The Saints in Our Lives

All Saints Sunday is one of the “special days,” such as Trinity Sunday or Holy Cross, that are interspersed throughout this long season after the Day of Pentecost. These times are occasions for the Church to focus on and celebrate a particular doctrine, mission, or ethic, and to highlight its integral place within the whole story of God.

When we think of the term saint, the first image that presents itself is often a very formal one: someone whose life exemplified power and holiness, often one who was martyred for the faith, or who was elevated to the title of Saint Such-and-Such after death. Or we might think in much more earthly terms, along the lines of saying someone is “such a saint!” for having done something unusually generous and unselfish. A quick online search will present us with characteristics like these: exemplary model; extraordinary teacher; miracle worker; intercessor; one who rejects wealth and material comforts; one with a special revelation and relation to the holy.

But when we find saints mentioned in the Bible—and we find them often—it is always with the understanding that these “holy ones” are those whose lives are set apart for relationship with God and dedicated wholly to His purposes. David, for example, refers to “the saints in the land” as “the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight” (Psalm 16:3). Peter tells us that God’s people are chosen and holy, set apart for Him that they may proclaim His praises and excellencies (1 Peter 2:9). Paul often encourages the readers of his epistles to imitate his example of following Christ, and the writer of Hebrews also exhorts us to “imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises” (Hebrews 6:12). Paul gave at least one specific example, in speaking to Timothy of the faithful influence of his mother and grandmother (1 Timothy 2:5). And there is the “Hall of Faith” recorded in Hebrews 11, recounting the lives of those who form the “great cloud of witnesses,” those whose stories continue to encourage and inspire us.

In this biblical understanding, saints—both those who have gone before and those still living—are examples of faithful and triumphant believers, whose lives are a model of faithfully walking through life on this earth with eyes fixed on Jesus.

Their lives and their stories challenge us to respond to the same high calling in our own lives. Saints are esteemed not only for their individual model of holy living, but for their devotion to the believing community. One more thing – and thanks to my friend Tracy Balzer for pointing this out in her wonderful book, Thin Places*: putting our attention on the lives and influence of saints is a powerful, counter-cultural corrective to our contemporary, pervasive tendency to idolize “celebrity” and the fame of conspicuous, empty consumption. At the same time, it counters the all-too-human inclination to denigrate and tear down, “rather than build up what is worth pondering.” Remembering and honoring the saints in our lives is an encouragement to the faithful.

All Saints Day is November 1. In many Western Christian traditions it is observed on the first Sunday in November, even if the 1^st doesn’t happen to fall on a Sunday. It’s an occasion to contemplate the “great cloud of witnesses” that surrounds us (Heb. 12:1). It’s a day that reminds us that we are joined with the Church universal across time and across the globe, all part of God’s Story. And it’s a time to remember and thankfully honor all the saints, the “faithful witnesses,” God has placed in our lives, who have inspired us, influenced us, taught us, and formed us.

Questions to ponder:
     Who are the saints in your life?
     What influence have they had in forming
            who your are today?
     How have they inspired you spiritually?
     How have the lessons from their lives helped you
            in your faithful daily walk with God?

“There are wise eyes watching out for us, knowing words to sustain us, lives to encourage us . . .  We are surrounded by a gentle company of faithful ones whose struggles were so similar to our own. Who are the ‘saints’ to us? They are an example to follow. They are continuity. They surround us with love and prayer” (Celtic Daily Prayer: Book Two The Northumbria Community Trust, 2005, p. 1097).

*Tracy Balzer, Thin Places: An Evangelical Journey into Celtic Christianity (Abilene, TX: Leafwood Publishers, 2007).

Image information: abstract rendition "The Forerunners of Christ with Saints and Martyrs." Fra Angelico, 15^th century.
 

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