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Original Manuscript:
Today is All Saints' Day, the day we commemorate all the saints in the church.
It's easy for us to look at those we have called saints, the Francises, the Theresas, the Johns, and others and see them as better than us and more worthy than us.
We do recognize saints as being holy, but that word may not mean what you think it means. We often think of "holy" as meaning more ethical or morally upright. But what the word actually means is "set apart".
That was the point of the Israelites. They lived very differently from their neighbors. They had different set of rules and different customs. Their lifestyle was meant to catch the attention of others around them and get them to think. Maybe after time, others would become enamored with their ways and say "you know what? I'm curious about their God. Maybe I should follow their God too."
Being holy means we are set apart for God's purpose and to do His work in the world. There's no moral criteria we have to live up to in order to do that. In fact, many of the people God has called throughout time were not good and noble people. Jesus has taken care of the moral criteria for us through His death and resurrection. All that being holy requires is following God's will and being His own.
So happy All Saints' Day. Because this day is for you too. We are all saints of God, not because we are better as people, but because we are God's people, and God's people alone.