All Saints Day Connects Saints Across Time & Place

All Saints Day is one of my favorite days of the church year, and this year was no exception. Bethlehem All Ages Orchestra played at 9:00, and the Choir sang Brahm’s How Lovely Is Thy Dwelling Place from the “Requiem.” At 11:00 the Ensemble and Band had me so caught up in praise that I lost where we were at the end of worship! At all of the worship services on this weekend, we celebrate the baptized people of God, past and present, who make up the body of Christ. On the bulletin cover, in the shape of a cross, are listed the names of all who have been welcomed into the body of Christ in the Sacrament of Holy Baptism this year. And surrounding them are printed the names of all who have joined what we call “the Church Triumphant” this past year. How moving and emotional it is to name each of these dear brothers and sisters in the Prayer of the Church as we all, with their families, give thanks for their lives! It is a powerful reminder of how we are connected to the saints of all times!
At the same time, this is a day to remember that we are connected to the saints of all places. Saturday night brought home that experience as 40 people gathered with our friends from Bethlehem in the Holy Land, who had prepared a fabulous Middle East dinner. Following the meal, they told about the hardships they endure as Palestinian Christians, how because of where they were born, their family now has to live separately (in Jerusalem and in Bethlehem). They told about how the economy of Bethlehem is being devastated by the wall, and they expressed their concerns for the way that this impossible living situation is driving so many Palestinian Christians to leave the city of Bethlehem, the place of Christ’s birth. But above all, what we heard from these courageous Christians was their hope in Jesus Christ and their determination to work for the good of the people and the city that is central to the faith of Christians around the world. They said that it’s not the stones of the city that are important – the place of Christ’s birth will not change; but it is the “living stones,” the people there, about whom they are concerned.
I am proud of the work that the ELCA is doing in partnership with Christians in the Holy Land; there is a wealth of information on the ELCA web site - ELCA.org

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside very weight and sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfector of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his sear at the right hand of the throne of God..” Hebrews 12:1-2a