Tag: All Saints’ Sunday

Great Cloud of Witnesses

On By Rev. Dr. Jarrett BanksIn Memorials, Sermons Non-LectionaryLeave a comment

Hebrews 12:1-3 NRSV

A couple of weeks ago, Janelle Boss sent me a registration link for next year’s Virginia Ten Miler. Although I have not run regularly in a couple of years, I signed up. And then I looked at a map of the very hilly course with the last mile running uphill from the Farm Basket to EC Glass.

If my knee and my back allow me to do this next year (and after moving into our home this week, I have my doubts), I am going to need the entire congregation to line Langhorn ROAD (or “Langern” as I am learning to say) from the Farm Basket to EC Glass to cheer me on as I run that last arduous mile! And Jeremy, wouldn’t it be fantastic, if during the last 100 meters, the choir could be standing there in your robes singing the Hallelujah Chorus!

And you should know that as a preacher I have some scriptural justification to ask this of you. For in our epistle lesson this morning, the writer to the Hebrews compares life, the struggle to be and to carry on, to a difficult race and encourages the faithful to run this race with perseverance by remembering that we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses: people of faith who had previously run and finished this difficult race that we call life. The writer infers that those who have gone on before us can give encouragement, strength, inspiration and hope to those of us who are presently living, and oftentimes struggling, like runners huffing and puffing up Farm Basket Hill wondering whether or not we can finish.

Living in a fragmented world, a world where humanity surprises us with its inhumanity, we quickly learn how important it is to surround ourselves with supportive cheerleaders, persons who are always there for us, pulling for us, rooting for us persistently, loving us unconditionally: like Helen Tatom, that saint who never missed a game, a recital or a performance that her children Matt and Andy were in. Later, she would move to Lynchburg to be close to her grandsons so she would never miss their events until the time came when she was unable to travel. And even then, oftentimes unbeknownst to their parents, she would secretly Venmo her grandchildren money to spend on vacations. And Helen supported her church and the University of Lynchburg with the same unfailing love.

And the writer to the Hebrews says we can keep running, keep persisting, keep fighting, keep persevering, keep moving forward, because Helen’s spirit still supports us today, while encouraging us to be there for one another and to always love one another unconditionally.

However, there are times on this journey when we may be moving forward, taking a step ahead, but we won’t be smiling. The years may pass by, but there may not be joy. It is during those times we can remember Patsy Warren, that saint who had this special ability to always make everyone in the room smile when walked in. A saint who possessed an infectious, contagious, holy joy that could transform anyone’s beleaguered running into carefree dancing!

But in this world, we know that there will always be loud and powerful voices that will want to squelch our dancing, take away our freedoms, strip away our rights and prevent us from being the person we were created to be. That is why we are grateful for saints like Don McVey who started attending our church because we made the commitment to be an Open and Affirming congregation. Because Don understood that no church who claims to follow the way of love that Jesus taught his disciples has any business being Closed and Condemning. Many of us can still see and are still inspired by the joy on Don’s face as he sang praise with the choir to God for God’s love for all people without exceptions.

As I said in a couple of sermons ago, I believe that one of the best ways to finish this race we call life is by possessing a heart full of gratitude. Thankfully, we can be inspired today to be more grateful, more giving, and more generous, by remembering a saint named Jean Wood. Following the words of the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Thessalonians that we studied together last week, Jean generously gave not only of her finances to this church, at one time, donating a window, but Jean selflessly gave of her very self as a School Teacher. And Jean loved to offer her gifts of teaching through the church teaching Vacation Bible School. Jean continues to inspire us today as we prayerfully consider pledging our tithes, offerings and gifts to the church.

One of the things that most excites me about being a part of this congregation are the big, holy dreams of this congregation and the courage to bring those dreams to life. Whether we are talking about using our gifts to be the church outside of these four walls or to promote social and environmental justice, there exists a powerful imagination and a hopeful belief that there is nothing that we cannot accomplish together.

Perhaps it is because we are surrounded by trailblazing saints like The Rev. Marilyn Taylor. For Marilyn will always be remembered for breaking the glass ceilings for women in ministry as she worked quietly yet faithfully to open pulpits in Virginia to accept women clergy, paving the way many women who are still serving throughout our today.

And what is remarkable is that Marilyn may not be remembered for the great things she accomplished during her life as much as she will be remembered by how she accomplished them— with an unassuming spirit and a servant’s heart. Because she never boasted of her work and always pointed out the contributions of others around her, her children were surprised to learn of the big role she played in setting up and leading the first meeting that became the Summit Senior Living Community and in leading its dedication to help residents thrive both physically and spiritually.

And like so many in this congregation, Marilyn possessed this exuberant youthful and playful spirit. She is remembered wearing the best costumes at Halloween for Trunk-or-Treat. She danced with the sacred dance ensemble and never missed a game night. The Rev. Stephanie Mclemore, former Associate Regional Minister at Christian Church in Virginia, once called Marilyn “the most authentic person I know.”

And speaking of authenticity, this congregation is also blessed to be surrounded by saints like Penny Cline, one of the most authentic, kind, gregarious, compassionate, maternal, non-judgmental, forgiving, funny, very social people some of us ever knew.

Penny had this special gift. It was something innate in her personality, in her eyes and in the way she smiled, that made you feel like you were the most special person in the world to her. When I met her for the very first time, although she was tired and weak, her smile had this way of making me feel like I was truly welcomed into her life like family, like she really, truly loved me like I was her own. I must confess that I was a little disappointed when I learned that she, having never met a stranger, treated everyone this way.

And speaking of trailblazers who knew how to dance, we are also blessed to be surrounded by that saint named Dr. Ann Bishop. As a follower of the way of Jesus, the one who set up a free healthcare clinic everywhere he went, Anne believed all people deserved good healthcare, and all means all. Anne simply had no tolerance any type of social injustice, especially an injustice which prevented people from accessing quality, compassionate healthcare. Consequently, Anne, in her quiet but determined, pioneering way, worked with fellow church member, college colleague, and saint Dr. Jack Scudder, and the faith community of Lynchburg, to found and subsequently serve on the board of the Free Clinic of Central Virginia that still operates downtown today. Ann taught us to accomplish big things, like the founding of the school of nursing at the University of Lynchburg. And like others who went before her, she taught us how to accomplish things with grace, humility, laughter and dancing as she also loved expressing her faith as part of our church’s liturgical dance team.

Yes, thanks be to God that we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses that we can not only run into 2024 with holy expectation and bold faith, bit we can dance into the new year with a copious amount of hope!

And there one more saint that is with us today, perhaps the most important one of them all: a miraculous gift of God’s grace named Henry Yates Sadler. Although I read traditional words during his baptism from the Methodist Book of Worship asking God to forgive his sins, we all know that Henry was no sinner. Henry was a most innocent, most pure, most precious gift of God’s grace that we received during this past year—a profoundly sacred gift who taught his parents Emily and Miles how extraordinarily capable they are of love, who awakened a love deep within them that they did not know existed.

And he awakened that same love in us when we learned of his premature birth and the tragic reality that his life on earth would be most fleeting. With a profound sense of empathy that caught us by surprise, we offered our most heartfelt prayers and did what we could do to support the grieving parents, from generous donations to the Mustard Seed offering, to mowing their lawn and picking up their mail. Henry Yates Sadler taught us how to be the church, how to love unconditionally, compassionately and empathetically. Yes, Henry is perhaps the most important saint among us, because without such love, we cannot fully live, and we certainly cannot church.

The writer to the Hebrews says: “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”  By faith, Helen Tatum, faithfully supported this church and community like she supported her children and grandchildren and taught us more than she ever knew.

By faith, Patsy Warren made us smile and filled us with more joy than she ever knew.

By faith, Don McVey continues to strengthen our mission to be Open and Affirming. Perhaps why our flag that was stolen during the night has already been replaced by Elizabeth, one of our youngest congregants.

By faith, Jean Wood taught us generosity.

By faith, Marilyn Taylor taught us to do big things with humility and authenticity.

By faith, Ann Bishop taught us to do big things and to always dance.

By faith, Penny Cline taught us the miraculous power of hospitality.

And by faith Henry Yates Sadler taught us how to love and how to live.

Therefore, 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, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfector 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.

How God Responds to Death

On By Rev. Dr. Jarrett BanksIn Sermons Non-Lectionary1 Comment

cemetary sunsrise

Luke 7:11-15 NRSV

All Saints’ Sunday gives us an opportunity to reflect on a topic that we all like to avoid. Though it occurs to every living person, we do everything we can to distance ourselves from it.

Just a century or more ago, people seemed to be more comfortable with death. There was less distance between the living and the dead. Instead of dying in a hospital or a nursing home, people usually died in their own house.

And their bodies were not sent off to the funeral parlor, but kept at home, prepared there by family members for visitation and burial.

Today, death usually occurs in isolated places where where we have these specialists who deal with it. When families make funeral arrangements, we have more specialists step in to maintain a margin of protection around the grieving.

When I was growing up, I remember being shielded from death. Visitation with the family always occurred in the home of the deceased without the body being present. It stayed at the funeral home.  Although one had the opportunity to privately view the body at the funeral parlor, most people chose to only visit with the surviving family members in the home.

I remember my parents teaching me that there was no need to go to the funeral home to see my Great Granddaddy, because Great Granddaddy was not at the funeral home.

“That’s just his body, an empty shell. He is in heaven with God,” they’d say.

My parents were only doing what they could do to protect me, to keep me at a safe distance from death.

There’s a growing trend to revert back to a more acceptable view of death, to an understanding that death is a natural part of life. After all, at some point, everybody’s doing it. Hospice Homes have been built to accommodate entire families, so everyone can be included in someone’s final moments.

I believe this is a better approach to death. To face it. Accept it.

However, if we are not careful, I believe Christians can take acceptance of death too far. For I believe it can become very problematic when every death, no matter how tragic or horrific, is accepted as the will of God.

In fact, I believe we misconstrue who our God is when, upon hearing of someone’s untimely death we say things like: “Well, it must have been his time to go.” “The Lord called her home.” “Another flower was needed in God’s garden.”  “This is just God’s will, and we just have to accept it.”

By having an understanding that every death is God’s will, I believe some Christians encourage the grieving to move on too quickly with their lives. They infer that spending too much time grieving over a loss means their faith in God is weak and shallow.

“You need to accept that this is all a part of God’s plan. So dry it up. Get yourself together. Get on with your life.”

Thus, many people who still find themselves grieving over a loss they experienced as little as six months ago begin to feel guilty for lacking faith.

People today even try to naturalize the death of children. I do not believe there is anything more unnatural than the death of a child. It is a break of the natural order of things. Our children are supposed to be there to take care of us when we grow old and die.

But I’ve heard people try to limit the tragedy, naturalize the heartbreak. At the funeral of an infant, I one preacher said: “Some children have always died before their parents. The only reason that it seems so tragic is because, today, people are having fewer children.”

He then told the story of Johann Sebastian Bach who had 20 children by two wives. He said, “Only ten of his children survived to adulthood.  What nature took away in the form of untimely death, nature made accommodation by the fruitfulness of human union.”

It was as if he was saying to the grieving parents: “Your grief today is your fault for not having more children! Don’t blame death for your grief, for death is a natural, God-willed process.”

I believe our scripture lesson this morning encourages us to have a better-informed theology when it comes to death.

Jesus and his followers encounter a funeral procession while traveling through the town of Nain. Nothing unusual. A very common occurrence, even today. However, instead of ignoring and isolating himself from death, instead of distancing himself from or denying death by calling it a natural part of life, Jesus confronts death. Jesus stops, recognizes the harsh reality of death

And when Jesus learns that the funeral was for a widow’s only son, Luke tells us that he was moved with compassion. The Greek word used here is a “visceral” verb. It literally means that Jesus was moved from deep within his inner bowels. Jesus had a gut-wrenching reaction to this widow’s loss.

Jesus recognized the tragedy of this death, the unnatural pain and heartache that this death had caused. Jesus recognized that sons should bury mothers. Mothers should not bury sons. Jesus recognized that this was not the will of God.

This is how I believe our God always responds to death. God does not will death. God is not sitting on a throne pushing buttons calling people home.

No, Luke teaches us that when someone dies, God is moved and moved deeply. God has a visceral, gut-wrenching reaction. God is flooded with compassion and overcome with grief. God does not accept death as a natural part of life, but on the contrary, God recognizes the unnatural aspect of it, and God is moved from the very depths of who God is.

Remember Jesus’ response when his friend Lazarus died. It’s the shortest but perhaps most hopeful verse in the Bible: “Jesus wept.”  When a loved one dies, our God does not say: “Have some faith. Move on. Get over it and get on with your life. Stop cying.”

No, our God grieves. Our God cries with us.

With compassion, Jesus reaches out his hand and touches the casket and speaks to the one within it: “Young man, I say to you, get up!”

And then (listen to these wonderful words): “When the son arose, Jesus ‘gave him back to his mother.’” Isn’t that beautiful?  This young man’s life was restored, but so was the life of his mother.

Thus, Jesus demonstrates what our God is all about. God is and has always been about bringing life to all people.

Genesis says that the first act of our God was to breathe the breath of life into creation. God’s breath, God’s Spirit, swept over the face of the waters. God breathed into the human the first breath of human life. And it was in the same manner, God, in Jesus breathed new life into the young man from Nain by speaking the words: “Young man, I say to you, arise,” demonstrating that God’s business is always to give life, not death.

Therefore, I believe it may be questionable theology to say that “God wills death,” or “calls people home,” “or takes our loved ones.”

For our God is always giver. That means God is never a taker.

Thus, it’s more accurate to say that when any death occurs, no matter the age, no matter the circumstance, God confronts it. God is moved with compassion by it. In that moment someone takes their last breath, God is not there taking, but God is there giving, giving all that God has, pouring God’s self out into that person, fully, completely and eternally.

God does not ignore death, demean death, or simplify death saying: “This is all part of my plan.” God does not let any funeral pass by like it is somehow meant to be. No, God is moved with compassion and sees death as a force contrary to God’s will and takes action to overcome it, transform it, resurrect it.

It could be said that God’s whole life in the story Jesus is about this one thing: overcoming the power of death. As Jesus spoke life to this young man from Nain, God speaks life in the resurrection of Jesus and accomplishes not a resuscitation of one, but the redemption of all.

Through Jesus, God restores the natural order of things. God may not keep all children from dying before their parents, but God does restore the power of life over death, and the power of God over everything else in all of creation.

This is the good news for us on All Saints’ Sunday. We worship the God of life. We worship the God who has brought life to the ones we have lost this year, and who is even now bringing life eternally to us.

And this is the challenge for us this day. Because we worship the God of life, we are called even now to do what we can do to bring life, restoration and hope at the graveside of grieving parents and grandparents, as we will do this afternoon, at a Hospice Home or a funeral home, but also wherever there is degradation and dehumanization, wherever women are harassed and objectified, wherever children are neglected and victimized, wherever outsiders are scapegoated and demonized, wherever people are oppressed and demoralized, or wherever anyone is made to feel like they might be better off dead.

I will never forget the response of a homeless woman after our church served her a hot meal this past Easter Sunday.

She said, “Today you have made me feel human again.” T

hink about that. On Easter Sunday, because of the actions of a church, a woman, demoralized and dehumanized by the world, just didn’t learn about resurrection, she actually experienced resurrection.

Thank you for being the God of resurrection, the God of life and restoration. As we follow the Christ wherever he leads us, may we always be your resurrection people who make it our business daily to bring life and restoration wherever it is needed.

Invitation to the Table

Now, may the God of life breathe upon these gifts of grain and grape that they might be for all of us the live-giving presence of the living Christ, that we might be reflections of God’s likeness in a hurting world, so that others might know the blessings of life, abundant and eternal.

We remember all who have gone before us into God’s eternal splendor and now join them and all the angels and all of the saints of heaven as we continue to sing our praises to God together.

Voices from the Grave

On By Rev. Dr. Jarrett BanksIn Sermons Non-Lectionary1 Comment

AllSaintsSundayCandleHebrews 12

Years after her husband died, Betty told me that she still goes to the cemetery, almost daily, to visit his grave. “And Jarrett, I need to ask you something,” she said. “Oftentimes when I go, I stand there and talk to him. Sometimes I even bring a chair to sit in so I can talk to him for hours. I talk about my day, the good parts and the bad parts, and, of course, I talk to him about how much I miss him. Jarrett, here’s my question: “Do you think I am crazy?”

I said, “I guess that all depends. Let me ask you this: Does he ever talk back?”

However, when one considers the response of Jesus in the gospels, perhaps hearing voices from the dead is not so crazy. The Sadducees, who did not believe in eternal life, were trying once again to entrap Jesus by questioning his teaching on resurrection. Jesus responds:

“The fact that the dead are raised Moses himself showed, in the story about the bush, where he speaks of the Lord as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. 38Now he is God not of the dead, but of the living; for to him all of them are alive” (Luke 20).

So perhaps Betty would not have been that crazy after all, if she heard her husband’s voice from the grave.

Now, of course, I am not talking about hearing audible voices from the grave. I am talking about the hearing voices from the dead the way the writer of Hebrews describes it when he writes:

“Therefore, 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, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith…”

He is talking about being inspired by, encouraged by those who have lived before us. In the previous chapter, we read a list of those he is talking about: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Esau; Moses and each Israelite who escaped slavery in Egypt; Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, all of the prophets and every person had has ever been persecuted or martyred for their faith.

The writer to the Hebrews is saying, when life is hard, when the way is difficult, remember these, remember their voices, remember their actions, and especially remember how they point you to the way of Jesus, and be encouraged, be strengthened, and gain perseverance to continue not only life, but a life of courageous faith and selfless service.

I absolutely love worshipping in this place. Because every person that first worshipped in this sacred place that was built in 1909 ran their race and kept the faith long before us. Every time I gather here, I can hear their voices: voices of those who sang the great hymns of faith in these pews through World War One and the Great Depression. I stand behind and preach from a pulpit and hear the voices of preachers who preached the gospel amid World War Two, the Korean Conflict, Vietnam and the Cold War. I hear voices of those who preached for the rights of African Americans during the Civil Rights movement.

I hear the voices of those who have served the poor in this community and around the world for decades, those who have donated generously, and served sacrificially.

Every time I gather here, I hear the particular voices of those who served faithfully with me through Farmville Benevolent Ministries while I was the pastor of First Baptist Church. I hear the compassion in the voices of AC and Vivian Turnage for the poor of this community. I hear the love in the voice of Gay Johnson who would always have jars of Molasses in the trunk of her car to distribute to those in need.

Listen, can you hear them? Can you hear the voices of the saints echoing through this place this morning? When I listen carefully, I can hear the voice of Marie Allen. I hear great perseverance in the voice of an extraordinary mother who selflessly gave her all in loving her family. I hear the voice of an extraordinary mother who got up each morning, made everyone breakfast, packed lunches, and then went to work herself every day at her full-time job at the drug store or the dry cleaners in town. Then, somehow, some miraculous way, in a world without fast food and microwaves, still managed to prepare a hot supper and have on the family dinner table each night. And whenever little Pete or Donna needed new clothes to wear, with needle and thread and some material, Marie could always create whatever they wanted with her own hands. I hear the voice of a faithful mother who made a point to raise Pete and Donna in this church giving them a foundation for a faithful life that is being lived out today.

Listen, do you hear them? I hear sincere gratitude in the voice of William Meeks. I hear a voice that thanked God, even amid struggle and difficulty, for his opportunity to selflessly and sacrificially serve his country through military service during the Korean War. Although he freely admitted that those years changed him, affected him, not always for the good; in some ways it broke him; he was still very grateful for the opportunity to serve these United States.

William was also very grateful for his opportunity to serve through the First Christian Church of Farmville, especially as an electrician. And the First Christian Church is very grateful that we were able to give him that opportunity! When you worship in a church building that was built in 1909, you appreciate someone with the skills and the generosity of William Meeks. There is no telling how many hours William freely gave to the church doing all kinds of needed repairs. William loved his church. Like his love for his country, there was perhaps something deep within William that yearned to be a part of something that was larger than himself.

William always talked about how good his church was to him, especially when he needed the church the most. I don’t think I ever visited him when he did not express his gratitude to God for Jimmy Lethworth and for the many times that Jimmy picked him up and carried him to the VA Hospital in Durham for his cancer treatments.

Listen, do you hear them? I hear gracious hospitality in the voice of Kenneth Ross. One could say that Kenneth Malcolm Ross lived his entire life preparing a place at the table, preparing a home for others, for Marilyn, Amelia and Ken, and even for all Americans, each one of us, through his service to this country.

I think this explains why life was so difficult for him these last eight years. When Marilyn died in 2006, something inside of Kenneth also died. For Marilyn was such a large part of his purpose for living. And having been diagnosed with lung cancer himself, at the same time Marilyn was diagnosed, undergoing chemotherapy alongside of Marilyn, Kenneth did not only survive with a great loss of sense of purpose, Kenneth survived with the guilt associated with surviving. He also survived with severe physical limitations, COPD and other side effects from his battle with cancer that prevented him from living and breathing, preparing and providing for others as he had his entire life.

However, although he struggled much these last few years, although he was limited physically, it was evident through each of my visits with him that he never lost faith. Kenneth continued to love and care for the First Christian Church where he raised his family, served as a deacon and practiced the greatest commandment of loving God and neighbor as self.  Each visit I had with him, he would always inquire about the state of the church and of the needs of the church.

Listen, do you hear them? I hear great hope in the voice of Marie White. I will never forget the confident faith in her voice that I heard from her the week she passed away. Each time I visited her in the hospital, although she was very sick and felt terrible, it was evident that she was never separated by the love of God. She was sick, but she was not despairing. She was neither eating nor drinking; neither was she giving up hope. Although she was in the valley of the shadow of death, she feared no evil. Although her body was tired and broken and in pain, she was at peace. Although she was near the end of her life, her cup runneth over. It was so evident, that although she was separated from her friends, most of her family, her youth, her health, she was not separated by the love of God through Christ Jesus her Lord. She was a living testimony to the truth that spiritual wholeness is more important that physical well-being, even more important than life on this earth.

Listen, do you hear them? I can. Thanks be to God that we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses. So let us set aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, [always] looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfector of our faith. Thanks be to God that we clearly hear the voices of the saints that have lived before us.

And no, we are not crazy. We just worship the God of the living; not of the dead, for to God, all of them are alive.