When I read Building the Benedict Option: A Guide to Gathering Two or Three Together in His Name, author Leah Libresco mentioned two ideas that intrigued me. The first was Easter caroling. Hey, why not? Stopping at homes and singing about the Resurrection? The other was a Saints party, where everybody would go around and talk about their favorite saints.
Yes, Libresco is Catholic, and this concept sounds more Catholic than Baptist. Other than Christmas and Good Friday/Easter, the only other liturgical calendar event I've seen at a church I attended was the lighting of the Advent candles. Even though Pentecost is based on a Biblical event focusing on the church, I see more emphasis given to Mother's Day and the Fourth of July. Reformation Day may get some attention - which it deserves - but don't expect All Saints Day to be noticed.
Let me give a dissenting voice. I want to celebrate All Saints Day. I want to have a Saints party! I want to get together with other believers and hear which saints have made an impact on them.
Of course, as most Baptists, I have a different definition to the word "saint." Catholics believe certain people are saints. They go through a process that starts with Beatification, which requires a miracle their posthumous intercession is responsible for, followed by canonization to sainthood following a second miracle. My hunch is most saints to gain that status during the lifetime of their contemporaries.
When I read the term "saint" in the New Testament, it refers to all believers, not just the spiritual superstars. Paul addressed his recipients as saints, even the model church in Cornith. (A model church of what should be avoided.) Church fathers Tertullian and Origen didn't make the cut of being saints in the Catholic definition, but I expect them to be in the company of the saints in heaven. Besides, as hinted at, you can be a saint where you're alive.
I'll never forget listening to a call on a talk show the day Mother Theresa passed. The host said that she was a saint, and that he and the caller were not. If I had access to a non-work phone, I would have dissented. If we believe in Christ, we're saints. And we're not to see others as being so far beyond us that we can never be close to them, but rather make it our aim to be fully pleasing to Christ (2 Cor. 5:9).
Another objection is that we're to follow Christ. All human models are fallible. The so-called heroes in the Bible like Noah, Moses, David, and Peter have moments (or more) of failure. Only Jesus lived a sinless life. True, but don't forget 1 Corinthians 11:1 where Paul says be imitators of him as he imitated Christ.
So who are my favorite saints? I thought about making a list, and I might next year, but I will give five off the top of my head to get conversations going. They would be:
- Drew Brees, quarterback of the New Orleans Saints. Is my tongue in cheek here? Just a little. I know enough to know he's the real deal as a believer.
- Charles Simeon, a pastor in England and contemporary of Jonathan Edwards and the Wesleys. He endured a lot of hostility from his congregation for over a decade, even getting locked out of the church. As a wealthy man, he bought churches (a common practice then) so he could hire Gospel preaching pastors for their pulpit. And I love his dialog with John Wesley (I might write a blog about that sometime).
- Isaac Watts. Not quite my favorite hymn lyric writer - Charles Wesley edges him out. But besides hymns, he also was an apologist. He wrote age-appropriate catachisms for children, and a logic book that was used by Oxford and Cambridge (schools he wasn't able to attend because he was a non-conformist) and Yale.
- Brother Alex in Columbia. He and his co-workers were stopped by guerillas, most of which were killed. They shot Alex in the eye, to which Alex replied, "Has anybody told you Jesus loves you?" After the incident, the gunmen were arrested and imprisoned, and Alex went to visit them and tell them of the love of God.
- Pastor Joe LoMusio, former pastor at Cactus Baptist Church (Phoenix, AZ) and Temple Baptist Church (Fullerton, CA). I can tell you about the sermon he preached the first Sunday night I heard him preach at Cactus Baptist Church, including his text, his main point, an illustration he used from his life, and a joke he made. That sermon was in late August, 1978.
I'd love to talk about more, but I'll pass for now. Allow me to comment, though, that like the meme I have at the top of this blog - "Surround yourself with those who bring you closer to God. This includes not just your friends, but the authors you read (non-fiction and fiction), the musicians you listen to, and even what you watch (some might help your walk with the Lord, some might hinder).
Who are your favorite saints?
Great, Jeff! I so agree. We miss so much by cutting ourselves off from the historic traditions of the church. My mother was/is a saint, and I talk to her all the time--a lot of it apologizing for my lapses when she was with us. I don't know about the theology, but it's the best I can do while I'm still on this side.
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