Sermon Index
November 4, 2012
All Saints' Sunday
Today we celebrate All Saints' Sunday. We remember those who have died believing in Jesus as their Lord and Savior. We celebrate that they are with God in Heaven. And we rejoice today because we also believe in Jesus as our Savior, we too shall live with them eternally in Heaven. So today is a day of remembering the past and looking forward to the future. We remember Christians that have been called to heaven. We remember them and try to imitate their faith and trust in God.
These Christians did have their faults. They did sin. But they are called "holy" "saints" because their sins were forgiven and they were cleansed by the blood of Christ that was shed on the cross. I remember my parents and grandparents. I know what some of their faults were, but I know their good points too. I know their struggles in life. I remember their faith and I remember how they prayed. This gives me strength and courage to live my own life as a believer in Christ. It gives me a model; it gives me a hero of the faith.
Today we rejoice that the names of all who believe in Christ are written in the Book of Life in heaven. Those who have died in the faith have their names recorded there. We who are still alive but who believe in Jesus have our names written in the Book of Life, too. We are registered as "saints," we are registered as "citizens of the Kingdom of God." In the Christmas Story, Jesus was born in Bethlehem because that is where the ancestors of Mary's husband Joseph had lived, and they went there to register for the census. At that time, Jesus was registered as a member of this world. He lived, suffered, died and rose as a human. His name was written above his head on the cross. In this way God showed his great love for us. He became one of us in order to save us from this world of sin and to bring us into the Kingdom of God. As citizens of Heaven, even though we are like travelers and aliens in a foreign country while living on this earth, we have the promise of Eternal Life. Our names are written in the Book of Life, and that is why we can rejoice today.
Have you ever been asked, "If you were to die tonight, would you go to heaven?" We can be sure of our salvation. We can be sure if (because!) we believe in Jesus as our Savior, confess our sins before God, and receive the forgiveness of God. And we can be surer because of the sacraments, Baptism and the Lordfs Supper. In the Lordfs Supper, we confess our sin, we acknowledge our need for Christ, and in his precious Body and Blood we receive the forgiveness of sins and the seal, the promise, the sign of eternal salvation.
When we accept Jesus as our Savior, our names are written in the Book of Eternal Life. There is a ceremony to officially celebrate that wonderful Salvation. It is called "Baptism." In baptism, first our name is spoken, and then God's name is spoken, "In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen." Our name is registered with the Name of God. That is why baptism is so important, so precious. It is like God's signature that we are saved. In the water of baptism, our sin is washed away. That is why we encourage everyone to be baptized, to baptize their family, and to remember their baptisms daily in the ordinary things of life: like washing your hands, like feeling sorry for your sins, like feeling assured of your salvation.
Amen.
Michael Nearhood, Pastor
Okinawa Lutheran Church