St. Thomas’ Episcopal Church, Owings Mills MD
November 2, 2025
Year C: All Saints’ Sunday
Daniel 7:1-3, 15-18
Psalm 149
Ephesians 1:11-23
Luke 6:20-31
Saints Aim Higher
Over at the rectory, Sue and I have one of those “flip calendars” which gives a little inspirational saying for each day.
We keep it on one of the windowsills in the kitchen.
So, every morning, I turn the page to the saying of the day, which I look at for a few minutes as I eat my breakfast.
It’s not a religious or even particularly spiritual calendar. Most of the sayings are cliched and I often roll my tired eyes at whatever sentiment is being expressed.
But sometimes the words seem to be right on the nose.
So, here was the bit of calendar inspiration for yesterday, for November 1, which happened to be All Saints’ Day:
“Aim Higher.”
Cliché, yes, of course, but exactly right for the day because the truth is that saints do aim higher.
In today’s gospel lesson, we hear loud and clear Jesus’ lofty and demanding expectations for his followers, for the saints, for all of us.
And the saints, both past and present, have taken Jesus at his word, they’ve aimed higher than may have seemed reasonable or realistic, they’ve aimed higher to love and give and forgive more generously than might have seemed possible or even prudent.
Saints are not perfect and often fall short, but saints aim higher.
And, with God’s help, it’s the high aim of the saints that makes Jesus’ vision of a downside-up world a reality.
And, although we’re certainly not perfect, isn’t this the story of St. Thomas’?
As a church, as a community of saints, we aim higher:
The genuine warmth of our welcome.
The simple beauty of our worship.
The wisdom and generosity of our lay leaders.
The care for one another, especially when someone is sick or struggling.
The tireless work of our devoted church staff, very much including our wonderful Assistant Rector.
The nurturing of our children and our young people.
The excellence of our choir.
The creative and transformational ways we serve people in our community, people outside our doors, beyond our walls.
And thanks especially to the leadership and dedication of Amy Sussman, we’ve been aiming higher with our stewardship, too – telling our stories more openly and giving more sacrificially.
So, as we celebrate all the saints, may the saints of St. Thomas’ – may all of us – continue to aim higher.
Amen.
Posts
