All Saint's Day (2024)
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Matthew 5:1-12
Matthew 5:1-12
My Brothers and Sisters in Christ this morning we meditate upon Jesus’ words in the Gospel of Matthew as he begins the sermon on the mount. These are known as the Beatitudes, which means blessed are. For in each one of the beatitudes we are reminded of the great love that God has shown to us in His Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Jesus gives to us a precious promise in the Beatitudes, blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted. This is a good and hopeful reminder this All Saint’s Day.
Mourning
Death is not natural, it’s a punishment.
That is part of why it hurts so much. When God created mankind God didn’t create us for death, but rather that we might live, but He warned Adam and Eve of the great danger of eating of that tree, and they did not listen. So the Scriptures tell us that the wages of sin is death. Death comes in many different forms, cancers, accidents, wars, or through age, and that is how the punishment is handed out to us. It is
It’s not only our sins, but Adam’s.
Adam sold us into slavery, by his sin. This is why death affects us that we are the offspring of Adam and this corruption has been passed down throughout the centuries. Now people say how on earth is this fair? But what gave you the idea that life is fair? This is how it is. Which of your genetics did you choose? It is the same as people born into a country under a ruler, if the ruler does well the people are blessed, if the ruler does poorly they are afflicted.
The world disagrees, but why mourn?
The world will tell us that death is natural, but if it is natural, then why don’t we accept it as natural? Why do fight, what is there to fear in death, it is something we ought to all rationally embrace without a qualm. For if the end of all things then why should we be surprised or grieve or miss one who is gone?
The Struggle With Death
They shouldn’t be gone.
It isn’t how God created us in the beginning, we were created in his image we had received his righteousness, his goodness, and were mean to eat from the tree of life, and yet what happens? We chose death, and broke the image of God, and there is still within mankind those shattered fragments that recognize this world is not as it should be be, this includes our understanding of the Law and what is right and wrong, but especially that the world is supposed to be different, that not only should people be better than they are, but even we ourselves, and this applies even unto death. We weren’t meant to die, but we are all under punishment, but if we can claim that its natural, normal, even part of being human then maybe that can lessen the pain or we can at least feed each other these delusions. But
Death is painful for those left.
It tears the heart out as someone that you expected to be with you is taken away suddenly and without warning, or you watch those who were strong and full of life become shadows and empty shells of who they once were and when you look at pictures of what they once had done, you can’t believe how far they declined before death took them.
Death is painful, it brought God to tears.
When Jesus went to visit his friend Lazarus, Jesus already knew that Lazarus was dead, Jesus knew that He would raise him from the dead, and yet when Mary comes to him, we get the shortest verse in the scriptures that JEsus wept. He wept for a friend that He was about to raise from the dead. If the Son of God is brought to tears, then its ok for us to cry and even mourn. because
Christ Promises Comfort
How often have others words failed.
When people try to say something, anything, when they just want to lift people up a little bit and yet they cannot find the words, and they utter trite phrases, phrases that we utter as well, when we are at a loss as we just want to say something, to confront the awful power of death that doesn’t care who it takes. But
Jesus’ Words aren’t idle words.
Jesus is the Son of God, Jesus is the Word made Flesh, Jesus is the one through whom and for whom all things were made in heaven, and earth, and under the earth, so when Jesus says Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted. These aren’t trivial words, these are the Word of the second person of the Trinity, who knows our grief, and our sorrow and was sent to to fulfill the Law and restore the creation to our creator.
Jesus secured comfort through the resurrection.
He took upon himself all of our sins, that He might bring them all down into the grave, and into hell itself that his words might not just be an empty and pithy phrase as we watch our loved ones pass from life to death. The Son of God Himself, says Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. That’s why we grieve in hope.
Grief with Hope
It isn’t just our spirit, its our body.
Many people misunderstand and think only of a spiritual resurrection, and that our spirits dwell in heaven, but that isn’t how Jesus was raised. Jesus rose from the dead, there was no body left in the tomb. What is a resurrection if we are just spirits? No! Christ rose from the dead, and came back to life.
What was lost will be restored.
Death will not hold us in our graves, but we will raise bodily from the dead, and the power of death will be brought to nothing on that day of Christ’s return. Then what we long for in this life will be restored. To speak with them again, to give them a hug or to have them hug us. This hope is
For whoever believes and is baptized will be saved.
This is the promise that Christ gave to us, and made it incredibly simple so that mankind might be saved and enjoy this gift, and that even if a person finds out at the very end of their life, that they might have salvation given to them. So that we might have hope.
Sharing This Hope
It isn’t for you, but for those still alive.
For when you die then comes the judgment and at that moment whoever belongs to Christ is in Christ’s presence, but you know what it is to mourn, to grieve, and to weep for those that we love. That is why we observe all saint’s day and why we as Christians have had funerals.
Funerals are about that hope.
The world doesn’t know what to do and quite often they have memorials, gatherings where people come together and they focus entirely upon who the person was, and what the person did in this life, and the impact they had in each person’s life. There’s nothing wrong with those times, but there isn’t that hope that is found at a funeral, because at the memorials, they are only reflecting on what was, and what is now gone, and will miss in the years to come, but funerals
They proclaim what Jesus did for you.
This shares the hope of the resurrection with your loved ones. What comfort did we proclaim about Marge, Georgia, and Maggie this past year? They even though they died, they shall live and we we shall see them again in God’s kingdom. So Even though we mourn, we are blessed for we have the comfort of the resurrection that was won for them by Christ.
So my Brothers and Sisters in Christ, let us not mourn as those who are without hope, for we know of the resurrection and the promises that Christ has spoken to His people. So as we observe All Saint’s Day it isn’t just a day of sadness and mourning, but a day on which we remember the great work that Jesus has accomplished for us and secured a place in His everlasting Kingdom. In Jesus name. Amen.
