Title: Remembering The Saints

Date: 2008-10-26

Reference: Eph. 2: 19-22

A successful businessman, the head of a large corporation, has pictures of 26 men and women prominently displayed on what he calls his “wall of gratitude.” Each of these persons are “Joe The Plumber” types. Ordinary, hardworking, faithful, dedicated folks who had a strong impact on his life. He says their influence helped shape his beliefs, his values, and his choices over the years. They were mentors who played an important part in his life. Among those pictured are former SS teachers, Scout Masters, Public School Teachers, neighbors, and friends who helped him along the way.

Each of us has our own wall of gratitude as we remember those important persons who have been involved in our lives and are still involved in our lives. Some of the saints are still living and some are now with God in heaven. Today we remember their efforts and honor their lives. We thank God they were a part of our lives.

There are Saints living among us. By saints I don’t mean perfect people, but brothers and sisters in Christ who live, work, play, and serve among us. People whose lives and ministries we appreciate very much. People who make life easier for us, who make our journey through life more enjoyable. If those persons are still living, it is important for us to thank them and let them know how much they have meant to us. They may not know. Life is so uncertain. If we don’t take the chance to thank them we may miss the chance forever.

We also remember with deep gratitude those saints who are now living in heaven with God. As we look back, we are grateful for the investment they made in our lives. We know the only way to pay them back, to pay the debt we owe is to become involved in the lives of others around us.

I had two persons on my wall of gratitude pass and go to be with God this year. The deaths of these two persons did not make the news, but I would not be who I am today had they not lived and loved and cared for me. The first was Clara McCoy. She worked for 25 years at The Iliff School of Theology where I was a student for a time. She cooked meals for the seminary, cleaned the buildings, and was in charge of housekeeping. I met Clair when the financial aide office sent me over to apply for a job. I worked with her three years and she was like a second mother to me. She listened to my woes, nursed my wounds, fed me meals when the budget was tight. There were times when I was ready to walk away from the dream of being a minister and she would not hear of it. Whatever success I have enjoyed is in part because of this Saint who invested her life in mine.

The second was George Hall who was one of our DeMolay Sponsors. DeMolay is a Masonic Youth Organization. Mr. Hall was there each week to mentor many of us who didn’t have a positive male role model in the home. He was a Police Sgt. With his own family, but he took time for us. Mr. Hall’s son David was two years older than I was. I looked up to him as well. David died two weeks after graduation from high school after losing his battle with leukemia. This was the first experience of death I had. All of us just assumed that after David passed Mr. Hall would not come around any more. He did. For many years. We became the sons he did not have and he became the father we did not have.

Both of these Saints went to be with God in the last few months. Someone has said: “Some people come into our lives and quickly go. But others stay a while and leave footprints on 0ur heart, and we are never ever the same.” Today we remember them.

Years ago a criminologist came up with what he called “the exchange principle.” He said: “a person passing through a space, a room for instance, will unknowingly deposit something there and take something away. This was an early DNA study. In the same way, every person passing through this life will unknowingly leave something and take something away. Most of this life exchange cannot be seen, heard, or numbered. It doesn’t show up in a census. But nothing counts without it.

We are who we are, in part, because of the influence of the Saints who shared in our lives. All life is sacred and should not be allowed to perish. True the body will return to dust from whence it came. But the remembrance of life should continue. We are not dead until we are forgotten. And so we remember. As long as we live they will live for they are not part of us. And we remember them.

Saints through the ages have understood how we develop an inner joy through service, investing our lives in something or someone who will outlive us. Jesus said: “You must lose life to save life.” (Mark 8:35) The Apostle Paul said we should serve wholeheartedly as if we were serving God and not human beings. He said the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does. (Eph. 6:7-8)

The happiest people I know are those who are busy serving others. Joy comes as we get the focus off of ourselves and concentrate on helping others.

Imagine the scene in heaven some day when someone you helped comes up and says: “I just want to thank you for caring and for taking the time. I am here today because you cared enough to tell me about Jesus and to show me God’s love.” Christianity runs counter to what our culture teaches. Culture says: “Live for yourself and forget about others.” Our faith teaches us to be grateful for life, investing in the lives of others around us. The very best way to thank a saint for his or her involvement in our life is to make an eternal investment in the life of another person who needs our help.

Over the years I’ve had people thank me for my efforts in ministry. Last week I received two beautiful cards signed by persons who were here on Wed. Night. I enjoyed reading all the nice notes and appreciated the thought so much. I believe most of the life changing things we do are insignificant acts of kindness we soon forget. A small act of kindness will have eternal significance. Helen Keller once said: “When I was young I wanted to do great things and could not. So I decided to do small things in a great way.” She urged people never to be too big to do something small.

The question for each of us is what kind of legacy will we leave behind when we die? What will be the message of our life? Legacy is more than a long life. God made an eternal investment in each of our lives. God expects us to reinvest in the lives of others around us. Our legacy is our life, influence, and testimony. A question we have all had is: “How will I be remembered when I am no longer living?” A Christian will want to be remembered as a saint who made a difference with the gift of life.

Many of those persons we remember are no longer living among us. I’ve had the privilege, over the years, to be with people in that sacred transitional period when physical life transforms into spiritual life. On occasion a dying person will call the name of a longed one long since deceased. It’s as if a saint from another world is coming to help the person make the transition from life to eternal life. Recently I visited with a woman who said: “I’ve outlived everyone. I’ve outlived my family and friends. I’ve even outlived my enemies. I know more dead people than living people” That may seem a hopeless thing to say. It really wasn’t. She was simply saying: “They have all preceded me into heaven. The Saints are waiting for me in heaven. This celebration reminds us they are not lost to us. They live on, not only in memory but in the Kingdom of God. And someday we will be with them again.

The Bible teaches us we are pilgrims just passing through this world. And along the road God gives us jobs to do. Being faithful to that is the key to walking in Jesus’ steps. As pilgrims, we may live a few moments or many years. We might live with all our body parts working or we may live in pain and malfunctioning. Life doesn’t belong to us, life is loaned to us by a living, caring God. Our god is alive and present with us in life and in death. Life is a loan.

We try to find purpose in the journey. Tony Dungy puts it this way: “It’s all about the journey, yours and mine. And the lives we can touch and the legacy we leave and the world we can change for the better.”

Our lives are what they are because so many of the Saints have invested in our lives. They invested not wanting recognition or payment. They wanted to help us become all we were capable of becoming. We would not have made it without them. And today we remember the Saints. We know the best way to thank them is by investing our lives as they did.

Our birth made us mortal. Our death will make us immortal as we go to be with the Saints of old. Again the question is: “What kind of legacy will we leave behind? What will be the message of our life?