This Sunday is All Saints Sunday which is one of the biggest celebrations of the church year.  On All Saints we remember that all those who are made Christ's own live forever in the communion of God's eternal Body.  We are baptized into a community of believers that includes all those who have come before us and all who will come after.  I often explain this to families before we baptize their children as weaving the baptismal candidate into the fabric of God's own self. 

When we gather for the communion prayer and we say "Therefore we praise you, joining our voices with Angels and Archangels and with all the company of heaven who forever sing this hymn to proclaim the glory of your name: Holy holy holy Lord, God of power and might..." we are naming that we sing with the communion of saints who are a part of who we are and what we do when we gather in worship.  The proclamation of the goodness and loving kindness of the one who has saved us through the free gift of God's grace is at the heart of the very nature of what it means to worship God.  This is why we are only baptized once and why baptizing is such a significant and joyful thing we get to do.  This is also why All Saints is such a perfect feast day to baptize. 

This Sunday we will bring a new saint into the fabric of God's Church.  Olive Wright will be baptized at the 10:30 service.  It will also be the first baptism that Korey Wright will preside over.  This is a deeply holy moment and in the miracle that will take place on Sunday, Olive will become a part of who we are.  You and I and every other baptized saint will be eternally connected to her, and we will get to see her Dad make it so as the one with the water on his hands.  I pray that you will come and hear the hope inherent in baptism, see this special moment in the life of our church and school family, and rejoice in the eternal promise of God's love fully and freely bestowed on His saints.