The Saints Await

All Saints’ Day 2023

Scripture: Revelation 7:9-17 (NRSVue)

Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is going on now and is celebrated throughout Mexico, but also in Tucson and other places. It’s similar to Halloween, but different. The purpose isn’t so much to eat treats as it is to celebrate and remember friends and family who have died. This celebration isn’t limited to just one day, but stretches out to two, three, or more days. All Saint’s Day is this Sunday, and it’s often incorporated within Dia de los Muertos. There’s reverence for loved ones gone and those still living, but also a good dose of humor. Families celebrate by eating favorite foods and beverages of the deceased. Funny stories and anecdotes are remembered and recounted, graves are visited and gifts left. Candy sugar skulls are given to friends. Light-hearted epitaphs are playfully written and read to loved ones. I believe there are important lessons to be gleaned from this unique celebration. Because of Christ’s death and resurrection, death has been defeated. We are a people of life, and so we have no fear of death or evil. Yes, it is real, but in Christ Jesus we know that we have the victory in life and in death. We grieve and miss the loss of loved ones, but we have the hope and joy of heaven for them and for us. There is most definitely a time for reverence, but poking fun at death is a way to prepare us for our eventual last day. We’re reminded of our mortality, that nothing is forever on earth. Yet in Christ, we can take it all in stride. Now I am very, very patient for when my final day comes, but it sure helps knowing that Christ has taken the sting out of death. In living and in dying, I can enjoy the ride and be ready for when it’s over. Then a whole new adventure awaits us all.

November 5, 2023

 8:30 am – Alternative Worship Service Bulletin (click) 
11:00 am – Traditional Worship Service Bulletin (click)

Sermon Art: Kelly Latimore Icons, “All Saints’ Day 2022” https://kellylatimoreicons.com
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Bible Study Questions – Revelation 7:9-17

 Thoughts or questions about the passage?

1. What are some important spiritual truths we can glean from such events as The Day of the Dead, Halloween, and All Saint’s Day?
2. What are your impressions of the book of Revelation? What do you think of the symbolism in this passage? What is the significance of the blood of the lamb?
3. Do you think about heaven much? What do you think it will be like?
4. How does the hope of heaven help us? How might the hope of heaven change how we live on earth?
5. Psychiatrist and author Irvin Yalom describes aging as, “giving up one damn thing after another.” How would you describe it? How might you describe it in the context of being a Christian?
6. The passage talks about those who have come out of “the great ordeal.” What do you think the great ordeal is?
7. How do you see Psalm 23 reflected in this passage?

Other Sermons In This Series

God of the Living

November 06, 2016

The Lord’s Prayer: Our Daily Bread

November 03, 2019

An Enchanted Faith

November 06, 2022