Knit Together in the Mystical Body of Christ
Revelation 7:9-17
After this I, John, looked, and there was a
great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and
peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in
white, with palm branches in their hands. . . .They will hunger no more, and
thirst no more; the sun will not strike them, nor any scorching heat; for the
Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them
to springs of the water of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their
eyes."
The Feast of All Saints/All Souls is an occasion
of both joy and reflection and sometimes sadness for those of us who are the
church, who are the People of God. The
reading from the Revelation of John sums up for us what it means to be
connected to one another and the communion of Saints in what we call that “great
cloud of witnesses.” We are truly a
great multitude, an inclusive multitude from every nation, all tribes and peoples
and languages. We are who we are because
of those who have gone before us and because they shared their faith and their
love and their lives with us.
On these two days we intentionally remember
those “saints,” famous and not so famous, who have “proclaimed by word and
deed, the good news of God in Christ,” who have taught us how to live and in
some cases, have taught us how to die.
We particularly remember those family members and friends who have died,
and we stop to thank God for their presence in our lives. Yes there will be tears, but as the writer of
the book of Revelation assures us, “the Lamb of God will guide us to springs of
the water of life, and God will wipe away every tear from our eyes.”
As we enter into these two holy days I encourage
all of you to take the time to meditate on those important relationships in
your lives, to live with the tears as well as the laughter and the joy, and to
offer all of these feelings and emotions to God.
On Sunday, November the 2nd, at
Christ Church we will lift up these “Saints” and our emotions to God. Those who would like will be invited to come
forward to light a candle in memory of some of those who through the grace of
God made us who we are. It truly is a
time to celebrate our lives as the people of God.
“Almighty God, by your Holy Spirit you have made
us one with your saints in heaven and on earth: Grant that in our earthly
pilgrimage we may always be supported by this fellowship of love and prayer,
and know ourselves to be surrounded by their witness to your power and
mercy. We ask this for the sake of Jesus
Christ, in whom all our intercessions are acceptable through the Spirit, and
who lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen.”
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