The Sunday of All Saints (NTA)

1 John 3:1-3

See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. ² Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. ³ And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.

You are a child of the Heavenly Father. You are sinner who has been washed clean in the blood of Christ. You are a Holy Saint. You have been made pure by Christ Jesus our Lord. Your Father sent him from heaven adored. He made him the sacrifice for your sin. Now he waits for that day to welcome you in.

There are many Christians that act like they are saints. They act like their stuff don’t stink. But it is not just them, but we. Because all of us now we are better than they. All Saints day is only partly about you. All Saints day should honor all Christians. But it is really about those saints who have gone before us. It is about those people who have died in Christ Jesus.

They passed on their inheritance to you. They passed on their church, congregation, and confession to you. Now it is yours to pass on to the next generation. They will pass it on to the generation after that. All Saints day is not about how holy you are! But Holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, have carried the message to every tribe and race.

The message is simple: You are a sinner. You are in need of cleansing and purifying. Your stuff do stink. And God sent his Son to take on your stink. He takes it upon himself to die for your sins. He washes you, and feeds you. He purifies and cleans you. God presents you to be like him, and you will be like him on the day of his appearing!