All Souls
November 1-2, 2008
Matthew 11:25-30
Life comes to an end, but relationships continue. There is no one in this church today who can deny the reality of death. For all of us death has or will touch our lives in a very personal way. Many of us here have lost a parent or a close friend to death. Some have lost a brother or a sister. There are even some here who have had to face the tragedy of losing a son or daughter. Every time death touches our life, we are shocked. We are not prepared to recognize how much we will miss the person who has been taken from us.
Life comes to an end, but relationships continue. Those who have died continue to have an influence on our lives, on the way that we live. Even after someone has been dead for ten or twenty years, we still catch ourselves saying, “Mom would love to have been here” or “There’s something about this room that reminds me of Peter.” When it comes time to make important decisions, we find ourselves drawing upon the values that others have instilled in us, the values of family, work, or faith. We believe that certain things are important because grandma believed they were important. We believe that we should treat people in certain ways because our sister was such a good example of service. People who have died continue to shape our lives. Their values live on in the values that we carry.
Life comes to an end, but relationships continue. That human truth is raised to a new level when we look upon it with the eyes of faith. In faith we believe that we still have a relationship with those who have died, not simply because of the residue that they have left in our lives, but because we believe that those who have died live now with God. God has called those who have died into union with God’s self, and they reign now with Christ in glory. We believe that our relationship with those who have died continues because they continue. They do not cease to exist, but live in a new and deeper way. They live in God’s love and so do we. God’s love is the connection between us, the bridge which unites us together. The love of God assures us that there is life after death and that there will come a time when we will see those who have died again.
On this feast of All Souls, then, we remember those who have died. We give thanks for the continuing influence they have in our lives. And we hold fast to the faith that we are still joined with them in God’s love. That is why our presence here is so important, because we gather together in this place as people of faith. We hear the words of scripture, the words of Paul, who assures us that death is swallowed up in victory, the words of Jesus who tells us that he will give us rest for our souls. We come together as believers to support one another in our grief and in our faith, believing that as we gather around this altar, we will be fed with the bread of life and the cup of salvation. As we share in this meal, the very life and love of God will grow within us, and that love will bring us from this life to the next where we will see our beloved dead again.
Let us then today, as people of faith, support one another in what we believe and what we hope for. We believe that God will lead us through death to life, and we hope for the day when we will be reunited with all those who have died. Life comes to an end, but relationships continue. They continue in Christ’s love. They continue forever.
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