More than a few tears. Every year there's something really special about All Saints Sunday. Most years we remember about 8 to 12 members and friends of Our Savior who have died since All Saints Day last year, but this year we named during our prayers and lit candles in memory of over 30 of those who have gone before us. Even during the Sunday School hour, Pastor Shelly said the children talked about remembering all the saints who have gone before us, and how so many of the children came up and lit a candle remembering those who have died in the past year.
(One even lit a candle in memory of her dog who died this past year.)
In a world and a culture where so much effort is put into denying death and our mortality, how meaningful and healthy it is to be able to come to worship on a day like All Saints, remember with gratitude those who have died, look death in the eye and say, "You do not have the last word." For God speaks a Word of hope and promise, a Word of Life that is stronger than Death. This is a Life that is given us in our Baptism, which carries us through this life and ultimately into God's eternal Light and Life.
No wonder a day like this brings about more than a few tears. For this is a day where God speaks to those most important things of the heart, where God meets us in our grief, where we acknowledge our sorrow and loss, but are also a part of a community that knows and lives out that Life which is our source of hope, comfort and peace. And what a blessing that is! No wonder a day like that brings about more than a few tears. But they are good tears, and what better place to shed them. See you in church!
Pastor Jack Diehl +
Please visit our website to see where and how you can be a part of living out and celebrating this Life that is stronger than death: www.oursaviorelca.com.
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