Isaiah 25:6-9; Revelation 21:1-6a; John 11:32-44

All Saints Day

Today is All Saints Day to honor the witness of faith of those before us and to celebrate the hope in which they lived. Our focus passage is taken from the book of Revelation which many find to be very frightening. But this is unfortunate because it can and should be very comforting.

We are so far removed from the time and history in which it was written that it is difficult to know precisely the references of all the symbols and metaphors John uses to describe his visions many of which are indeed quite scary. But if one focuses only on trying to figure out every detail they can become like the man who couldn't see the forest because of all the trees. And thus end up missing the comfort of John's vision.

We do know that Revelation was written in latter part of the first century A.D. There are clear references to the Roman Empire and Emperors who persecuted Christians.

One was Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus who ruled 54-68 A.D. He had his mother and step-brother executed. He wanted to build a new city of Rome. He instigated a fire to burn down the old city but blamed Christians for starting it. As punishment he made a show of burning Christians alive to light his gardens. According to tradition both Peter and Paul died in Nero's persecution.

Then there was the Emperor Domitian who began to harass Christians living in Asia Minor (modern Turkey) at the end of the century. Asia Minor is the location of the churches to whom the Book of Revelation is addressed.

John writes to Christians then who are already scared of what's going on around them. They are considered to be members of an illegal religion by the Romans and as a result they are being persecuted and made to suffer because of their faith in Jesus. Given this context John's GOAL is to provide hope and encouragement to these early believers not to turn away from Jesus or doubt the promises of God. His visions show that the horrible evils under which many of them were suffering at the time would eventually be destroyed, but those who remained faithful would be blessed to live in a new creation to come, a new heaven and new earth in which God will wipe away every tear. There will be no more death, no more sorrows, no more pain. Everything will be made new. God will dwell directly with all his people.

(And yes, in the new creation Illinois will finally beat Michigan in football!)

John believed the 'new heaven and new earth' would come in or near his own lifetime in history as he writes at the beginning of Revelation: "The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place…"(Rev. 1:1) And again near the end of Revelation, he writes: "These words are trustworthy and true, for the Lord… has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place." (Rev. 22:6)

The new creation didn't happen precisely the way John anticipated. Others have tried to figure out a time line for when the new heaven and earth would come and have been disappointed. But as Jesus warned: "About that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."(MK 13:32)

We know how troubling circumstances can be for us when loved ones die, when a family of 5 is murdered in their home, when loaded airplanes are crashed into tall buildings on purpose, and war is ongoing. As Mary says: "Lord, if you had only been here, my brother Lazarus would not have died." (John 11:32) So we might say: ' Lord, if you had only been here bad things wouldn't happen.'

There is no time in history without difficulty and pain. There's plenty to be scared about. Suffering is ongoing and the existence of evil threatens to lead many away from God and into despair all the time. As for the generation to which John wrote so for us too it is tempting to give up on the world and not care to make it better. But today we celebrate the witness of those who chose a different response, who were steadfast in their faith.

Jesus says 'if we believe, we will see the glory of God." For Martha and Mary that glory was revealed when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and ordered those standing around to "unbind him and let him go." For them sorrow and pain were immediately reversed. But for us we often have to wait and hope. We have to believe and trust that someday our pain, our sorrows, our tears will be reversed too.

Rather than trusting in uncertain time lines we celebrate the victory of those who persevered in their faith and were obedient to Jesus even at great cost to themselves. Even as the world was filled with evil and temptation we honor the Saints who lived in the faith that "the new heaven and new earth" had already begun. Rather than to give in to all the bad news, they devoted themselves to being a positive force for good by passing along the healing and redemptive power of Jesus. They lived in the faith that God was already "making all things new" through Jesus.

The new heaven and earth has a long way to go, but we have come a long way too. Eventually Roman despotism was destroyed while the weak and powerless victims of faith against it still survive. The healing power of Jesus has been passed along and produced the capacity to live longer and healthier lives. Human knowledge and technology have expanded tremendously to enable us to solve many problems today that would have been impossible to do in earlier generations. Children and youth have tremendous opportunities to utilize the gifts and graces which God provides at birth to grow into their full potential as human beings.

That Revelation was written in a difficult time to encourage Christians to hold on to their faith makes it a timeless work and relevant in every age. The world is still just as scary as when John wrote his visions. Yet, we now have 2000 years of testimony about what can happen when believers don't give in to all the bad news, but commit themselves to being that force for good regardless of the cost.

As we receive the sacrament today may we be renewed in hope that stirred the witness of the Saints before us. May we go forth to live for the sake of God's new creation in the faith that it has already begun in Jesus Christ who lived, died and rose again, who lives now and will reign forever.