Light in the Window - November 1, 2023

You are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints

and members of the household of God.

Ephesians 2:19

Dear Covenant Family,

A bench I often use sits near the shore. A family gave it to honor the life of their loved one. It is now a respite for the weary, a spot to watch birds or children, a meeting place for lovers, a platform for prayer. Each time I sit on it I am a little bit older, my bones and joints a little bit more tired. Because of the memorial plaque, I almost always think of the ones who have gone before me- saints, as we call them in our tradition. 

Saints’ days began as a way to mark the anniversaries of the deaths of martyrs. By the middle of the church’s first millennium, there were so many martyrs that it was hard to give them all their due. All Saints Day was established as an opportunity to honor all the saints, remembered and forgotten, known and unknown.

In the Reformed tradition, the emphasis of this festival is on the ongoing sanctification of the whole people of God. We give thanks for the ordinary, holy lives of believers in this and every age. On Sunday we will read the names of church members who have died in the past year and toll the Memorial Bell. For they are still with us- this blessed communion, this fellowship divine. Not only materially- with a beautiful church building and endowment funds to carry out Christ’s mission, but spiritually too. Because of their endurance amidst trials, their perseverance in faith, their dogged determination to make a difference, we have been able to see God at work, to keep going, one step at a time.

Praying with and for you,

Pastor Jessie

Pastor@covenantweb.org

Prayer for All Saints Sunday

We give thanks, O God Most Holy,

for the feet that walked this journey before us,

for the saints and sinners who lived & loved

under the shadow of your wings.

We give thanks, O God Most Holy,

for those who dared to travel the road together

as lovers & strangers, as friends & disciples,

for as long as they had breath.

We give thanks, O God Most Holy,

for the hearts that pulsed with justice & grace,

that sang in sync with your commandments,

that bled to show us your kingdom.

We give thanks, O God Most Holy,

for the tears, the heartache, the grief that connect us

to one another and to those who have died,

knowing that death will not last always.

We give thanks, O God Most Holy,

for the witness of all creation to your eternal glory,

for the mountains & trees, the rivers & seas,

and the beauty of your new day.

We give thanks. Amen.

Rachel Hackenberg, https://revgalblogpals.org

Church of the Covenant | Website