Finding Footsteps to Follow

Anton DeWet

Hebrews 2:1-4

Today is generally celebrated in the churches of the world as All Saints Day. Its an opportunity we have to remember those who came before us, forging a faith tradition upon which we are building our own faith. People who have influenced us in ways that we are not even aware of.

Every one of us has some form of a belief system. If someone was to ask you what you believe you could offer them some explanation.

Much of that which you and I believe is based upon what others believed first.

If it was not for Jesus, we would not be called Christians. If it were not for Paul who organized the church the church would probably not have survived, especially not in the form that it did.

If it were not for the early church fathers such as Irenaeus and Origenes, Thomas of Aquinas and St. Augustine we might not have survived those early centuries.

If people like Martin Luther and Calvin and John Knox did not stand up to the tyranny of the organized church 500 years ago there would be no Reformation and we would have no choice but the Catholic or Orthodox church of today.

Through the ages there were those who influenced and shaped the world of faith which we have inherited. We are who we are because others where there to open the road open which we are traveling today.

The there are the individuals who stand out as heroes of faith. St Francis of Assisi with his Christian philosophy that calls us to a level of gentleness and kindness that, if taken literally, will conquer all hatred and anger.

The compassion of a Mother Theresa whose selflessness, when emulated, will conquer the most terrible of suffering or at least, offer the sufferer a presence of love that surpasses all understanding and thus offers them a healing that is much more valuable than any physical or emotional healing offered by the most sophisticated  modern medicine we have today.

There are, of course, those heroes and saints in our own lives who drift in and out of our memories. We have all met them at times in our lives. People whose care and whose presence have enhanced our own lives. People who stepped into our worlds when we felt defeated and lost.

These are the saints we celebrate today.

These are the angels, we read of in the letter to the Hebrews, who lived the message of salvation, the gifts validated by the Holy Spirit, as this author interprets God’s presence to his readers.

But in remembering those who came before us and who carried the light of love into our lives we must also pause to remember that none of them were perfect. In fact, many of them were broken vessels who barely functioned at time. These are often people who made the gravest of mistakes in their lives.

Starting with the Biblical figures such as Moses and David, right through to the most contemporary figures we know of. And yes, even those we love and know who can at times be God’s angels of love and grace are at times, so obviously flawed and failing in their life.

There is simply no individual we can look up to who will not disappoint us at some time. What to make of this?

In this reality lies our own liberation.

If our saints are tainted people with their own flaws and shortcomings often shining through even their best achievements, then it becomes clear that we, too, are all called into this circle of saints.

We too, are at times the angels of God whose love and presence make the lives of others whole again. We too, are called to press on with our faith despite those moments when we fail. We too, are included in this cloud of witnesses who have chosen to be part of God’s kingdom, a realm where we strive to enhance the life of another…and where we live with hope, and that we sacrifice and give of ourselves to witness to this greater reality whom we call God.

Thank God for the footsteps of others who came before us, that we can follow in faith. They have journeyed their way into our lives. But at the same time, we are called to make our own journeys into the future leaving our own footsteps behind for others to follow.

It is wonderful to read the stories of Moses and David, of Peter and Paul, of the early church and the contemporary faith heroes who have left us a legacy of love and an example of courage, but Friends, you and I have to also charter new courses never discovered for we live in a totally different world.

But a world focused only on the saints of the past has no future. We see the footprints of the saints of old and we even recognize them in our own lives through the choices we make. But their journeys lie fossilized in the past when things were different. Then was then and now is now. Even as we celebrate them and honor their contributions to this world we are awoken to the call for contemporary saints to carve out new paths upon which today’s generation can follow the footprints of these new saints.

Who are these new saints to be?

Despite our many shortcomings, just like the saints of old, we are the ones called to enact the message of Christ’s salvation as this letter reads.

A salvation that liberates the soul and transforms our lives. A salvation that teaches that it is more moral to love than to hate…more practical to forgive than to harbor old anger. More uplifting to give than to receive. More fulfilling to serve than to be served. It is a message that does not make sense to the world but it is the message that can save the world from itself.

You and I are the ones called to march in this parade of faith. It is a march that will leave footsteps for others to follow in a time when they too, need clarity and encouragement and inspiration in their journeys of faith.

You may think of your own life in limited ways. You may think of yourself as someone with limited potential when it comes to your life. But I want to remind you that you may not even be aware of the times when God validates your life through the gifts of your presence and your actions. Yes, you may not want to hear it and you may feel unworthy, but you are surely one of God’s saints, called to service, invited to journey with this community and to leave behind the footprints others can follow.

For this we give thanks as the new generation of God’s saints, with all of our gifts and shortcomings. Amen.