Wednesday, November 4, 2026
written by Rev. Leah Quarles
This past Sunday in worship was a special Sunday because we had the less common opportunity to observe All Saints’ Day on a Sunday. All Saints’ Day has been celebrated on November 1st since the year 835. It only falls on a Sunday every 5 or 6 years. The next opportunity we’ll have to do so will not be until 2037 (the same year Halloween will next fall on a Saturday as well). So this past Sunday was indeed special.
Having grown up in a church community that did not observe All Saints Day, it was a new church holiday for me. Something I thought only Catholics or Episcopalians observed, but it turns out–us Presbyterians do too!
According to the Companion to the Book of Common Worship (Geneva Press, 2003, 150-151):
All Saints’ Day is a time to rejoice in all who through the ages have faithfully served the Lord. The day reminds us that we are part of one continuing, living communion of saints. It is a time to claim our kinship with the “glorious company of apostles … the noble fellowship of prophets … the white-robed army of martyrs” (Te Deum). It is a time to express our gratitude for all who in ages of darkness kept the faith, for those who have taken the gospel to the ends of the earth, for prophetic voices who have called the church to be faithful in life and service, for all who have witnessed to God’s justice and peace in every nation.
To rejoice with all the faithful of every generation expands our awareness of a great company of witnesses above and around us like a cloud (Hebrews 12:1). It lifts us out of a preoccupation with our own immediate situation and the discouragements of the present. In the knowledge that others have persevered, we are encouraged to endure against all odds (Hebrews 12:1-2). Reminded that God was with the faithful of the past, we are reassured that God is with us today, moving us and all creation toward God’s end in time. In this context, it is appropriate for a congregation on All Saints’ Day to commemorate the lives of those who died during the previous year.
As we worshiped together this past Sunday, I could not help but reflect on the blessing it is to have a space where we can honor the saints who have gone before us–those who laid foundations for our own faith journey–but also a space to honor grief and loss. This thought lingered with me throughout the day.
Our society has shifted over time to be rather uncomfortable with grief and loss. There are some interesting theories as to why–but that is a post for another day. But in various cultures and traditions, grief is observed as a community. Consider the widows in Greece who wear black or the Jewish sitting shiva for seven days to mourn together. Sometimes I wish our culture had an outlet to “wear” our grief visibly and in community. Rather than ushering it out the door quickly like an unwelcomed guest, it can be a blessing to sit and honor the grief we carry and the loss experienced.
So yes, this past Sunday was special because All Saints fell on a Sunday. It was a reminder to our church family that God’s house makes room to honor those we lost. In God’s family, there is always room to remember, always room to mourn, and always room to be held.
How do you find space for grief in a world that always wants to hurry past it? Let’s continue to make our church a place where we can sit with one another in the quiet spaces of loss, just as we celebrate together in the light and hope of Christ.
*If you are looking for a safe place to grieve and process your grief, consider joining Pastor Mike for Grief Group, which meets on Tuesdays at 4 pm in the Chapel Parlor.