November is always a bit of a weird time for me. We have just finished all the festive fun of Halloween, but even though I’m deep into planning Advent and Christmas, some aren’t quite ready to dive in yet. Add in Thanksgiving, which is both a lovely time of year and right on the edge of Advent.
This year, however, I want to focus us a little bit on both the beginning of November and the end at the same time. On November 1 every year, we celebrate All Saints’ Day. At Bridgeport, we set aside the Sunday closest to November 1 to remember the saints who have transitioned to life eternal.
A lot of very interesting history surrounds the church deciding this is an important celebration (and I encourage you to do some research on this), but I want to talk about what it has become, especially for Protestants. All Saints’ Day is a time when we remember, allow ourselves to grieve again, or continue in our grief for those who have impacted our lives in some way. We take this time to say “thank you” for all the gifts that they have given us. We remember not only those saints in our families, but also the saints who taught us about faith, love, hope, truth, and justice both inside and outside the church.
So, this year, I want us to lean into both All Saints’ Day and the season of thankfulness. I have included a calendar that we can each use as a tool to help us as we pray every day. Created by Laura Stephens-Reed, this calendar will help each of us as we remember saints in our lives who have been with us in different times and spaces. And this will help us to give thanks for them and the blessings that they gave to us.
So, pray with me through the month of November. Pray with me prayers of thankfulness and remembrance. And remember to “sing a song of the saints of God, patient, brave, and true, who toiled and fought and lived and died for the Lord they loved and knew.”
Blessings during this season of remembrance and thanksgiving.
Ann
(Photo by Becklynn Bleu Photography)
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