Thought for the Day - Sunday 1 November

Thought for the Day – Sunday 1st November ‘Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses.’ (Hebrews 12: 1) Rejoice in God’s saints, today and all days! A world without saints forgets how to praise. Their faith in acquiring the habit of prayer, their depth of adoring, Lord, help us to share. Some march with events, to turn them God’s way; some need to withdraw, the better to pray; some carry the gospel through fire and through flood: our world is their parish: their purpose is God. Rejoice in those saints, unpraised and unknown, who bear someone’s cross, or shoulder their own: they share our complaining, our comforts, our cares: what patience in caring, what courage is theirs! Rejoice in God’s saints, today and all days! A world without saints forgets how to praise. in loving, in living, they prove it is true: The way of self-giving, Lord, leads us to you. (Frederick Pratt Green) Being All Saints Day, we were talking in our Zoom worship today about saints and the communion of saints. I think it is good for us to remember that in the New Testament as Paul says to the Romans everyone who is faithful is considered a saint, ‘to all God’s beloved in Rome, who are called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.’(Romans 1:7) So, saints are not just those depicted in the stained glass windows of our churches but rather ordinary people and we have all known real ordinary people who are saints – the people who have led us to faith, the people who have encouraged us on our faith journey, the people who have shown us love and care and protection throughout our lives, the people who have challenged us to rethink our ways and our call from God – ordinary people, unsung people, who have and continue to touch our lives or influence us in different ways. Every one of these saints we think of today on All Saint’s Day; we give thanks for them and are called to follow their example, to try and follow the generations of God’s faithful people down the ages. Prayer Loving God, We are indeed surrounded by a cloud of faithful witnesses who have gone before – those who have loved where we would have hated, those who have healed where we would have hurt; those who have spoken out when we would have remained silent. Gracious Lord, may we learn to walk in their footsteps learning courage from their sacrifice. May we learn to give so that others may receive. May we learn to love so that others may be set free. May we join that cloud of faithful witnesses treading paths of loving obedience, leaving footprints that others desire to walk in footsteps which lead to God and his Kingdom. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.