Smells are smelly. That’s all I got. Carry on!
John 11:32-44; Revelation 21:1-6a; Psalm 24; Isaiah 25:6-9
I very rarely encourage the reading of the King James’ version of the Bible, in large part because the English language has changed sufficiently over the past 400 years that words don’t always mean what they used to mean, but in the case of our gospel I will make an exception. Verse 39 reads: “Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days.” For some reason, the phrase, “He stinketh,” always cracks me up.
But it’s actually rather fitting for All Saints’ Day. We tend to focus on one aspect of All Saint’s, that of the “Saints Triumphant” — those who, having lived a life following Jesus, now enjoy new life with him. That is an excellent thing to remember about All Saints’ Day, but it’s not the only part.
But if you remember a certain teaching that we Lutherans rather like, notably that we are at the same time “saints” and “sinners”, the things that we celebrate today start to get quite a bit broader. You see, we are part of a group called the “Saints Militant”. The group of believers who are still, “running the race”, “fighting the fight”, “working the work”, or whatever phrase you want to use to describe it. We are the saints who are still actively following Jesus; we are still doing the work he has prepared for us in advance to do.
So we are saints, but, to reapply a certain statement of Martha’s in the gospel, “We stinketh.” Even though we are forgiven of our sin, we’re still sinners. The “stink” of sin is still around us, as we have not yet undergone the final “refining” when we are rising with Christ. Yes, in baptism we have joined in his death and resurrection, but the process isn’t quite done yet. There’s still a long way to go before the image in Revelation 21 of God’s eternal kingdom is true for us. Or is there…
You see there’s a strange thing about God’s kingdom — it is at the same time already here but not yet here. Jesus often says that the kingdom of heaven (or kingdom of God depending on which gospel you’re reading at the time) is something going on now (or more correctly, then) but he just as often says it hasn’t happened yet, and it will in the future. So, what if the image of Revelation 21 isn’t just talking about a future thing, but something already happening.
In a lot of ways, Revelation 21 is a repeat of the prophesy of Isaiah 25, so instead of dealing with both, I’m going to focus on Revelation. The key ideas are: there is a new heaven and earth because the first have gone; a new Jerusalem comes down from heaven; the Church, the bride, weds Jesus, the groom; most importantly, God will be present with and to humanity, caring for them.
Some of these things have already happened. God is present with humanity already, through Jesus and the Holy Spirit; through the same Spirit, he comforts and cares for us. There is also the beginnings of a new world wherever Christians gather.
Unfortunately the process hasn’t quite completed yet because, as I mentioned earlier, “We stinketh.” As part of being at the same time saints and sinners, the full effect of God’s kingdom is not yet felt. There are still things that cause death, mourning, crying, and pain — but God is around to care for us when those things happen.
To go back to our gospel now, did you notice that Jesus didn’t care at all about the smell? I really can’t imagine it would be pleasant — we’re looking at four days’ worth of fermentation, and they didn’t really do much in the way of embalming like we do now. But Jesus was not deterred, in fact he pushed the issue, reminding folk of what God can do.
In the same way, God is not deterred by the “stink” of our sin. He doesn’t run away from it, but instead seeks us out — you only have to look back to what God did immediately after Adam and Eve ate the fruit to see that. God is all about forgiving sinners, and calling them saints.
The Scriptures, and for that matter our own lives, are filled with example after example of God calling a sinner a saint. And really, that’s the very thing that makes a saint a saint; it’s not a complicated human process, but God saying so, and if God says so, that’s how it is.
This All Saints’ Day, I do invite you to remember all of those who have gone before us in faith, but more than that, to also thank God for calling us saints, in spite of the stink of sin on our lives. For we are at the same time saints and sinners, looking forward to the day when we also are raised with Christ and can experience a new heaven and new earth, where there is no more death, mourning, crying, or pain — and sin itself is finally defeated.