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12Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, 2looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.

1 John 3: 1 - 3

1See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is. 3And all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.

Luke 9: 18 - 22

Today was the Auckland Marathon and the runners ran up Church Street, which was closed off as some who mistimed their trip to church this morning discovered. The image of life as a race is not uncommon in the New Testament – thanks to St Paul who was familiar with many cultures – especially Greek culture - having come from Tarsus which was the capital of Cilicia. The Greeks loved athletics. Not so much, the Hebrews … 

The Hebrews ran when either fleeing from, or pursuing their enemies – with the exception of Elijah who hitched up his cloak and ran in front of King Ahab’s chariot from Carmel to Jezreel. Quite a feat!

Today is also All Saints’ Day when we remember those who have gone before – that “great cloud of witnesses” as our reading in Hebrews 12: 1 describes them. The writer of the letter to the Hebrews sketches for us a picture of an athletics event with all those who have passed on into God’s presence, packed into the stadium, and cheering us on as we race round the track of life. They are the “great cloud of witnesses” and we can take courage from them as those who have already run the race. They have persevered to the end, and so can we.

We need to be clear that All Saints’ doesn’t refer to a select group of people canonised by the church – people who have an “ess tee” in front of their names. A saint is a child of God, plain and simple. But we remember not a category called “saint”, we remember a particular person or people whom we loved, who have died and whom we miss. JM Barrie said, “Sorrow is the price of love” and we all pay that price for we all love.

And it’s okay to be confused at times when we feel uncertain about the afterlife. God understands these feelings.

·        Faith knows that God has answers for questions that seem impossible.

·        Hope holds onto the promise that no farewell is forever.

·        Love understands that it still hurts to say goodbye. In our time of remembering it is only the love of God that can bring us true comfort, and God really does love us. See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are, we read in 1 John 1.

The entire mission of God, ever since something went drastically wrong with the universe, is to lovingly restore all things to himself. God is not about condemnation – we do that to well enough on our own. The whole story of Scripture is a story of God reaching out to humankind in love. The bible refers to this love as grace – love undeserved, freely given from God’s heart.

Remember that, as you bring the memory of your loved ones to God this evening. God is merciful. Paul says to the church in Corinth in 2 Corinthians 19:  in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them.

The pain we may feel at the passing of a loved one is intimately understood by God, because Jesus, (utterly sinless and undeserving of death) endured the pain of crucifixion in an act of identifying with humanity’s pain. God knows. As we read in Luke 9 ‘The Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed.

But that’s not the end of the sentence. The end (the final word of God, if you like), is in the phrase, and on the third day be raised.’ That changes everything. It is the resurrection which gives us hope. It is the seal God places upon the restoration of all of creation. If separation from God, (i.e. sin) causes death, this conquest of death by Jesus is immensely eloquent. It captures and expresses the hope of all humankind, for it paves a way for reconciliation with God. This is the sure and certain hope we have.

However, occasionally we don’t feel that certain about things. Sometimes we feel like the athlete who has stopped running and is peering into the mass of cheering spectators, trying to get a better view of exactly who’s there and what state they’re in. Sometimes sorrow paralyses us. St Paul states in 1 Corinthians 13: 12 that at the present time “we see through a glass darkly” – the future is indistinct, at least in its detail. We read in 1 John 2, 2Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed.

We have a sure hope in Christ, but we don’t know exactly how things are going to turn out for our loved ones after death. It is quite natural, therefore, to feel a little anxious at times as to how they might be.

We love 100% certainty, hopefully because we have a genuine concern – a concern which was also expressed when our loved ones were still alive in the way we related to them.

But sometimes our desire for certainty is a symptom of guilt because in life we never feel sure that we’ve done enough for others. Any parent of any young adult thinks this quite often: Did I spend enough time with my child? Did I give them quality time? Could I have been firmer? How Christian was my example? These are all understandable feelings and we can feel similarly about our parents who have passed on.

At other times our desire for certainty can be a need to have control without having to trust God. If I know exactly how things will turn out I can tick that box and move on with my life without having to be concerned about relying on God. Fortunately God knows that the best thing we can do is constantly to rely upon and relate to him, so he doesn’t show us detail. He requires us to live by faith – to trust him. Relating to God is for our good. That has to be one of the greatest of all truisms. On the occasion that I might feel a touch of resentment at the thought that God wishes me to relate to him 24/24, it dawns on me that God is the source of everything that is good, that is creative, that is joyful, that is courageous, that is healing, that is love. St John says, “God is love.” That is the very essence of his nature and he knows that our relating to him, our dependence upon him is the most life-giving and wonderful thing for us.

Jesus always reaches out to us. No matter what we bring before him, his response is to prioritise our spiritual condition in the here and now, precisely because he loves us. In our Gospel reading Jesus asks the disciples who the crowds say that he is. 19They answered, ‘John the Baptist; but others, Elijah; and still others, that one of the ancient prophets has arisen.’ 20He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’  - But who do you say that I am? - Peter answered, ‘The Messiah of God.’

Jesus is always interested in you and in the response that question elicits in you. Who is Jesus to you? Can you say that you know God’s love? And if you do, is Jesus the first priority in your life? He’s interested in your response now – not tomorrow or the next day – as John says in 1 John 2, 2Beloved, we are God’s children now;

Jesus is demanding. He looks us in the eyes and never takes our concerns for anything, including our concerns for our loved ones, as an excuse for not prioritising him. In Luke 9 we read in verse 59, To another he said, ‘Follow me.’ But he said, ‘Lord, first let me go and bury my father.’ 60But Jesus said to him, ‘Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.’

When Jesus was approached and told his mother and brothers wanted to speak to him we read in Matthew 12: 48 But to the one who had told him this, Jesus replied, ‘Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?’ 49And pointing to his disciples, he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers! 50For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.’

Yes, Jesus is demanding, but he never expects us to go where he himself has not gone. Jesus lived a life of complete obedience to and dependence upon God the Father. His obedience led him to lay down his life for us – and he did it in faith – the death which he died on the cross was the supreme expression of his carrying out his great mission of demonstrating God’s love for us all.

So as you experience Jesus today, as you bring to him the memory of your loved ones, and find that he comforts you as regards the position of your loved ones and confronts you as regards your spiritual condition with the question, “Who do you say that I am?” – what is your response? Peter answered (before the crucifixion and resurrection) - ‘The Messiah of God.’

St Paul says to Timothy in 2 Timothy 4: 7I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. And to the Galatians he says in chapter 2,  I have been crucified with Christ; 20and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

The good news (the gospel) is that God loves us. This is of great comfort to us as we think of where our loved ones might be right now. What’s more God understands that we miss people who were close to us. Jesus wept as the grave of Lazarus. I think because he knew what Mary and Martha had gone through.

The question remains, what are we doing with God’s love? Those who have gone ahead of us are in the grandstand willing us on in life’s race. Which kind of athlete are you? The track of life is not closed off as Church St was this morning. It lies open in front of us and what we do in the race is in our hands.

Are you peering anxiously into the cheering crowd, or are you running in faith: faith in the Son of God who loves you and gave himself for you? Before you in the track today stands the Son of God – his arms are extended towards you and he is asking, ‘Who do you say that I am?’

AMEN.

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