Saints alive

"... rejoicing in his whole world and delighting in mankind." Proverbs 8.31

It has been suggested that All Saints Day is the summit of the Christian calendar, for it marks the completion of Jesus' mission. In resurrection Jesus himself was re-invigorated and his ascension confirms his authority as King of Creation, but it is the "harvest of souls" which brings his body - the Church - to maturity. In our experience, this is an anticipatory celebration. The full number has not yet been brought and, for the time being, we content ourselves with looking forward to that time "when the roll is called up yonder".

All Saints is also a distinctly Trinitarian occasion. The presence of Jesus in those who regard themselves as belonging to his body, the Church, reveals our heavenly Father because that is what Jesus does ("whoever has seen me has seen the father" John 14.9). Yet nobody comes to Jesus in their own strength, by their own wisdom, or through the exercising of their own will. Faith is a gift of God enabled by the Holy Spirit. And so it is in the power of the Holy Spirit that the Body of Christ grows.

While they have acquired a more specific meaning in church-speak, the use of the term "saints" in the Bible refers to all believers in Jesus. And so our celebration is of the fulness of Jesus' continuing presence on earth, not only those who enjoy superstar, or super-saint, status. In case you are baulking at the idea that this may include you, we should remember that we are what we are by the grace of God. Accepting that we are "saints" is not to say that we are the finished product but that, like the Church itself, we are works in progress. Praise God for his mercy and patience!