A Beautiful Cloud of Witnesses

Christmas and Easter are wonderful, but my favorite of all services happens on All Saints Sunday — and for two reasons.

Our son Blaine was born on All Saints Day, November 1 — by itself my most treasured witness to how God moves in God’s “kairos” time.

The other reason is we beautifully remember and celebrate how God has moved through the lives of those who have been part of our church family for decades and who now stand in the presence of God with no more tears and no more suffering.

We name them one at a time.
We toll a bell.
We stand in solidarity of memory.
We light candles.
And perhaps most importantly, we kneel at the rail in communion with this cloud of witnesses, for they are very much alive and very much with us in the breaking of the bread and the sharing of the cup together.

I will feel their presence, as much as I feel my son’s bear hug, when we gather as the one body of Christ this Sunday. It is holy ground for me.

On Easter we proclaim, “He is alive.”

On All Saints Sunday we remember they are alive and with us — a beautiful cloud of witnesses.

Thanks be to God. Amen.

Lead Pastor
FUMC Plano