* Hebrew Bible Daniel 7:1-3, 15-18
* Psalm Lesson Psalm 149
* Epistle Lesson Ephesians 1:11-23
* Gospel Lesson Luke 6:-20-31
***“What Does a Saint Look Like?”***
What does a saint look like?
Close your eyes for a few seconds. What comes to your mind’s eye?
Maybe a statue or a painting or a stained-glass window in a church that you
have seen. A person with a golden halo hovering above his or her head,
perhaps?
Or a person who is doing something heroic – like Saint Sebastian, depicted
with arrows sticking in him. Or Saint Joan of Arc, being burned at the stake.
Or Saint Paul, shielding his eyes from the brilliance of Jesus’s appearance
on the Road to Damascus. Or Saint Nicholas, dropping gold coins into the
shoes of girls who didn’t have a dowry to help them get husbands. Or and
elderly Saint John, sitting at a desk while in exile on the island of Patmos,
writing the book of the Revelation. Or Saint Jerome, living the life of a
hermit.
These highly idealized figures and their actions seem otherworldly to us –
untouchable, living up to standards of holiness or courage that are far
beyond our abilities.
But what does the Bible say about saints? The word “saint” appears first in
1 Samuel 2:9 “He will guard the feet of his saints …”
However, the best-known Hebrew Bible reference is in Psalm 116:
“Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.”
The Hebrew word translated as “saint” literally means “the pious” or “the
godly”. In the New Testament, the Greek word hagios – “holy” or “set apart”
is the root of the word translated as saint. Someone whose life is dedicated
to or consecrated to God.
Which should automatically change our thinking about saints. Instead of
being otherworldly figures who floated six inches off the ground and were
spiritual giants – we see flawed human beings who were used by God to do
great things: great acts of charity, great teaching, great preaching, and even
miracles.
Perhaps the best-known saint of our time is Saint Theresa of Calcutta.
She was born in 1910 in what is now North Macedonia. At the age of 18,
she joined the Sisters of Loreto in Ireland, and went to India the following
year to teach. In 1946, she felt the call of God to serve the poor of India.
By 1950, Mother Theresa organized Missionaries of Charity. She received
medical training, founded a school, and started a hospice. Later, she
opened a home for orphans and homeless youth. By 1996, the
Missionaries of Charity had 517 missions in more than a hundred countries.
Yet Mother Theresa once said, “If I ever become a saint, I will surely be a
saint of darkness.” For more than 50 years, this remarkable woman
experienced the pain of feeling that God was absent – or that God had
abandoned her – or even that God did not exist.
So a saint is not a Christian superhero, or someone who understands all the
mysteries of God, or a flawless human being who hovers several inches off
the ground.
A saint looks like you and me, living out his or her faith in real time, in real
life, and never perfectly. It is the state of being for all who follow Jesus
Christ. We know that are flawed human beings and that we need grace.
Any righteousness we have did not come to us by nature, but rather as a gift
from God – through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross.
And what does that righteousness look like? Jesus painted a clear picture
for His followers in our Gospel reading – contrasting blessings and woes:
"Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed
are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who
weep now, for you will laugh. Blessed are you when men hate you, when
they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of
the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your
reward in heaven. For that is how their fathers treated the prophets.
But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort.
Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry. Woe to you who
laugh now, for you will mourn and weep. Woe to you when all men speak
well of you, for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets.
"But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate
you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone
takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. Give to everyone
who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it
back. Do to others as you would have them do to you.
The traditional image of a saint is often one of a hermit, praying alone.
While prayer is an essential part of every saint’s life, sainthood is best seen
in service. In mission, not in miracles.
A saint looks like a parent patiently caring for a sick child, a volunteer
serving at a local food bank, a neighbor mowing an elderly person's lawn,
or a co-worker who chooses integrity and kindness in a cutthroat
environment.
Jesus Himself modeled this in John 13 when He washed the disciples' feet.
He, the Lord and Teacher, performed the lowest task of a servant and
commanded them to do the same. Sainthood is expressed in getting our
hands dirty for the sake of others.
It’s about putting them to work for people and situations that need our
caring.
It’s about taking our focus off the spectacular: miracles, martyrdom, or
profound visions – those extraordinary signs of God's power – and seeing
instead how often God is working in the ordinary moments of our lives.
That happens every time we choose patience over anger, forgiveness over
bitterness, and hope over despair. We don’t have to be in a convent or
monastery – or starting a mission in a faraway place. We could be in the
grocery line, in traffic at a construction site, at the office or school, or at the
dinner table. Any place where we can show the love of Jesus to others.
In other words – a saint looks like you. Everyone who believes that the
blood of Jesus has washed away their sin, is a saint. Holy and righteous in
the eyes of God.
Then put what you believe into action – and you will show the world what a
saint looks like.
Amen.