Today is November
1. It is the beginning of the 11th
month of the year. The turning of the
calendar to November means that Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the end of the
year is not very far away. November 1
is also a special day on the church calendar as it is known as All Saints
Day.
Saint is a word that brings to mind for many people a life
lived without blemish and filled with the performance of miracles. The Roman Catholic Church has a process for
designating a person as a saint. The performance of miracles and living a blameless life are two
criteria that are a part of the process.
It is interesting to me that you will not find the word “saint” at all
in modern translations of the Bble like the New International Version or The
Message. The word “saint” that we find
in the King James Version is often translated to mean “holy ones”. I am grateful to God for the saints that
we read about in church history like St. Augustine and St. Peter, but I am also
grateful for the saints who I have encountered in my own journey.
The story is told of a pastor who had the tradition of
having a “childrens time” at Sunday worship. One Sunday, he asked the children: “What is a saint.?” One child thought for a moment and observed the stained glass windows showing
images of people in the sanctuary, and exclaimed: “Pastor, a saint is a person that the light
shines through.”
I give thanks to God for those saints I have encountered in
my life who have allowed the light of Christ to shine through them. My life is better because of them. Perhaps this All Saints Day is a good time
for you to think of those saints who have touched your own life. Thank them if you are able, and give thanks
to God for them. Have a joy-filled
week.- Pastor Randy Wall
Prayer: O God, I
thank you for the saints who have crossed my path and have shown me the
goodness of you. Help me to follow
their example and live more like you;
through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
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