Y’all…….Those of you who have hung around with me for more than a minute know that I’m all about some words.  They fascinate me.  And I play LOTS of Words With Friends and Word Solitaire and other word games.  When I was teaching I was all about spelling and grammar and vocabulary (words, meanings, and how to effectively use them.) 

Here of late, there has been one word that seemingly has been on a recurring loop in my head;  the word “dumbfounded.”  Interestingly enough, the word ‘dumbfounded’ comes from a blend of ‘dumb’ and ‘confounded’, and we know that this word first came into use in the mid 1600s and meant ‘amazed, surprised, caught off guard.  The word ‘dumb’ as we know  it today comes from the Old Norse ‘dumbr’, the Gothic ‘dumbs’ which meant ‘mute’, the Dutch ‘dom’, and the German ‘dumm’, the latter two of these would be translated into ‘stupid.’

And I have certainly been struck mute, been confused, and made speechless by some of the things I’ve seen and heard lately.  I am dumbfounded by folks who one day ask for prayer, who proudly and happily post about following Jesus, and then the next day (sometimes the next 15 minutes) post or say something that completely negates and is in direct conflict with, everything that Jesus taught and stood for.  They’re all about bringing ‘religion’ back into schools and posting the 10 Commandments everywhere, but completely ignore the “not bearing false witness” part and post dis-and mis-information and flat out lies.  And they do it happily and proudly.  They excitedly promote those in authority who publish pictures of their “prayer groups” but who trample on the Gospel.  They denigrate those who they feel are “less than” and completely ignore the words our Lord spoke in Matthew, yet happily say they are all about Jesus, want to bring folks to Jesus, and say “Come to church with us!.”   For me, personally, this saddens and terrifies me, and it should them.  They, in their ignoring what Jesus has said, completely ignore His words in Matthew 18:6:  “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.”

Conversely, today is the Feast of All Souls, (closely akin to All Saints which was yesterday,) wherein we honor all of those devout folks who have gone on before us.  One of the Scriptures that is associated with today comes from the Book of Revelation: 

 I had a vision of a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation, race, people, and tongue.  They stood before the throne and before the Lamb, wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands.  They cried out in a loud voice:  “Salvation comes from our God, who is seated on the throne, and from the Lamb.”  All the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures.  They prostrated themselves before the throne, worshiped God, and exclaimed:  “Amen. Blessing and glory, wisdom and thanksgiving, honor, power, and might be to our God forever and ever. Amen.”

Then one of the elders spoke up and said to me, “Who are these wearing white robes, and where did they come from?” I said to him, “My lord, you are the one who knows.” He said to me, “These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress; they have washed their robes and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb.”

Well now.  Just who ARE these folks in white robes?  Their anonymity teaches us that sainthood is not reached through great achievements or rare acts of bravery.  Sainthood comes from simply loving God and doing our best to live our lives in a way consistent with Jesus’ commandment.  I would dare say that none of the saints actually set out to be saints.  They simply loved God and lived their lives to follow Him.

Revelation goes on to remind us that giving our lives over to God will not protect us or insulate us from hardship.  Living in, for, with, and through God, however, will make sure that we can and will endure whatever “great distress” comes our way.  In this passage of Revelation, John is speaking specifically of those who have given their lives for their faith.  Whilst there is talk about a “War on Christianity,” in reality, it is very unlikely that any of us will be called upon to sacrifice our lives for our faith.

Our challenge, then, is to actually LIVE for Christ, rather than to die for Christ.  Jesus does ask to lay down our lives for Him. Peter said to the Lord, “I will lay down my life for Your sake,” and he meant it (John 13:37). Has the Lord ever asked you, “Will you lay down your life for My sake?” (John 13:38). It is much easier to die once than to lay down your life day in and day out with the sense of the high calling of God. We are not made for the bright-shining moments of life, but we have to walk in the light of them in our everyday ways.  For thirty-three years Jesus laid down His life to do the will of His Father. “By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren” (1 John 3:16).

If we are true followers of Jesus, we must deliberately and carefully lay down our lives for Him. It is a difficult thing to do, and thank God that it is, for great is our reward.  Salvation is easy for us, however, because it cost God so much. But the exhibiting of salvation in our lives is difficult.

God saves a person, fills him with the Holy Spirit, and then says, in effect, “Now you work it out in your life, and be faithful to Me, even though the nature of everything around you is to cause you to be unfaithful.” And Jesus says to us, “…I have called you friends….” Remain faithful to your Friend and remember that His honor is at stake in your bodily life.  We are called to remain faithful, despite the reasons the world gives us to not, despite the politics, despite the crowd pressure, despite the differences in our lives.

Who are these dressed in white robes?  It is my prayer to be counted among them.  What about you?   Amen.