Readings

Ephesians 1.11–23 – In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance, having been destined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will, so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you had heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and had believed in him, were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit; this is the pledge of our inheritance towards redemption as God’s own people, to the praise of his glory. I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love towards all the saints, and for this reason I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power. God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

Luke 6.20–31 – Then he looked up at his disciples and said: ‘Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. ‘Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled. ‘Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. ‘Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice on that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets. ‘But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. ‘Woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry. ‘Woe to you who are laughing now, for you will mourn and weep. ‘Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets. ‘But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. Do to others as you would have them do to you.

Sermon

Today we celebrate All Saints — a day when the Church lifts its eyes beyond the present moment to the great company of men and women who have gone before us in faith. It is a day to give thanks for all the saints — known and unknown — who have shown us what it looks like to live in the light of Christ.

I wonder who you think about when you hear the word saint? It might be one of the apostles, those first followers of Jesus Christ who lived with and learned directly from him. It might be one of the great canon of saints that have been declared as such by the church in the thousands of years since. But it need not be either of those. It might be a member of your family; a friend; a colleague or a neighbour who has shown you in some way, big or small, what it means to live a life of faith and follow in the steps of Jesus.

In our reading from Ephesians, St Paul reminds us that the life of faith is not an accident or a passing choice, but part of God’s great purpose. “In Christ we have obtained an inheritance,” he says, “so that we might live for the praise of his glory.” And he prays that “the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints.”

That phrase — “among the saints” — is at the heart of today’s feast. The saints are not distant heroes of the past, carved in stone or painted in stained glass. They are the people, ordinary and extraordinary, through whom the light of Christ has shone. Some are well known — Mary, Peter, Francis, Julian: I am sure that these are names that you are more than familiar with. Others are remembered only by God. But together they form that great communion of saints — those who have lived and died in the hope of Christ.

Paul’s prayer is that we might share that same hope. That we might see ourselves as part of that communion, already drawn into God’s eternal purpose. The saints are not a separate class of Christians — they are the family to which we already belong. And our calling is to live as they lived: trusting in the power of God, not in the power of the world.

That is what Jesus shows us in our Gospel reading. In Luke’s version of the Beatitudes, he says: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be filled.”

Here, Jesus describes the life of those who live by the values of his kingdom — a life turned upside down from the world’s standards. The saints, in every age, have come to live that reversal. They have come to know that true blessing is not found in wealth or comfort or success, but in the deep joy of belonging to Christ. They have loved their enemies, forgiven those who hurt them, and trusted that God’s power is made perfect in weakness.

And that same Spirit that filled them fills us today. As Paul says, it is “the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe—the same power that raised Christ from the dead.” The saints did not live holy lives by their own strength. They lived by grace — the grace that flows from Christ’s death and resurrection, the grace that is offered to us now at this holy table.

So when we come to Holy Communion today, we do so not alone but surrounded by the great cloud of witnesses — the saints in glory and the saints on earth. Heaven and earth meet as we share in the one bread and one cup. The boundaries between this world and the next grow thin, and we are reminded that we too share in that “glorious inheritance among the saints.”

At this Eucharist, we are given a foretaste of that inheritance. Here, rich and poor, strong and weak, come together as one body. We receive from Christ’s hand the bread of life and the cup of salvation, not because we deserve them, but because of his overflowing grace. This is the table where the Beatitudes come to life — a table where the hungry are fed, the mourning find comfort, and enemies are reconciled in peace.

All Saints calls us, then, both to gratitude and to hope:

Gratitude for the lives of those who have shown us Christ’s love — those who have blessed us by their faith, their courage, their compassion.

And hope — that we, too, might bear that light in our own time and place; that the eyes of our hearts might be enlightened to see the world as Christ sees it; and that, by his grace, we might live as citizens of his kingdom in the here and now.

So let us give thanks for all the saints, and pray that we may join with them in the life of heaven — living, as they did, for the praise of God’s glory.

Amen.