I want to be a Saint!

        One Sunday, I heard a wonderful duet of “Shall We Gather at the River?” I don’t know about you but when I think of that song, I yearn for newness, to be one of those saints, “Yes, we’ll gather at the river, the beautiful, the beautiful river; gather with the saints at the river that flows by the throne of God.” Have you ever yearned for resurrection? Have you ever yearned to be a saint?

            I know I have. I have yearned to feel that saintly resurrection. To be a part of that great cast of people long gone or still here, to be a part of those people who push for justice, peace, and love in our community, that is something I could get used to. I know where we can start our journey to sainthood… I believe it sainthood has its roots where it once did, in the church.

Dr. James Howell, pastor of Myers Park United Methodist Church, an amazing pastor, colleague and theologian once wrote, “A Church family can be – or is! – Just as dysfunctional, loony, and codependent as any other family. And yet, a family loves, a family sticks with you; you’re stuck with each other, and the friction polishes us so we can more brilliantly reflect the love of Christ to the world. A Church family knows how to deliver a casserole, join a prayer chain, or to show up when needed; a family is exhilarated over the arrival of a new family member, and we are unusually attentive to the elderly, or anybody who is sick.”

            I often cringe when people talk about the institution of the church being for a bygone generation bent on the old way. The liveliness of faith is in the institution formed by the people. Christianity, contrary to popular belief is not a solitary religion. As one artist put it, “we live in the vast canopy woven by the ages.” We live in the great chain of faith, connecting one generation of faith to another.

            In the hymn, For All the Saints” we lustily sing, “O blest communion, fellowship divine! We feebly struggle, they in glory shine; for all are one in Thee, for all are Thine. Alleluia!” Something about feeble struggle excites me. I may be a church nerd, but that is something we can all get in to. What if, for instance we were more a part of the institution society has grown distaste for? What if, instead of complaining about the church, we feebly struggle for the saints of God, for the church we used to love? That is faith that recharges the heart and regenerates the soul.

            I have a newsflash. Yes, life-changing news. You don’t have to be dead to be a saint! There are people, here in Statesville, who are the mighty fortresses of God. Who have fought for the sake of faith and are moving onto perfection. It is the hope of many within the institutionalized resurrection community of the church that we will one day join them. But for now we struggle. We sing of the saints, we talk of the saints. But take heart, as the hymn says, “I sing a song of the saints of God… And I plan to be one too!”