[RCL] Revelation 7:9-17; Psalm 34:1-10, 22; 1 John 3:1-3; Matthew 5:1-12 Remember what happened in 2016? No, not that. The Cubs won the World Series. Dr. Thomas G. Long, preaching professor at the Candler School of Theology at Emory University, loves to describe the complexities of Biblical studies and church life through baseball. He puts…

[RCL] Revelation 7:9-17; Psalm 34:1-10, 22; 1 John 3:1-3; Matthew 5:1-12 Today we celebrate the Feast of All Saints, one of the principal feasts in the life of the church. All Saints’ is a day when we recall the enduring beauty of the faithful, both living and departed, and when we profess that, somehow, we…

When we hear Jesus’ beatitudes, what do we think? Maybe, we think, “Wow, these are the most beautiful words I have ever heard.” We may think, “Wow, these are beautiful words, but like so many beautiful words, they’re fanciful, and they can’t really be followed in the real world.” We may think, “Wow, these are…

In North Carolina, there is a parish called the Episcopal Church of the Holy Communion: the Churches of the Frescoes. The parish has two worship spaces: St. Mary’s in West Jefferson, and Holy Trinity in Glendale Springs. The North Carolina artist, Ben Long, painted several frescoes between the two churches depicting an expectant Mary, John…

Another Halloween has come and gone, and how well did we do in making it All Saints’ Eve? What did we notice as the little ones with smiley faces gave cheery “Trick or Treat” greetings? Beyond the joy of giving out candy, how many of us kept track of the costumes the children wore? It…

Today is a day to feast on thanksgivings of memory, to recall people who have gone before us, patriarchs, prophets, and pilgrims, who were disciples in their own times. Some we know by name, others remain known only to God. Even so, as the author of Ecclesiasticus reminds us, “Their posterity will continue for ever,…

On this All Saints Day, when we remember those who have gone before us, we are reminded of how short our time on earth is. We are reminded of the precious nature of that time, and the fact that it is irreversible. We only live it once. John Steinbeck wrote the following in his epic…

Since the fourth century various Eastern Orthodox churches have commemorated a feast of all martyrs: those who have given their lives as a witness to the power of the Gospel in this life. By the sixth century, this commemoration was celebrated in Rome. Later it was celebrated in the British Isles where it was seen…

The Feast of All Saints is here again. The great songs will be sung. We’ll celebrate that wild, mysterious reality of the communion of Saints and talk about saints, little “s” and big “s.” Many of us will sing “I Sing a Song of the Saints of God.” Unfortunately there is something of the English…