What is All Saints Day?
2 To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, together with all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours: 3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
–1 Corinthians 1:2-3 (NRSV)
November 1 is known as All Saints Day. Traditionally, it is day on which Christians around the world remember their ancestors and decorate the graves of family members who have died. Because November 1 often falls on a weekday, our congregation typically marks this holiday on the first Sunday of November. This year All Saints Sunday will be November 5.
When members of the Disciples of Christ tradition say the word “saint” we are not only referring to a special category of particularly holy Christians officially recognized by the pope. Instead, we are talking about anyone who has been given the gift of faith in Jesus Christ. The Greek word, hagio means to set aside or sanctify something. When the apostle Paul wrote to the church in Corinth he was recognizing that the Holy Spirit had set the believers aside. They had been forgiven and offered new lives in relationship with Jesus. As a result, they had become saints, literally, those who had been set aside.
In our world, we set aside things that are especially important to us. Fine china is a good example. These are dishes which are brought out on special occasions. Using the fancy place setting is a sign of the importance we place on certain anniversaries and holidays. In a similar way, being set aside by the Holy Spirit is a sign of the importance that Christ places on our relationship with God. This is why all Christians are called saints.
Of course, no matter how fine the china may be, it still needs washed after the meal. Over time chipped appear. Cracks develop. We drop things. Even the most precious possessions need a good scrub and a bit of superglue. This process of repair and improvement is what Paul means when he says that the saints have been sanctified. Although both books of Corinthians demonstrate they still had a long way to go, the people of the church had become better, stronger, more-Christlike, versions of themselves because of what Jesus had done for them.
On All Saints Sunday the invitation to all of us is to remember those precious, set aside, believers who have shown us what faith can look like. The Bible tells us that we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses to Jesus’ love and forgiveness. Faith is not something we have to make up on our own. The Church is full of people who have lived sanctified lives. These examples are all around us. It might be our Sunday school teachers, elders, deacons, or our own parents.
Saints do not have to be perfect. The Corinthian church certainly was not. They lived real lives full of real challenges. Yet, Paul still saw the Holy Spirit at work in their midst making them better. Sanctification was more real than any chips, cracks, or drops that they experienced along the way. All Saints Sunday is our reminder that was true for them is true for us as well.
