Sermon for November 1, 2026, The Feast of All Saints

November 1, 2026, All Saints Sunday
By Kristin Berkey-Abbott




Matthew 5: 1-12





This passage is often called a preamble or an overture to the largest sermon that Jesus will give. Some scholars argue that these verses, commonly called the Beatitudes, are some of the most famous and familiar of all substantial Gospel passages.


In this Gospel, we see this upside down approach that Jesus will take, and we see it early in his ministry, here in chapter 5. Even though we’re at the beginning of his ministry, just after he calls the first four of his disciples, we see Jesus claim his authority: he’s speaking from a mountain, which is where God speaks to prophets like Moses, and he’s speaking from a seated position, which the most respected rabbis did. He makes the announcement that he will repeat throughout his ministry: the Kingdom of Heaven is breaking through into the worldly empire—and what a different reign it will be.



Those of us who grew up going to church have heard these Beatitudes over and over again and again throughout the years—and if you’re wondering what happened to the Woe to You Who Have Good Things now part, you’re remembering the version from Luke, not this version from Matthew. We may have lost sight of how strange the Beatitudes sound.


Even in the time of Jesus, the Beatitudes would have seemed counterintuitive. Blessed is a short hand way of saying that a person has found favor with God, and that God has given them something special to show that they have found favor with God. With that in mind, let’s return to the list of attributes that show a sign of God’s favor: those who are depressed, those who have lost loved ones, those who don’t brag, perhaps because they don’t have a reason to brag, and then at the end, those who are on the wrong side of their government.


In the ancient world, these are not signs of God’s favor. Ancient people would expect a sign of God’s favor to be something that elevates us: increased wealth or good health or being promoted by the king. And even today, this list seems counterintuitive. We live in a time that would offer a very different list of who the important and influential people are: those who control big companies or governments, the ones who star in movies, or on a smaller level, the ones who have the good jobs or the houses with lots of square footage on lots of acreage—and the resources necessary to maintain it all.


Even in religious circles, we see this idea. We are about 20 years past the peak of the prosperity gospel message, the books with variations of the God wants you to be rich titles, but the idea still lingers. If doors open for us, it must be because God ordained it.


This theology can also be seen in some of our popular slogans—like when God closes a door, God opens a window.


Of course, this theology comes with all sorts of problems, but here’s the main one. If the door doesn’t open and there’s no open window to be found, How will that impact our faith in God? If our prayers are not answered, does that mean our faith has been too shaky? How do we love a God who answers the prayers for deliverance for some people and not others?


Much of the Gospel of Matthew is written to an audience who would be asking similar questions, after Rome has brutally repressed their communities. There is good news in this teaching: the Kingdom of Heaven is not reserved for the powerful, which in the Gospel of Mattthew is the empire that taxes people so that they lose their lands, the empire that forces people into forced servitude, the empire that sends wealth back to Rome. God is to be found with those who have been broken, with those who have lost so much and cannot find their way out of mourning.


Jesus comes to tell us that the world’s ways are not God’s ways. Read this text one night as you watch T.V. and marvel at the difference in values. The world worships wealth and power. The world worships the kind of beauty impossible for most of us. The world worships those who boss the rest of us around. The world exalts those who trample on others to get what they want.


Our Gospel this week reminds us of God's rules, the way that we succeed in God's eyes. Our Gospel this week gives us God's promise that we will be comforted, that even though we may be meek in the eyes of the world, we will be filled with good things.


Today’s Gospel reminds us of how to act when we're turning to the ways of God. The middle verses, 6-10. These verses give instructions for how we can join together in the redemption of the world We are to treat ourselves and others with mercy, with compassion, with comfort. The text reminds us that just because we follow Jesus, our path will not be easy. On the contrary, we will likely face persecution. But Jesus promises us that we will be O.K., that we will find richer lives. This text tells us how we are to act and what we are to value.


Jesus comes to tell us that God is doing a new thing. In a world where mourners find no comfort, in a world where the meek get trampled further, and in a world where those who yearn for justice don’t live long enough to see it, Jesus comes to announce the upside down Kingdom of God that is breaking through right now. Jesus reminds us over and over again that worldly empires will make all sorts of promises that they have no intention of keeping. God’s covenant offers true life, true redemption, for us and for all of creation.


On this All Saints Sunday, let us commit again to the Kingdom of God, not the empires of this world. Let us draw inspiration from the saints who have gone on before us. Let us take comfort in the vision of the Kingdom of God, from the last verses of our first reading:

“For this reason they are before the throne of God
  and worship him day and night within his temple,
  and the one who is seated on the throne will shelter them.
 16 They will hunger no more and thirst no more;
  the sun will not strike them,
  nor any scorching heat,
 17 for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd,
  and he will guide them to springs of the water of life,
 and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”