Image from picquary.com
Tomorrow is All Saint's Day, and most churches will have a memorial or act of remembrance for those who have died since last All Saint's Day. Today is the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation, so Happy Reformation Day to you all! Here is the text for us as we prepare to remember those who have died:
After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands. They cried out in a loud voice, saying,‘Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!’ And all the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshipped God, singing,‘Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God for ever and ever! Amen.' Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, ‘Who are these, robed in white, and where have they come from?’ I said to him, ‘Sir, you are the one that knows.’ Then he said to me, ‘These are they who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. For this reason they are before the throne of God, and worship him day and night within his temple, and the one who is seated on the throne will shelter them. They will hunger no more, and thirst no more; the sun will not strike them, nor any scorching heat; for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of the water of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’ (Revelation 7:9-17)
According to Paul, all who believe and serve the Lord Jesus Christ are saints. This is a different understanding from our Catholic brothers and sisters, who believe that saints are those canonized by their Church and who have met the criteria, including two miracles. We hold to the biblical definition, so if you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, you are a saint! Congratulations! And, get to work!
Most television programs and current movies when addressing death will inevitably have one character who will say, "I don't believe in God." In a current tv show, "The Good Doctor" a boy who resembled the dead brother of the lead character said, "I don't believe in Heaven because then I would be admitting that I believe in God. I don't believe in God because God wouldn't allow death." Thankfully, the plot of that show helped the boy to realize he was dying and he later said he did believe in God and in Heaven. And this is the work we have before us; to share the faith in a God of Life, who does not end His work in our lives when we die. The above passage comes from the hand of one of the disciples, who was allowed to preview Heaven and to write all that he saw. This passage is sometimes read at funerals for it speaks of what John saw: In Heaven there was a great multitude from every nation. That means the Gospel is shared properly will reach every nation. We're almost there from what we know of what missionaries and evangelists have done. It also means that those who have died in the faith are still alive and standing before God's throne and are dressed in white, holding palm branches in their hands, symbols of victories and celebrations (remember Palm Sunday?). They also cry out in a loud voice, "Salvation belong to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb." Salvation is also ours to share: God desires a right relationship with all people (that's salvation) God will remove our sins, make us worthy, and grant to us eternal life. They are sheltered. They no longer hunger nor thirst. Many a bedside I have been at that turned into a death bed, the very ill have said they were thirsty or hungry, but illness would not allow for them to partake of food or water. Now, in Glory, they have both. The sun will not strike them nor will scorching heat. The lamb at the center of the throne is their shepherd and He will guide them to springs of water of life; all tears have been wiped away from their eyes.
Dear *|FNAME|*, you may have a heavy heart as you remember a loved one who has died recently. This is a time for grieving, and we do it with the joy of the promises of God. We will never forget loved ones; our house is always talking about our parents and grandparents, and other loved ones, and we do it with the certainty that they died in the faith and have all of the blessings and benefits promised in the above passage. God's comfort is with us. It is okay to cry and it is good actually for our bodies to cry. But we look forward to the day when God will wipe away even our tears.
PRAYER: Loving God of Life, speak to the broken hearted. Grant to us all, the joy of Your salvation that we may rejoice in the knowledge that Your love and comfort never end. Bless those who believe themselves to be inconsolable. Strengthen them and hold them. I pray a special prayer for *|FNAME|* and whatever is before on this day. And we all pray in the precious and powerful name of Jesus Christ our Lord, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Comfort one another today.
Eradio Valverde
