"let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith" - Hebrews 12:1b-2a
Dear Friends in Christ -
Today is the Feast of All Saints!!! On this joyful occasion, I invite you to celebrate with me by recalling a couple of the saints in your life who have shown Jesus to you, who have had an important positive impact on your life.
What are the saints in your life like? What key characteristics set them apart from other people you know?
Without exception, the true saints in my life have two characteristics in common: (1) they are loving and (2) they persevere. The truth is, any of us can be loving on occasion, when we want to or when we think it's important or when we want to impress someone. But the true saints among us persevere - they love even when people aren't watching, even when no one else cares, even when other people think it's a lost cause.
Perseverance isn't something we're born with, I think. Perseverance is something we choose to develop - or not - as life rolls along and things fail to go as we hope or expect.
As a friend, as a fellow Christian, I'm inclined to let people off the hook when they fail to persevere - when they're lax about fulfilling their Christian responsibilities, when they fail to make time for the important in the midst of the urgent. But as your pastor, as your priest, I'm here on All Saints Day to say "you're NOT off the hook!" You've got to do justice even when it's difficult and unpopular. You've got to give to help others even when you're stressed about making ends meet. You've got to be kind even when you're not in the mood. If you want to have a life worth living, if you want to leave a legacy, you've got to follow through.
The saints in our lives persevered through thick and thin so that their love could make a difference in our lives. Will the way you're living make a difference in anyone else's life?
On this day when we "sing a song of the saints of God, patient and brave and true," may we strive "to be one, too."
Faithfully,
Janet+
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