In every time and place, imperfect and broken people who have been made saints through Jesus Christ are called to offer their gifts readily and cheerfully for the service and enrichment of the body of Christ.
All Saints' Day or Reformation Day
Many churches have focused on this theme on All Saints' Day (November 1) in order to give thanks for all who have gone before and to celebrate Christian unity with the "great cloud of witnesses" that precedes us (Heb. 12:1). All Saints Day can helpfully focus God’s grace in the lives of both well-known and ordinary, not-well-known saints. Whenever the theme of the communion of the saints is celebrated, it is important to remember that all who are united in Christ, whether dead or alive, are saints ("sanctified," made holy, to serve God) because-and only because-of the unmerited work of Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit.
In light of this, a service for All Saints’ Day could use the four marks of the church as a framework. The Nicene Creed says that, “I believe in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church.” John D. Witvliet suggests that pairing each of these marks of the church with a psalm would serve as a good outline for an All Saint’s Day or Reformation Service. There are many musical settings of each psalm available. Consider:
- One: Psalm 133
- Holy: Psalm 24
- Catholic: Psalm 87
- Apostolic: Psalm 67
Congregational songs to consider:
- “Out of the Depths I Cry to You” (Psalm 130), Martin Luther
- “God Is Our Refuge and Strength” (Psalm 46), Martin Luther
- “As a Deer in Want of Water” (Psalm 42), Louis Bourgeois
- “I Love Your Church, O Lord,” Timothy Dwight
- “Christ Is Made the Sure Foundation,” Latin, 8th c.; tr. John Mason Neale
- “The Church’s One Foundation,” Samuel J. Stone
- “Church of God, Elect and Glorious,” based in 1 Peter 2:9-10, James E. Seddon
- “Somos uno en Cristo/We Are One in Christ Jesus,” anonymous
- “They’ll Know We Are Christians,” Peter Scholtes
- “Blest Be the Tie That Binds,” John Fawcett
- “Koinonia,” V. Michael McKay
- “Holy God, We Praise Your Name,” Te Deum¸ 4th c.
- "All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name"
- "Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise"
- "The Blood Will Never Lose Its Power/The Blood That Jesus Shed for Me"
- "Father, Long Before Creation"
- "What God Ordains Is Always Right"
- "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God"
- "How Vast the Benefits Divine"
- "How Firm a Foundation"
- "God, the Father of Your People"
- "Speak, O Lord"
- "God Is Our Refuge and Our Strength"
- "God Is My Rock"
- "O Christ, the Great Foundation"
- "My Faith Looks Up to Thee"
- "Amazing Grace"
- "Ancient Words"
Scripture and confessional passages to consider:
