1. The communion / community of Saints Rick Wright 24 th Sunday of Pentecost (C) Church of the Nations

2. Apostles Creed I believe in God the Father almighty… I believe in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord… I believe in the Holy Spirit… I believe in the communion of saints… ~ 100 AD From liturgy for baptism I believe… I believe… I believe… What do Christians believe? Look at how they pray and worship together

3. Halloween? Boo! Modern cultural holiday – From ancient Irish festival = Samhain (shah-WEEN) Christian holy day – All Hallows Even ~ Evening before All Saints Day

4. Ephesians 1 For this reason ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints I have not stopped giving thanks for you remembering you in my prayers. Greek hagioi = holy ones Alive… all who belong to God through Christ Jesus All Christians are “saints” or saints

5. Saints or saints? If everyone is a saint then no one is a Saint Orthodox and Roman Catholic Christianity – And others = Anglican… Lutheran… People who have died God is the God of the living! Heroes of the Christian faith are therefore alive! Aware of this world Pray for us???

6. saints not Saints(?) Baptist Christians do not do this We do not ask heroes of the faith to pray for us Yes all Christians are holy – Really? Must not destroy significance of those who are especially holy Someone in whom we see the grace of God at work Through whom the kingdom of God intrudes?

7. Where are the Saints? If we do not believe in the Saints then we do not see any “Christians are not perfect. They are forgiven” So only an external change in status? God calls us righteous… and we are no different?

8. And yet Saints Cardinal Van Thuan of Vietnam Cardinal Ignatius Kung Pin Mei of China Holy martyrs of Uganda Holy martyrs of China Seraphim of Sarov Karol Woytuwa aka Pope John Paul II

9. What do we believe? Christian church = community in which Saints are nurtured Teach… train… encourage… shape… prepare… Is our goal to produce the best people who belong to this world?

10. Ephesians 1 God’s purpose was that we who are the first to trust in Christ would bring praise and glory to God. 13 And now you… have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. 14 The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.

11. Well? Do we hear the truth? Do we teach it? – Truth??? Do we believe the good news? – That God saves us??? Through Christ Jesus? Do we cooperate with the Holy Spirit? Do we pray? – For other Christians and for other Christian churches?

12. Recover Christian faith + practice American Christians are theologically ignorant and it’s killing us. We really are, and it really is... The falcon can no longer hear the Falconer, and is flying blind. The most important task before the American church is to recover knowledge of the Christian faith and commitment to it... and to demonstrate that in our life and work together as the community of saints. (Russell Moore as summarized by Rod Dreher)