Through Stained Glass: For All the Saints

Through Stained Glass: For All the Saints

Who is a saint in your life? Is it your grandma who took you to your first church service as a little child? Or maybe it is your dad who kept his faith in the darkest of times. Is it your first Sunday school teacher—the one who taught you the song "Jesus Loves Me?" Maybe it is Saint Mary, Saint Teresa, or Saint Andrew. Or it is your spouse, your friend, or your child. Whoever it is, All Saints’ Day is a day for us to remember these fine folks and to celebrate their lives.

On Sunday, November 3, we will celebrate All Saints’ Day during worship. All Saints’ Day is a time to rejoice in all who, through the ages, have faithfully served the Lord. The day reminds us that we are part of one continuing, living communion of saints. When we celebrate Holy Communion, we experience the communion of saints, feasting with believers past, present, and future. The author of Hebrews 12 reminds us that these saints, a "great cloud of witnesses," surrounds us and cheers us on. The author of Hebrews also says that saints are people set apart by God who live their lives as a witness to the glory of God. A saint then is not only a person who has completed his or her baptism in Christ and now lives in glory with God, but also one who assembles faithfully around Word and Sacrament like we do.

All Saints’ Day is a day to celebrate and honor those folks who have helped shape us and aided us in our faith journey. Like my Grandpa Quine. He had a heart for Scripture. I remember one of the last times I visited with him, and we were talking about our favorite Bible verses. Without missing a beat and looking me in the eye, he quoted this passage from Isaiah 40 at length,

"...but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”

My grandfather had a deep faith, mighty enough to move mountains, I'm sure. To me, he is a saint.

As I write this article, it will be one year since he completed his baptism. I miss him so much. But what eases the grief is the Bible of his I have. I use it every morning for morning prayer. My favorite part of this worn-out book is the underlining I find throughout it. When I see one, it is as if I am getting a peek into the faith of the strongest, bravest, most faithful person I have ever met. His Bible is one of my most prized possessions. It is an artifact of my faith—a type of sacrament that contains, exhibits, recalls, visualizes and communicates another reality, the reality of God’s love.

On Sunday, November 3, you are invited to bring in photos and artifacts of saints who are now a part of the great cloud of witnesses that surrounds us every Sunday. You will also have the occasion to name a saint in your life and express your gratitude for him or her. Our time together will culminate around the Lord's Supper, and we will join our voices to sing God's praise with all the saints, living and dead. A table in the back of the Sanctuary will be set up beginning October 27, for our items to share.

See you at the Kirk House!

Peace,

Adam