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All Our Saints

Over the next few days, we will be considering the Saints, with the feasts of All Saints and All Souls. For Christians, this all begins with the celebration of All Hallows Eve. (No, I do not mean Halloween!)

I am sure we can all relate to children throwing stones in the water, and watching the ripples spread out across the pond. Or the game of skipping rocks across the water to see who could get the most skips, followed by the counting of the waves.

At lunch with a group of clergy and laypeople this week, we reminisced the names of some of the people who have influenced our lives personally. People from even before WW1 were named as those who had touched some of our lives personally, such as Archbishop Ted Scott. For myself, my memory in the church goes back to Bishop H.V.R. Short. Prior to that, was Reverend Art Bell, a minister in my adolescent years.

We also reflected on the many “saints” who have influenced the propagation of the Gospel over the generations.  In the New Testament, we hear words of wisdom on a regular basis from the Apostle Paul.

Paul reminds (us) the listener of the many who have witnessed the risen Christ. We begin with the apostles, teachers and then lastly ourselves, who, like Paul, have given witness to the risen Christ.

In giving witness, we have challenged others to share the same witness to the world. In this manner, the Christian message is proclaimed far and wide.

It is like the ripples propelling outward from the point of the stone landing on the water. Our childhood curiosity was always satisfied watching just how far out the ripples travelled. Similar with the rocks skipping across the water.

I like to compare the image of the skipping rocks to that of sharing the word of Christ to others: the more skips your rock makes, the more ripples in the pond. Sharing the gospel with more people extends the good news of Christ, further than can be imagined.

Each year when we celebrate All Saints and All Souls, I am reinvigorated and strengthened in my personal commitment to the good news of Jesus Christ.

On Sunday, the art on the front of our bulletin will illustrate the crowd of saints who have influenced our lives from the past. Now I encourage you: imagine the ripples you will begin today from your sharing of the message of the risen Christ.

We may not all have access to a pond for rock-throwing and ripple-watching, but we all can take time this week to remember who threw (metaphorically) the rock(s) in the pond for us, taking time in prayer to remember the saints in our lives.

Blessings for All Saints/Souls
Archdeacon Brian+