To Live Is Christ, To Die Is Gain: The Christian's Hope

Text: Matthew 5:1-12 

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Today, on All Saints Day, we remember the departed baptized saints—those who have died in the faith. Their time of pilgrimage in this valley of tears – called life - has come to an end, and now they rest with Christ, awaiting the resurrection. But as we consider their lives and their deaths, we must be careful not to fall into the trap of so many modern-day eulogies. Yes, eulogies. 

You know what I am talking about, the well-meaning kind of eulogies that are often read at funerals that highlight all the good in a person’s life—their kindness, their sense of humor, their hard work, their love for their family, and so forth. Now, please do not misunderstand me, these eulogies are not bad.  That is to say; we should thank God for all the good that our loved ones were able to give and receive. So, that begs the question: what’s the problem then?  The problem is that these eulogies inadvertently do something: they overlook the suffering, weakness, and struggles of a person’s life. They forget to mention the vale of tears that every Christian must walk through. These eulogies only talk about the mountain tops and don’t mention the difficult and dark valleys.  

Let me be blunt - this life is hard. It's not all sunshine and roses. It is, as Martin Luther would say, a life of trial: tentatio. Indeed, this life is full of tears, disappointments, temptations, and weakness. More often than not, we are poor in spirit. We mourn over our sin. We are humbled by failure. We hunger and thirst for righteousness in a world that celebrates unrighteousness. To say that life is easy, well… that is foolishness.  Every Christian — including your loved ones who have died in the faith — endured much struggle in this sinful world.

And yet, Jesus says something radical in the Gospel reading from Matthew 5. He says, 

"Blessed are the poor in spirit. Blessed are those who mourn. Blessed are the meek. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness." 

Now, please listen: Jesus turns all the conditions we typically associate with being unfortunate - on their head. He says, 

"You are blessed when you are poor in spirit, when you mourn, when you are meek, and when you hunger and thirst."

Now, it is important to keep in mind that this word "blessed" is not the same as the world’s flimsy idea of happiness. Happiness – according to the world - is based on how things are going. In other words, happiness comes and goes. But to be blessed is to be fortunate, to be favored, to have God smile upon you — regardless of your circumstances. 

How can this be, though?

The answer: because you have Christ, and Christ has you.

* * *

Consider for a moment Philippians 1:21. Paul says in this short verse, 

“For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”

Now, this single verse ties together our current reality and future hope. 

Let me explain!

To live is Christ. That is to say, the beatitudes of Matthew 5 are not just future promises. They are your present blessed reality right now. Baptized Saints, to live in Christ is to live hidden in His grace amid the difficult world. It is to live marked by His name in Holy Baptism within this vale of tears. It is to be sustained by His Word and fed at His altar amid the tyranny of sin.

In other words, to live is Christ means that you don’t need to search for your identity in the applause of others or the instability of your emotions. To live is Christ means that you don’t need to justify yourself by your accomplishments or explain yourself to a world that has gone mad. You don’t even need to fear tomorrow, for Christ is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. He is the One who has claimed you, and He is not letting go.

Mark this right now: your life is not in your doing but in what Christ has done. The Christian life is not about climbing up some ladder to heaven. It’s about being dragged into grace again and again by the Spirit, who delivers the fruits of Christ’s cross to you in the Word and Sacraments.  

And so, when life beats you and strips you of everything – and even in the deep sting of death - you are still blessed because you have Christ and Christ has you.  

And this blessedness is not just some vague feeling, but it is rooted in actual, concrete, external things. That is what makes it so comforting and certain. I cannot stress it enough: 1) You are baptized. That was not your doing, but God's. It is His mark on you. 2) You hear His Word. That Word does not change, even when your emotions do. 3) You eat and drink Christ's body and blood. He is not far from you; He is for you, with you, in you. This is why you can say with confidence, in the midst of suffering, "I am blessed." Not because I feel it, but because Christ has promised never to leave you.

Baptized Saints, you are not like those who live by the unstable wind of feelings, those who are constantly trying to claw their way out of the valley’s dark circumstances. Your peace is not anchored in how well life is going. Your hope is not measured by success or health or prosperity. Your hope is in Christ, and Christ alone. You are blessed in Christ and His forgiveness of sins, which is for you. 

But what about the saints who have died? Listen to Paul again: 

"…to live is Christ, and to die is gain."

This begs another question: what gain do they have in death? 

Well, they, like all of us, are in Christ. You see, we share the same Lord, the same baptismal identity. But our deceased loved ones in the faith have gain because they are now free from this vale of tears.

Sit up in your pew and listen: your loved ones who have died in the faith have no more sin, no more guilt, and no more pain. They have no more anxious nights or broken hearts. No more confusion, depression, or sickness. No more dying. They rest from their labors. They have gained the added blessing of not having the old Adam, that sinful nature we still drag around. If we are blessed now - which we are in Christ -  they are doubly blessed because they are in Christ without the curse of sin. Let’s call them blessed 2.0.

But let us be clear—their gain is not something completely foreign to us. Remember, they have the same Christ. The same Gospel. The same promise. The difference is that they now enjoy it without the vale of tears, without the clouds of suffering, without the sting of death.  

However, let me reiterate that we are not disconnected from them. We are still united with these departed saints, not by sentiment or nostalgic memory, but in Christ. The same Christ who holds them in paradise is the same Christ who calls you by name in the font, comes to you in the Word, and feeds you His body and blood at this altar. Mark this: Christ is not divided. There is one Christ and one Church—His Church—joined together across heaven and earth.  And so, at this altar – at this supper, you are blessed because you are in the presence of Jesus, just as your departed loved ones are blessed being in the presence of the same Jesus.  

That is why All Saints Day is not just a day to look backward with sadness. It is a day to look upward and forward with confidence. We remember those who have died in the Lord, yes—but more than that, we rejoice that they are blessed, and we are blessed. 

And with this blessed assurance, we live with hope—not a vague or emotional hope -   but a concrete and certain promise. Christ is with us now in His gifts, and one day, we will join the saints who are before Christ.  

So, until that day when we are gathered together with them, we continue in this vale of tears—but not without help. Not without joy. Not without Christ. We are not alone. To live is Christ.  

This is the Christian life: a life lived in that holy tension between the now and the not yet. We are blessed now, because Christ is ours. But we long for the day when we shall see Christ face to face with our departed loved ones in the faith. 

So today, lift up your eyes. Look to your Baptism. Look to the Word. Look to the altar. And do not be deceived by what you see or feel. For here, amid your weakness and weariness, Christ is present. Here, in the struggle and sorrows of this vale of tears that you stumble through, you are blessed. And here—gathered with angels and archangels and all the company of heaven—you stand with the saints together in Christ as one church.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.