Everyday Saints

Last Sunday was All Saints Day, a feast day in the church to commemorate all the saints, those whose lives have touched us, those whose life of faith has had a significant effect on many, and the everyday, ordinary saints whose living faith is witness to the sanctification of the whole people of God.  During the litany prayer of the saints, these tea lights were lit and placed as an offering on the communion table, but even as the litany was read, and even added to during the prayer, the reality is it is impossible to actually lift up each any every person who should be lifted up during such a reading.

There are so many saints in the entirety of the whole people of God, each person brings the light of divine witness to the world. These candles can only be a small representation of specific circumstances of saints, and you have more people in your life that you lift up even casually as saints. In fact, "You're a saint" is a vernacular phrase we all use when we witness another either doing something nice for us or we observe them taking a particular action in support of another person. We might laugh a bit as we say it either to the person or in relating the story to yet another person. For example, "My neighbor is such a saint. Did you know they mowed my lawn the other day simply because they were out doing their own?" We will also discount sainthood at times; emphatically declaring, "I'm not perfect, and I never wanted to be a candidate for sainthood!" if someone tells us what a wonderful thing we have done, how we have persevered through a trial. 

We have a confusing relationship with the word "saint", often believing instinctively that it is a word reserved for someone who has died, often as a martyr, or someone who is associated with "miracles", whatever those might be defined as, cosmically. The truth is, the whole people of God, as flawed and as imperfect and selfish and angry as we are, we are all the sanctified people of God. We are not wrong when we say our neighbor is a saint, no justification needed. We are not wrong to feel unworthy of being a saint, but that is God's grace sanctifying us in all our flaws and issues. 

You are a saint, just because God said so, and I give thanks for you.

I love you all

~Pastor Andrea Joy Holroyd