Sermon for November 2, 2025

Isaiah 25:1, 4,6-10a Praise to the Lord (New International Version)

25 Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done wonderful things, things planned long ago.

You have been a refuge for the poor, a refuge for the needy in their distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat. For the breath of the ruthless is like a storm driving against a wall.

On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine— the best of meats and the finest of wines. On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations; he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove his people’s disgrace from all the earth. The Lord has spoken.
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In that day they will say, “Surely this is our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us. This is the Lord, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.” The hand of the Lord will rest on this mountain.

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     Before I begin, let’s all turn to our bulletins. Look at the two songs we are singing together today. What word is in the title of both songs? Saint! Can anyone tell me what a saint is? There are so many ways to talk about saints! In some churches, when they talk about “saints,” it’s kind of like they are talking about churchy super heroes... people who were devout in their faith, who loved Jesus and their neighbor so much that the church believes they deserve a fancy, special title. These saints can continue to help people, even after they’ve been gone from this earth a long time. St. Michael, St. Catherine, St. Jude, St. Nicholas, and St. Francis Xavier are some of this kind of saint.

     Not all Christians use the word “saint” that specifically, though. There is someone named Carolyn Brown who’s job it was before she retired to develop Sunday School programs. She says that “Saints are people through whom God shines. Each saint shows us a different part of God.”   I read another pastor who said, “A saint is someone who loves and follows Jesus.” And, this doesn’t just have to be people in stories in the Bible or famous people. Every day, regular people who try hard to love God and love their neighbors are saints, too. We might think of saints as people like Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a pastor who fought for civil rights as a saint. Or, Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray, one of the first women ordained to the priesthood in the Episcopal Church and a civil rights lawyer, as saints. But, according to the Bible, the people who are sitting right next to you in the pews can be saints.

     In this room are the saints that break down boxes at the food pantry, and the saints that make brownies for the church fair, and the saints who write cards to people who are sick and the saints who call their congress people and fight for people who don’t have enough food. There are saints here that keep track of my receipts and teach Sunday School and make music and clean up flower beds. The apostle Paul talked about Christians who are “called to belong to Christ” as also being “called to be saints.” We are all, then, called to be saints.

     I’m talking about saints because today we are celebrating a special day in the church year called All Saints Day. This is a day in the church calendar where we remember the saints of the church and give thanks for them. I read someone described the saints as Christians who have come before us and are with us now as “cheering (for us) and encouraging us on” as we develop our relationship with God and neighbor. At a recent gathering of clergy that I went to, I described what it’s like to go rock-climbing at the gym at Colby. When I am there, I have someone called a belayer who is connected to me by a rope. They keep me from falling to the ground if I slip. They also help me figure how to climb higher if I get stuck. Other people who are waiting to climb cheer and help, too. The saints feel like that are doing those things for us while we are maturing in our faith and service.

     Sometimes when we talk about saints, we’re talking especially about people who have taught us about the faith and served with us at church who have also died. I read something by someone named Joe Iovino who said, “From the early days of Christianity, there is a sense that the Church consists of not only all living believers, but also all who have gone before us.” We believe that as Christians, we are all part of one community, not just with those in our church, but with people from all places and times. In book called Hebrews, which is really an ancient Christian sermon, the author tells us we are surrounded by a “great cloud of witnesses” who help us persevere. This means people who have come before us, even when they aren’t alive anymore, are watching over us and encouraging us as we try to be good people and be faithful to God.

     One activity we might do on All Saints Day is offer up a prayer of thanksgiving and remembrance for those who are no longer here with us in the body, but who have joined the great cloud of witnesses. We might lift up the names of Jack Everett, Martha Payne, Lee Gilman, and Kate Goodspeed as the saints who have gone from our side to God’s arms this year. You may have others you want to make sure to remember. As you came into church, you were handed a leaf. I invite you to write on that leaf the names of some of the saints that you’d like to remember and give thanks for today. There will come a point in the service where I will invite you to come forward and add them to this memory tree. If you are online, you can add the names of your saints to the chat. Today, we also remember that, even though we can’t see them, the people we love and all the saints who have come before us are still with us.

     Today’s scripture reading is from the prophet Isaiah, speaking about how they know that God intends good things for creation. God is a trustworthy refuge to the poor and to those who are in distress. Isaiah calls God “a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat.” They understand that God will provide for everyone’s needs, and will ultimately even conquer death, wiping away the tears from every face and the shame that people feel. This is an image of God whose power is mostly clearly seen in compassion, in a meal shared by everyone who wants and needs to eat. We’re going to have communion today, too. As we eat this simple meal together, let us give thanks to God who gave us the saints who have helped God offer mercy and care to those who need it. Death, while still real, does not fully separate us from the saints who have come before. Let us hear and know that God will offer care for all who mourn and for all nations. And, let us come together to praise God for the saints who are still showing us the way to Christ.

Resources consulted while writing this sermon:
​Illustrated Ministry's Sunday School lesson on All Saints: https://store.illustratedministry.com/products/childrens-bundle-all-saints-day?variant=29568207519842
Carolyn Brown: https://worshipingwithchildren.blogspot.com/2014/10/year-all-saints-day-saturday-november-1.html
A couple helpful resource from the United Methodist Church:

• https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/worship-planning/stand-firm-hold-fast/all-saints-sunday-year-c-lectionary-planning-notes/all-saints-sunday-year-c-childrens-message
• Joe Iovino: https://www.umc.org/en/content/all-saints-day-a-holy-day-john-wesley-loved

The notes on "saint" in the HarperCollins Bible Dictionary, revised Edition, ed. Paul J. Achtemeier (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1996).
Stephen B. Reid: https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/ordinary-28/commentary-on-isaiah-251-9