Then he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life. Those who conquer will inherit these things, and I will be their God and they will be my children. (Revelations 21:6-7)

Dear brothers & sisters in Christ,
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ the Lord and Savior. Amen.
All Saints’ Sunday is a Baptismal celebration, a celebration of the resurrection, as are funerals. In the midst of grief, we commend the faithful departed to the Lord and trust in His promise of eternal life given to each of us in Baptism. On All Saints’ Sunday, we celebrate the communion of saints. Christ has made this promise to each of us and we trust He is faithful.
All Saints’ Sunday is a merger of two Church Feasts: All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day. Traditionally, All Saints’ Day is November 1st while All Souls’ Day is November 2nd. The first celebrates and remembers the saints, that is all believers in Christ. The latter commemorates the faithful departed, those who have left this earth in the arms of Jesus. These two are combined into one Sunday festival, celebrating the faithful, living and dead, and their eternal bond in Christ – the communion of saints as confessed in the Apostles’ Creed.
Luther further explains the ‘communion of saints’ and his (or our) own place within that communion.
“…the Holy Spirit has called me through the gospel, enlightened me with his gifts, made me holy and kept me in the true faith, just as he calls, gathers, enlightens, and makes holy the whole Christian church on earth and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one common, true faith. Daily in this Christian church the Holy Spirit abundantly forgives all sins—mine and those of all believers. On the last day the Holy Spirit will raise me and all the dead and will give to me and all believers in Christ eternal life. (The Small Catechism, The Creed, Article 3: Being Made Holy)”
This year, due to the size of last year’s and this year’s 5th grade classes, we ‘split the difference’ of the calendar (between Maundy Thursday 2018 & 2019) and both classes will celebrate their 1st Holy Communion in their respective congregations on All Saints Sunday. They will experience their first Holy Communion while the church celebrates the communion of saints, emphasizing both the vertical and horizontal ‘communions’ that are experienced within the context of the Lord’s Supper.
The Lord’s Supper is the meal of the faithful – the meal of the saints. Luther describes preparation for Holy Communion as faith.
“…but a person who has faith in these words, “given for you” and “shed for you for the forgiveness of sin,” is really worthy and well prepared… because the words “for you” require truly believing hearts.” (The Small Catechism, The Sacrament of the Altar: Who, then, receives this sacrament worthily?)
This preparation for the sacrament is a work of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit “calls, gathers, enlightens, and makes holy” to empower us to receive the words “for you” with “believing hearts.” The Holy Spirit breaks open our hearts to hear Christ’s promise and trust His promise, making us worthy to participate.
As believers, we each receive the forgiveness of sins thus uniting us to Christ, which in turn unites us to one another. Hence the common title of ‘Holy Communion.’ We experience the sacramental experience of community. In the Lord’s Supper, we are bound to one another in ways that defy our human understanding. We are called into fellowship with the one who saves us.
As we celebrate the saints, we also celebrate our fellowship – our community in Christ. We are connected to one another. We are connected to those who have preceded us in faith. And we are connected to those who have yet come to believe. Christ holds us together and makes us his body in the world. He gave His own body to create this bond. This bond cannot be broken – it is sustained by the power of the Holy Spirit. We gather as His people. We gather as His Body. We gather as His disciples. We gather as brothers and sisters and come to the feast.
The grace and peace of God which surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

In Christ,
Pastor Carla

God is faithful; by him you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. (1 Corinthians 1:9)