I heard a story years ago about a preacher who was giving a sermon in a rather large church on All Saints Sunday. Wanting a little congregational participation, the preacher asked, "And who can tell me: Who are the saints?" A little girl in one of the front rows piped up right away and said "Oh that's easy! The saints are the people the light shines through!"

She was thinking, of course, about the stained glass windows, the figures of St Mary and St Peter and St Mark and St Mary Magdalene, and others, that were in the tall windows that ran down both sides of the nave. On sunny days the light would shine through those windows, the light would shine through those saints' portraits, to bring color and illumination to everyone inside the church. The saints literally were the people the light shone through.

But of course the little girl was right in more than just a literal way. The saints are the people the light shines through because the saints are the people in whom we see the light of Christ. Saints are people who light their lamps and don't put them under a bushel, but put them on the lampstand, so the light can shine on everyone all around, and all can give thanks and glory to God who is the source of light. Saints are people who strive to love their enemies, and do good, and give to those who ask, and do to others as they would have others do to them--as Jesus says in the Gospel. Saints are people who love and hope and give thanks and have the eyes of their hearts enlightened and believe, because the power of God is at work in them--as Paul says in the Epistle. Saints are saints not because of what they do, but because of what God does in them. Saints are saints not because of their own light, but because of the light of Christ that shines through them.

And if that's what we mean by "saint," then the saints are not just the famous heroes of the faith who get their portraits done up in churches in stained glass. Saints are anyone in whom the light of Christ can shine. We all know such saints. Any one of us can tell a story of one or two or dozens of times when we have been touched by the light of Christ shining through another person. So let's do that: let's tell some stories. Find one or two other people to talk with, move around in your pews if you have to, get together in groups of two or three, and tell a story of someone who was a saint for you, some person who the light shone through for you. It could be someone very important in your life; it could be a stranger who did you a kindness; it could be an author whose books moved your mind and your spirit; it could be a Sunday School teacher who told you Gospel stories when you were a child; it could be anyone. Take about four minutes now and share stories of who the light shone through for you.

[Time for story sharing.]

How were those stories? Did you find any common themes emerging?

Today we are celebrating all the saints, and that means us, too. I know, I know: Minnesota nice, reserved, Episcopal Christians wouldn't dream of being so grandiose as to call ourselves "saints." But Jesus calls us to let our light shine, too; Jesus puts the light into us so that it can shine through for others, too. How has the light of Christ shone through you? Turn to your conversation partners again, and take another four minutes to share stories about how you've been a saint, tell about a time you've been a person the light shines through.

[Time for story sharing.]

How were those stories? Did you get to see the light in each other?

One thing about saints, though, is that we're never saints alone. We are saints as members of the Body of Christ; we are saints within the Communion of Saints. Here at St George's, we are not just individual lights, but we are called to be a community of light as well. We're put here on this corner of Minnetonka and 100 to be on a lampstand giving light to the entire neighborhood, to the entire community. As the congregation of St George's, how can we be people the light shines through for St Louis Park? This time you don't need to turn to your conversation partners; let's just shout out a few things for everyone to hear. How can St George's be a community of people the light shines through for St Louis Park?

[Time for shout-outs.]

All these ways the light of Christ can shine through us! And that, really, is what we're celebrating on this All Saints Sunday--not just that other people in other times were heroes of the faith, but that we in our time are called to be saints as well, we in our time are called to be people the light shines through. There are many and many ways to let that light shine, and there are things we can do as a parish to clear the way for the light to shine even stronger. We've been talking a lot about change at St George's, and change can be scary; but All Saints Sunday reminds us that change can also be a way that opens up the light, a way that opens us to let the light shine through. We are Christ's saints, in the Communion of Saints, and we can grow to be even more the people the light of Christ shines through.

So my invitation to you on this All Saints Sunday is: Let's shine.