Saints

When Jesus* saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying: ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. ‘Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. ‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. ‘Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. ‘Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. ‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. ‘Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ‘Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely* on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Matthew 5:1-12

Today we celebrated All Saints' Sunday in the parish. It is our feast day along with being an important time of remembrance and tradition. Our children helped with the service and we had a wonderful lively jazz rendition of "When the Saints go marching in" on piano and saxophone. I talked about us all being saints already even though we might be flawed and have bad days that God has made us saints - the children of God who act in God's love, compassion and kindness. We gave everybody a small crown to remember that they are all saints. It was a sight to behold - a whole congregation wearing small crowns on their heads, celebrating God's love in their lives.

On this feast day, I want to remember to celebrate the sainthood of the community and all the people within it. Despite our differences and challenges, God has made us all a people together to live out the love we have been given. May we all remember we are saints, serving the love of God and honor today the love and forgiveness we have been given.