I remembered now what I was going to say in our announcements this morning. It was regarding the octave of All Saints.
In the liturgy we chant, “with Angels, Archangels and
all the company of heaven…” That language
has deep theological significance for us as Christians and ties directly into
what we commemorate in the feast and octave of all saints. When we come to worship on Sunday mornings or
on a feast day we are translated in a mystical way out of this world and into
the world of Angels and saints. We come in
a real way before the throne of God. The
altar is a representation of this, and though we can not see them, when we
celebrate the Eucharist or pray the daily office we are surrounded by Angels,
Archangels and all the company of Heaven as we stand, kneel and sit before our divine
Lord and savior seated at the Father’s right hand.
This has always brought me a great deal of comfort
because it means that in a very real way I am still connected with the saints
who have gone on before us as we, together with them, worship our King and
God. When we say our prayers, when we
confess our faith, when we receive the blessed sacrament of bread and wine,
body and blood, we do so with those whom we love, but see no more. In the midst of our worship we are standing,
not only with the great saints of the faith, but with our mother’s, our father,
our grandparents and all of our loved ones who have fallen asleep, to borrow a
phrase from the apostle Paul, in the Lord.
This is not empty symbolism. It
is not bare ritual. It is unseen, but real.
The book of Revelation, is not so much about end
times, as it is about what worship looks like in Heaven. In our epistle lesson for the feast of All
Saints we are given a glimpse into this heavenly worship that takes place simultaneously
with our worship. St. John writes,
“After this I beheld, and lo, a great
multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people,
and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white
robes, and palms in their hands; and cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation
to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. And all the angels
stood round about the throne, and about the elders, and the four beasts, and
fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, saying, Amen; Blessing,
and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be
unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.
That
is actually happening. St. John saw this
and he wrote it down so that we might know.
So that we might be comforted and encouraged.
This
is why our worship is so important. Its
why theology matters. We need to know
that worship in not just a symbolic act, though, there is much symbolism
indeed, but rather that our worship is in fact spiritual. In terms of sacramental theology we Anglicans
call the eucharist and effectual sign.
Effectual means that the sign, the symbol, does something. It has an effect. The effect is that we are truly and really in
the presence of God and if in the presence of God, then we are also in the
presence of those who are with God, both angels and “all the company of heaven
as we partake of that great and sacramental feast.
My
hope is that you will be blessed by these truths. That you will be comforted in whatever grief
you are feeling. Whether it be the loss
of a child, the loss of a parent, or the loss of a spouse, in the midst of
worship we find a deep and abiding connection with them all. They are not far off. They are not lost to us, but they are there
with us, waiting for that great day when we will all behold the Lord in our
flesh (Job 19:26).
In
the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. Amen.
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