A short, and hopefully thought provoking post about All Saints Day which we observed on November 4 at St. Andrew's. I've posted previously (click here or here) about some of the things I found as I was going through the music filing cabinets last winter. Well, there was another bulletin tucked away in one of those drawers dated October 30, 1977 and I've been waiting to write about it until now.
The congregation was actually observing Reformation Sunday (hymn 86 - A mighty fortress is our God) and celebrating the baptism of 4 children (hymn 338 - A little child the Saviour came). The service ended with hymn 307 - The church's one foundation, a fitting close to a service with a reformation emphasis. They were using The Book of Praise, 1972 edition.
The reason I've been saving this post is that the bulletin also announced to the congregation the deaths of 2 parishioners. Their names and addresses were given followed by this sentence: "They now strengthen our ties with the Community of Saints."
That one little sentence has been echoing in my mind ever since. What a wonderful way to remember those believers who have gone on before us into eternity.
One of my favourite hymns is "For all the saints" - sung to SINE NOMINE. Here is a video link to a performance of Canadian Denis Bedard's variations on that tune.
