On this All Saints’ day, we remember family and friends who have gone on ahead of us. They have died with faith in Christ and are now with our Lord in heaven. Perhaps a grandparent, a parent, a sibling, or a son or daughter comes to mind. Perhaps you remember a dear friend or neighbor. I remember my mother, who died in February of this year and my father-in-law who died in July. As a congregation, we remember our dear sister in Christ Lorene McAtee and our brother, Dean Day. He was a kind and lovable man.
For all our family and friends who have gone on to heaven, we miss them deeply. They were a blessing to us in so many ways. We cherish their memory.
We don’t pray to them. We don’t glorify them. But we thank God that He covered them with the robe of Christ’s righteousness in holy baptism. We thank God that He gave them saving faith in Christ. We thank God that He gave them strength and perseverance in the midst of life and death. We pray that we may imitate their faith and their holy living according to our calling in life and that God would keep us faithful unto death.
Our first reading for today, from Revelation chapter 7, gives us a picture of heaven. We call it the “Church triumphant,” the Church at rest and at peace.
St John, the Apostle, wrote the book of Revelation. What did he see? He saw a very large crowd of people. There are so many that no one could number them. They are as numerous as the sand on the seashore and as the stars in the sky. They were not from one ethnic group, but they were from ever nation, tribe, people, and language. They were from Asia, Africa, Europe, America, and beyond.
Even today the Gospel continues to go out to all nations and people. The Gospel goes out to the poor and the rich, the young and the old, the student in elementary school and those in college, to the sick and healthy. The Gospel goes out to you and to your friends and family. God shows no partiality. He desires that all be saved and to come to the knowledge that Christ is our one and only Savior. So pray for your unbelieving family members or friends, that they may believe in Christ and that they may be with us in heaven.
What are the saints in heaven doing? They are standing before the throne and before the Lamb, serving Him day and night in His temple. They are standing before Jesus. He is the Lamb of God. He died of their sins and he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and He now reigns upon His throne. The saints in heaven serve Him day and night in His temple.
But today, God serves us with His precious Gospel. We receive His gifts of life and salvation, then we respond with thanksgiving and praise.
What are the saints in heaven wearing? They are wearing white robes. Their robes are white because of the blood of the Lamb. The color white symbolizes holiness (thus the color for today). Their white robes affirm that they are saints in heaven.
In baptism, their sins were washed away. They were cleansed by the washing of water with the word in holy baptism. Though their robes were once stained with sin, they were made pure and holy through Christ’s redeeming blood.
We who remain on earth are both sinner and saint. We are sinful by nature, yet we are saint—holy and redeemed with the blood of Christ. The Old Adam in us rebels, yet when we confess our sins, he is drowned, and we rise to a new life in Christ. Out of our hearts come evil thoughts, murder, and adultery, yet when our sins are forgiven God creates in us a clean heart. From our mouths comes cursing and swearing, lies and falsehood, yet at this altar Christ’s body and blood is put into our mouths cleansing us of all our sin.
As long as we live on earth, we struggle against our sinful nature. It is very important for us, then, to always confess our sins and to receive the forgiveness of sins.
What are the saints in heaven holding? They are holding palm branches. Palm branches symbolize victory. The saints rejoice that Christ won victory over sin, death, and the devil. We may not hold a palm branch today, but Christ won the victory for you. As the children and others glorified Jesus on Palm Sunday, so also, we glorify Jesus for the salvation He has won by means of the cross and resurrection.
What are the saints in heaven singing? They are singing a beautiful hymn. It goes like this, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne and to the Lamb.” Their hymn attributes salvation to God the Father and to Jesus, the Lamb of God. This hymn is centered on what God has done in Christ Jesus for the salvation of the whole world. It points out that the redemption of God’s people in Christ Jesus is the most important thing that God has done for them.
Then the angels affirm what was just sung by the saints. The angels sing, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever. Amen.” Even the angels rejoice that God has rescued fallen humanity through his Son.
So also, our hymns today are not centered on ourselves or our emotions or our works, but they are centered on Christ. Our hymns give thanks for what God has done for us and for salvation. They are Christ-centered giving Him all blessing, honor, and glory for dying upon the cross for our sins and for rising again.
Where did the saints in heaven come from? They came out of the great tribulation. In other words, they suffered here on earth, but they have come out of this life of suffering and have entered heaven.
While on earth, they suffered from their own sin. They were not perfect. They were sinful by nature. But they confessed their sins, and they received the forgiveness of sins on account of Christ. They also suffered from the hostility of an unbelieving world and even with the devil.
But in the midst of their suffering and tribulation, God was their source of strength. The sermon hymn put it this way, “[The Lord] was their rock, their fortress, and their might. [He was] their captain in the well-fought fight. In the midst of darkness, He was their one true Light” (LSB 677:2). When they walked through the valley of the shadow of death, they came out of this world of trial and tribulation, and they are now with our Lord in heaven. They now enjoy a life free from sin and suffering. They now enjoy the glory of heaven.
But for us who remain here on earth, we suffer from the consequences of living in a fallen world. We suffer from trial and tribulation. There are family conflicts and disagreements between others. We suffer from sickness, disease, aging, cancer, and the list goes on and on. We also suffer from our own sin. We commit sins of idolatry, disrespect toward authority, anger, sexual immorality, gossip and the list goes on and on. We confess our sin, and God is gracious and merciful to us in Christ and forgives our sin. We also suffer from the hostility from an unbelieving world. The enemies of the Gospel speak all kinds of evil against us falsely. We also wrestle against the devil and his spiritual hosts of wickedness.
We look forward to the day when we will leave this world of suffering and enter the joy of heaven. Until then, help one another. Love your neighbor and be faithful in your vocation as a spouse, son or daughter, student, or worker.
Are the saints in heaven cared for? Yes, they are being taken care of by Jesus. Our text says that Jesus is leading them to living fountains of waters. Jesus was their Good Shepherd here on earth and He is still their Good Shepherd there in heaven.
Does God care for us here on earth? Yes. He gives us food and drink, clothing and shoes, house and home, and all we need. He feeds us with His Gospel and He forgives our sins in Christ. Jesus is our Good Shepherd even today. He restored our soul. He anointed our head in the waters of Holy Baptism. He leads us on His path of righteousness all the way to heaven. Someday, we will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Do the saints in heaven suffer? No. They hunger no more, neither thirst anymore, the sun does not strike them, nor any scorching heat. God has wiped away every tear from their eyes. They now enjoy eternal peace and joy. Revelation chapter 21:4 tells us that in heaven “there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” The saints in heaven now rest from their labors. They have fought a good fight. They have finished the race. They have kept the faith. We miss them, but we know that they are in a better place.
Today, we are gathered together in the Divine Service. Hebrews chapter 12 tells us that we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses. Though we cannot see them, they are present with us. The angels and archangels and all the company of heaven, join us here at the altar. The closest place we come to our loved ones who have gone on ahead of us is not at the cemetery. It is here at the altar. We are united with them in Christ. Again, the angels, archangels and all the company of heaven are present with us as we partake Holy Communion. We just cannot see them.
Dearly beloved in the Lord, as you journey to heaven, do not give up. Do not drop out of the race. Do not let anything hinder you from Christ. Hear the preaching of God’s Word and receive the Sacrament on a regular basis. Make worship your highest priority. For Sunday morning is a foretaste of heaven itself.
By God’s grace, look forward to what lies ahead. Fix your eyes on Jesus. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. Persevere in the one true faith. Run with endurance the race set before you. Press on toward the goal of heaven.
This world is temporary. Heaven is our real home. Amen.
