All Saints and All Souls

 

We have nothing to give
That didn't first come from Your hands
We have nothing to offer You
Which You did not provide
Every good, perfect gift comes from
Your kind and gracious heart
And all we do is give back to You
What always has been Yours.

 

This week in the calendar of the church we mark All Saints and All Souls. We pause this week to remember all the saints mostly famous ones who are part of the story of how Christianity has spread around the world. We also pause to remember those who are only famous to us, those dear souls who have shown us in our family or our community or our church what a quiet faithful witness to Jesus looks like. Those people know that they are placed on the earth for a while to be faithful. They don’t make the news headlines but without them we would not be the people we are because we wouldn’t have had the privilege of sharing our life with them. They know the truth of the songwriter Matt Redman’s words:

Every good, perfect gift comes from your kind and gracious heart and all that we do is give back to you what always has been yours. They know that they are here for a while to hold in trust what is God’s and that one day they will return to him from whom they came, life’s work well done. They yearn to hear God say to them in heaven “well done good and faithful servant, enter now into my rest. Thank you for showing others my love through being the person that you were.

 

A sick man turned to his doctor and said, “Doctor, I am afraid to die. Tell me what lies on the other side."Very quietly the doctor said, “I don’t know.” At that moment a dog sprang into the room and leaped on him with an eager show of gladness. Turning to the patient, the doctor said, “Did you notice my dog? He’s never been in this room before. He didn’t know what was inside. He knew nothing except that his master was here, and when the door opened, he sprang in without fear.” “I know little of what is on the other side of death, but I do know one thing: I know my Master is there, and that is enough. And when the door opens, I will pass through it with gladness, but with no fear.” 

 

For all saints and souls after a life of faithful service heaven’s door has opened. And for us the message is this – we carry on their work. They cannot be forgotten. 

 

We seem to give them back to you, dear God,
who gave them to us.
Yet as you did not lose them in giving, so we have not lost them by their returning.
Not as the world gives, do you give, O Lover of Souls!
What you give, you do not take away.
For what is yours is ours always, if we are yours.
Life is eternal; and love is immortal;
and death is only a horizon; and a horizon is nothing but the limit of our sight.

Lift us up, strong Son of God,
that we may see further;
cleanse our eyes that we may see more clearly;
draw us closer to yourself that we may know ourselves nearer to our beloved who is with you.
And while you prepare a place for us,
prepare us for that happy place, that where they are, and you are,
we too may be; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

A prayer from the Liturgy website in New Zealand.

We have nothing to give
That didn't first come from Your hands
We have nothing to offer You
Which You did not provide
Every good, perfect gift comes from
Your kind and gracious heart
And all we do is give back to You
What always has been Yours.