Isaiah 25:6-9; Revelation 7:9-17; Revelation 21:3-4
After my mom passed away in 1996, my dad’s next-door neighbors, Marcy and Lester started asking me what I thought about inviting him over to dinner to meet some nice single woman they knew that they were sure he would get along with. They just thought he needed someone to go out to dinner with or to see a movie, nothing serious. (Yeah, right, I thought to myself.) I knew my dad and I knew that he would have absolutely no interest in meeting any nice single ladies, but I also knew that this couple just cared about my dad and hated thinking about him sitting home alone all the time. So I tried to sound, if not positive, at least kind of neutral about the whole thing. So they issued the invitation, he agreed to dinner, he met the nice single lady, and that was the end of it.
A few days later, I called him – our weekly check-in call. I asked him about his dinner “date.” He kind of chuckled and said it was okay but he wouldn’t want to do it again. I asked him if he wasn’t interested in having a companion to go to social events with, and he said he really wasn’t interested in going to any social events with or without a companion. I said, “You know, it’s been almost a year since Mama died, and I’ve been wondering whether the church ladies have started showing up with casseroles yet.” My dad said, “Huh?” I answered, “Well, you know, you’re only 61 years old, you’re in reasonably good health, you can drive at night, you’re a good Christian man. For those widow ladies at church, you’d be considered a good catch. I expect them to start coming over with casseroles any day now.” There was a long pause on his end of the phone. Then he said, “I never much liked casseroles anyway.”
The truth of it was, my dad never had any interest in any woman other than my mom. They met when he moved to Forest City, NC, in the second grade. They were high school sweethearts and got married the summer after they graduated from college. I’m sure they dated other people in high school, but when they were in college, even though they weren’t officially engaged until they were juniors or seniors, they had what my dad called “an understanding.” For my dad, there would be no one else but Nancy Ruth. After she was gone, there was a deep loneliness in him that never went away, no matter how surrounded he might be by children or grandchildren or great-grandchildren. And the last words he spoke shortly before he passed very peacefully were, “I want to see Nancy Ruth.” I imagine her reaching out to take his hand and leading him home. He is where he most wanted to be, with her in heaven. He experienced what was promised to us in visions about that day when God destroyed death forever.
We begin with a vision of the prophet Isaiah, who described a vision of a great feast on top of a mountain. There will be rich food, the best of meats and the finest of wines. And as the people watch, God will destroy that shroud that enfolds all people, the sheet that covers all nations: God will swallow up death forever. God will wipe away the tears from all faces. And on that day the people will know that this is their God, the one that they trusted, and he has saved them. They will rejoice and be glad in their salvation. Of course, this banquet reminds me of the heavenly banquet that will be prepared for us when Christ comes in final victory to the earth, a hope that we affirm every time we partake of Holy Communion.
Then there is another vision recorded by John in the book of Revelation in chapter 7. In this vision, there is a crowd of people and heavenly creatures surrounding the throne of God. There is a great multitude of people from every nation, tribe, people, and language standing there who are wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” Also standing there are all the angels, the elders, and the four living creatures (who are mentioned earlier in Revelation); they all bow down with their faces on the ground and worship God. It is revealed that the ones in white robes are people who came out of the great tribulation and who washed their robes, making them white in the blood of the Lamb. They are before the throne of God and serve him day and night. God has spread his tent over them and they will never again know hunger or thirst. The sun will not beat down on them, nor the scorching heat. The Lamb will be their shepherd and lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. So again we have a picture of death having been destroyed, people who live beyond death, and God wiping away the tears of the people.
Finally, there is the part of the vision in Revelation 21 that I read. Here we find that God has chosen to dwell among people, to be with them and to be their God, and they will be his people. God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain. The old order of things has passed away. So perhaps we learn that the reason there will be no more tears is that many of the reasons for crying will be removed: death, mourning and pain. And there will be the immediate presence of God with the people.
So let me summarize: On that day, on the day you enter heaven, there will be the gathered saints, people who have died before you, along with all the angels and the elders, God on his throne, and Jesus, the Lamb of God. There will be singing and the waving of palm branches. No one will ever be hungry or thirsty. Jesus will tend to the people as a shepherd cares for his sheep. God will wipe away every tear from every eye. And there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain. That sounds pretty awesome to me! I’ve never cared much about pearly gates of streets paved with gold, or mansions or any of that kind of stuff. What matters most to me is knowing that I will be in the presence of God and Jesus, and that I will be surrounded by the people I love most, and that I will get to meet all those saints, those faithful people from the past whose lives have fascinated me for so long. I have loads of questions for them! I will be in awe of them! What an incredible gift to look forward to. Not that I’m in a particular hurry to get there; I kind of like being here for as long as I can be. But it’s wonderful knowing that there is more than life on this earth.
I miss my dad so much. And even after 28 years, I still miss my mom every day. But if I could bring them back, I wouldn’t. They were both suffering at the time of their death. My mom after 5 years battling cancer. And my dad, whose body was breaking down after 3 years of dialysis and other health issues. He was in pain. He was sick and tired of being sick and tired. I know that he was ready to go, and he knew where he was going. Every Sunday [in the Lake Sunapee Church] when I sit down I see a stained glass window that was placed in memory of a John B. Smith. That’s my dad’s name. For the first 4 years I was here, it kind of seemed like my dad’s way of blessing me before I got in the pulpit. But lately, I feel like it’s his way of saying that he’s still here with me in spirit. The best part of my dad – and my mom – still lives in me.
On this All Saints Sunday, we remember and honor those saints who went before us in the history of the church. And we also honor those who were a part of our lives. Family members, church members, Sunday School teachers, choir members, music directors, Scout leaders, coaches, Christians who were examples or role models along the way, who touched us and changed us in some way. During Communion we will have an opportunity to name them out loud. I thank God for all of those people who have blessed my life and yours.
