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When The Saints Go Marching In · Exploring The Holy Scriptures with Rev Dr David Wright

• 0:19
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome, friends, and peace be with you.
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_00: May the words on my lips and the meditations in our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our strength and our redeemer.
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_00: Amen.
• 0:39
  SPEAKER_00: Imagine a family living in a makeshift shelter in Gaza in November twenty twenty six.
• 0:55
  SPEAKER_00: After years of conflict and displacement, they are facing another uncertain winter.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_00: Their shelter offers little protection from the coming cold and rain.
• 1:13
  SPEAKER_00: Food is difficult to obtain.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_00: Medical supplies are scarce, and the future remains uncertain.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_00: Yet in the midst of their struggles, someone shares what little food they have with a neighbour.
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_00: A mother comforts a frightened child who is not her own.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_00: A volunteer arrives with essential supplies, risking their own safety to help strangers.
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_00: Someone sits beside a grieving father and simply listens.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_00: No headlines celebrate their quiet acts of compassion.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_00: The world may never know their names, but I wonder whether Jesus looking at these people might say blessed are they.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_00: However, today's gospel invites us to look beyond the stained glass and discover something much closer to home.
• 4:01
  SPEAKER_00: Jesus tells us Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_00: Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_00: Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
• 4:22
  SPEAKER_00: He continues with words about those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, those who show mercy, those who are pure in heart, those who make peace, and those who suffer because they stand up for what is right.
• 4:42
  SPEAKER_00: These are not the people the world necessarily considers successful.
• 4:48
  SPEAKER_00: The world tells us to be strong enough to never show weakness.
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_00: Jesus blesses those who recognize their need for God.
• 5:05
  SPEAKER_00: The world tells us to avoid grief and to move on as quickly as possible.
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_00: Jesus promises comfort to those who mourn.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_00: The world tells us that the powerful inherit the earth.
• 5:25
  SPEAKER_00: Jesus speaks of the meek.
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_00: The world often rewards aggression or revenge.
• 5:37
  SPEAKER_00: Jesus blesses the merciful.
• 5:42
  SPEAKER_00: And while the world may celebrate those who boast about making the best deals, winning arguments, defeating opponents, Jesus calls the peacemakers children of God.
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_00: This is not only a radically different vision of human life, but also a radically different vision of holiness.
• 6:19
  SPEAKER_00: One of the most important things we can remember on All Saints Day is that saints are not people who have lived perfect lives.
• 6:31
  SPEAKER_00: They are people whose lives have been touched by the grace of God.
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_00: Think about the people who have shaped your own journey of faith.
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_00: Perhaps it was a parent or grandparent who taught you to pray, someone who helped you discover the stories of Jesus, a friend who stood beside you when life became difficult.
• 7:01
  SPEAKER_00: Someone who forgave you when you least deserved forgiveness.
• 7:08
  SPEAKER_00: Someone who quietly cared for you when you were ill, frightened or grieving.
• 7:18
  SPEAKER_00: Some of these people may still be with us, others may have died.
• 7:24
  SPEAKER_00: Today we remember them with gratitude.
• 7:31
  SPEAKER_00: They may never have performed miracles or accomplished anything that the world considered remarkable.
• 7:40
  SPEAKER_00: They may never have preached a sermon, written a book or led a faith community, but they showed us something of Christ.
• 7:52
  SPEAKER_00: They were merciful, they made peace, they comforted those who mourned.
• 7:59
  SPEAKER_00: They hungered for righteousness.
• 8:02
  SPEAKER_00: They loved when loving was difficult.
• 8:06
  SPEAKER_00: In doing so they allowed the light of Christ to shine through their ordinary lives.
• 8:18
  SPEAKER_00: These are the saints whose names may never appear in a history book, but those whose love has left an enduring mark upon our world.
• 8:36
  SPEAKER_00: Looking once again at the Beatitudes, Jesus does not promise that following him will make life easy.
• 8:46
  SPEAKER_00: He speaks of mourning, persecution, and the cost of standing up for what is right.
• 8:56
  SPEAKER_00: The saints were not people who escaped the suffering of the world.
• 9:01
  SPEAKER_00: Many knew poverty, rejection, injustice and persecution.
• 9:08
  SPEAKER_00: Some gave their lives rather than abandon their faith.
• 9:15
  SPEAKER_00: Today, countless Christians continue to care for the vulnerable, defend the oppressed, and work for peace in places torn apart by conflict.
• 9:31
  SPEAKER_00: They do so because they believe that every human life matters to God.
• 9:40
  SPEAKER_00: They refuse to believe that hatred must have the final word.
• 9:45
  SPEAKER_00: They refuse to believe that violence is the only answer to violence.
• 9:51
  SPEAKER_00: They refuse to believe that the suffering of strangers is somebody else's problem.
• 10:00
  SPEAKER_00: Their courage reminds us that holiness is not simply something we admire in others.
• 10:08
  SPEAKER_00: It is something to which Christ calls each and every one of us.
• 10:18
  SPEAKER_00: We may not be called to do extraordinary things, but we are called to do ordinary things with extraordinary love.
• 10:38
  SPEAKER_00: To show mercy when we could condemn to make peace when others encourage division to speak for those whose voices are ignored, to stand beside those who are lonely, frightened or grieving, to welcome the stranger and recognise the dignity of those whom society overlooks and to keep trusting God even when the world seems determined to extinguish hope.
• 11:27
  SPEAKER_00: Finally, there is something else we must remember.
• 11:32
  SPEAKER_00: The beatitudes are not simply instructions about how we should live.
• 11:39
  SPEAKER_00: They are also promises about what God is doing.
• 11:45
  SPEAKER_00: Jesus says those who mourn will be comforted, the meek will inherit the earth.
• 11:53
  SPEAKER_00: Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be filled.
• 11:59
  SPEAKER_00: These promises point beyond the present moment.
• 12:06
  SPEAKER_00: When we look at the world in november twenty twenty six, we see wars that continue, families that are forced from their homes, people continuing to struggle with poverty, and communities still living with fear and uncertainty.
• 12:29
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes we may wonder whether goodness can really make a difference.
• 12:37
  SPEAKER_00: We may ask where God is in the midst of such suffering.
• 12:44
  SPEAKER_00: All Saints Day does not give an easy answer to every question, but it does remind us that suffering and justice and death do not have the final word.
• 13:04
  SPEAKER_00: The saints we remember today have gone before us, trusting in the promises of God.
• 13:11
  SPEAKER_00: Their lives testify that the light of Christ can shine even in the darkest of places, and the resurrection of Jesus assures us that death itself cannot separate us from the love of God.
• 13:28
  SPEAKER_00: That is our hope today.
• 13:36
  SPEAKER_00: We remember those who have died, not because we believe their stories have ended in nothingness, but because we entrust them to the God whose love is stronger than death.
• 13:52
  SPEAKER_00: We give thanks for their lives, their faith and their love, and we look forward in hope to the day when God's kingdom will come in all of its fullness, when mourning will give way to comfort, injustice to righteousness, and hatred to peace.
• 14:20
  SPEAKER_00: So on this All Saints Day, let us give thanks for the great saints of Christian history.
• 14:30
  SPEAKER_00: Let us remember those who have gone before us, whose names are known, and whose names are known only to God.
• 14:40
  SPEAKER_00: Let us also carefully listen to the words of Jesus, for the beatitudes are not simply about people who lived long ago.
• 14:51
  SPEAKER_00: They are about the kind of people Christ calls us to become today.
• 15:01
  SPEAKER_00: You don't need a halo to be a saint.
• 15:05
  SPEAKER_00: You need a heart open to God's grace, the courage to show mercy, the willingness to make peace, the compassion to stand beside those who suffer, the faith to believe that even in a troubled world the kingdom of God is drawing near.
• 15:40
  SPEAKER_00: You see, the story of the saints is not finished because by the grace of God it continues in us.
• 15:56
  SPEAKER_00: May we carry the words of Jesus into the world.
• 16:02
  SPEAKER_00: May we become people who comfort those who mourn.
• 16:08
  SPEAKER_00: Show mercy to those who are struggling, make peace where there is conflict, and bring hope where there is despair.
• 16:18
  SPEAKER_00: May our lives, however ordinary they may seem, bear witness to the extraordinary love of Christ.
• 16:31
  SPEAKER_00: For blessed are the merciful, blessed are the peacemakers, blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, and blessed are those who belong to Christ, who follow him in faith, and who trust in his promise of eternal life.