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“On the Shoulders of Giants”
 
               By Rev. Dr. Jeffrey A. Schooley

In 1675, Isaac Newton, the father of modern physics, wrote the following line in a letter to Robert Hooke: “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” This was Newton’s humble admission that whatever his contributions to science may be (and time would prove that they would be great!), they did not originate in his own genius, but rather are an extension of all the geniuses of those who had come before him.

I’ve noticed that, as I age, I can more clearly see the shoulders on which I stand. As a young man – puffed up as I was with my own potential, my own wit, my own (ahem!) “genius” – I thought myself the originator of every good thing in my life. I assumed that “good things” were the result of my gifts blending with my grit. At my humblest, where it would appear that I had lucked into an opportunity, I might say something like “Luck is where preparation meets opportunity.”  But as the ever-increasing gray in my beard reveals to the world, I cannot legitimately claim to be a young man any longer. (And thanks be to God for that! Being young is exhausting!).

Today, I see that like Newton before me, I stand on the shoulders of giants and that anything of value I provide to the world has first come to me as gift. That is to say, that at my best, I am primarily a gift-sharer; as some have gifted me, so I have the opportunity and the duty to gift others.

I stand on the shoulders of those from my past who are both still living and some dead. I stand on the shoulders of Leonard Clay, my maternal grandfather, who modeled a beautiful blending of strength and tenderness, maybe no better immortalized for me than in the prickly kisses I received from his trimmed-short mustache. I stand on the shoulders of Orland Jack Schooley, my paternal grandfather, who died with a 45-year chip from AA in his pocket, reminding me that a broken past does not have to result in a broken future. I stand on the shoulders of Mrs. Becker, my first grade teacher, who instilled in me the love of reading, of stories, of “using your mind like a computer.” She nurtured within me a sense of possibility with a gently subtle streak of responsibility. I stand on the shoulders of theologians who’ve lived faithful lives in Christ and who shared the insights and wisdom of their lives with me. I stand on the shoulders of Rev. Dr. M. Craig Barnes, my pastor, my professor, my mentor, who demonstrated the tireless love pastors must have for their congregations (and who can preach one heckuva good sermon!). I stand on the shoulders of my in-laws, who helped me re-trust warmth and care and kindness after feeling too long adrift from those realities. Some of these people are still alive; many of them have entered the Church Triumphant.

I’m reflecting on these shoulders, especially those shoulders that have passed on from this life, because All Saints Day draws near. All Saints Day is a remembrance and celebration of those saints who have died in the last year. But where All Saints Day comes alive (ironically enough given that it requires death) is when we use this day to name those whose shoulders we stand on. All Saints Day is as much an invitation as a remembrance. All Saints Day is as much about our futures as our past. It is a day born of mourning and sorrow, but resulting in gratitude and joy. All Saints Day is proof that whether living or dead, we are all alive in Christ, who died and was raised again from the dead.

So often the words we utter in the Church around life and death can feel like shallow comfort (especially in the immediate face of death), but All Saints Day approached rightly transforms those words into real experiences. Or, maybe more precisely, All Saints Day reveals a gratitude that was always there, but that was obscured by the heavy shroud of sorrow. We need not apologize for that heavy shroud. It is okay to sorrow. But we can also accept the invitation of All Saints Day to seek gratitude and joy.

And so that’s my invitation to you, as well. As All Saints Day (formally on November 1, though we’ll celebrate it in worship on November 3) approaches, take a little time and reflect on whose shoulders you stand. Name what you can see better because you stand on those shoulders. Ideally, you do this for those who have passed on already, but as you saw me do above, once you get into the groove of gratitude, you may find yourself thinking of other “giants” who are still alive. That’s okay too. Indeed, it’s a good thing to celebrate folks who are still living. (They especially appreciate it!).

For, ultimately, All Saints Day is about life. Even in remembering death, we also remember our Lord’s resurrection, which means that death is not eternal; death is not forever. All Saints are still alive in Christ and His resurrection. For now, that is just good theology. One day, that will just be empirically true.

So, sit down, grab a pen and some paper. Start with the names of important people. Add specific gifts and blessings that those people have given you. Let this exercise lead you where it will. And then, when we gather together in worship, we will remember, we will – yes – mourn, but we will also be grateful and rejoice, giving thanks to God for all the “giants” God has put in our lives. Amen.

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Tammy Schnitker

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