All Saints’ Day

Hymn of the Day–All Saints’ Sunday

I’ve sung this hymn many times before, but I never really paid attention to the words until today. Like the Te Deum, it lists members of the Church Triumphant, and reminds us that all the saints, past and present, in heaven and on earth, join together in singing praises to God. I think it’s now one of my favorite hymns!

Ye watchers and ye holy ones,
Bright seraphs, cherubim, and thrones,
Raise the glad strain: “Alleluia!”
Cry out, dominions, princedoms, pow’rs,
Virtues, archangels, angels’ choirs:
“Alleluia, alleluia!
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!”

O higher than the cherubim,
More glorious than the seraphim,
Lead their praises: “Alleluia!”
Thou bearer of the eternal Word,
Most gracious, magnify the Lord:
“Alleluia, alleluia!
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!”

Respond, ye souls in endless rest,
Ye patriarchs and prophets blest:
“Alleluia, alleluia!”
Ye holy Twelve, ye martyrs strong,
All saints triumphant, raise the song:
“Alleluia, alleluia!
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!”

O friends, in gladness let us sing,
Supernal anthems echoing:
“Alleluia, alleluia!
To God the Father, God the Son,
And God the Spirit, Three in One:
“Alleluia, alleluia!
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!” Lutheran Service Book #670

November 1–All Saints’ Day

From the Treasury of Daily Prayer:

This feast is the most comprehensive of the days of commemoration, encompassing the entire scope of the great cloud of witnesses with which we are surrounded. It holds before the eyes of faith that great multitude which no man can number: all the saints of God in Christ–from every nation, race, culture, and language–who have come “out of the great tribulation…who have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” As such, it sets before us the full height and depth and breadth and length of our dear Lord’s gracious salvation. It shares with Easter a celebration of the resurrection, since all those who have died with Christ Jesus have also been raised with Him. It shares with Pentecost a celebration of the ingathering of the entire Church catholic–in heaven and on earth, in all times and places–in the one Body of Christ, in the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Just as well have all been called to the one hope that belongs to our call, “one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” And the Feast of All Saints shared with the final Sundays of the Church Year an eschatological focus on the life everlasting and a confession that “the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” In all of these emphases, the purpose of this feast is to fix our eyes upon Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, that we might not grow weary or fainthearted.

Mixed Messages

This is by no means a commentary on my specific church; rather, it’s an observation about the Church at large, from experiences at many different congregations upon the observance of All Saints’ Day.

The Church, (at least the LC-MS), is staunchly pro-life. This is great news! From the pregnancy that is hours old, to the most elderly person, we recognize that only God has the right to decide the length of our days. And so, we realize that it is not our job to act in His stead and force those kinds of decisions, regardless of the circumstances.

The Church also has a history of reassuring parents that have lost children in utero that they can hope to see that child in Heaven someday. Do we know for certain that children, lost before they had the chance to make it to the waters of Holy Baptism, are in Heaven? I suppose not–not any more than we can guarantee that any specific person is in Heaven–only God knows for sure. But we are a people of hope, and that hope is usually shared with parents grieving the loss of a child following a miscarriage or stillbirth.

So then, why the mixed message that is sent on All Saints’ Day? In all of the churches I’ve been to, I’ve never heard mention of children lost before they have drawn their first breath when the year’s faithful departed are named. But if we are to share and believe in that hope of eternal life, even for children miscarried, and if we believe, as we should, that they were people from the moment of their conception, shouldn’t they be numbered with the Saints in Heaven?

I realize that this is a daunting task. Many children lost at such a young gestational age are never given names; many of the losses are never even shared publicly or recognized. And in a large congregation, remembering every such loss, (because according to the statistics, there are a lot of them), could be time-consuming. But even a blanket remembrance of those lost, a mention of those babies miscarried, would be a comfort to grieving parents, a reassurance that they can hope to see their child in Heaven someday, and a way of acknowledging to parents that their children are never forgotten.

November 1–All Saints’ Day

From the Treasury of Daily Prayer:

This feast is the most comprehensive of the days of commemoration, encompassing the entire scope of the great cloud of witnesses with which we are surrounded. It holds before the eyes of faith that great multitude which no man can number: all the saints of God in Christ–from every nation, race, culture, and language–who have come “out of the great tribulation…who have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” As such, it sets before us the full height and depth and breadth and length of our dear Lord’s gracious salvation. It shares with Easter a celebration of the resurrection, since all those who have died with Christ Jesus have also been raised with Him. It shares with Pentecost a celebration of the ingathering of the entire Church catholic–in heaven and on earth, in all times and places–in the one Body of Christ, in the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Just as well have all been called to the one hope that belongs to our call, “one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” And the Feast of All Saints shared with the final Sundays of the Church Year an eschatological focus on the life everlasting and a confession that “the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” In all of these emphases, the purpose of this feast is to fix our eyes upon Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, that we might not grow weary or fainthearted.

Quote of the Day

For all the saints who from their labors rest,
Who Thee by faith before the world confessed,
Thy name, O Jesus, be forever blest.
Alleluia! Alleluia!

Thou wast their rock, their fortress, and their might;
Thou, Lord their captain in the well-fought fight;
Thou, in the darkness drear, their one true light.
Alleluia! Alleluia! Lutheran Service Book #677