This being the first Sunday of November we will be celebrating the sacrament of Communion.
The Scripture Readings this week are
- Revelation 7:9-17
- 1 John 3:1-3
The Sermon title is For All the Saints
Early Thoughts: We are surrounded, so the book of Hebrews tells us, by a great cloud of witnesses (Hebrews 12:1). That Cloud is made up of all those who have gone before us, and so it is fitting to remember them this weekend on All Saint's Day.
On this day we pause to give thanks for those who have gone before us and passed the faith down to us. On this day we pause to remember those who have been key parts of our lives. On this day we remind ourselves that they are still with us in some way.
AS the article linked above notes, this celebration has moved around over the centuries. But it has long been associated with this time of year. In fact the name Halloween is a corruption of "All Hallows Eve", the day before All Saint's Day. ANd I think it is appropriate that it falls at this time of year. This week is the old Celtic festival of Samhain, a festival that lies beneath many of our Halloween traditions. At Samhain it was believed that the veil between the world of the living and the other world was especially thin. That could be a time to worry about ghosts and ghouls. It could also be a time to be thanksful for those who have gone before us.
Who has gone before you that you want to remember this year? Who are the saints that have brightened your life's journey thus far?
--Gord
No comments:
Post a Comment