All Saints' Day

The Collect of the Day
Almighty God, you have knit together your elect in one communion and fellowship in the mystical body of your Son Christ our Lord: Give us grace so to follow your blessed saints in all virtuous and godly living, that we may come to those ineffable joys that you have prepared for those who truly love you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

The Psalm
34:1-10, 22

The Readings
Revelation 7:9-17      +      I John 3:1-3      +      Matthew 5:1-12

Beloved, we are God's children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is.
~ I John 3:2

Though it's one of the seven principal feasts of the church (BCP, pg. 15), there are considerable differences of opinion about what, precisely, is being celebrated on All Saints' Day. A short list could include questions about the definition of a saint (and who gets included in that definition), the nature of our connection with the dead in Christ (i.e. what do we mean when we say we believe in the communion of saints?), and what we believe about life after death. I find such a list striking in that the questions are both profound on one level, while at the same time basic and central to Christian faith. To a question so universal as, "what happens when we die?" is it not telling that we find different answers, stated with varying degrees of detail and confidence, both within the Episcopal Church and across denominations? If, as seems often to be the popular view, the church exists to help us answer that question, then we don't seem to be doing a very good job (which is also telling--perhaps the church is about more than simply "the hope of heaven"). One explanation for this lack of clarity is that there is no uniform answer in the Bible; rather, there are various intimations and images, with plenty of mystery in the mix. Many of our beliefs about life after death may in fact come from hymns, varying church traditions, and popular imagery.

The First Epistle of John seems to be addressing a community experiencing a crisis of faith. Amid doubts and uncertainties, the writer begins the letter with words of confidence and assurance based in experience: "We declare to you . . . what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life" (I Jn. 1:1). This language of conviction and reassurance continues throughout the letter, but it is not absolute. Even here, among the children of God, there remains the acknowledgement of mystery and limited knowledge: "what we will be has not yet been revealed." We place our hope and confidence in God and in Jesus Christ, and we trust that this hope will not disappoint. In the time between now and the perfecting of the children of God, it is part of the work of discipleship to follow the example of the saints, to grow in virtue, and to be seeking always to gracefully move into greater trust that we who have set our hope on Christ have a sure foundation, come what may.    
 
Closing Prayer
O God, thank you for the example and fellowship of your saints. Help us to be, like them, about the work of living faithfully as your children here and now, confident of the joy that will yet be revealed in Jesus, in whom we have put our hope. Amen.