God of love, hope, grace and peace – Day 1

The first of November is All Saints’ Day in some church traditions. As early as the year 835 AD, 1 November has been remembered by the church as a religious holiday honouring the saints. On this day, women and men from all walks of life are remembered for their outstanding examples of faith. The memory of someone like Mother Teresa and her example of love in the slums of Calcutta, continues to inspire thousands of people.

In the true biblical sense, all believers are actually saints. This does not mean that believers are sinless or better than others. It means that believers are holy, because they are in a relationship with God and, through the indwelling of his Spirit, become more and more like him. In Leviticus 11:44, we read that God gave this command to all his people (not just a particular group among them): “Be holy for I am holy.” To be holy, i.e. to be sanctified, is a command from God to each one of his children. He asks us to be more and more like him; to live so close to him that we are a holy reflection of him in the world – a reflection of his love, hope and peace. To be a saint is to be a channel of the Holy of Holies; to allow him to shine his light on this world through us.

May All Saints Day encourage us to continue on the path of holiness, so that we can sing with the old song:

“We are traveling in the footsteps
Of those who’ve gone before
But we’ll all be reunited
On a new and sunlit shore

Oh when the saints go marching in
When the saints go marching in
Oh lord I want to be in that number
When the saints go marching in!”