While a House for All Sinners and Saints was the name of the parish served by Nadia Bolz-Weber (a public pastor and theologian), it could also serve as the name for every Christian congregation. Churches are not composed of only one type of person. Each and everyone of us is a sinner or saint depending on the time of day.
On Sunday we will be marking All Saint’s Sunday. This feast is a time for baptism and for remembering the saints who were also sinners who have gone before us. We will bring tokens or photographs of our beloveds to remember them on our parish ofrenda in Pecore Hall. We will also be invited at the Eucharist at 9:30 (remember one service and day light savings time!) to light a candle in their honor. We recall their light in their day and the continuation of their glory in the communion of saints.
To ‘commemorate’ comes from the Latin for ‘mindful.’ At this season we are mindful of the fullness of time—eternity—and our place in it. We recollect those who have gone before us, those who are with us now, and those who will come after us. We are sinners and saints together. The Church stands as a witness to the glory of God across time and our saints are those who bear the light in every generation.
You are being called to join that number who go marching in and through time. With your foibles and brokenness, God is being borne in you now. You are part of the communion.
-The Reverend Lisa Hunt, Rector