Hi everyone,

Here is the re-record of today’s sermon, November 1, 2026, for All Saints Sunday.

O God, may your truth be heard in your Word, your grace seen in your Spirit, and your love felt in the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, through whom we pray. Amen.

I think I’ve mentioned before that one of my favourite movies of all time is 1996’s “The Rock” starring the very talented Nicolas Cage along with two lesser-known actors by the names of Ed Harris and Sean Connery.  And with it produced by Jerry Bruckhiemer and directed by Michael Bay, and not to mention a soundtrack scored by Hans Zimmer, there shouldn’t be any doubt in anyone’s mind that this movie would be a banger. 

Anyway, I bring this whimsical yet empirical fact up because in the light of recent events in and around my life, I’ve been thinking about a line that Nic Cage’s character had near the beginning of the film.  He was explaining to his live-in girlfriend how his day went, how his office at the chemical weapons department of the FBI was sent a package through the mail that was booby trapped with a chemical bomb, which he had like a minute to diffuse with hundreds if not thousands of agent and civilian lives at stake, and he said, “I mean it, honey.  The world is being Fed-Ex’ed to hell in a hand cart.  I really believe anyone even thinking of bringing a child into the world is coldly considering an act of cruelty.”  I’ll say that last part again: “…anyone even thinking of bringing a child into the world is coldly considering an act of cruelty.”  And then she went ahead and told him that she was pregnant with his child, but that’s not the point.

The point is, I mean can you hear the sheer hopelessness in his comment?  And this movie came out like 30 years ago.  Thirty years ago they were already talking about how awful the world is, how awful people are, and how awful it would be for kids to be raised at that time.  And this was in the 90s.  When the internet just became mainstream.  When fashion and style and music still made sense.  When Friends was still on the air.  How could anyone hate on the 90s? 

But he said what he said, and it stuck with me.  I remember the first time I saw the movie and heard these words, they sent a literal chill down my spine.  Because even as a teenager who didn’t know anything about anything, I knew how this world can be such a difficult place to live in, kids or not, even during a super fly decade like the 90s.  Even back then I could see how hard it was to just live your life as segregation and division and hatred were often more glorified and even encouraged than not.  Just as I was transitioning from adolescence into adulthood, I could already see by looking around me how life just isn’t easy, and how it got progressively worse year after year.  So I could see why they added this line to the movie and how it’d seem cruel to bring children into such a world as this.

And so what did I do with this information that I got back in my younger years?  Had 3 kids of my own.  About a decade later, but still.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not regretting having kids, nor do I loathe their existence, nor am I really thinking about abandoning them somewhere (unless one of you want them for an extended period of time).  But I’d be lying if I said I never wondered what on earth was I thinking when we did have them.  Not because they’re inconvenient, expensive, and cause lots of stress, but because as Nic Cage said like 30 years ago, this world is being Fed-Ex’ed to hell and it isn’t really a great place to be raising kids in, to be raised in, or even to just live in, for that matter. 

I mean there are wars and violence littering the whole planet.  Our nations are run with corruption and greed and exploitation of the marginalized.  Regular citizens commit unspeakable crimes against others on a regular basis.  And… as we so poignantly point out on All Saints Day, our loved ones keep dying, which only adds to the perpetual heartache, pain, and overall hopelessness of life. 

But, if we’re honest, this isn’t really a “now” thing, is it?  It’s not even only a 90s thing.  I actually don’t think there has ever been a point in our human history when life was easy.  There has never been a time of any lasting world peace.  We never had a utopia like the Garden of Eden since the Garden of Eden.    

I mean since the beginning of time, life has been rough.  Something needed to be done.  People need a saviour. 

And so along came the prophets reminding people of God’s presence and promises.  Along came the traditions and customs and rituals as a response to God’s message of mercy for the masses.  Along came Jesus, full of wisdom and truth, teaching God’s blessing with the intention of giving us all hope.

But how do you think that worked out for them?  No one really listened to the prophets, the traditions became more legalistic weapons than tools for worship, and Jesus…?  Oh Jesus.  While the supposed bringer of hope, anyone who followed him at the time would have had all their hope lost.  They believed that Jesus came to liberate the people, restore Israel, and bring life into that utopia, but instead he ends up getting caught by the oppressing authorities.  He was tried on grounds of treason.  He was executed in a manner reserved for the worst kind of criminals.  So yeah, not sure how much hope these folk would have held on to.

But that is exactly what Jesus’ beatitudes that we get today from Matthew are all about.  Let’s not forget that this was written down way after the fact, and the people by then were probably at the epitome of their hopelessness.  Like I said, life was already tough but their supposed Saviour was taken away from them, and so they needed to be reminded of the lessons and truths that were taught.  So these beatitudes are framed in such a way to exactly to give hope.  There is a description of how things are right now: despairing, disheartening, and depressing, and they tell them and us that even in that, there is blessing.  They, in whatever they’re going through, will be blessed.  All people, no matter how far in the dumps they may be, have always been blessed. 

So blessed, in fact, that none are forgotten by God.  So blessed, that all are called by name, taken by the hand, and led to peaceful streams and green pastures.  So blessed, that we are seen, just as we are, exactly where we are: in our hurts and hardships, in our pain and suffering, in our loss and grief, and we are given healing, we are brought back into wholeness, and we are reminded that we are called children of God.  We are indeed blessed.

Blessed with God’s love and support.

Blessed with God’s inclusion and forgiveness.

Blessed with God’s redemption and salvation.

So that, in spite of all that we go through, all the hardships we face, and even how many of our loved ones we lose, we are given hope.  Hope not just for a better tomorrow, but hope that we aren’t alone in the struggle of today.  Hope not just for our problems to leave us alone already, but hope in seeing God present with us, holding us and comforting us in the face of those problems.  Hope not just that our lives will get easier or even better, but hope that even in the difficulties of life, we will continue to be blessed.

Again, today is All Saints Day.  A day when we honour those that we’ve loved and lost.  Our friends and family members, those in and around our communities, and even those that we’ve never met but continue to admire and respect from afar.  Often the darkest times in our lives involve death of some kind.  And you and I know that we’ve seen a lot of that lately.  Too much, in fact.  But I truly believe that even in our sorrow and sadness, God is with us.  Even in our hurt and pain, God gives us healing and hope.  Even in our broken hearts from losing them, God blesses us. 

And in God blessing us, we believe that God has also blessed them.  And because of that blessing, we are brought together as siblings in this community, this universal and apostolic church, this one body of Christ.  In that blessing, we are declared as joint heirs of the promise of salvation.  And through that blessing, we are eternally united with God and all the saints.  And that, my friends, gives me hope.

On this All Saints Day, as we remember those that we’ve loved and lost, may we find the hope in knowing that they continue to be with us as we are not alone in our journey but connected to God and each other and all of them, throughout this blessed life.  Thanks be to God.  Amen.