Preparing for Worship - November 2, 2025

All Saints’ Day is technically observed on November 1st, but it can also be celebrated on the Sunday following the 1st, which this year falls on November 2nd. In our Lutheran understanding, it is a day to remember all believers in the Triune God who have lived and died in faith in Jesus as their Savior and the blessings of heaven they enjoy with the Lord by His love and mercy. In contrast, for example, the Roman Catholic Church says that only those who are canonized, declared to be saints by a vigorous process developed by the church and are completely holy and sinless by their merits, only those saints and maybe some others who have been fully purified by their time in purgatory will be in heaven. In the 1300s, the Roman Catholic church declared that November 2 is “All Souls Day,” a day for remembering those who were believers but had not yet merited eternal life and were in purgatory in order to be fully cleansed of sin and all its consequences.

To see why this Roman Catholic view is wrong, listen to the Scriptures themselves for knowing who a saint is and for hearing the promises of eternal life in heaven for all believers when they die. The Psalm is Psalm 149. Those in “the assembly of the godly” are called to sing praises to the Lord, their Maker and King, for He saves. “He adorns the humble with salvation.” They are to sing high praise to Him, with “two-edged swords in their hands.” Other Scriptures tell us that their “sword” is the Word of God, which they believe in and use. See Hebrews 4:12: “For the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword…” Jesus has that sword of the Word in His own mouth (Revelation 1:16-18). And we are called to use that Word as “the weapon of our warfare,” for our own encouragement, and for calling people to follow Christ and His Word (2 Corinthians 10:3-5). God’s Word is “honor for His godly ones” and “judgment” for His enemies. (See Revelation 18:10,20, even against mighty Babylon.)

The Gospel lesson is Matthew 5:1-12. Notice those who are “blessed.” They are those who know that they are “spiritually poor” and “mourn” about their sins and are “meek” before God and “hunger and thirst for His righteousness” and try to be “merciful” because they have received “mercy” from Him, (especially in the sacrificial love and forgiveness Jesus would eventually give them, through His death for them on the cross). Only through Christ Jesus could they be forgiven, be counted “pure in heart,” and be “peacemakers,” sharing the peace of God through the Good News of Christ as Savior (Philippians 4:7). In this life, believers in Christ will face “persecution” and “evil” for seeking to be Christians, but the blessings will come in the Kingdom of heaven.

And how wonderful eternal life in heaven will be! We get a glimpse of that in the vision that God gives John in Revelation 7:9-17. Note that those in heaven will not be just certain special “canonized saints” or just people who have finally been released from purgatory. In fact, the word “purgatory” is never used in Scripture. Instead, John sees in heaven an innumerable multitude of people from all over the world praising God. They know that they did not merit being in heaven, but say, “Salvation belongs to our God… and to the Lamb,” the Lord Jesus Christ (John 1:29). They are pure and holy because they have been “washed and cleansed by the blood of Christ, that Lamb,” shed for them on the cross. They give no glory to themselves, but give all glory and honor and thanksgiving to God, forever. They serve the Lord day and night, with all they need provided by God. They have no more tears, but Jesus, the Lamb, will be their Guide and Shepherd forever.

John marvels in the Epistle lesson, 1 John 3:1-3, at the great love of God has given us, so that we can be called children of God; and he says, that is exactly what we are. The sinful world does not know who we are, he says, because it does not know the one true Triune God and His saving work for us in Christ. We are already counted as God’s children now, even with all our struggles and imperfections. And we can’t even imagine what the perfection of heaven will be like, when we will never sin again and see our Lord as He is. We know that time is coming to live in a perfect way, though, by God’s grace, in heaven, and we try, even now, to live more purely according to His Word and to confess our sins and receive His forgiveness when we fail.

Finally, it is beneficial to examine scriptures that already refer to us as saints, counted righteous in God’s eyes by the gift of faith, as believers in Christ. See Romans 1:6-7; 1 Corinthians 1:2, 26-31; Colossians 1:2, 12-14, and 3:12; John 15:3-5, 15-16; and 1 John 5:11-13, as examples. Seek to rejoice in the Lord always, as you await that perfect eternal life to come in heaven, along with all believers in the Lord, through Christ and His Holy Spirit.