All Saints Sunday 2008

This this sermon is leaning HEAVILY on the wisdom and geniusness of Kazimera Henson Fraley. What you will read here is 7 years of Kaza's All Saints Sunday work with a slight flare of Christy. :)

There was a young man who was born on a farm in New York in the 1800s. He was raised in the Methodist Episopal Church and gave his first sermon there in 1856.

He moved to Iowa in 1957 and was a pastor there until 1883 when he moved his family to the west coast. Has anyone figured out who's story I'm telling you about yet? Does this story sound familiar to you? Someone who preached from New York to Iowa to California?

His story continues... in 1894 this man withdrew from his ministry at the Methodist Episcopal Church to serve as the pastor to the Peniel Mission, and independent ministry to the homeless of Los Angeles. He served there until he started to become convinced the best ministry for the urban poor was to create strong churches that ministered to entire families.

Have you figured out who this man was yet?

This man then joined Dr. Joseph Pomeroy Widney, a leading Los Angeles physician and former president of the University of Southern California. Widney suggested they call the church (that would minister to the urban poor families), the Church of the Nazarene- because he said it identified with the ministry to the masses of common people for whom Jesus lived and died.

This mystery man was pastor of Los Angeles First Church of the Nazarene until 1911 when he retired. He also edited a weekly paper, the "Nazarene Messenger." And his goal with this paper was to rally people together and knit strong familial bonds among Nazarenes.

WHO WAS HE? Phineas F. Bresee.

Phineas F. Bresee was a saint in our Church, the Church of the Nazarene. And today, on All Saints Sunday... we remember the saints who went on before us.

Here is another story... about a woman. See if you can figure out who she is as I tell her story.

She was the last great female Nazarene scholar to date. She was born September 9, 1905 in Seattle Washington and she received a degree from Pasadena College (now Point Loma Nazarene University) in 1931.

She and her husband were copastors of Glassell Park Church of the Nazarene in Los Angeles. She was ordained in 1934 as a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ and her husband was not ordained until a year later, in 1935.

She received several graduate degrees, including a ThD (like a PhD with a theology emphasis) from Northern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1955.

Have you figured out who this lovely lady was yet?

Her story continues. She was a professor of Theology at Western Evangelical Seminary in Portland Oregon from 1956 to 1961. Then from 1961 to 1966 she taught in Japan where she was the founding President of Japan Nazarene Theological Seminary. From 1966 to 1976 she served as the Professor of Theology and Director of the Department of Missions at Trevecca Nazarene. And then from 1976 to 1979 she was the Theologian-in-residence at Nazarene Theological Seminary (where I went to school about 2 years ago).

She wrote several articles for the Herold of Holiness and the Seminary Tower. She also wrote one of my favorite books (one of the most influential for the Church of the Nazarene, even today, "Theology of Love").

She served as the president of the Wesleyan Theological Society (of which I am a part- and who's last meeting in March I attended), but she was president long before my time in 1973.

She died, before I could meet her, before I even graduated from High School... in May of 1997 in Lenexa Kansas.

Who was this phenomenal woman? Dr. Mildred Bangs Wynkoop.

Bangs Wynkoop was a saint in our church, the Church of the Nazarene. And today, on All Saints Sunday... we remember the saints who went on before us.

So many saints have lived lives of faith before us. We are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses.

Hebrews chapter 11 goes through saints of the faith. By faith, Abel offered to God a sacrifice. By faith, Noah built an ark to save his household. By faith, Abraham when put to the test, offered up Issac. By faith, Moses refused to be called a son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to share ill treatment with the people of God.

This is the reading from scripture for today from the New Century Version, Hebrews Chapter 12:1-3, "We are surrounded by a great cloud of people whose lives tell us what faith means. So let us run the race that is before us and never give up. We should remove from our lives anything that would get in the way and the sin that so easily holds us back. Let us look only to Jesus, the One who began our faith and who makes it perfect. He suffered death on the cross. But he accepted the shame as if it were nothing becasue of the joy that God put before him. And now he is sitting at the right side of God's throne. Think about Jesus' example. He held on while wicket people were doing evil things to him. So do not get tired and stop trying."

Because of the faith of all those who went before us, we can see what faith in Jesus is. Because of the faith of Abel, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Phineas Bresee, Mildred Bangs Wynkoop, and so many more... they are our great cloud of witnesses.

All Saints Sunday celebrates the great cloud of witnesses who showed us the way to Jesus. They were lights for us. Christians who lived a life that served as an example of Christ's love. All Saints Sunday celebrates the life of thsoe who went on before us- and as Hebrews says, we remember those who's life told us what faith means.

Then I will tell my congregation... In a moment we will take part in a testimony to the wtiness of saints we have known, personally in our own lives. I wish I knew Mildred Bangs Wynkoop, but I was only 16 when she died... and I never got to know her.

But I have known others who passed on, and were saints of the faith. My Grandfather Jacobs was a great man of God. I can remember sitting next to him in church... especially at Christmas Eve services when we would bellow out the Christmas carols together. He died 3 years ago in August. He was the first person I ever burried. I went to visit his grave and lay flowers down, when I went back to Virginia last week.

My Grandfather was a saint of the faith, to show me Jesus. And on All Saints Day, I remember him.

And then I will say... In just a moment, I would like everyone who knew a saint of the Lord (that is a good Christian) who passed onto glory, to come to the front, pick out a candle for each person that passed and light the candle (or candles), in memory of the Christian witness that this person (or persons) had in your life. When you light the candle, light it from the Christ's candle (that is the candle from our Advent wreath- that symbolizes the light of the world), because the light of that person's witness came from the light of Christ. It is okay if several of us light a candle in remembrance of the same person, because the light of their witness shone in many people's lives.

We light candles because the light from the flame is a visable reminder of the light of Jesus in the person's life.

This is a time for us to remember people in our church and in our lives who have shown us Jesus light, the saints of the church.

It is All Saints Sunday and this lighting of the candles is a way for all of us to remember the saints who went on before us and made a difference in who we are today.

I will light a candle for my Grandfather.

Brenda will be lighting a candle for Sister Nash, Dr. Nash (our DS)'s Grandmother for being a spiritual mentor and prayer warrior. She was a saint of the faith in Brenda's early 20's. And on All Saints Sunday, we remember her.

Cecil will be lighting a candle for Brother and Sister Parker (people who were foundational in our church) as well as Helen Phillips. All three of these people were great with hospitality, witnessing, and they were prayer warriors. These three people were a saint of the faith- who showed us Jesus. And on All Saints Sunday, we remember them.

Lanna wants to light a candle for Dr. Ballein for being an amazing woman of God. She loved children and was a prayer warrier. She was a saint of the faith. And on All Saints Sunday, we remember her.

Derek wants to light a candle for his Uncle Richie. He watched him transform from a drug addict to a religion major at ENC where he died.

Who do you want to remember?

Who do you want to light a candle for?

Then I will say... If you are going to light a candle, take the blank page on the back of your responsive reading and quicly jot down the name of the person and one thing they taught you about Christ. Bring that paper to me, and I will read it to the congregation as we are lighting candles.

Then I will invite the congregation to come forward and light candles. Following this, my friend, Dr. Cristina Goodwin will sing "I See Jesus in You."

Following this song, we will take communion. But first... I will ask the congregation to look around at all the candles lit around us. We will be QUITE LITERALLY surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses. People who taught us about the Jesus we are going to celebrate in communion. People who showed us the love of the Jesus we meet in communion. People who's life tell us what faith means.