All Saint’s Day

 November 1, 2020

Two nearly three hour drives and gathering to say our final earthly goodbyes to mom made for a wonderfully blessed day as we listened to the testimonies of mom’s faithfulness and influence in the lives of so many, but it also left me pretty worn out at the end of the day. Oddly enough, neither my nor our dog’s biological clocks reset with the return to standard time, so 4:45 had us both wide awake. And it had me thinking.

Yesterday’s activities pretty much cancelled Halloween for us. No kids at our door, no cider and donuts for their parents who come in and sit down to talk while their kids play. I didn’t even think much about it being Reformation Day, the 503rd anniversary of Martin Luther’s nailing his 95 Thesis to the door of the Wittenburg church. Lutheran or not, most Protestants trace their lineage back to this great, often crude, man whose courage made him a target of the then-powers that be. He had his flaws, as do we all, but this heretofore unknown monk unwittingly at the time, set in motion events that literally changed the world. We remember his name, but easily forget the names of the powerful elites of the time.

We are two days away from an election pundits are claiming will have disastrous consequences if their candidate loses. “The end of the world” is a battle cry that has been repeatedly shouted from the rooftops since time immemorial, but so far, it hasn’t happened. It’s true that the world as people knew it has often passed away. Empires have risen and fallen, often in surprising collapse and with unspeakable horrors inflicted upon ordinary people. One such collapse in particular, draws my attention in these predawn hours.

Rome was one of the greatest civilizations the world has ever seen. Its civil order, military might, system of public works, literary and artistic excellence made it seem invincible and as they believed, eternal. But it fell to what they called the Barbarians, not because of the latter’s greater military might, but due to its own internal decay. And in those turbulent times, an African Christian wrote a commentary on this mighty empire’s collapse, a work that still stands as one of the greatest Christian treatises of all time: Augustine’s City of God. It is a lengthy work covering many topics, but all a statement of his conviction that though earthly empires rise and fall, the kingdom of God is forever. It is a good reminder on this All-Saint’s Day, when we celebrate the lives of those faithful ones who have gone before us, showing us what faithful living is all about. Mom was one of those to those of us gathered yesterday. She wasn’t a mover or shaker in this world (although she often moved and shook mine as I was growing up), but it is on the foundation and through the lives of so many minor players that God’s greatest work is done. Today I honor her as she spends this first All-Saint’s Day in the majestic Presence of her Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. The things of this world which we so foolishly believe to be so important have shrunk to their proper size in the light of eternity.