Legacy of Love

Family of Faith,

This coming Sunday is All Saints Sunday. I hope you can join us, for this meaningful service, as we both remember and give thanks for those dear saints that have gone before us. One of the things I cherish dearly about this time in our liturgical calendar, is the opportunity to give thanks for the legacy, love, and examples that friends, family, and loved ones have given to us over the years. You, like me, will be remembering those you continue to love and cherish, whether they have recently passed, or some time ago. On this day, I often remember my grandfather. He was an incredible man, although my memories of him were mainly of his time with Alzhimers disease. Even as his disease progressed, I could still see/experience his love and light. Indeed, I can remember seeing his face, when a family member would play a familiar hymn. For the memories I still hold, before his disease onset, I can remember a faithful man, a family man, and a man who used to swim in the sea, no matter the weather in England 🙂
We hold dear the memories of those we continue to cherish and love, because we hold them dearly in our hearts, lives, and love. Their legacy and love still impact us today. Their examples still echo in our minds, and in the depths of our hearts.
As we gather this week to remember the saints, to remember those we still cherish and love, let us take comfort in our beloved community. A beloved community that holds us in our grief, a beloved community that laughs with us in our memories of joy, and a beloved community that will join around the table of communion and grace, to say with all the saints, “Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed are they who come in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.” (Words adapted from our Communion Liturgy)