St. Timothy's Church

All Saints Day

November 2, 2008 (transferred)

Revelation 7.9-17

 

 

In the Name of God: + Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Amen.

 

Good morning!  If you’re like me the extra hours sleep didn’t happen.  I just stayed up later and today feel it!!!

 

I’m going to speak briefly on two topics this morning and as I do it will be clear to you why I’m doing that. . . . so please bear with me.  I won’t be long on either topic.

 

First of all, each time I pass the pictures of the past Rectors hanging outside the south entrance I’m reminded of generations that have gone before me and the trust I have to carry their work faith and labor forward.

 

I am the son of generations of men whose roots go back to Southwest Virginia and from their Ireland.

 

I am in the line of generations of Christians – mostly Anabaptists – who have lived and died and have placed their trust in Jesus Christ.

 

I am baptized – just as many of us are – and we are in the line of generations before us who have been given the gift of faith and have entered into the waters of new life with Jesus.

 

I am along with you among those who believe in the heavenly host; who venerate and honor those Saints of old, great and small, who have gone before us.

 

I am a man; a husband; a father; a son; I am a sinner; saved by grace; given the effectual gift of faith; baptized; forgiven and made new - one who rejoices with the host of heaven each time.

 

I have my place, as you do, in a continuing line of any number of “family like trees” with some who have gone before me and some who will come after me.

 

The place I play in the scheme of things is insignificant in one respect and vital in another.

 

On the one hand I am just one of billions who have lived before me; compared to many of them I am unworthy of mention.

 

Yet as I lay being knit by God in my mother’s womb, God knew by name and set me apart for His good purpose. . . . to Him I am significant.

 

I am more aware as I grow older how those who have come before me affect our lives.

 

Whether it’s a scientist whose work has eradicated a once deadly disease that no longer has much effect on the world scene;

 

I suspect all of us here can be thankful that Jonas Saulk did the work that he did but at the time as we received the shot or ate the sugar cube with polio vaccine on it – just didn’t give it much thought.

 

The teacher who pressed us hard to get the very best out of us;

 

I think of Mr. Baker and Mr. Cheng both gone now but in their day were great teachers.

 

The parent who would not give up on us;

 

The farmer who risks all each growing season;

 

The citizen soldier who has fought to give us liberty.

 

I am aware of the host of heaven who went before each of us; whose faith was built upon “the rock” of Christ. 

 

Some gave their lives as martyrs; some died of old age; some of disease . . . . they all were imperfect as sinners but perfect through Christ.

 

All guilty of their sins and through God’s Grace all found innocent through Christ;

 

All had foibles – personality flaws – lapses of faith to one degree or another – all were tried – all tested - some were difficult to get along with – some saw visions; others walled themselves away; some fled to the deserts; some lived in the city and others everywhere in-between.

 

The make up of the host we celebrate today is as varied as the color spectrum itself; its filled with men, women, boys and girls from every language, people, color, background one can imagine; These are the beloved whose God has called them Home and who will one days raise their mortal bodies to immortality.

 

This is also the host who encourages us on today –

 

I have no idea if they can “see” us in the sense we use the word, but there is some sense that this host is in a place, this place is with God, and there is joy when a sinner comes to Christ. 

 

How they know that I don’t know – but they do.

 

We remember the saints of old this day: the great, the ordinary, they all are together with the Lord awaiting His trumpet call –

 

Let me describe the scene once again.

 

9After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. 10And they cried out in a loud voice: "Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb." 11All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12saying: "Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!" 13Then one of the elders asked me, "These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?" 14I answered, "Sir, you know." And he said, "These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15Therefore, "they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them. 16Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. 17For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."

 

Amen.

 

NOW what I’m about to do is awkward but I’m in fact not done but at a point of transition – I’m making a topical shift.

 

 

 

In selecting men for office, let principle be your guide. Regard not the particular sect or denomination of the candidate — look to his character....

Noah Webster, Letters to a Young Gentleman Commencing His Education, 1789

 

An unlimited power to tax involves, necessarily, a power to destroy; because there is a limit beyond which no institution and no property can bear taxation.

John Marshall, McCullough v. Maryland, 1819

 

The public cannot be too curious concerning the characters of public men.

A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government.  It can only exist until the people discover they can vote themselves re-distributed wealth out of the public treasury.  From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidate promising the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy – to be followed by a dictatorship.  The average age of the world's greatest civilizations from the beginning of history has been about 200 years. During those 200 years, these nations always progressed through the following sequence:

From bondage to spiritual faith; From spiritual faith to great courage; From courage to liberty; From liberty to abundance; From abundance to complacency; From complacency to apathy; From apathy to dependence; From dependence back into bondage.

 

Alexander Fraser Tytler, Lord Woodhouselee, d. 1813, Scottish-born British lawyer and writer.

 

Throughout America today two things are happening: many pastors are preaching homilies around All Saints Day.

 

Secondly, many are making their elders, boards, and vestries nervous because their bringing up the topic of Tuesdays election. . . . and their worried about what the pastor may say: how far will he or she go?

 

In a few churches the rhetoric will get loud and downright nasty.  The point being to get the crowd fired up and restless.

 

In others it may be greatly subdued – almost like a meditation.

 

Each minister will make an effort to prick the moral conscience of their members to elect God’s man – it’s just that the definition of what that means will vary and sound different.

 

I have just given a brief homily regarding All Saints Day – and I pray those blessed saints be remembered for the precious faith they had and demonstrate even now before the throne of the Lord.

 

And now we turn our thoughts to earth because on Tuesday we will witness an historic event: either the first African American will be elected President of the USA or the first woman will be elected Vice-President.

 

Our president and vice-president will either be John McCain and Sarah Palin or Barak Obama and Joe Biden.

 

So let me say this briefly to you as your pastor and fellow citizen – as one who lives among you and cares for you and this nation: Take to heart the quotes just read and ponder them over the next day.

 

Speak to your friends, neighbors, children, co-workers, and more about them.  Impress upon them the seriousness of this election.

 

Pray over this single word: Character.

 

Character – Character – Character!  Is what counts. 

 

The saints of old were women and men of character.  They may have started out a rouges and persecutors but through faith, through the power of God to change them – Godly character emerged and was at the forefront of their lives.

 

Church planting consultants have found over the years that the number one quality of a church planter must be that of a person of good character. 

 

It wasn’t his ability to speak; it wasn’t how good looking he was; it was youth; it wasn’t education – it was character.

 

Character in any leader is vital.  Men of poor character are poor leaders.

 

Character is what helps a leader make the right decisions; to weather the storm of temptation or the dark days of failure.

 

When the Germans started bombing London the parliament discussed meeting with Hitler and trying to appease him and make a deal so he wouldn’t continue the bombing.  Winston Churchill stood up and said NO NO we shall never quit.

 

He went on to tell the nation and the world that English blood would fill the streets before they would give up!

 

Churchill weathered the storm through his character!

 

We are a nation under God – founded on some basic principles.

 

Our founders saw a limited government; one that got out of the way of religious freedom, the freedom to dream and prosper; the freedom to speak ones mind; to bear arms; to live without fear of the government.

 

Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness was wrapped up in freedom from tyranny, with safe boarders yet a nation whose foundations have always been bolstered by the millions who have legally immigrated to America and joined in this great nation.

 

Listen – our foundation has is roots in the freedom to become all one could be.  This is done through hard work – by taking risks – by dreaming dreams and reaching out for them, with God’s help and guidance.

 

In the long run a public policy backed by laws and the weight of an ever hungry government will destroy the fabric of our nation.

 

My goodness there is no end to entitlements – taxes – which wears down our ability to remain a strong nation and provide a proper national security! 

 

There is already bravado coming from congress that plans to cut deeply into our military; end strategic weapons programs, and appease rogue nations by giving their leaders the ear of the president.

 

Friends - Will we become a nation under government instead of God?  I pray not.

 

Will we become a nation where 2% rules the 98% - with a proletariat and boards and agencies that watch and establish all of ones public and private life?

 

You may have little idea how close we are to establishing a society that has as one person described in Toledo, Ohio a “second bill of rights”. 

 

A second Bill of Rights that will mandate and legislate entitlements, ear-marks and taxation policies that our founders would not recognize as the United States.

 

There is a clear and present danger facing us as a nation –

 

As I said repeatedly last week our nation is at a crossroads.

 

Our next president must be a man of character.  Character to stand up for the foundations that have made this country what it is.

 

Character.  Remember that word.

 

Lord have mercy on us!

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