The Communion of Saints

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus… Hebrews 12:1-2a

Dear Friends in Christ,

Do you think much about the Communion of Saints? The first of November is the Feast of All Saints (giving the name to the night before: All Hallows' Eve, the eve of the feast of all who have been hallowed by God—made holy—made the saints). This feast is usually celebrated on the first Sunday in November. We remember our brothers and sisters in Christ who have lived before us and who now rejoice in the presence of God, awaiting the resurrection from the dead.

We say in the Apostle’s Creed that we believe in the Communion of Saints. Because followers of Jesus have new life in him that is stronger than death, they are alive in Christ and have fellowship with him. And because we also are alive in Christ, then through Christ, we have communion with them. We are connected with them in Christ, especially in the sacrament of holy communion.

In the Protestant Reformation, the reformers rightly pressed against abuses of this doctrine. Being in communion with our departed brothers and sisters in Christ is not like a séance or talking with the dead. The dead do not have magical powers to perform miracles for us, so we do not pray to them. There is a thread of reasoning that goes back in the church’s history (and broadly—in East and West) that the dead who are alive in Christ pray for us (see Revelation 5:8, 6:10, and 8:3-4). So some ask for their intercession: asking the saints in heaven to pray for us. I suppose I could go that far. But the reformers were right to be wary of this practice, for we can start to worship the saints in place of worshipping God (just as we might overly idolize our living human friends or family or leaders). Only God is worthy of worship; only God can save us and work miracles in our lives.

Mindful of that, however, we can rightly love our friends and family and leaders, and we can rightly take joy in our spiritual fellowship in Christ with those who have gone before us. This is the blessing of the communion of saints. We celebrate the new and eternal life that Jesus has won for them, and won for us, and we join with them in prayer and praise and worship of God.

Remember that the Communion of Saints also includes those saints who are alive and with us now—not just the unusually holy ones, but all believers, stumbling our way forward in Christ together. We find the Communion of Saints among the living today, in relationship with our brothers and sisters in Christ in the church today. And we count as brothers and sisters in Christ those Christians across the street and down the street and around the world, believers and followers of Jesus who are connected to us in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, and whose grace we share in the sacrament of holy Communion—knitting us together with the worldwide fellowship of Christians, the living and the dead, in one divine fellowship of all the saints in Christ!

God bless you this All Saints and always!

Yours in Christ,

-Tom