Historically, November 1 is All Saints’ Day. It is the origin of Halloween. Since ancient times, the celebration of major Christian holidays began on the night before the holiday itself (think Christmas Eve or the Easter Vigil). So, the festivities of All Saints’ Day (or All ‘Hallows’ Day in old-timey Scots English) began with All Hallows Eve (or All Hallows’ Even in Scots English). Over time, All Hallows’ Eve was shortened to Halloween.
In many United Methodist Churches, we celebrate All Saints’ Sunday on the Sunday of November 1 or following Sunday. So, what is All Saint’s Day?
The word ‘saint’ means ‘holy person.’ We believe that all Christians are saints in the sense that all Christians have God’s Holy Spirit living in them, and that all Christians are in a process of being made holy by God’s love.
On all Saints Sunday we specifically celebrate all those saints who set a good example for us in their earthly lives, who live now in paradise with Jesus, who worship God together with us as the invisible part of the Church on earth and in heaven, and whom we will one day join in eternity.
This year, First UMC of Blairstown will commemorate All Saints’ Sunday with a special theme: “The Home of God” using materials designed by Discipleship Ministries of the United Methodist Church.
“All Saints is one of those glorious moments of grief and of hope. It is worth a standalone worship event. It is an acknowledgement of the gaps left behind by those we have loved and lost in the past year and longer. But it is also a celebration of the promise of eternity and the sense that even those we no longer see in the flesh are still a part of the foundation of our faith. We give God thanks for their witness of their lives. We ask on this day for a glimpse of the promise. What would it be like to be at home with God? Or to have God move into our neighborhood?” – Dr. Lisa Hancock, Director of Worship Arts Ministries, for Discipleship Ministries of the UMC (https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/worship-planning/the-home-of-god)
Click here to learn more about All Saints Day in United Methodism (https://www.umc.org/en/content/all-saints-day-a-holy-day-john-wesley-loved)