On November 2, before the next Messenger is published, we will celebrate All Saints’ Sunday. The Saints of the church, historically speaking, are, most simply put, those people whom we assume are already in the nearer
presence of God. Over the years the process by which one is named a Saint has become more formalized and ritualized. And now, there are people whom are known as Saints. St. Peter, St. Paul, St. Patrick, St. Nicholas, among many, many others.
Many of these Saints have specific days on which they are remembered and celebrated: St. Patrick – March 17, St. Andrew – November 30, St. Nicholas – December 6, St. Peter and St. Paul share a date – June 29. The practice of honoring Saints goes all the way back to at least the year 100 A.D. Remember, there were no Christians until around 30-33 A.D. So within one lifetime, the gathered communities of faith had begun to remember, honor, and celebrate Christians who had died.
This unregulated honoring of Saints continued for nearly 300 years, when, following the Great Persecution of the first decade of the fourth century, there were too many martyrs to assign a day to each of them. So the church sought to find a way to honor all of the saints, and so birthed All Saints’ Day more than 1,600 years ago.
At First Baptist, we celebrate All Saints’ Sunday as a part of our worship on the first Sunday in November. During the service, we will call the names of those who have been a significant part of this family of faith who have, since the last All Saints’ Day, passed into the nearer presence of God. As we call their names and remember them, and their impact on our lives and the life of this community of faith, we will light a candle when each name is called, and we will join our hearts and voices in saying, “Thanks be to God!”
All of this, a beautiful and sobering reminder that one day, it will be some other saints of the church, who will call each of our names, and remember, honor, and celebrate our lives. And so, on Sunday, November 2, we will
celebrate those who have gone before us, those who are already gathered in the nearer presence of God. For them we give thanks. We remember the lives they lived. We celebrate the ways that they have shaped and
influenced us as individuals and as a community of faith. We honor these saints and all the saints. Thanks be to God.