Professor Robert Paul and his family had just returned to Hartford Seminary from a trip to the Rocky Mountains. As a doctoral student in church history studying with him I had always been stimulated by his lectures and seminars. Now, I was anxious to talk with him and with his gracious and perceptive wife, Eunice, to get their impressions of the trip.
Paul, a native of England, was ecstatic about the natural beauty of America, but he also was appalled by the lack of appreciation for what he called “a sense of being rooted in history.” Most American Christians live in the present, and long for the future, he contended, but they have little recollection of the past. In his own England he was constantly reminded of the past with its plethora of Medieval churches and cathedrals, ancient Roman ruins and other historical architecture.
After receiving his doctorate from Oxford University Paul served for a number of years as a minister of a Congregational Church in Leatherhead. Later, he became Associate Director of the Bossey Institute in Geneva, Switzerland. Still later, he pursued a distinguished teaching and writing career in church history at Hartford, Pittsburgh and Austin seminaries.
I am profoundly indebted to this extraordinary human being who deepened my love of church history. He made the English and New England Puritans (his specialty) come alive. Furthermore, he expanded my vision of the world-wide church in our own time.
How do you observe life today? Like many American Christians do you tend to live in the present and future tenses and tend to neglect the past tense? Do you think something really old means a pop tune from the 1960s? Would you side with Henry Ford who is alleged to have said: “History is bunk”?
If you answer “Yes” to the above questions, then today’s theme on All Saints’ Sunday in the church calendar may be just right for you. This special day in the liturgical cycle is designed to give us historical perspective, to help us remember unique persons who have lived in earlier days but who can and do still influence our own lives in the present.
Our Old Testament passage centers on a dream of Daniel during the reign of Belshazzar, king of Babylon. In the night vision Daniel saw four distinctly different kinds of beasts coming out of the sea. He was alarmed by his strange vision and sought interpretation. He was told that the four beasts symbolized four oppressive kings who would threaten the faithful. Daniel was not to fear, however: “… the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom for ever, for ever and ever (7:18).”
The saints or faithful ones are given a promise that eventually they will overcome. At any given moment the verdict might not be clear; in fact, quite often it seems that the powers of evil are so potent that they will never be defeated. But, daily observation of events is only a limited perspective. The whole of history is needed in order to correctly view difficult times. The saints’ kingdom is not a transient one but one which is everlasting. Those people who are committed to the Most High will ultimately overcome.
Now, what do the saints of the Most High have to do with us today as we pursue our own journey of faith?
The Saints Give Us Examples
First, our journey of faith is enriched because the saints give us examples.
The magic of the Olympic Games provides an analogy to help us understand the example of the saints. If we have not actually been present at the Olympics, we probably have seen the spectacle via television. What is it about the opening ceremonies that excites us so much? The huge stadium, frequently seating 100,000 or more people? The stirring entrance of the athletes representing the nations of the world? The music, the speeches, the drama?
For me, the high point of the pageantry is when a runner enters the stadium carrying a torch that has been transported to this particular place from Olympia, Greece, the origin of the Games. Conveyed across national borders, sometimes spawning the oceans, the torch signifies the relationship between the current Olympics and those Games that have gone on before. The runner ascends the steps, lights the flame and the Games officially begin.
The athletes participating in the Games are connected to a glorious past that goes all the way back to the first Games held in Olympia. As they engage in their contests they are keenly aware of what Robert Paul has called “a sense of being rooted in history.”
The New Testament writer in the Letter to the Hebrews seems to have in mind the Olympics or some other significant athletic event when he writes the following words:
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of God. Hebrews 12:1-2
Like Daniel who appealed to the saints of the Most High, to cheer up those who were suffering persecution, the writer to the Hebrews appeals to the “cloud of witnesses” to fortify Christian exiles who faced opposition from the powerful Roman state. They are exhorted to run their own race of faith spurred on by their vital connection with the faithful of the past.
But do we really feel comfortable having the saints looking over our shoulder as we attempt to run our own race of faith? Are not these exemplary women and men in a class by themselves?
Charles Schulz captures our fears in one of his cartoons. Lucy is trying to develop a close relationship with Schroeder, but his idol Beethoven keeps getting in the way. In the first scene Lucy is leaning on the piano while Schroeder plays. She asks: “Schroeder, why is it you like Beethoven better than you like me?” Finally, after some hesitation Schroeder replies: “Beethoven was Beethoven, and you are you.” After thinking for a few moments, Lucy retorts: “That doesn’t even leave room for discussion.”
When we compare ourselves with the saints we may wonder whether there is any room for discussion. Even a casual glance at the Scriptures should allay our fears. The great heroes and heroines of faith were not plaster saints. They were real flesh-and-blood people who made mistakes, and in some instances, they committed shocking sins. Abraham, the father of Israel, when his life was threatened was not above passing off his wife as his sister to protect himself. David, “a man after God’s own heart,” sinned flagrantly and had to be reprimanded by the prophet Nathan.
The reason that these people are examples is not because they point to themselves as paragons of virtue, but rather because they direct our attention to God’s faithfulness. They are singular examples of what God’s grace was able to do in and through them despite their human frailties.
All Saints’ Sunday has special relevance for our young congregation. We know something of the thrill of risk-taking living on the cutting-edge of the church’s frontier.We would not be completely honest, however, if we did not admit that now and then we bemoan our paucity of local traditions. As we listen to the Word of God spoken to us about the saints of the Most High something happens. We begin to realize that even an infant church has roots and is associated with a grand heritage. Was it not our own denomination, part of the larger church, that commissioned and organized us in this mission work? We are not an isolated unit, but we are a new cell in the larger body.
Further, do we not have sisters and brothers of faith in every country in the world? Young and small as we are we are still a part of the universal Christian church.
Still further, are not the saints of all the ages our ancestors, too? May we not claim the following as our own?
Twentieth century witnesses -- Mother Teresa, Alexander Solzhenitsyn, Bishop Tutu, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and Kagawa;
Social reformers -- William Booth, Elizabeth Fry and Walter Rauschenbusch;
Pioneer missionaries -- William Carey, Mary Slessor and David Livingstone;
Puritans -- Thomas Hooker, John Cotton and Thomas Shepard;
Reformers -- Martin Luther, John Calvin, Thomas Cranmer and Menno Simons;
Medieval saints -- Thomas Aquinas and Francis of Assisi;
Church fathers -- Ignatius, Irenaeus and Augustine;
Jesus, the Twelve and Paul; Daniel, the Prophets, Moses and Abraham and Sarah.
These people are our saints, too. They steer us to the faithfulness of God. They lead us away from our own little world and fix our attention on the eternal promises of God.
The Saints Give Us Encouragement
Second, our journey of faith is enriched because the saints do not only give us examples, but they also give us encouragement. On All Saints’ Sunday we rehearse the stories of faithful people in order to be inspired. Because they were overcomers in the midst of adversity, we believe that we also can overcome our own trials in our own time and place. Because they did it, we can do it, too.
Who are the saints who encourage us? We have called to mind stalwart witnesses out of the distant past, but do we not have saints who affect us for good in the recent past, too? Do we have saints as close to us as in our own family history?
I have always been a fond admirer of the actor Jimmy Stewart. Reading an article in the newspaper I learned something about him I had not known before. In an interview Jimmy was telling the reporter about his return to Hollywood after serving as a pilot in the Air Force during World War II. He had a little house in Brentwood, and one day his family came from Pennsylvania to visit him. During the conversation with his family his dad asked him, “Where do you go to church?” Jimmy began to make excuses that he was busy and besides he indicated that the church was too far away. Later in the day, his father said he was going for a walk. In about an hour he returned bringing with him four men.
Jimmy’s father said, “Son, you didn’t look far enough when looking for a church. There’s a church two blocks down the road. It just hasn’t been built yet. These four men are elders of the church. I told them that you’d be glad to help the church get started.”1
And Jimmy Stewart did help them. The church became his own, and later the church took on special meaning for him when he and his wife were married there.
His father had eyes to see something that the son could not see. He knew there must be a church nearby, and his faith led to find one, even though the building itself had not yet been constructed for the new congregation. How fortunate are we if we have someone in our family who helps us to see in similar fashion. On the other hand, the saints who encourage us might be total strangers.
A Hallmark Hall of Fame television movie titled My Name is Bill W. tells the story of Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith, the founders of AA, Alcoholics Anonymous. A chance meeting of these two individuals in Akron, Ohio, sparked one of the century’s most amazing renewal groups.
In the last scenes of the movie Bill Wilson, now retired, travels with his wife on their way to a new home to California. They decide to stop in Iowa to attend an AA meeting that happens to meet in the local church. No one recognizes him as the founder of AA, but he is accepted warmly. He introduced himself: “My name is Bill W.” How thrilled he is as he sits back and watches the group in action. They listen to each other, care for each other and all call upon a Higher Power at work in their lives. When Wilson leaves the meeting he has confirmation once again that his idea is working. Within a context of anonymity and confidentiality people are bearing witness and giving hope to one another.
Could a baseball manager be a saint, too? Tommy Lasorda has been called many names, but he probably has never been called “a saint.” Orel Hershiser, a young man with a strong Christian commitment, was having a difficult time during his rookie season as a pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Used primarily as a relief pitcher, he could not seem to pitch effectively. One day, early in the month of May, he was summoned to the manager’s office. He feared what might be coming. More than likely he would get the word that he was being sent back to the minor leagues.
Lasorda came right to the point and reminded him of the mistakes he had made in recent games. Then, moving closer to him, and shouting louder and louder he said to him: “Do you know what your problem is? You are scared to pitch in the big leagues.” The manager went on to say that he thought that Orel had the making of a big league pitcher; in fact, he implied that if he had his stuff he would be in the Hall of Fame today. Lasorda closed the animated conversation by declaring that starting today he was going to give his young pitcher a new name “Bulldog,” and he wanted him to believe that he was the best pitcher in baseball.
Knowing that his manager had faith in him turned things around for Hershiser and he went on to become one of the premier pitchers in major league baseball. He now calls his blunt-speaking manager: “a true motivator, encourager, cheerleader.”2
We all need someone who will help us feel good about ourselves. Fortunately, God has a way of sending that select person to us at the right time.
Ira Progoff through his intensive journal workshops has taught people how to get in touch with their past by using a journal. He makes much of what he calls “stepping stones” -- significant points of movement along the path of life. He explains: “We go back into the past by means of the stepping stones in order to reconnect ourselves with the movement of our personal lifetime, and so that we can move more adequately into our future.”3
We can recover the stepping stones in a variety of ways, but one of the most advantageous ways is to recall specific persons who have influenced our lives at various junctures along the way.
Who are the persons who have intersected your life at a given moment and shifted you in a new direction? A parent? A teacher? A pastor? A coach? An author? A stranger? A friend? An enemy? Who was the person for you?
When you return home after worship today spend a quiet time reviewing your own history and the people who have helped you along your own spiritual journey to this day. Express your gratitude to God for each one of them. If possible, speak to them or write them a letter telling them how much they have meant to you. These are “the saints” of the Most High” who have exceptional meaning for you.
Thank you, Robert Paul, you were right. We all do require “a sense of being rooted in history” if we are to be God’s faithful people. Because of the examples of the saints we are encouraged to make our own witness in the confidence that God’s grace will move in and through our lives, too.