rothers and sisters, greetings in the name of Jesus, Lord of the Church.
As you make plans to attend worship this coming Sunday morning, be sure you “fall back” one hour, adjusting your clocks Saturday night for the seasonal time change.
On Sunday November 1 we will observe All Saints Day, an annual event to recall those Christian friends and family members who have passed into the nearer presence of Jesus during the past year. The day may bring to mind other Christians. The list may include parents who brought you to the waters of baptism, maybe teachers who taught you Jesus’ songs and bible stories, Christian friends who encouraged your faith when you had doubts, spouses who served God by your side. They were personally and closely known to you. The truth is, we may not remember or even have known the names of many Christians who were witnesses of Christ and God’s love and care to us in some way throughout the years. They were anonymous Christians to us. But we thank God for each of them. Their example of Christian faith, confession, and practice reminds us God was providing for them, encouraging them, and defending them. With the guidance and encouragement of the Holy Spirit, they did not quit or fall away. Their example of abiding faith should remind and encourage us that God is still caring for us and our souls too. How might you be an example of Christian living to encourage your friends and family?
On November 1 we will follow the liturgy of Divine Service Setting One beginning on page 151 in the LSB hymnal. Hymns selected for the day are #671 Sing With All the Saints in Glory; #678 We Sing For All the Unsung Saints; #510 A Multitude Comes From the East and the West; and #667 Saints, See the Cloud of Witnesses.
Scripture lessons assigned to the day are Psalm 33:1, 16-22; Revelation 7:9-17; 1 John 3:1-3; and Matthew 5:1-12.
Though the Bible may not give great detail about life in heaven, God has revealed enough to encourage us to look forward in hope. Through the Revelation given to John, we are told the saints in heaven are a “great multitude … from all tribes and peoples and languages” who cry out, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne” (Rev. 7:9–10). Faith-filled saints from every place and time with unified voices eternally celebrate and honor Jesus, the Lamb of God. As His beloved children, we, too, “shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2). Joined with the throng of angels and myriad saints, we shall “serve him day and night in his temple” (Rev. 7:15). In our earthly struggle living as saint and sinner, faith and doubt, sacred and profane, we earnestly seek Jesus to calm our fears, comfort our spirits and forgive our sins. The Holy Spirit works in us producing faith in Christ, guiding and nurturing us with Word and Sacrament. He moves us forward to our eternal home, In the midst of our constant struggle as believers, poor in spirit, we need to be blessed by God. And so, in Jesus we are. The poor in spirit, the meek, the hungry, the thirsty, the merciful, the pure and the persecuted are all blessed by the death and resurrection of our Savior Jesus. Trusting in Jesus you will most certainly inherit the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 5:1–12). That is His promise to you.
COLLECT: Almighty and Everlasting God, You knit together Your faithful people of all times and places into one holy communion—the mystical body of Your Son Jesus Christ. Grant us to follow Your blessed saints in all virtuous and godly living that together with them we may come to those unspeakable joys You have prepared for those who love You; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Please let me know if you have any prayer requests or concerns about heaven. God bless you, Pastor Boster
