November 3rd – 8:30am and 11:00am Worship
As we celebrate the saints who have gone before us, we look to how we can stand on their faith and continue reforming God’s church. During worship this morning we will have a special time of prayer where names of loved ones who have passed will be read and remembered.
For All the Saints – From The Pastor’s Desk
Not so long ago, I received a note from an old friend in which she
thanked me for being an inspiration in her life and for being a
witness to Jesus for her. I was pretty shocked to say the least:
first, because I had not seen her in over 30 years and second
because, I had absolutely no idea that I had been any kind of
influence to her.
That is a grace moment – God using me, in spite of myself, to help
another person.
It got me to thinking about all those people who have been
important for my faith. Some of those people have died. Many are
still active in my life. Some, like my note-writing friend, are still
alive, but I haven’t really talked to them in a long time. In each
case, these people have been used by God to touch my life and I
am thankful.
I think about many of those people at Holy Communion. When we
gather at the Table, I am often reminded that we do so
surrounded by a great “cloud of witnesses” (Hebrews 6 12:1).
Theologians tell us that in the great mystery of the Resurrection, when we gather for communion, we join all those saints at the Table. When we celebrate The Feast, we do so with us a host of people who have touched our lives and strengthened our faith along the way—literally a myriad of mothers, fathers, grandparents, friends, siblings, Sunday School teachers, pastors, neighbors, etc., who have shared with each of us, through word and example, what it means to be a follower of Jesus. These are the saints in our lives. These are the ones who have passed on the faith to us. These are the ones who still mark us and influence us today.
For those I am thankful. Is it any wonder that another word for
Holy Communion, “Eucharist” means, “Thanksgiving”?
Who have been those saints in your life? Who was there with
patient prayers, or faithful instruction? Who mentored you along
the way, or cared enough to make certain that you did not get
lost? Who laughed with you in your triumphs, and cried for your
tragedies or mistakes? Who was that solid example of integrity
and grace? Who were and are those saints that are the faithful
cloud of witnesses in your life?
November 1 st is All Saints Day, and on Sunday, November 3rd, we
will observe All Saints Sunday. Take time to thank God for all the
saints—past and present– that God has given to bless your life.
Take time as well to ask, “How is God using me to be that saint for
someone else?” In some ways, we may know how we share Jesus
to some people, but I suspect that in many ways, we will never
really know just how brightly God is shining through us to
positively touch another person. And that, my friends, is living in
God’s Grace.
And for that, I am thankful.
Pastor Martin