Colossians 1:9-12 (The Message)
Be assured that from the first day we heard of you, we haven’t stopped praying for you, asking God to give you wise minds and spirits and a thorough understanding of the ways in which God works.....As you learn more and more of how God works, you will learn how to do your work. We pray that you’ll have the strength to stick it out over the long haul—not the grim strength of gritting your teeth but the glory-strength God gives -- strength that endures the unendurable and spills over into joy. We commend you to the One who makes us strong enough to take part in everything bright and beautiful that is given to all the saints.
Last Monday was All Hallows Eve or Hallowe’en, as we probably more commonly know it. The next day, Tuesday, Nov. 1st, was All Saints Day, followed on Wednesday by All Souls Day, Three different days but, in reality all three are part of a single observance. We are all aware that Halloween is about candy and kids and costumes, but unless we are very high church we may be a little hazy as to what the others are really all about.
In addition to the three “churchy” days mentioned we also have strong influences from the Celtic Samhain, and el Dia de los Muertos, from the Latino/Indio cultures.
But my purpose here today isn’t to give you a history lesson on these holydays. All of these, whether Christian or pagan, or some mixture of the two, are ways of remembering those who have gone on before us. They are all about the dead still being very much a part of us who are still living.
I spent the first half of my life in the Catholic church and Hallowe’en was fun, of course, especially when I was young, but I also always knew what All Saints and All Souls days were about. In the Catholic Church, "the faithful" refers to all baptized believers; "All Souls" reminds us of the “church penitent” – those waiting souls in purgatory – not quite in heaven yet, and "All Saints" commemorates the “church triumphant” – those whom the church has judged worthy to have bypassed purgatory – the saints in heaven. I don’t know what the current teaching might be, but I’d guess this is still somewhat close to the claims of any of the high-liturgy churches today.
Protestant churches, on the other hand, tend to follow Paul, who referred to all who had received the word of Christ as “God’s holy ones” or saints – living or dead -- usage Paul would have taken from the Old Testament references to God’s holy people.
This would be the way we most commonly use the word. And I like that we do because it removes us from any responsibility for being gate-keepers – picking and choosing who has “made it” to heaven and who is still stuck in some heavenly waiting-room.
This makes me think of one of my favorites quotes from Nadia Bolz-Weber, who reminds us,
So we don’t even have to separate the living from those who have go on ahead of us, for by virtue of having been called to walk with Jesus, we are all saints – God’s beloved and chosen ones.
I don’t know if I have cleared up any of questions about our reason for celebrating Saints at this time of year or if I have only confused you more. I suspect the latter. Goodness knows it’s a confusing subject.
Jan Richardson, in her book The Cure for Sorrow: A Book of Blessings for Times of Grief, puts it in a way that speaks very clearly for me:
And now as we move into the season of thanksgiving for all our blessings, let us remember to keep the Saints of our lives right there at the top of our lists and give thanks for them – living or dead, physically present or not -- all together in God's love.
In addition to the three “churchy” days mentioned we also have strong influences from the Celtic Samhain, and el Dia de los Muertos, from the Latino/Indio cultures.
But my purpose here today isn’t to give you a history lesson on these holydays. All of these, whether Christian or pagan, or some mixture of the two, are ways of remembering those who have gone on before us. They are all about the dead still being very much a part of us who are still living.
I spent the first half of my life in the Catholic church and Hallowe’en was fun, of course, especially when I was young, but I also always knew what All Saints and All Souls days were about. In the Catholic Church, "the faithful" refers to all baptized believers; "All Souls" reminds us of the “church penitent” – those waiting souls in purgatory – not quite in heaven yet, and "All Saints" commemorates the “church triumphant” – those whom the church has judged worthy to have bypassed purgatory – the saints in heaven. I don’t know what the current teaching might be, but I’d guess this is still somewhat close to the claims of any of the high-liturgy churches today.
Protestant churches, on the other hand, tend to follow Paul, who referred to all who had received the word of Christ as “God’s holy ones” or saints – living or dead -- usage Paul would have taken from the Old Testament references to God’s holy people.
This would be the way we most commonly use the word. And I like that we do because it removes us from any responsibility for being gate-keepers – picking and choosing who has “made it” to heaven and who is still stuck in some heavenly waiting-room.
This makes me think of one of my favorites quotes from Nadia Bolz-Weber, who reminds us,
- Jesus descended to the dead as though to say to us “even here I will find you and not let go” because death has no sting – death is rendered meaningless to a God of resurrection. And lest we forget, it is a God of resurrection who we worship.
So we don’t even have to separate the living from those who have go on ahead of us, for by virtue of having been called to walk with Jesus, we are all saints – God’s beloved and chosen ones.
I don’t know if I have cleared up any of questions about our reason for celebrating Saints at this time of year or if I have only confused you more. I suspect the latter. Goodness knows it’s a confusing subject.
Jan Richardson, in her book The Cure for Sorrow: A Book of Blessings for Times of Grief, puts it in a way that speaks very clearly for me:
- I am grateful that the sacred calendar provides these holy days to do what so many of us do throughout the year: to remember beloved ones who are no longer here but who somehow journey with us still.
- In these days, as we both grieve and celebrate our beloved dead, may we know how they endure with us, holding our hearts and encompassing us with a fierce and stubborn love that persists across time and distance. May that love help light our way in the life that is continuing to unfold for us.
And now as we move into the season of thanksgiving for all our blessings, let us remember to keep the Saints of our lives right there at the top of our lists and give thanks for them – living or dead, physically present or not -- all together in God's love.
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