Sermon by The Very Rev Chris Yaw, 11/5/2023, Matthew 5:1-12
Centering Prayer:
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, May your will be done, Through me.
Bill Gates dies and goes to heaven,
where Saint Peter gives him a nice, modern six-bedroom house with a pretty garden and a tennis court.
Pleased with his lot, Bill quickly settles into the afterlife.
One day he is out walking when he bumps into a man wearing a fine tailored suit.
"That's really nice," says Bill. "Where did you get it?"
"Actually," says the man, "I was given 50 of these, plus two mansions, a yacht, a golf course and four Rolls-Royces."
"Wow, were you a pope or a doctor healing the terminally ill?" asks Bill.
"No, I was the captain of the Titanic."
Bill storms off to see Saint Peter. "How come the captain of a sunken ship gets all that while I, the inventor of the Windows Operating System gets a crummy little house?" he asks.
Saint Peter replies, "The Titanic only crashed once..."
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Today we honor the saints of God ..
... Look at some of the names up here...
And we hear about it in scripture.
We sing about the variety...
One was a doctor, one was a queen, one was a shepherdess on the green
And soon we can conclude that - these were some pretty good people!
But we would be wrong!
Because Sainthood is not about people - it's about God!
These people are famous - for what God did through them - their faithfulness, kindness, generosity, love and care - these are all things God did through them.
That's why:
Sainthood is not a status we earn, it's an identity we claim.
We do not need to work hard and earn our way to heaven,
Eternal life is a gift all of us have been given and have freely accepted!
You are a saint, I am a saint, we are surrounded by saints!
Our sainthood is not in achievement, it is a gift, not a status to achieve, but an identity to be claimed!
That's why the title of today's message is: Living Saints.
We have to live into our sainthood!
What does the world need?
More saints!
People whose lives are squarely aimed at channeling and imitating Jesus Christ!
A people whose mentors are not celebrities and billionaires -
But the humble Carpenter from Nazareth who showed us what real living is all about!
Selflessness, forgiveness, restoration, and reconciliation!
This is the identity we get to claim!
In my pocket I have a winning lottery ticket!
That's right, I matched three numbers, I paid $1 for the ticket, and it's worth $5!
But it does me no good to be in my pocket.
I need to go across the street to the convenience store -
I need to present it to the clerk:
My prize needs to be claimed!
Our Sainthood needs to be claimed!
It's in our pockets - it's in our hearts - it's in our souls!
We need to live into the vision that God has for each one of us!
And the more we claim it, the better life gets!
As the abundance, peace, and joy that Christ exudes, becomes our own.
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Most of the time, my desk at home is messy.
When the mess gets too messy - I clean it.
But most of the time, it's not 100% clean.
This is just how this desk is -
And when I clean it, it is a temporary measure.
Credit card companies have discovered that if a person carries $2,000 in debt with a $3,000 credit limit, they’ll probably have $4,000 in debt if the credit limit gets raised to $5,000.
People who live with drama at work will almost certainly invent new drama (of any scale) if the existing drama fades away.
We organize our lives to maintain the pressures and boundaries we’re used to.
We’d like to pretend we’re just going to bear with it until we get through this urgency, but we’re usually lying to ourselves:
We need to change our habits!
Habits fall into two categories:
Things you want to start doing -
And things you want to stop doing.
Experts tell us that a new habit takes at least thirty uncomfortable days to form.
But one of the joys of being human is that we can change.
There's a book by James Clear called 'Atomic Habits' that can help.
Claiming our sainthood, for most of us, myself included, means immersing myself more fully into prayer and scripture.
It means elevating these two practices to the level Jesus did.
Most of us need to stop doing something -
To start doing something else.
Have you come into church today feeling tired and weary?
Have you come feeling anxious and tense?
Have you come feeling confused and scared?
Living into our sainthood - as people of the Word and Prayer is one proven way to relieve that.
Years ago, I worked as a chaplain at the UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles.
I asked my boss:
'Why, in this age of cutbacks and layoffs in the medical sector, are hospitals still paying chaplains?'
'Easy,' - he said -
'These are smart doctors and accountants who work here -
And they know that prayer and faith helps patients recover faster and better.'
Yes friends, you heard it here first - living into your sainthood is good for your health!
It's good for your family's health -
It's good for the world.
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I recently read an article on Squid Harvesting in the China Sea.
I know, it's something that fascinates all of you...
And on one particular fishing ship, a fisherman picked up a disease called Beri Beri -
It's a lack of Vitamin B1 -
This young fisherman had complained about his working conditions aboard the ship - and was beaten up by the staff.
Uncomfortable being around them, he started taking his meals by himself.
He only ate white rice.
Not long after, he began to exhibit the tell-tale signs of Beri Beri-
Light-headedness, fatigue, and loss of balance that people get.
He also started turning pale -
Turning white - the color of the only thing he was eating - white rice.
He was becoming what he was eating.
You and I become - quite literally - what we eat.
I never drank tea, until I moved to England - where everybody drinks tea.
Guess what state buys the most American cars? (Michigan)
Here's a hint - it's the state that makes the most American cars.
What did the famous composer Beethoven's dad do? Musician
What did NFL star quarterback Peyton Manning's dad do? NFL quarterback
Did you know those most likely to start a new business are children of those whose parents had a small business?
In other words, what's around you will influence you!
Claiming our sainthood means mimicking what saints do - It's what Jesus did!
Watch your surroundings!
Guard what goes into your eyes and ears.
Do your best to surround yourselves with good influences!
What's surrounding you?
Are you making time to put yourself around positive, uplifting, and encouraging voices?
Are you quick to get out of negative situations that can bring you down?
Have you found a way to spend less time with the complainers, and more time with the complementors?
Claiming our sainthood means claiming our surroundings!
Thank God, you're in a good place right now!
You've already got a good start!
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I was in a medical waiting room recently when a news clip came on.
It was right after Halloween -
And it was footage from one of those doorbell cameras -
It showed a big basket of Halloween candy left unattended - along with a sign that said 'One treat per customer, please!'
Then, fast-forward, to a group of adults with their children - about 6 or 7 of them - approach this big basket of treats.
And what do they do?
The adults begin - and they empty that treat basket into their bags!
All of it!
Not 'one per customer' - but dozens of treats each.
And then - the footage showed kid after kid approaching the empty basket -
Then going away sad after seeing it empty.
But what was so touching - was a youngster with a bag of candy who followed -
Seeing the empty basket of treats - he emptied his own bag of candy into that basket!
This is what a saint does!
Part of claiming our sainthood means acting with kindness, generosity, mercy, and forgiveness toward others.
And how much does our world need that today?
This is done in small ways - like replenishing a Halloween basket -
And in big ways - like we are facing in this Holy Land war.
If you are like me, your heart is breaking over this war.
We have Muslim friends -
We have Jewish friends -
Both have valid arguments about this war -
What would Jesus do?
What would a saint do?
Call for peace.
Call to end the violence.
Call for ways to resolve differences that don't end with the death of so many innocent people.
'Blessed are the peacemakers' has never had such gravitas.
Maybe you've got a situation in your life that's tense.
Maybe there's an awkward standoff at work -
At home -
Or inside of you - that is crying out for peace?
We claim our identity when we choose peace -
When we choose to make peace -
What does that look like for you?
Does it mean backing down?
Does it mean apologizing?
Does it mean calling a truce?
Claiming the prize of sainthood asks us to make peace -
For 'Blessed are the peacemakers.'
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I'd like to invite you to do something a bit different now -
Please turn around and look up at the balcony.
I know it looks empty but it's not...
This is where the saints who have gone before us are sitting.
I would like you to envision that.
I would like you to hold that picture in your minds -
As you imagine that this is actually reality -
- that the people we have known and looked up to, are actually not that far away -
But are mysteriously present with us -
And if they're really here - and they're at all like my relatives...
Then they've got an opinion - on how you're living - what you're doing - and what you're deciding!
One of the best ways to honor these saints -
Is to imitate the good things they did.
What did mom, or dad, or cousin, or grandfather do that was particularly exemplary?
Were they particularly loving, kind, selfless, or generous?
Pick one person - pick one attribute!
Use the good work God did through that saint -
To cause us to do likewise!
For they have shown us - how to be a saint!
I believe that the more intentional we get at claiming our sainthood - the better off we will be -
I believe that the more intentional we get at claiming our sainthood - the better off our community will be -
I believe that the more intentional we get at claiming our sainthood - the better off our world will be -
To the glory of God and the joy of humanity!
And if you agree - can I hear you say amen?