical saints into saints of the early church. There were men and women who died martyrs’ deaths or who contributed much to the church, and the church wanted to honor them too. Maybe it was fine for a time, but then it got to be too much.

People started praying to them. Shrines and medallions and statues were made of them. There’s a whole process by which someone becomes a saint—that’s called beatification. For example, the Pope requires miracles to be done by the individual before or after their death before they can become a saint. It’s a mess.

Our Lutheran response is a good one: saints are those whom God has forgiven and made holy. This includes all those who have died in the faith. They are with Jesus now in heaven. Today is a day when we remember them and their faith. It might be a father, mother, brother, sister, spouse, or child. It’s good to remember them—their personality, their sense of humor, what they did for you, and so forth. Maybe they too impacted your faith and are the reason why you’re here.

But guess what? We see a picture of them in our text from Revelation 7. They are part of that “great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands” (9). They are worshiping God and the Lamb. They are in a better place.

We should note a number of things about this Revelation passage. First of all, it’s beautiful, isn’t it? The promises at the end are refreshing. The worship is grand. There’s a picture of this multitude in white clothing. That clothing has been washed in the blood of the Lamb. That seems strange, right? Blood stains clothing. It's hard to get out of clothing. No one washes in blood. Unless it’s Jesus’s blood that “cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).

This is the key to understanding our place in this whole picture. We too have been washed in the blood of the Lamb. God has placed on us a robe of righteousness. He did this in our Baptism. He forgives all our sins, and we stand before Him today in white robes. Imagine you can see God sitting on the altar today. What is He seeing when he looks out at you? Does he see you in nice clothes or a dress? Sure, I guess. Does he see you covered in the dirt of sin? No. When he sees you, he sees people who have been won for Him by His son.

You, then, are saints. You do not need to be beatified by the Pope to be a saint. “Saint” means “holy one.” God has declared you holy through his Son.

So in this picture from Revelation, you see your future. There will be worship in heaven after we die. We will be gathered with all our loved ones who have gone before us in the faith. We will also be gathered with all the saints of the Scriptures, those whose stories we have been reading and learning from.

Imagine that! You will get to see David, and Abraham, and Peter. Their sins will be remembered no longer, nor will yours. But what will be remembered is how they pointed the church to Jesus.

In the midst of that Revelation gathering is Jesus. He is the Lamb, as John the Baptist cried out, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). We owe our whole existence and worship and thanksgiving to Him. Without Him, we would have nothing. So come, let us continue this worship in which we join with all the heavenly hosts in praising Jesus Christ our Lord for what he does for us.

Now may the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Amen.

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