Blueprint for sainthood

I’ve always appreciated the story from the Book of Daniel that we read this morning. Daniel is a prophet living in exile in Babylon. He is, understandably, concerned about the end of the world as he knows it. As a prophet, Daniel is at first called upon to interpret the dreams and visions of Babylonian kings. But in the passage we heard today, Daniel himself has a dream in need of interpretation. 

Daniel’s dream is really more of a nightmare—a lion, a bear, a leopard, and a fourth unidentifiable creature. Maybe because of my own lifelong struggle with sleep, when I picture Daniel in this passage I see him as your textbook insomniac. I see him lying awake, doomscrolling, trying to make sense of this anxiety that’s keeping him up at night. For those who might not be familiar with the term, doomscrolling is a word that was coined during the pandemic. It describes the act of spending inordinate amounts of time (usually on your phone) scrolling through newsfeeds and social media content—particularly content that is negative. 

Experts say we doomscroll for a number of reasons. There’s the “negativity bias, also known as the negativity effect . . . a cognitive bias that, even when positive or neutral things of equal intensity occur, things of a more negative nature (e.g., unpleasant thoughts, emotions, social interactions, harmful/traumatic events) have a greater effect on [our] psychological state and processes than neutral or positive things.” Doomscrolling is also an “attempt at gaining control over uncertainty.” When we’re feeling unsettled about something, we tend to turn to our screens. 

The fears and concerns that were keeping Daniel up at night in the 6th century ancient near east are maybe a far cry from those that might keep any one of us awake. But, there are similarities. Daniel was living in a time when rulers governed without mercy. Just as soon as it seemed one reign of terror was coming to an end, another sprang up. Daniel is remembered by historians as a twenty-something, young person trying to hold on to their faith, trying to hold on to some sort of moral centre while facing an uncertain future. Daniel worried what kind of world would be left not only for his generation, but for the one to come as well. Sound familiar?

So, Daniel goes looking for some advice. What should he make of these visions, of this doomscrolling? 

“Four great beasts, four kings shall arise out of the earth” the dream interpreter tells Daniel, referring to the predatory rule of the empires in Daniel’s day. 

“But the holy ones of the Most High,” the interpreter goes on, “shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom for ever—for ever and ever.”

Holy one is another term for saint. God’s expectation for the holy ones who went before Daniel and those who will live long after us is the same today as it was then: that these saints will possess a kingdom much different than any kingdom that rises and falls on earth. This is the foundation of our All Saints Sunday celebration. The saints of God possess a kingdom of justice and mercy, a beatitude-shaped kingdom that resides in the very heart of God made known in Jesus. 

The kingdom where the holy ones of God reside is one where, instead of rulers who beat their chest and say, “Worship me!” there is One who says, “Lay down thou weary one lay down thy head upon my breast.” The kingdom where the saints reside is one where, when the overworked and the sad and the tired are told to pull up their bootstraps and soldier on, there is One who says instead, “Find in me a resting place.” The kingdom of the saints is a place where all who worry where their next meal or their next respite or their next job will come from are told, “Thirsty one, behold I freely give. Stoop down and drink and live.”

Maybe you, too, have experienced seasons of lying awake at night, worrying? One of the things that helps is reflecting in the daytime (with the benefit of daylight) what kind of world you long for. If you were to leave a blueprint for the next generation, what would you include? It helps to look at the blueprints others have left behind to see what from their prayers we can pick up for this age. What, for example, would we find if we were to consider the blueprint that St Clement left behind? Among the many stories attached to Clement of Rome is one from the historian Eusebius who talks about Clement as ‘co-labourer’ with the apostle Paul. Co-labouring with those strong in their faith is something that would go in my blueprint. 

All Saints’ Sunday is of course closely tied to All Souls’ when we remember those we love who have died. In addition to the saints, we might consider what from the blueprints our beloved departed have left to us we wish to carry on. I think of those who have gone before us at St Clement’s who have left a portion of their estate to the church. We would not be worshipping here today without their generosity. I think of the people who have gone before us at St Clement’s who were there to welcome young parents whose children were making a racket in the pews, parents who are all grown up and now welcome the next generation of young families. 

“Blueprints for the next generation” is really what the apostle Paul is getting at in his letter to the Ephesians that we read from today. He’s pointing out all of the good things the Ephesians are doing to leave an example, a roadmap for newcomers to the faith. And, he’s saying above all else, if you’re going to put a title or a banner at the top of your blueprint, then let it be this: that when Christ was raised from the dead and seated at the right hand of the Source of All Being, that he was seated far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come.

God has promised to dwell with us not only in this age but also in the age to come. This is the hope of the saints. There has never been and there will never be a time when God does not hold out a way of life that presses on in the face of whatever fears and concerns we might have for the next generation. As it was for the holy ones of God, so may it be for us. Amen. 

Photo credit: Peggy Trendell-Jensen