November 5: Who is Your Saint?

Who is Your Saint?

Hebrews 11:32 – 12: 1 (CEV)

 November 5, 2023

Liturgist plays the role of Pastor in bold print

The question I’d like for you to reflect on during this message is this: Who is your saint?

After the message is done, I’d like for everyone to name just one saint and share just one sentence that describes their gift to you. Cassidy and I will light a candle for each saint named.  

As we talk about saints today, we’re thinking about people who have died and are still important to us. They could be someone we knew like a friend or close family member. But they also could be someone who has been an example to us like Saint Francis of Assisi.

So, while I’m preaching, be thinking about what one saint you’d like to remember today. I’d like everyone to participate this morning. Who is your saint?

1900 years ago there is a pastor of a small church in Rome. This pastor takes a long pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Along the way, she meets another pastor named Timothy. Timothy has just been let out of prison. He had been arrested by the Roman authorities for preaching that Jesus is Lord instead of the Emperor being Lord.

The pastor and Timothy have the following conversation while they are visiting Jerusalem.

Pastor: I’ve been thinking about my little flock of believers back in Rome.

Timothy: You ought to write a letter to them.

Pastor: Good idea Timothy. I’m sure they would appreciate hearing from me.

Timothy: They’ve been through so much. They probably need a word of encouragement right now.

Pastor: That’s right. It’s been a hard time for followers of Jesus Christ, as you know.

Timothy: Yes, I’m thankful to finally get out of jail following my six-month sentence. The Romans just cannot stand anyone besides their emperor being referred to as Lord.

Pastor: The folks in my church at Rome have experienced similar persecution. They were publicly insulted time and time again. Some of them were thrown in jail. Many of them had all that they owned taken from them. All because they said Jesus is Lord.

Timothy: Pastor, you need to encourage your people to hang in there, to not give up, to stay faithful despite the persecution.

Pastor: But what can I say that will help them?

Timothy: Why don’t you remind them of the many people of faith over the years who have had to endure so much? You can remind them of Abel and Enoch and Noah back in the old days.

 Then you can talk about the person who started our Jewish faith: Abraham.

          Preacher: Abraham trusted God to pass on his family line even after he and his wife Sarah were so old.

          Timothy: You can talk about Abraham and Sarah’s descendants: Isaac and Rebekkah, Jacob and Rachel and Joseph. Then you can highlight the faith of Moses and the Israelites of his day.

          Preacher: Can you imagine what it must have been like facing the Pharoah of Egypt? I’m sure there are similarities to what we face as we deal with the Emperor of Rome.

Timothy: Then you can go on to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, David, Samuel and all the prophets.

Pastor: Through faith they did what was right and received what God had promised.

Timothy: You can also tell about those who suffered and died and did not receive their reward in this life. There are so many people who sacrificed for God and for God’s people. I’m sure that your church people might feel like that sometimes – that it’s so hard and they aren’t sure whether it’s worth it.

Pastor: I’m going to tell my church people in Rome that it is worth it. I’m going to write that they have this large crowd of witnesses around them. With all those people watching them, they can run with determination the race that lies before them.

The Pastor writes this letter we find in our Bibles called Hebrews. The 12^th chapter and the first verse states: “Such a large crowd of witnesses is all around us. …We must be determined to run the race that is ahead of us.”

The last phrase reminds me of my days in high school when I ran Cross Country.

          Our home course was a place called Shoaff Park. Shoaff Park was mostly flat, but there was one large hill. It was the hill our family would sled down in the wintertime. In fact, I have a scar on my chin from going down that steep hill in a sled with my sister one winter.

          The Cross-Country course wound around this Shoaff Park and concluded soon after we ascended this sledding hill. Since it was close to the end of the course, spectators would stand at the top of the hill and encourage their runners as they struggled up this last hill.

          I can remember my Senior year of High School running that cross-country course for a meet against a few other schools. I was never that good. In fact, I ran Junior Varsity instead of Varsity most of that senior year.

          I can remember one of those cross country meets. I had already run about three miles. I’m dead tired. I’m ready to quit. Throw in the towel. Just walk the rest of the way. As I head up that final hill, I hear my new girlfriend Lori yelling my name. And it gave me the incentive to not give up, to keep going, to make it up that steep hill. I didn’t win the race, but I completed it.

          Lori was in my crowd of witnesses encouraging me to run with determination the race that lies before me. She has continued to be in my crowd of witnesses ever since. Fortunately, she is still alive. I can visibly see her and audibly hear her cheer me on still.

          Others are cheering me on even though I can no longer audibly hear them or visibly see them. They are my saints.

          Who is your saint? Who is the person who is cheering you even though you can no longer hear them or visibly see them? Who is that person who is important to you even though they have died? Who is in your large crowd of witnesses helping you run with determination the race that lies before you? Who is your saint?

The one saint I’m going to mention after this message is over and we light these candles is my dear friend and mentor Allan Byrne.

I met Allan right after seminary. I was assigned to be an Associate Pastor at a United Methodist Church in Hammond, Indiana. Allan was assigned to be the Senior Pastor. We were both new to this church. Allan was coming out of a difficult divorce at the time. He felt comfortable in those first years sharing with me in a vulnerable way. We became not just partners in ministry, but friends.

That first fall, we got around and visited small groups of church members in their homes. I appreciated the pastoral, caring way that Allan approached everyone. Sometimes, people would come with some anger and frustration, but Allan would deal with it so calmly and caringly. I learned so much of what it meant to be a pastor from Allan.

We worked together for just three years. Then he moved on to a larger church in South Bend. I stayed for five more years before heading to a different church in South Bend. This is the church where the Senior Pastor and I struggled to see eye to eye. This is where I was dismissed to be on Permanent Vacation Leave the Monday night before Thanksgiving. I was told to clean up my office and never communicate with anyone from the church.

In the midst of that difficult time, Allan was there for me and with me. We spent a lot of time talking together. He kept encouraging me in so many ways.

Then, about three years later, Allan retired and started taking annual trips to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area of northern Minnesota. He invited me to join him every year. For the next ten years, every Fall we’d take a weeklong canoe trip. We shared so much and so deeply during those amazing experiences.

Allan died back in 2006. I had the privilege of speaking at his two funeral services. I’ve continued on his legacy of sharing a blessing of peace at the end of worship: Live deep in the peace of God, my friends.

The peace that Allan lived and shared with me encourages me each and every day. As a result I’m able to run with determination the race that lies before me.

Now is the time I’d like for everyone to name just one saint and share just one sentence that describes their gift to you. Cassidy and I will light a candle for each saint named. 

As we talk about saints today, we’re thinking about people who have died and are still important to us. They could be someone we knew like a friend or close family member. But they also could be someone who has been an example to us like Saint Francis of Assisi.

Everyone think of one saint and one sentence about that saint. We’re going to go around and I’ll ask each of you the name and the sentence.

Cassidy, if you’d come down here right now to help me.

My saint is Allan Byrne. He was a mentor to me of being a caring pastor.