› All Saints’ Day: Communion, Reflection, and Remembrance

Sunday, November 1

“For all the saints who from their labors rest, who thee by faith before the world confessed, thy name, O Jesus, be forever blest. Alleluia! Alleluia!” William Walsham How, 1864

s All Saints Day (November 1) approaches, we are invited to pause to remember those who have passed from this life to the next, allowing sadness and pain to be colored with the prisms of love and gratitude. Whether our wounds are fresh and raw or now reopened, may they be healed by the sure knowledge that in life and in death, we belong to God.

It is a special day in the life of the church as we name and remember each church member who has passed from this life to the next since this time last year. In worship this Sunday, the Narthex bell will be tolled as each name is read. The banner next to the pulpit – an oil painting on gray canvas – was created by Martha Huggins and gifted to the church for use both at memorial services and on All Saints’ Sunday.

The Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper will be celebrated, of course, and we are reminded to prepare our own tables with bread and juice. Any bread and juice will do; it is Christ’s grace that make the ordinary extraordinary.

Are you seeking a quiet place of reflection and remembrance? Consider the Memorial Garden and its labyrinth, where there is gracious seating and the sights and sounds of fall serve as visceral reminders of God’s presence and eternal care.