Matthew 22: 31, 32 "But regarding the resurrection of the dead, have you not read that which was spoken to you by God, saying, 'I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?' He is not the God of the dead but of the living." --NASB
In the name of the God of the living, amen.
How many little "saints" came to your door last night? Halloween is the eve of all saints day. We have taken a time of contemplating God's grace in salvation, and made it a time to flirt with evil. Instead of the eve of all the holy ones, it has become the eve of all the evil ones. Still, the word or the Lord remains, and so today take a moment and remember the ones you love who have gone to heaven before you.
Perhaps you are missing your mother or father. Maybe you lost a son or daughter, and life just hasn't been the same. For some of us it is a special grandparent or classmate. No matter who it is, we miss our loved ones.
But we are not as far from them as it seems. They are certainly not dead, but asleep in Christ. In Holy Scripture we have examples of their souls crying out to God, even as their bodies sleep in the ground. They continue to worship God. They pray for us that we may be kept in the true faith. We do not know how much our Lord tells them about what is happening on the earth, but we do know that they carry the gift of love from this life into eternal life. We may be physically disconnected, but spiritually and mystically we remain together as one body in Christ Jesus.
Now consider that when you enter the sanctuary to worship God, you mystically enter the courts of heaven. For this reason many churches are decorated with pictures of the saints, so that we remember that we are in the courts of heaven. There with us are all those who have gone before. All of our Christian loved ones, all the patriarchs, the apostles, and the martyrs. We do not attempt to communicate with them because we have no promise from the Scriptures that they can hear us. Rather we give all of our requests, worship, and praise to the holy Triune God.
In many of the Scandinavian churches you will find an altar rail that is a half circle. This is to remind us that the altar of God continues on into the other side of eternity. When we come to commune with Christ, we commune also with our brothers and sisters in The Faith, and our brothers and sisters in eternity. There the angels continue to marvel at the things which concern the salvation of human beings.
Today, as you begin another week of struggle, may the awesome love of God lift your heart from the dust of sorrow, to the bright peak of hope. May you remember your loved ones and be comforted that they are not as far away as it seems. The Lord our God is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living! Amen.
Prayer (the collect for All Saints' Day): O almighty God, You have knit together Your elect in one communion and fellowship in the mystical body of Your Son Jesus Christ, our Lord. Give us grace to follow Your blessed saints in all virtues and godly living. Grant this so that we may come to those unspeakable joys which You have prepared for those who truly love You. We ask this through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Ghost, one God forever, amen. a