My pastor was away yesterday, so I preached the All Saints sermon. I didn't go out on too much of a limb. I talked about different ideas of the afterlife. I made reference to the table where people had brought pictures of their loved ones who had died. I made mention of the fact that at some point, we, too, will be pictures on that table.
I was most pleased with the end of my sermon. I talked about Heaven, but I said that if we wait until we're dead, we miss out on so much. Our scriptures tell us again and again that the Kingdom of God--God's community, God's creation, Heaven--is inbreaking. It's right now. We don't have to wait. We're invited to be part of creating it right here, right now.
I knew what anthem the choir would be singing because I had heard my spouse practice it all week. I encouraged people to listen to the upcoming All Saints lyrics set to a familiar Christmas tune ("Angels from the Realms of Glory"). I encouraged us to think about that thread holding All Saints and Christmas together, to think about the mystery of God's Kingdom made incarnate, through Jesus. I encouraged us all to think about what we could do to make God's Kingdom incarnate.
The sermon seemed to be received well. I worry that I'm basically preaching the same message each time I preach, but if it bothers people, no one lets me know. After all, I'm not preaching every week. And it's a message that bears repeating.
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