All Saints Day – it is not exactly a holiday that most Protestant churches look forward to. As a matter of fact, I have spent twenty plus years in ministry and have never been approached by an enthusiastic parishioner asking what we were going to do for All Saints Day. No one has ever requested a special service, a candle light vigil, or even a potluck dinner after the service. For most of us, it is little more than the day after Halloween when the kids are hyper and the dentists are gleeful!

Yet, All Saints Day could – and should - be an important part of our Christian year. For it is on this day that we celebrate the great cloud of witnesses whose lives shaped and molded us into the people we have become.  

As I look back on my own life, there have been many such saints who have encouraged, instructed and nurtured me on my journey. Each one of them wrote a memorable story on my heart. In the words of Glenn Ethridge, I am who I am today because of who we were together yesterday.

One such person was Miss Ann. She was the choir director at Quayle Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church in Kansas City. Miss Ann was so small that, at five-years-old, I could actually look straight into her eyes. So, just imagine the challenges she faced in trying to maintain control over the thirty plus Kindergarten through sixth graders who made up the Angel Choir! Not only did the older boys resent having to give up their Saturday mornings to attend choir practice, there was also the matter of wrestling them into those ridiculous white robes with the big blue bows. Even the youngest girls balked at wearing those things! Yet, despite the immensity – and impossibility – of her job, Miss Ann could get us to sing just like the angels we weren’t. How did she do that? She took the time to know each one of us. She took the time to make us feel special and, even when we were the most unlovable, she continued to love us and to remind us of how important – how unique - we really were. She never stopped believing in us even when the best we had to offer was hidden from human eyes.  Through her efforts, Miss Ann taught children like me important lessons of the faith – lessons like the importance of extending and receiving grace. Blessed was she who gave so freely and loved so unconditionally.

Some of you know Frank Dorsey. He is a retired pastor, former District Superintendent and a two-time candidate for Bishop from the South Central Jurisdiction. He was appointed to serve at the Central Avenue United Methodist Church about the time Robert F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Randall David Ketchell were killed. You probably never heard of Randy. He was my oldest brother. As a young girl who had already lost so much, Randy’s death was just the last straw. I was angry at everything and everyone . . .  including God. Frank knew how angry I was and how dangerous that anger could be. Yet, he never told me it was wrong and he   never attempted to take the anger away. What he did, instead, was to show me how to take that anger and turn it into good. He encouraged me to argue with God – to ask all my tough questions – then to wait for the answers. Frank was the one who showed me these words from the prophet Micah:  And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and walk humbly with your God (6:8). Then, through his own example, he taught me about righteous anger. Because of him – because he took time to listen and to care about one very lost and confused child – I learned to call things as they are, then use all that energy to work towards, and to always believe in, that day when justice will roll like a river, (and) justice like a never-failing stream (Amos 5:24). Blessed is he who lives by example and continues to believe in God’s dream.

Christians, look around. Do you know our children and youth? When they were brought forth to receive the water of baptism, you or other Christians in other congregations promised to love them and to nurture them in the Christian faith. So, do you know who they are? Do you know their names and what their favorite foods are? Have you taught them in Sunday school, chaperoned a youth trip, or lifted them up in prayer? When they have become challenging or disruptive, have you told them how much you love them and how important they are to you? Have you listened to their questions, listened to their fears, and rejoiced in their successes? When they look at you, do they see an adult they would emulate – someone they want to be like when they grow up?

And what about all the others God has placed before you – the lonely widow, the stressed parent, the stranger who appears so lonely . . . so sad . . . so worn out? What do they see when they look at you?

I am so grateful for those who walked in front of us and showed us the way. Now the next generation is counting on us to do the same. And, while it is a daunting task, Jesus has told us what we must do to become those who are not only blessed but are blessings to others. 

Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, give him your coat as well. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you (Luke 6:27b-31).

And if you do these things, others will call you blessed.   

To God be the glory.  Amen.