One of my favorite holidays
(you've probably never heard of it)
Do you have a song that triggers tears?
I have a few songs like that, but this time of year there is one in particular. Most people have never heard of it, but for me, I can’t get through it without my eyes welling up. Singing it? Forget it.
I will share it with you in a moment, but first can I talk about All Saints Day? It’s the coolest, most neglected holiday nobody knows about. Let me back up.
The Coolest Holiday Nobody Knows About
In the early years of the Roman Empire when Christians were under severe persecution, many believers in Jesus lost their lives. Years later the Church set aside some days to honor these martyrs. By the 7th century the Roman Pantheon temple had its statues of Jupiter and pagan gods removed and instead was consecrated to “all the saints” who had died from Roman persecution in previous years.
There were too many martyrs for each to be given their own day, so they were lumped together in one day of remembrance. Eventually All Saints Day was moved to November 1. People prepared for their celebration with a night of vigil on Hallow’s Eve – or Halloween. “Hallow” in old English means “holy” or “sacred.” So “Hallow’s Eve” or Halloween means “the evening of holy persons” and refers to the evening before All Saints Day. There was also a strong holdover influence of pagan Celtic festivals, which many Christians in Ireland, Britain, Scotland, and Wales had continued to observe. So Halloween is a mixture of Celtic religious ideas and Christian remembrance of their martyrs.
All that’s free.
Halloween?
Some Believers are very concerned about Halloween which has so many elements of dark and ghoulish things. I agree that we don’t need any more celebration of death and evil in our world. There are very real forces of darkness, and inviting them, pretending to look like them, flirting with them, or celebrating that which is opposed to God’s kingdom of love, life and goodness is something I don’t see as fitting with someone Jesus has rescued from darkness and brought into his marvelous light.
At the same time, I think Christians can adapt cultural moments and utilize them for God-honoring purposes. Look what we’ve done with Christmas and Easter for crying out loud! Dressing up like a Spiderman or a starfish or Super Mario is fun for kids – and adults, too. We don’t have to replicate zombies or demons or dress up as ghosts or naughty nurses to have a good time. If we keep it clean and uplifting, I think we can have fun and even hold Fall events without dipping into darkness. But some Christians say we should keep a million miles away from Halloween, and I’m not going to argue with anybody about it.
As a kid I remember slipping on my Halloween costume over a snow suit (it’s early winter in Minnesota). For some reason I always wanted to be a bum. That meant dumpy clothes, fake beard, and a cigar made of brown paper sack material. I’m sure my mother was thrilled. But nowadays the thing that excites me most about this time of year isn’t Halloween (although I have a weakness for those mini Snickers). It’s the day after. All Saints Day.
So Who’s a Saint?
First let’s remember who a “saint” is. Some folk seem to reserve that word only for special folk whose displayed unusually good works and who performed miracles vetted by the Pope. But that is not at all how the Bible uses the word saint.
Saint simply means “holy one” and that is a status granted by God himself to any ordinary person who simply trusts Jesus Christ. All through the New Testament every Christian is identified as a saint:
“To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours.” -- 1 Corinthians 1:2
The Bible says nothing about praying to the saints (Matthew 6:6) or through the saints (1 Timothy 2:5) or even for the saints who have passed on before us. But we should be encouraged by thinking of faithful servants of God and find inspiration in God’s faithfulness to them. Read through Hebrews 11 and you find a roll call of faithful friends who are part of a great crowd of witnesses whose lives tell of God’s unfailing love and grace.
Some of these saints are biblical heroes with household names. Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Gideon, David, Samuel, the martyrs – folk commended for their faith. But the crowd of witnesses also includes little known, seemingly ordinary folk, who lived lives of faith in God that made a mark on us.
Why All Saints Day Can Be a Huge Encouragement to You
This is why All Saints Day is my favorite holiday nobody knows about. It is a day to remember the people who have been important to your faith development through the years.
There are so many luminaries who have paved the way for us! There are famous saints who might have a bust or statue somewhere in their likeness. I’m so grateful for the impact of people like Martin Luther and Martin Luther King, Jr. For the incredible life of the Apostle Paul, Augustine, Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and many more.
But most of the saints I thank God for are seemingly ordinary folk who have made a mark on my life and faith in some important way – not by a miracle approved by the Pope, but usually by their plodding, predictable lives of faithfulness over the years. There are no statues in their image; their likeness in some way lives on in me.
My grandma and grandpa Cachiaras. Ron Wernimont, the preacher at my home church in Minnesota. Craig Haglund who taught me the books of the Bible. Doug Isbell who opened his life to me as a high school kid in our Sunday School classroom. Jim and Peggy Conner who took me under their wing in my first ministry in 1986. Bob Hull, a mentor, friend, professor, and hero to me. My sister Cathy, whose remarkable life of devotion always inspires me.
Some saints we celebrate are still living on earth. Some have passed beyond the veil. All are alive in Christ, and deposited something in me.
All Saints Day is a beautiful invitation to remember them, celebrating that we are not left on this dark planet alone. We’re in this together, with millions of faithful followers of Jesus, spread across the globe, and throughout history, from every country and race. Together we join together with saints already in glory, and those still in the race, all of us aching for and anticipating the day when we will be together with Jesus in the new heaven and new earth.
Take a moment to call to your mind the name of someone who has been an important encouragement to you in your faith journey. Was it a parent or grandparent? Someone who prayed for you? Someone who took you to church or shared Jesus with you? A teacher or coach? Someone with a knack for encouraging you in the Lord when you needed it most? Someone, without whom you would not be a believer today?
I highly recommend you take advantage of this opportunity! Stop and appreciate that you are standing on the shoulders of those who have gone before. Humbly thank God for the believers who still surround you, a holy huddle of friends in the faith without whom we would be lost. Do you realize without one another we are like an astronaut lost in space, orbiting forever in darkness? The Communion of Saints are those whose love and lives help us keep our faith in Jesus strong and alive. Thank God!
Which leads me to the song that triggers tears.
It’s an old hymn that is traditionally sung this time of year. Written by an Anglican Bishop who gave his life to serving the poor, and penned in 1864, it helps us look back through the years of Christian history to remember the millions of faithful followers of Jesus whose battles are now done, but whose examples continue to speak.
It’s about the martyrs who would not deny Christ, even though it meant being fed to lions or burned alive. It’s about Sunday School teachers and family friends who planted spiritual seeds in our hearts. It’s about my Dad, who quietly lived for Jesus all his 93 years, and months ago passed into the crowd of witnesses above. It’s about Doris Cunningham, one of Mountain’s oldest members, who continues to serve and love Jesus, and has made a life of lifting spirits of so many.
The song is about the people who mean so much to you that words are inadequate to express your gratitude. They have so shaped your faith, without them you would be lost. That’s why the song triggers tears.
So here’s the song. There are 11 verses! I will share a few of my favorites. It builds to a great crescendo picturing the saints past and present all joined together in a glorious time of celebration in heaven one day.
Let it bring to mind the names of the faithful who’ve gone before and those who surround you still. And if it triggers tears, let them flow in a worshipful river of gratitude.
For all the saints who from their labors rest,
Who Thee by faith before the world confessed
Thy name, O Jesus, be forever blest.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Thou wast their Rock, their Fortress and their Might;
Thou, Lord, their Captain in the well-fought fight;
Thou, in the darkness drear, their one true Light.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
O blest communion, fellowship divine!
We feebly struggle, they in glory shine;
Yet all are one in Thee, for all are Thine.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
And when the strife is fierce, the warfare long,
Steals on the ear the distant triumph song,
And hearts are brave again, and arms are strong.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
But then there beaks a still more glorious day:
The saints triumphant rise in bright array;
The King of glory passes on His way.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
From earth’s wide bounds, from ocean’s farthest coast,
Through gates of pearl streams in the countless host,
In praise of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
Alleluia, Alleluia!