A Communion of Saints

It is a new month we call November.   A general election is only days away and candidates of many different persuasions are making their  final case of why you should vote for them.  The month of October just ended with Halloween and the fun that offers for the young and old.  Amid all that is going on, it is easy to forget the importance of November 1 on the Christian calendar.   November 1 is All Saints Day.  Protestant traditions don’t have a path to sainthood like our Roman Catholic brothers and sisters.  Those that associate sainthood with living a life without blemish perhaps shudder at the mention of the very possibility that someone could be a saint.   Despite such objections,  All Saints Day has become more important in my journey as a Christian in recent years. 

We say we believe in the “communion of saints” in the creed we call “The Apostles Creed”, one of the oldest affirmations of faith in our Christian tradition.  What do we believe about that communion of saints?    Here is what I believe about the communion of saints.    I am grateful for the lives of followers of Christ that have gone before me who now know their final rest in the Lord.  None of us is without blemish, for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.   Yet, I am grateful for the saints  for the  memory of their  words and example are a source of inspiration for me as I seek to follow Christ now. The faith that I have in Christ has been formed and shaped by their lives. Their lives made a difference in my life.    I give thanks to God for them.  I am reminded of the words of Hebrews 12:1-2   which says:

Therefore, having so vast a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, and throwing off everything that hinders us and especially the sin that so easily entangles^[a] us, let us keep running with endurance the race set before us, ² fixing our attention on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of the faith, who, in view of^[b] the joy set before him, endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

            Do you believe in the communion of saints?   What do you believe about them?   Amid the busyness of these days,   I encourage you and myself to take time to ponder that.  Have a joy-filled week.-  Pastor Randy Wall

            Prayer:  Lord,  I  give you thanks for the lives of the saints who now know eternal rest in you. May their lives inspire me to greater heights of serving you;  through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.