All Saints Day St Andrew’s Milngavie 2024
Today we celebrated All Saints Day, we were all in full voice as we sang traditional All Saints hymns accompanied by John.
This evening 6pm we are invited to a Choral Evensong at All Saints to celebrate their Patronal Festival.
Yesterday several of us met at Ardmore Point for a walk along the peninsula. We were hoping for spectacular views of the Clyde and beyond but sadly the cloud was down and the drizzle was on. However, we all enjoyed the stroll and finished up at the local farm shop for lunch. Thank you, Tim and Jane, for organising this.
Looking ahead to Advent – There will once again be a chance to take part in the online Ignatius Spirituality Centre Advent Course which runs throughout the season. We are also invited to join All Saints for their Advent course which will take place on Thursday afternoons 2pm in their hall. The book we are studying is “Do not be afraid” The joy of waiting in a time of fear by Rachel Mann.
Thia Week
Tuesday 10am – Prayer Group in the Garden Room.
Wednesday 3pm – Vestry in Garden Room
Thursday 10am – Said Holy Communion followed by coffee in Friendship House
Readings for next Sunday – Remembrance Sunday – Psalm 46 Micah 4:1-4 John 15:12-17
Today’s Readings – Isaiah 25:6-9, Revelation 21:1-6, John 11:32-44
Today is All Saints Day, the day we remember those who in their earthly ministries were particularly shining examples of Christ and had the courage to proclaim the gospel, no matter the cost.
Apostles like Simon Peter, Andrew, and Thomas.
Martyrs like Stephen, James , Barnabus.
Evangelists like Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
More recent Christians like Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Edith Cavell.
But we do not look back only to recount the lives the Saints lived on earth, but also to be reminded of the lives they live now in the kingdom of heaven, resting in the light of our Lord who we still strive to serve. And so, we are reminded of the hope that encourages us, God’s promise of eternal life. And eternal life is the foundation of Christian hope and because of it, we have nothing to fear this side of the resurrection as we also are called to follow the saints’ example of steadfast devotion to Jesus, and when the time comes, to join them in their eternal rest.
Today’s collect puts it well. “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.”
There is a lot of hope and encouragement in those words. But it’s not merely hope for a distant future. It is a hope which is offered with the love God gives us now.
This Sunday also offers us a time to remember all the faithful departed who have preceded us to glory, especially those members of our church and community who have died in the past year. This is likely to be more difficult and poignant than commemorating the saints of old. The absence of those near and dear to us can be painful.
In today’s gospel we read of the distress of Mary as she mourns the death of her brother. Like Mary, in grief and loss, we may struggle with similar questions and emotions as Mary and ask as she did couldn’t God have kept this from happening? “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” John 11:32
In answer to this question, the Feast of All Saints reminds us what Jesus taught Mary on the day he stood with her outside her brother’s tomb. As Jesus stands with Mary and begins to weep, he embodies at once what he will soon embody for all time: his solidarity with our suffering. While this grief alone may not bring our loved ones back, through the power of his death on the cross, he grants all of us life forever.
One of our most well-known All Saints hymns says it this way, “O blest communion, fellowship divine! We feebly struggle, they in glory shine, yet all are one in thee for all are thine.”
It’s a wonderfully poetic depiction. Some above, some below. Some at rest, some at work. Yet all are one in Jesus.
We must remember that through our baptism we become children of God, joint heirs with Christ. We are adopted into the family of God and because we are joint heirs with Christ, we also share in the resurrection. In this way, the family of God extends beyond faithful Christians on earth, but also to the blessed in heaven. This is what makes the communion of the saints truly universal: it spans history, geography, nationality, race, and all other temporal barriers we might erect.
St John The Divine describes this in his vision, “After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” Revelation 7:9-10
In a minute we will celebrate the Eucharist. As we celebrate this holy mystery, we recall the sacrifice of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. And when we do, all the saints and souls in this life and in the next gather with us to give thanks. At that moment, time bends to unite us with the entire company of heaven.
This blessed communion is no less real today than it is any other day, but it is worth looking back to remember, so that we might recall the promise of the joy yet to come, in this life and the next
In the meantime may we live in the light and hope of Christ as the saints we are called to be. Amen.