Feast of All Saints
Tapiwa Gusha

Isaiah 25:6-9/John 11:32-44    Jesus said, “Take away the stone”

Happy All Saints Day!!!

A writer once said, “We all have a Saint in us, we just need to wake him up!” It should be a great challenge to us to celebrate those who died for their righteousness, considering the corrupt and sinful nature of our communities. What determined one to be called a Saint is not the nature of their death but the way of the life they lived while they were in this world. They have long gone but their works are still alive and keep on motivating us to be better Christians. This is exactly what Bob Marley meant in his song at Gregory Isaac’s funeral, “Only fools die”. He was confirming that of course he might have physically departed from this earth, but his works will never die. All Saints is a call for us to examine ourselves and to walk in the ways of the Lord.

Today we have read from the Gospel of John, Jesus bringing back Lazarus from death. By the way, the name Lazarus is the Hellenized version of Eleazer. The Hebrew meaning of Eleazer is God is our help or support so Lazarus -  in Greek, “Lazaros” - simply means “God is my help”. For four days Lazarus was in the tomb. Jews and friends could not help but mourn.  When Jesus arrived, he gave a simple instruction, “Take away the stone!”-God is my help! (Remember not to mistake this Lazarus of Bethany, the brother of Mary and Martha with the poor Lazarus in Luke 16:20.)

Yes, God is our help, but we should do our party as human beings. If Jesus had the power to raise Lazarus from the dead, he was also able to command the stone to move from the mouth of the grave on its own, but grace is never a cheap commodity, He is instructing Mary and Martha to do what they can, “Take away the stone”. John 2: 1ff-At the wedding at Canna, Jesus instructed the servants to fill six big stone pots with water-Take away the stone; 1 Kings 17:7ff-The widow of Zarephath and Elijah-Take away the stone; Abraham had to prepare a meal to receive the blessing-Take away the stone.

What we are celebrating today are people who did their part and God did the rest. Saints are not canonized in heaven, but their existence is a clear testimony to us, the living, that these people have done their part very well. And don’t  under estimate people’s testimonies because Matthew 16:19 says, “Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven” It is true that following in the footsteps of Saints is not easy, but the trial is always appreciated. We all have a saint in us, we just need to work him up.

It is my prayer that All Saints make our burden light and our blessings heavy. In the name of God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.