On becoming a saint.
“I want to be a saint.”
A version of these words show up frequently throughout the many journal entries of the late author and pastor Eugene Peterson over the course of his life. Most known for his paraphrase translation of the Bible into “The Message”, Peterson spent the better part of his life planting, and then pastoring a small Presbyterian church in Maryland. Despite selling millions of copies of “The Message”, thousands more of his numerous books, and being invited to speak at endless conferences, Eugene never let go of his own personal vision of becoming a saint. It was almost a rebellious vision in a culture that prioritizes becoming famous, wealthy or an influencer.
We don’t use the language of “saints” often. We typically think of it as a Catholic idea. And yet, it’s one of the Apostle Paul’s favorite words to describe the small churches he writes to.
Here’s how Ephesians opens: “To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus…” (Eph. 1:1). And again, how Philippians opens: “Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi.”
It may be a foreign idea to us, but certainly not to the writers of the New Testament. Many English translations will use the phrase “holy people” or “God’s holy people” instead. The key idea being a people group that is known, marked and set apart by God. It’s honestly a really grand idea, to be “God’s people.” It almost feels too grand—too big to map onto my everyday life. But there’s a tension there worth holding onto, one that Eugene’s life helps make sense of.
Here’s a favorite journal entry of mine that offers a window into Eugene’s interior world:
“All I want to do is become a saint—but secretly, so no one knows it—a saint without any trappings . . . Every detail of routine and imagination, every letter I write, phone call made, gesture and encounter—gathered and placed on the altar and bound–every day another trek to Moriah.”
Here’s what I love about this quote. On one hand Eugene is unapologetic and totally clear on his aim: "become a saint.” And yet he’s also entirely clear on how this grand idea becomes reality in his life: through the everyday actions and ordinary moments of the day.
At first glance it feels a bit anticlimactic. Phone calls, gestures, and letter-writing? That’s it? Shouldn’t there be a spiritual challenge to accomplish or some big risk to take? For some, maybe. But what was true for Eugene is still true for us today. That the everyday actions and ordinary moments of our day are the soil where God grows us into his holy people, his saints. It’s the interruption at a coffee shop, or the conversation at the park, the small and secret acts of kindness or generosity.
Which means becoming more like Jesus is less about escaping my ordinary life or meeting Jesus on the mountaintop and more about finding him in the midst of your commute, or diaper-changing, or fort-building with your kids.
We must hold onto a personal and grand vision of discipleship, of becoming a certain kind of person—a saint—over the long haul of our lives. Yet we must never forget this grand vision becomes reality in the midst of our ordinary, everyday lives.
