God is knitting us together
the joy of All Saints Day
Almighty God, you have knit together your elect in one communion and fellowship in the mystical body of your Son Christ our Lord: Give us grace so to follow your blessed saints in all virtuous and godly living, that we may come to those ineffable joys that you have prepared for those who truly love you.
This is the collect - special prayer - for All Saints Day in the Episcopal Church.
I love the image of God knitting - I can just see God with some glasses and a cup of tea and the warmest, softest wool, bringing our hands together, touching our toes.
All Saints Day is one of my favorite church holidays - the day we remember those we love who have gone before us, those who have died in the faith, and those who were extraordinary examples of faith.
Yes, I know, I’m conflating All Saints Day with All Souls Day - there is a difference in the church calendar between those who were truly, card-carrying saints, and all the rest of us, just living the best lives we can.
I absolutely believe we should specially remember the extraordinary saints and what makes them extraordinary. I also believe that what makes the celebration of All Saints so important is the knitting part.
It’s not so uncommon to feel the presence of our loved ones who have died. We know - through a feeling, a word from a stranger, something we see - that they are still with us.
This is the miracle of God’s promise - that nothing separates us from the love of God, not even death.
It’s also true - and a major part of Christian belief - that we are connected to one another in this life. That we are all children of God, all of us neighbors. We depend on one another, need one another, and do our best to love one another, even if it is hard.
Love unites us. The living and the dead, neighbor to neighbor, the whole community of saints.
On this day I pray for all those I love - all my friends, my family, my loved ones who have died, everyone who is connected to me on social media. Everyone whose name I hear today, I pray for them. I’m praying for you.
In recognition - and thanksgiving - for God’s knitting us together.