When you hear the word, “saint,” very likely your thoughts go to the Roman Catholic tradition of declaring that certain people are especially holy.  Among Protestants like us, the most famous saints would include Saint Nicholas (“Santa Claus”) and the Apostles whom Jesus called in Bible times: St. Peter, St. Paul, and so forth.  Also, you may have heard of St. Francis of Assisi.
In recent years, as antique tensions have eased between Catholics and Protestants, we seem to be a little more comfortable in agreeing that there are some folks who deserve to be recognized as very special servants of God: people who are rare role models, beacons of grace, miracles of holiness.
It may interest you to know that one of our Valley neighbors has an uncle who will soon be officially declared a “saint” by the Roman Catholic Church. 
I have a friend in Grottoes, Dominik, whose uncle Flavyanus Mikhayil Melki was “beatified,” that is, declared to be an especially blessed Christian, as of August 29th, 2015. 
Bishop Melki was born in Lebanon in 1858.  He went to serve the churches around Gazarta, in what is now the nation of Turkey.  One hundred years ago, when the Ottoman Turks were killing and driving into exile many Armenian and Syrian Christians, Bishop Melki was ordered to convert to Islam or die.  When he refused, he was tortured and then decapitated. 
Some time in the next few years, the Catholic Church will probably take the next step and “canonize” Bishop Melki as a “saint,” because he died as a “martyr” for his faith. 
In a sermon he gave on Sunday, August 30th in Rome, Pope Francis mentioned the “beatification” of Bishop Melki, and then went on to say, “Today too, dear brothers and sisters, in the Middle East and in other parts of the world, Christians are being persecuted.  There are more martyrs today than in the first centuries.  May the beatification of this Martyr Bishop instill in them comfort, courage and hope, but may it also be an incentive to legislators and governments that religious freedom be assured everywhere.  I ask the international community to do something so as to put an end to the acts of violence and oppression.” 
My goal is to be a martyr, too.  How about you ?
The original meaning of that word, “martyr,” is a witness or a testimony.  “Martyr” is most commonly used to describe someone who is killed for refusing to give up her or his faith— but the main meaning of the word remains.  Whether we are able to live out our days in peace or, God forbid, someone kills us because we are followers of Jesus, our whole lives must give testimony to
1. who Jesus Christ is to us: Lord and Savior
2. who we are in his service: faithful imitators
Jesus stated clearly the characteristics we must exhibit as his witnesses: you can read these throughout the gospels. 
Jesus’ “Beatitudes” are well known (Matthew 5): they describe the way we must live in God’s blessing: poor in spirit, compassionate, humble, seeking righteousness, merciful, pure in heart, and making peace— in addition to remaining faithful to him in the midst of persecutions.  Jesus tells us to be “the salt of the earth” and “the light of the world.”
Jesus constantly insisted that we must put God first with our hearts, souls, minds, and strength.
And Jesus repeatedly endorsed the Golden Rule, which comes to us from Leviticus 19:18: 
       "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."

For background reading about Bishop Melki:
https://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/angelus/2015/documents/papa-francesco_angelus_20150830.html

http://www.catholic.org/news/hf/faith/story.php?id=63307

​Here we are in October, so of course, every store we walk into is decorated for Halloween.  But are we ready for the holiday next Monday?
Many of us grew up with at least some annual notice of Columbus Day.  Now, we are invited to observe Indigenous Peoples’ Day on that date.  Before you hurriedly leave this page, in a huff over “political correctness”… have you ever stopped to consider how the actions of Christopher Columbus— and the thousands of European colonizers who came after him— fit with the values of Jesus Christ ?

In the summer of 2013, the United Church of Christ Synod meeting in Long Beach, California asked us to reconsider what the Conquistadors and colonists did in the past 500 years, and to repent of the un-Christ-like attitudes that produced horrible, racist genocide (killing of entire ethnic groups of people) here in the Americas.
“Many Americans grow up learning that this continent was ‘discovered’ by Christopher Columbus.  The concept of discovery, as if the land was empty prior to arrival and its indigenous inhabitants were somehow “less than” the explorers is, at its heart, racism and cultural superiority.
The doctrine of discovery, a concept of public international law expounded by the United States Supreme Court in a series of decisions, originated from various church documents in Christian Europe in the mid-1400s to justify the pattern of domination and oppression by European monarchies as they invasively arrived in the Western hemisphere.  It theologically asserted the right to claim the indigenous lands, territories, and resources on behalf of Christendom, and to subjugate native peoples around the world.
The U.S. Supreme Court used the doctrine to assert that the United States, as the successor of Great Britain, had inherited authority over all lands within our claimed boundaries.  This decision allowed our government to legally ignore or invalidate any native claims to property and resources.  To this day courts continue to cite this legal precedent.  It is still being used by courts to decide property rights cases brought by Native Americans against the U.S. and against non-Natives.
The repudiation of the Doctrine of Discovery by General Synod 29 provides an invaluable teaching moment for our congregations to understand systemic and continuous impact of racism on the daily lives of indigenous peoples in the U.S..”  
(source: http://www.ucc.org/justice_racism_doctrine-of-discovery  )
 
The United Church of Christ General Synod 29 resolved that we as followers of Jesus ought to repudiate the Doctrine of Discovery. 
              http://uccfiles.com/pdf/gs29-1.pdf
The word, “repudiate” means to clearly state, “I don’t believe in that: that does not represent me.” 
If we look into the shameful and racist ways that our European ancestors treated the people who were on this continent first, the question now confronts us: Do I approve of what my ancestors did; that I would do the same thing if I were in their shoes ? 
If we learn about the genocide and slavery and cruelty that our ancestors inflicted on the Natives and feel like “repudiating” what they did, …  What can we do about it now ?  That is all in the past, isn’t it ?
No.  Racism toward Native Americans is still rampant in the United States, and this racism has profound effects on them. 
One thing we can do is to tell our elected officials and those running for office that it is important to us that our Commonwealth of Virginia and our United States do concrete things to make up for the wrongs that have been done in the name of Christendom and European culture.  This includes treating Native tribes with justice and respect and honor.  People are not mascots.
Another thing we can do is examine our attitudes toward non-European peoples of the world, making sure to share the best of God’s love with everyone with whom we have any dealings, regardless of their ethnicity.
Seek good and not evil, that you may live; 
and so the LORD, the God of hosts, will be with you, just as you have said. Amos 5:14