This coming Sunday is All Saints Sunday, which is really a rather ambiguous day on different levels. First of all, we think of All Saints Day as a time when we honor those in the past, many of whom were martyred and died for their faith. The Roman Catholic church prays to the saints. We under the Lutheran umbrella hold up saints as heroes of the church.

Today it can be easy to be a hero, at least in the media. You can be a basketball, baseball, or football star which, in many ways, translates into being a so-called sports hero. You come through against the odds when you lead your team to victory.

However, this is not how the church understands its heroes, whom we call saints. Frederick Buechner has a classic quote:

"In his holy flirtation with the world, God occasionally drops a pocket handkerchief. These handkerchiefs are called saints."

This Sunday we acknowledge the handkerchiefs that have fallen in our history, in our midst, and in our lives.There are countless statues of saints in cathedrals all over Europe, but what the church does this Sunday is remember those extraordinary people who have touched our lives and raised us to "higher ground". Whenever I think of this day and wherever I find myself in life, I have to think of what the Book of Hebrews says: There is a whole "cloud of witnesses" (Heb. 12:1–2) behind me that have gotten me to this point. I can only stand in gratitude to all those who have patiently taught me, mentored me, helped me, and loved me to this point.

All Saints Sunday is when we honor those who have come before us and we are welcomed by them into the Fellowship of All the Saints. Luther had a phrase for this: simul iustus et peccator - sinner and saint at the same time. When you think about it, those who have been acknowledged into sainthood are simply sinners like you and me, who have taken God's promise with grace and love into their lives to discover the power of what it means to follow our Lord. TO BE WITH THEM IS TO BECOME MORE ALIVE.

MEH