November 3, 2024 Text: Revelation 21:4
Dear Friends in Christ,
Today is All Saints Day. Not a day to remember the big saints in Christian history, they already have special days. Rather, it is a day to remember instead all those who have passed on with the sign of faith whose lives and deaths were mostly ordinary, but who are nonetheless important to us. One congregation I know calls it “Kleenex Day.” They expect to cry. And why not, when we sing “For All The Saints” or remember those who died, it can be emotional. I got a little teary eyed preparing the message, who says I won’t drop a tear or two while delivering this message.
Our text is from the Book of Revelation, and it gives us a spiritual lift. As we celebrate together as the Lord’s Church All Saints Day . . .
“DO WE NEED TO PASS THE TISSUES?”
For the first time ever, I learned that what we observe today is a Totenfest. A Totenfest is a German Church tradition of remembering those who died in the faith. It means, “celebration of the dead.” We read the names of those who died in the past year, we ring the bell, we read Scripture, and sing the hymn. These are all powerful and appropriate. So also weeping is appropriate. Please, pass the tissues. The Church Triumphant is filled with quiet saints, loved and missed by us. There are persons in that crowd that we remember and our eager to see again. They also matter to God. We rejoice why we weep.
Everything the Lord does today is personal. You noted that, didn’t you? The first part of our text, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes.” (v. 4a). That is personal. Life is tough. Disappointments, hurts, pains, conflicts . . . lots of tears. But do you get the point? God is directing all of that. Pointing us, ultimately, to home – HEAVEN. And there – praise God – there He will wipe away all the tears. Indeed, it is the personal touch.
Look at what all of this is saying to us – to you and me – people who spend so much time holding on to this world. He is telling us, this world is passing away. Listen to the last part of verse 4: “Death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” (v. 4b). Isn’t that something? The former things have passed away.
Do you see? Death . . . mourning, as we do over the death of loved ones and friends . . . crying about life and our failures and traumas, crying about the death of our loved ones and friends . . . and pain; aching bodies, broken hearts, broken bones, fearful news from the medical profession, pain.
And look at us. We hang on to this. We love it. We prefer to mourn, cry, suffer. We prefer all of that until we remember why our Jesus came here: to earn for each of us the forgiveness of sin and the hope of eternal life.
For us as Christians every day is Easter. This is what our faith is all about. From the Emmaus disciples: “It is true! The Lord has risen…” (Luke 24:33)
That’s right. Jesus is alive. Jesus lives. Because He lives, we will live forever. We really should be finished with this world. The former things have ended. The dead will rise.
He will raise you as well. That is one of the themes of All Saints Day. Unless the Lord returns first, you will physically die. Jesus died for you to take your sins away. He died your death. Now death cannot have you. You belong to Jesus, who is risen from the dead. In Baptism, He gives you His life. All Saints’ Day is a little preview of your funeral. Your body will rise!
On All Saints’, we mock death and spit in his eye. Christ is risen. We will rise. The risen Christ stops death in its tracks. Our loved ones will be given back to us – alive, healed, and whole. That means my mom. That means your loved ones who are with the Lord and all the saints now safely home in endless day. That means you. We long for the day when the tissues are no longer needed.
Amen.