So Great a Cloud of Witnesses

We are celebrating All Saints' Sunday today. We’ve just heard the famous reading about famous men. We’ve sung the classic All Saints’ hymn, "For all the saints…" The actual day of All Saints actually falls on November 1, of course. This is one of the few big holy days in the church calendar which we’re allowed and encouraged to celebrate both on its actual day and also the following Sunday. It is a day to treasure. We gather as the communion of saints every Sunday as we come to the Lord’s Table. This day’s celebration helps us focus on the communion of saints and what it means to be a part of that holy fellowship.

In the New Testament, the word "saints" refers to all of the faithful. For example, the letter to the Ephesians begins: "Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus…" The letter is written to the entire Christian community in Ephesus; every member of the Body of Christ is a saint. No matter whether they are the most faithful or are wracked by doubt. No matter whether they are man or woman, martyr or Sunday school teacher (those are not synonymous). Christians are saints. And technically, when the Episcopal Church uses the word saints, we always mean it in this sense.

Yet as the church has celebrated All Saint’s Day over the years and centuries and millennia, we have come to dedicate All Saints' Day specifically to all of those who were particularly heroic in their faith, especially the martyrs. "Let us now sing the praises of famous men and women." We remember those who did remarkable deeds, who were singular examples of dedication and faith, those who surround us and look upon us from the stained glass windows of St. John’s. In all different times and all different places these famous, heroic saints have stood out among the faithful. And they continue to serve as examples and inspirations to us.

And yet part of our celebration today is also thanksgiving for all of those saints who may not be famous in the annals of the church, but who are no less saints. Those faithful departed whose names may not be well known to history, but are no less well known to God. These are those whom the church particularly remembers on All Souls’ Day, November 2. All Souls. Those whose names are known only to God and those whom we named in our parish prayers on All Souls Day: from Austin Dorn, Sr. and Jane Adduci to Edna Jones and Donald Feige, to Arnie Wiedermann and Vivian Turney. All of these, too, are saints of the church.

And these saints, too, surround us and look down upon us all of the time. Almost hidden in this morning’s service, tucked away in the proper preface of the Eucharistic Prayer for All Saints’ Day is an allusion to a familiar passage from the Book of Hebrews: "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us." We are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses. A great cloud of witnesses, those who have witnessed to the faith. These witnesses are the saints of the church—the famous saints who surround us in these windows, but even more importantly that great multitude of anonymous saints who also surround us. These are the faithful departed who are our families and friends—those who, in the midst of lives just like ours, sought to live those lives as true to their Christian faith as they were able. We are surrounded by this great company of saints.

The writer of Hebrews probably deliberately intended an athletic metaphor in this passage. He seems to have imagined this great host of saints as spectators in an athletic arena, surrounding Christians as they strive to run the race of a faithful Christian life. The saints cheer and offer encouragement. They are those seated in the seats of the great Roman coliseum as Christians sought to outrun the ravaging lions of sin and faithlessness and the literal lions of pagan persecution that threatened the early Christians on every side.

This is a good image to hang onto. It was very real in the early centuries of the church and it was a great comfort to early Christians to know that anyone was on their side, supporting them, rooting for them, as they faced great trial and hardship.

But I would also like to offer you another athletic metaphor. More contemporary. And although it may at first seem trivial, it is profoundly relevant and apt, I think. Imagine a soccer match being played by four year olds. It is important to this image that the players be very young. The great cloud of witnesses, the faithful saints of the church, are the moms and dads and friends and neighbors who ring the field. We are the four year olds on the field. As we seek to live our lives as Christians today, we are the four year old soccer players.

I have been told that family and friends attend soccer matches of the very young for two reasons. One, of course, is to show their love and support for those on the field. But the other is literally to form a human ring around the field to keep the players on the field. Four year olds don’t always know where the playing field ends. This human ring of caring lovingly, gently, physically keeps the children on track, keeps them where they are supposed to be. These saints do much more than just cheer from a distance. They very tangibly help and direct.

I expect that most of us can identify with these four year old soccer players when we think of our own lives of faith. Half the time we don’t have a clue what the rules really are for Christian living or what we are supposed to be doing at any given time. We don’t know which way to go, which end of the field is our goal. Sometimes we’re not even sure what game we’re playing. And we forget that Christianity is a team sport. Sometimes we feel completely alone. At other times we are aware of others, but unsure how to interact with them in this setting, unpracticed at Christian collaboration. Yet, at a very deep level, we know we want to be part of this endeavor. It is important to us. We throw our whole selves into it, heart, body and soul. With all of its fun and frustration, confusion and joy, hurt and hope. This is where we want to be.

And think of those faces ringing the field. There is no place in the world they would rather be than sharing this experience with us. And when we are confused about which way to turn, where to go, the great cloud of encouraging faces and voices is there, calling us by name and eagerly pointing us in the right direction. And should we go hurtling off the field, propelled by our own frustration or misguided ambition, firm hands will catch and steady us and keep us from going too far astray. They will remind us of our teammates. The field will never be so large that the faces and hands of those who love us will be out of sight or out of reach. They will comfort and encourage. They will guide and direct so that we do not become lost.

The cloud of witnesses, God’s saints, will keep us on track as Christians. Not by the distant example of their own heroic lives, although the famous who surround us in these windows can certainly teach and inspire us. But the great cloud of faithful departed whom we know and name in our own lives will guide us by their close and loving presence. By being with us, surrounding us, at all times. Their hands and voices and familiar faces there to ensure that we stay within the Body of Christ. Moving in the direction God wants us to go, doing the things God seeks for us to do.

Remember Jesus’ words in this morning’s Gospel. When we feel poor in spirit, it is the great cloud of witnesses that blesses us with their presence, sustaining and encouraging us. When we mourn, what more blessed consolation could we have than theirs, the faithful departed who now live fully in God’s love, and assure us of God’s love for us? When we are meek, insecure or confused… When we are hungry or thirsty, aching to be filled, the blessed hands and voices of this great cloud of saints are there to offer us what we need.

"Blessed are the pure in heart," Jesus says, "for they will be called children of God." And when we, with childlike pureness of heart, turn our lives to God, what a great and mighty cheer will go up and joy will shine from the faces of those saints who surround us on every side. Amen.