Remembering Our Saints

“For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” - Romans 8:38-39

​Dear siblings in Christ,
               I don’t know about you but the last few months feels as if they have just been racing by, at least for me they do. Here we are at the start of November and once we hit November it always feels as if time really speeds up as we head into the often very busy holiday season. But yet here at the beginning of November, before we get busy celebrating Thanksgiving day as a country, we as a church take time to celebrate and honor all of our loved ones who have died, especially those who have passed over the last year on All Saints Sunday, always the first Sunday of November.
               This year we as a congregation have had a handful of members and loved ones who have died within this past year all whom we will be remembering on All Saints Sunday. I know that I am not the only one who has loved ones who have died this year, and even some from throughout my life who I plan to light a candle in remembrance this All Saints Day. As I’m sure you all know, no matter how many people you have had to say that final earthly good-bye to, it never gets any easier and so each All Saints Sunday, we take intentional time to remember and lift their names, memories, and love up to God, while trusting in God’s promises that we too will one day be reunited with all of our loved ones in the kingdom of heaven when it is our time to enter into eternal life with God, just as all of our loved ones who have gone before us have already done and there is nothing that we or anyone could do to ever be able to separate us from that  promise given to each and every person thru God’s love for all people and all of creation.
               Despite knowing and trusting in this promise of eternal life for all people, we still face the waves and pain of grief, no matter if it is acute grief of a recent passing or that grief that sneaks up on you that can feel like waves crashing over you even years later bringing with it all the memories, good, bad, and all the in-between that can leave you with that melancholy feeling and at times almost feels as if that loss has just recently happened, like how often this time of the year I can’t help but think of my grandfathers who both died in the month of November about a year apart while I was in high school, and now realizing that they have both been gone for more than half of my life, I can’t help but begin to tear up a bit. But in a way, I guess that is part of the beauty of grief, that it is the love we feel and have had the honor to share with all of our loved ones who have gone before us, which makes me think of a quote from the Marvel show, WandaVision where we see a memory of Wanda’s shortly after she lost her brother and Vision, a humanoid android tried to comfort her in her grief by saying “it can’t all be sorrow, can it? I’ve always been alone, so I don’t feel the lack. It’s all I’ve ever known. I’ve never experienced loss because I have never had a loved one to lose. But what is grief, if not love persevering?” Grief is all the love that we still have for those who we miss and have lost within our earthly lives.
               Know that whenever the pangs of grief hit you, that you are not alone, God is there meeting you in your grief, reminding you that you will one day join all your loved ones in eternal life with God. I encourage you to join me in taking some time this month to take some time to light a candle and remember your loved ones who have gone before you.
Peace,
Pastor Tamara Siburg