All Saints Day
November 1
Last night my lesson revolved around today. Most in The Wesleyan Church would have no idea about All Saints Day. Part of my reason for working through the lectionary is to educate myself.
We tend to view saints as super spiritual people. Last night I was asked, “Aren’t saints supposed to be perfect?” If we look at how the word was used in the scriptures, no. When we see it used in the scriptures the word refers to those who have placed their trust in Christ and who are committed to following Him — no matter what. As I taught the lesson we worked through the Ephesians and Luke passage. The apostle Paul, prays a wonderful prayer for the Ephesian church. Jesus tells us what a saint does. I like the title of the graphic. It’s called the hardest prayer, and yet Christians for centuries have been doing that.
November is often a time when we remember those who have been persecuted for their faith. Typically the second Sunday in November is the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. In my travels today, I want to remember those who have gone on before and especially those ancient and even contemporary saints who have given or who are giving their lives for the cause of Christ.
