Honoring all who came before

When we gather for our midweek service on Thursday, we are often given to honoring the life of someone the church lifts up as part of “the Great Cloud of Witnesses”. Which is another way to refer to those people we frequently call saints.

Our collection of saints includes all sorts of people. People we have deep respect for, people we believe exemplify the deepest faith, and some who were far more problematic. Each week, we participate in remembering people of all stripes. Which means some feel less “holy” than others.

I love celebrating All Souls (November 2) because it reminds me that the project isn’t just about honoring the brightest and best; the star pupils earlier Christians told us are awesome. It is all of us. Including that annoying neighbor. That kid down the street. And yes, even me.