All Saints' Day

November 1 is All Saints’ Day. Even though it is one of the seven principal feasts of the Christian calendar, it is easily forgotten. Additionally, some denominations, wary of the abuses they see in the veneration of saints, don’t even regard it as a holiday. The result is that most American Christians have simply lost a specific day to remember, pray about, and celebrate those who have gone before them in the faith. If we don’t set aside a specific time to do something, it usually doesn’t happen!
 
A number of years ago, I had the chance to visit one of the catacombs at Rome. In the coolness and quiet, deep underground, I came face-to-face with something startling: There were places of worship, places to celebrate communion, next to the graves of Christians. The guide explained that the family and church would gather at the tomb to celebrate the Eucharist from time to time as a statement that the dead person was still a member of the Church, that Christ was victor over death, and that the resurrection was coming.
 
The Church is the only society on earth that never loses members. Those who have gone before us in the faith are no less a part of the body of Christ than we are. There is only one body, and it contains the Christians of all ages and times. We need moments to remember this when our view of Christianity starts to get too narrow, too influenced by America or the 21st Century. The saints from ages past worshiped differently than we do and would probably be shocked at aspects of the American church. But we also need moments to remember the entire body of Christ—the body that includes people from all over the globe and spans thousands of years—when we grow discouraged and feel alone. We are, in the language of Hebrews 12, surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses. Joined together with them in Christ, we are neveralone.
 
All Saints’ Day is a moment to remember these things. It is a moment to grieve for the temporal loss of those who have gone before us in the faith, to remember them in thanksgiving before God, and to celebrate what God will do with them in the resurrection. They, like us, are waiting for the moment when Christ returns.
 
We need moments to remember in prayer the great cloud of witnesses! Join us on Wednesday, November 1; we will hold two very simple Eucharist services (around 30-40 minutes each). One will be at 7:30am, and the other at 6:15pm. Even though there will not be childcare, we encourage those who are able to bring children—it is the perfect moment to tell them the stories of those who have gone before you and set an example for you in the faith.
 
In Christ,
Steven+