All Saints’ Sunday A

All Saints’ Sunday A

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied” (Matthew 5:6). The desire and the quest for righteousness—that is, justification for our life—never ceases. As long as it continues, we have no contentment and no satisfaction in our lives. Those in sales… Those in advertising… Those in politics… and, even those in the pulpit… use this lack of contentment and dissatisfaction to exhort and motivate us. They set before us a vision of the righteous life… a justified life… which could be ours if we would only buy their products, succumb to their marketing… vote for them and their agendas… or, if from the pulpit, adopt the preacher’s program for living righteously. The human hunger and thirst for righteousness is preyed upon and manipulated by those benefiting from human dissatisfaction and lack of contentment. When heard in this context, Jesus’ words deliver a blessing indeed. They are a blessing spoken into the misery of human dissatisfaction and discontent… a blessing of promise… a blessing of satisfaction as the end of human dissatisfaction… a blessing of contentment in all circumstances ending the human discontent. The blessing is delivered only in the person of Jesus Christ who fulfills our desire and quest for righteousness. His righteousness and not our own… His justification and not our own… In him and him alone, we receive satisfaction and contentment. Jesus and only Jesus, provides us with the Apostle Paul’s confession, “I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content” (Phil. 4:11).

Prayers from one long dissatisfied and discontent…

Holy Father, the person of your Son Jesus Christ delivers me into a creaturely wholly-ness. Grant me to rest and be satisfied, content to be wholly a creature and not striving after divinity. Lord Jesus Christ be my life. Amen

Holy Father, the person of your Son Jesus Christ delivers me into a creaturely wholly-ness. Protect my creaturely wholly-ness by silencing the lies of Satan, putting your Word into my ears so that your Holy Spirit would have its way with me. Lord Jesus Christ be my life. Amen

Holy Father, the person of your Son Jesus Christ delivers me into a creaturely wholly-ness. As my ears are filled with your Word and I am delivered into contentment, grant that my hunger be sated, and my thirst be quenched. Lord Jesus Christ be my life. Amen

Holy Father, the person of your Son Jesus Christ delivers me into a creaturely wholly-ness. Keep me from establishing my supposedly righteous agendas upon my neighbors but open my ears to opportunities that prove useful to them. Lord Jesus Christ be my life. Amen

Holy Father, the person of your Son Jesus Christ delivers me into a creaturely wholly-ness. Protect me from the imposition of my neighbors’ agendas upon me and do not let me be caught up in their quests for righteousness and justification. Lord Jesus Christ be my life. Amen

Holy Father, the person of your Son Jesus Christ delivers me into a creaturely wholly-ness. Grant that the Institute of Lutheran Theology be held in its place as a creaturely institution and not succumb to blandishments tempting it to pretensions of holiness. Lord Jesus Christ be my life. Amen

Holy Father, the person of your Son Jesus Christ delivers me into a creaturely wholly-ness. Re-establish me in this creaturely wholly-ness day-after-day for the Father of Lies never ceases to coax me into desiring some other righteousness than that provided by Jesus Christ who is my life. Lord Jesus Christ be my life. Amen