Events
Grace in Light: Candles on All Saint’s Sunday
Posted on November 1, 2016 | Posted by Pastor Daniel
On this All Saint’s Day, I pause to remember the saints in my life who have gone before me. Grandparents, friends, fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.
I think of my grandmother who fed foxes on her back patio. I think of my grandfather who was on a first name basis with the staff at Village Inn. I think of Marilyn in Minnesota who welcomed us to town like we were her own children. I think of Herb Moore, who made me realize talking about weather didn’t have to be small talk.
When remembering those who have died, it’s easy to ignore our grief or to sink into it. To paint over it and create a facade that everything is ok, or to submit to despair that nothing will ever be ok.
But there is light that shines in the darkness. A light that gives us courage to face the dark. A light that gives us faith to hope for a future.
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This Sunday, we light candles for those who have died. It is a somber moment for some. A moment of gratitude for others. For most, it’s probably a bit of both. Light in darkness.
The image of a solitary candle burning will give way to an image of a table of candles. A table of candles, representing the sorrows and gratitudes born by our whole congregation. We’re each to weak to bear these on our own. But together with God, it also becomes a moment of beauty.
