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Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. “Take away the stone,” he said. “But, Lord,” Said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.” John 11:38-39
Death stinks, doesn’t it? Literally and figuratively. It is not something we normally like to dwell upon because of the pain and loss we may feel from it. Interestingly, at Halloween, and All Saints Day, that is precisely what we are asked to do. We remember the dead!
Our secular culture often uses Halloween to celebrate horror and the supernatural. It can be a time of trick or treating, pranks, divination and even costume parties. But for us in the church, it is a solemn and holy time of remembrance.
Tomorrow, we will be celebrating All Saints’ Sunday, a time where we pause to remember fellow believers who have died in the Lord and are now at rest. We pause to remember, to grieve, but with hope! For we wait in hope to see them again on the Last Day when our bodies will be resurrected with Christ Jesus for eternity in heaven.
During the prayers in worship on All Saint’s Sunday, we will ring a bell for each person who died in the faith this past church year (since All Saints’ 2023). Everyone will have an opportunity to come forward during communion to light a candle to remember others you have lost.
Helpful background: Halloween, or All Saints’ Eve is the day before All Saints’ Day. (Hallow = (verb) holy-like in the Lord’s Prayer, and (noun) a saint, a forgiven sinner; een = evening). The church often celebrates All Saints on the Sunday following, or the first Sunday in November. It was on All Saints’ Eve, October 31, 1517, that Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of All Saints’ Church in Wittenberg, Germany, launching the Great Reformation.
While the dead are solemnly remembered during worship on All Saints’ Sunday, the festival is, ultimately, a celebration of Christ’s victory over death. Jesus has taken away the sting of death, changed death from a hopeless end to an endless hope. Thanks be to God!
Let’s pause this weekend to remember the saints, those special people in our lives who have helped shape our faith, whose lives have modeled to us what it means to be followers of Jesus. Who will you remember?
Also, let’s take time to reflect how our life and witness is impacting others around us, and what messages we are leaving others after we are gone. How can you point others to Jesus so they too will come to know Jesus and all his promises of forgiveness and eternal life?
In Christ; Pastor Dan
Special Announcements:
- Don’t be early for church!?! Turn your clocks back this Sunday. Daylight savings time ends this weekend.
- Sign Up at the back of the church for the upcoming Holiday Lunches. They will be after worship on December 1st (Thanksgiving); and December 22nd (Christmas). Thank you to our wonderful kitchen volunteers.
- Join us for a special movie matinee of: “Bonhoeffer: Pastor. Spy. Assassin” on Sunday, November 24 at 2:55 p.m. at the Regal Royal Palm Beach Theater. 1003 North SR 7 Royal Palm Beach, FL. PG-13. COST: $10.00. Sign up at the back of the church or contact Pastor Baker through the office. We’re renting out most of the theater for this showing.
Bonhoeffer was a German Lutheran pastor and theologian who joined a deadly plot to assassinate Adolph Hitler and save millions of Jews during World War II. His story begs the question, how far will you go to stand up for what’s right?
- Mark your calendars:
November 3rd – All Saints Sunday Day – (White) – Service of Remembrance
November 17th – Dedication of Basketball Court and Farewell for Todd Parish
November 24th – Thanksgiving Potluck Lunch after Church (RSVP)
November 24th – Bonhoeffer Movie at 2:55 at Regal Royal Palm Beach Theater
December 22nd – Church Christmas Program at 10:00 a.m.
December 24th – Christmas Eve Celebration Worship at 7:00 p.m.
