For All the Saints
For all the Saints who from their labors rest,
Who thee by faith before the world confessed,
Thy name, O Jesus, be forever blest.
Thou art our rock, our fortress, and our might;
Thou, Lord, our captain in the well-fought fight;
Thou, in the darkness drear, our one true light.
Vs 1 & 3 For All the Saints
ext: William Walsham How, 1823–1897,
Music: Ralph Vaughan Williams, 1872–1958
I would like to invite you to visit Hebrews 11 the next time you open your Bible. As we remember those who have influenced us through the years in celebration of All Saints Day on November 1 – listen to the ways some of these verses begin:
By faith
We understand
Abel offered a greater sacrifice
Enoch was protected
Noah responded
Abraham obeyed
Abraham lived in the land
AND
Mary conceived
Joseph listened
Paul was converted
Lydia was baptized
Disciples were called
These are the faithful ones who created the very foundation of our faith, of our ability to understand and know the love of God. Who are those people in your life? When we celebrated confirmation recently, we heard the faith stories of some of our youth. Almost every one of them talked about how they had been influenced in their faith – Sunday school teachers, confirmation mentors, youth leaders, parents, and grandparents. How inspirational for all of us.
Who are your heroes? The people who have actually seen you, loved you, taught you, and listened to you? There are no greater saints in our lives than those who remind us we matter. You are making a difference in lives – I’ve heard some of the stories. I hope that our October is remembering what it means to walk with each other – see each other – celebrate our saints, those who have died, and those who inspire us still in our strange and wonderful every day lives.
We celebrate, we remember, then we carry that inspiration into the future, honoring those we have lost by holding on to their values and living our best lives in their honor. I have some people to remember. I hope you do too. Let the storytelling continue.
With much care and gratitude,
Pastor Cathy