Blessed Are You. Worship: November 5, 2023

Candles burn on All Saints' Day at the Central Cemetery in Szczecin, Poland (Marcin Bielecki/EPA-EFE/Rex)

Today is bittersweet. Bitter, because some of us will be remembering someone we love who died recently, and we are still grieving. Yet sweet, because that loved one was also loved by God, redeemed by Jesus, and lives in that place Jesus went ahead to prepare. We grieve, as Paul says, but not “as others do who have no hope” (1 Thessalonians 4:13). We also hear the words of Jesus in the Beatitudes, where Jesus blesses people not usually considered blessed: the poor in spirit, the mourning, the meek, peacemakers, the persecuted. The broken circumstances of your life do not define you entirely; Jesus defines you as blessed because He has taken hold of you in love and mercy and will never let you go. Blessed are you.

This week’s Audio Service is a rebroadcast from October 31, 2021. Please enjoy.

The word “Saint” is a pretty big word. We use it to talk about disciples, martyrs, and leaders of the Church throughout history. We use the word next to names from the pages of Scripture such as Peter, John, and Paul—the type of people we name churches after. On All Saints’ Day we use the word “Saint” as we remember those departed from us who are now with God in heaven. But most amazing of all is that God considers our lives holy and set apart because of Jesus’ sacrifice of His holiness for us. By His victory we are Saints by grace.