The Oasis - November 1, 2023
Author: Rev. Eric Dupee
November 01, 2023
Today is All Saints Day. I like to mark All Saints during communion on the first Sunday in November. Communion is a sacrament that links us to Jesus, to all those in the faith who came before us, and to all those who will come after us. Relating to All Saints, I’m often asked how we define a saint. We might think of exemplary people or those canonized by the Catholic Church for sainthood, such as St. Francis or St. Teresa of Calcutta.
Some refer to all Christian people of every time and place as saints. Frederick Buechner famously wrote, “In his holy flirtation with the world, God occasionally drops a handkerchief. These handkerchiefs are called saints.” I like to think of saints as people who may be quite flawed and imperfect, but who resist evil, who refuse to compromise their values, who espouse the way of Christ, both inside and outside the church. Who are the saints you’ve known?
On All Saints, it is traditional to remember those who have died, both of the church universal and of the local church. Following, are the names of those members of First Parish Church, whom we will name on Sunday, that have died since last All Saints Sunday: Elizabeth Vail Carruthers, William G. Dunn, Todd D. Spelman, Joann Ott Bibb, William Givens, Joanne Oakes, Diana Evans, Nelson Giordano, Nancy Junkins, Robert H. Studley, Jr., Margaret McIntosh, Jan M. Hansen, and Nancy Viele.
O blest communion, fellowship divine!
We feebly struggle; they in glory shine.
Yet all are one in thee, for all are thine.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
(For All the Saints, hymn #529)
Blessings,
Eric
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