Friendship and People who have helped us in our lives because they are Saints

 

Friendship---a topical message on ALL SAINTS 

Friendship is the only cement that will ever hold the world together. – Woodrow T. Wilson

Don’t walk behind me; I may not lead. Don’t walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend. — Albert Camus

Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: ‘What! You too? I thought I was the only one. ― C.S. Lewis
A friend is one that knows you as you are, understands where you have been, accepts what you have become, and still, gently allows you to grow. – William Shakespeare

A personal illustration as I begin after these thoughts. I was new to active duty Army, and my first unit was a light infantry hard-charging combat battalion called the "Wolfhounds". I had no conception of what I was supposed to be doing ( even though I had been in the National Guard for 18 months from North Dakota, and was a graduate of the Chaplain Officer Basic Course!) My Chaplain sponsor in the brigade was a chaplain named Steve Mounts who was a short, rather stocky fellow of the Nazarene church. He said, " Dave, this is hard charging unit and I am here to help you!---he was in the 5-21, Gimlets, Infantry unit and our offices were right behind the Chapel at Fort Ord, CA ). To make the story short, Steve was not only a life saver . He became a great friend. No, our theologies were opposite. But Steve knew the Army, the units and he knew that I needed help. And that was friendship!!! ( I also remember his basset hound that looked just like him. Snikle fritz)

How do we get on in life without our friends? Yes, they make us feel happy because we are never alone in our situations. They accept us as Shakespeare said as we are, and allow us to grow, meanwhile not leading us, but walking beside us. ( Camus). They are as former President Wilson said the cement that holds the world together.

The word friend is in the Bible. Abraham is called the friend of God. 2:23 James. literally philos of God, lover of God. You recall the history. Abram , as he was called of God became Abraham , Genesis 17:7, the father of many. In the NT this is found in Galatians 3: 7 .." they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham..."
Before we can be saints, holy because of Christ, we too must have faith. I Cor 1:2...Paul writes to the saints, believers in Christ "unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called (to be--not in orig gk) saints."

A friend of God must love God. To love someone is to trust them as we do God. There is a mutual relationship, covenant, if you will between a Christian and God. He accepts who God is. He is everlasting, in three Persons, the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. He is the Creator and Sustainer of all He has made in this life and the life to come. Love God.

No. 2--- Love people. As friends , lovers of God we too must have an open and caring spirit toward those who are not of the " household of faith." We have been helped by the cloud of witnesses around us , those in our families, our faith families who have been friends to us even before we knew God. We wanted to see them because there was something different about them. They were lights to us in our darkness and encouraged us to persevere in our problems , and at last we too came to believe in the God who had called them, and Abraham , and all the other saints of old time.
" A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another." John 13" 34

No. 3 How do we make friends? Walk beside me ...Don’t walk behind me; I may not lead. Don’t walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend. Albert Camus .

The listening and caring we experience from others comes from God . " God is love" I John 4:8 . When we are lonely we need our friends to encourage us. When we are down, we do not need someone to tell us what to do. We need them to walk beside us. The word for the Holy Spirit is paraclete in the original Greek, or the Comforter. The Spirit comes beside us to guide us and to lead us as we follow Christ. John 14:16-" And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; even the Spirit of truth."

On this All Saints day we can definitely know and pray the prayer that is in the Prayer Book : page 258
" God who has called us to faith in thee, and has compassed us about with so great a cloud of witnesses; Grant that we, encouraged by the good examples of thy Saints....may persevere in running the race that is set before us , until at length, through thy mercy, we, with them, attain to thine eternal joy; through Him who is the author and finisher of our faith, thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. "

The Lessons for Today November 1.

The Collect

O ALMIGHTY God, who hast knit together thine elect in one communion and fellowship, in the mystical body of thy Son Christ our Lord; Grant us grace so to follow thy blessed Saints in all virtuous and godly living, that we may come to those unspeakable joys which thou hast prepared for those who unfeignedly love thee; through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

The Epistle
Revelation vii. 2.

AND I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel. After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and peoples, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; and cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four living creatures, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen. And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.

 

The Gospel
St. Matthew v. 1.

JESUS seeing the multitudes, went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: and he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, Blessed are the poor in spirit: for their's is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for their's is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.