When the saints come marching in

Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” Revelation 7:13-14

In 1517, Martin Luther posted 95 theses on the door of All Saints Church on the eve of All Saints Day. He did this, in part, because the original significance of the Festival of All Saints had been all but forgotten. The castle church of Wittenberg, which also served as the univerity’s chapel, was the largest repository of relics of the saints outside of Rome. Many of those relics would be put on display on All Saints’ Day. Indulgences would be granted to those who came to the church to view the relics of the saints on that day. The 95 Theses, of course, were a series of talking points that questioned false teaching about penance, purgatory, indulgences, the definition of “the saints”, and, ultimately, the authority of the papacy.

In the early church , certain days soon were dedicated to the memory of each of the apostles and evangelists. A festival day to remember all martyrs, that is, those who had died for the faith, was kept on May 13 in the eastern church according to Ephraem Syrus (died c. 373). In the Eastern Orthodox churches of today, All Saints Day is observed the Saturday before Pentecost. All Saints Day was celebrated on May 13 in the western church as well, until Pope Gregory III (731–741) changed the date to November 1. Later on, November 2 was designated “All Souls Day” to honor the faithful departed who had died in the faith, but not for the faith.

Over time, a complex body of errors obscured the proper observance of these festival days on the church calendar. First, that Christians must not only repent and confess their sins, but also do acts of penance to receive absolution. Second, those who are unwilling or unable to perform the required penance in this life will have to do so after physical death in an intermediate state between heaven and hell called purgatory. Third, the Office of the Keys (Matthew 18:18; John 20:22-29) gives the Pope authority over human souls after death, so that he may shorten the time spent in purgatory (which is not eternal condemnation). Fourth, he may do this by drawing on “the treasury of merits” accumulated by persons who have done sufficient good works to avoid purgatory. These are “the saints”, defined in this fifth error, as those who are known to be in God’s presence because prayers for their intercession before God were answered by miraculous intervention verified by the church.

So now we celebrate October 31 or the preceding Sunday as the beginning of the movement which freed the church from this soul-strangling tangle of errors. Luther took up “the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God” (Ephesians 6:17) to affirm the truths of Scriptures such our epistle for Reformation Day, Romans 3:19-26.

“But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by His blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in His divine forbearance He had passed over former sins. It was to show His righteousness at the present time, so that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.”

Furthermore, we may celebrate All Saints Day with the understanding that “all saints” means all of us who have been baptized in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and sanctified (made holy ones or saints) through the work of the Holy Spirit. But especially we honor the saints who have passed from this vale of tears to glory, for in them the work of sanctification is complete. We praise God for the mercy shown them and us, and for the examples they provide for us in our continuing struggle here on earth (says Article XXI of the Apology of the Augsburg Confession says).

Therefore, it is the custom in many Lutheran churches to read the list of all members who have returned to the Lord in the preceding year, although some do so on the last Sunday of the church year (just before the beginning of the Advent season). On Reformation Sunday, October 30, 2022, we in particular remembered Marisol Torrealba who died on October 29, 2022. Luz Maria and I had regularly prayed with her during her long struggle with cancer and taught her the Catechism. Although she completed the Catechism, confessed her belief and her sins, she passed before being publicly received into our congregation. However, her sister and niece remain communicant members and we prayed for the whole family as well. We also gave thanks for the 21 people who received their first communion at our mission on Reformation Sunday since 2008, the last being Diana Torres in 2021, and Rita Maria Zapata who was received by reaffirmation of faith on Reformation Sunday 2020.

Reading, writing and Reformation

In the week before Reformation Sunday we had our first general meeting with the families of our preschool students. Among other things, I talked about how the Lutheran Reformation gave new impetus to Christian education. The movement was successful, in part, because Gutenberg’s invention of the moveable-type printing press in 1450 made translations of the Bible available to common people at a reasonable cost. But to take advantage of the new opportunity for Bible study, more people had to learn to read. So the Reformers promoted schools for everyone. The objectives of Christian education include not only learning skills necessary for everyday living, but also that which is needed to understand God’s Word and apply for the benefit of our neighbors. Our preschool enrollment stands at 20 children with a waiting list, because we need to find another teacher to care for more young ones.

Tropical wind and rain strike Venezuela

National authorities indicated that at least 17 states with a total of 120 municipalities in Venezuela have been affected by heavy rains causing floods, flashfloods, and landslides since October 8, 2022. The states that have been affected include Anzoátegui, Aragua, Barinas, Bolívar, Carabobo, Distrito Capital, Falcón, Guárico, Mérida, Miranda, Lara, La Guaira, Portuguesa, Táchira, Trujillo, Sucre, and Zulia. Flooding, river overflow, and landslides were reported on October 17 in Aragua state (central coast of Venezuela), resulting in casualties. According to the government of Aragua, three people died and 50 households have been affected due to river overflow in Girardot Municipality. A downpour caused a dam to overflow, causing a flood that carried rocks, trees and mud down a main road in El Castano, a suburb of the city of Maracay about 119 kilometers (74 miles) southwest of the capital Caracas. Severe flooding caused by torrential rains hit a mountainous coastal region of Venezuela's La Guaira state on October 28, 2022, leaving a town's streets drowned in mud. The El Cojo river burst its banks in the town of Macuto causing devastating damage and leaving a huge clean-up operation.

Almighty and merciful God, who through your blessed Son Jesus Christ appeased the fury of the wind and calmed the waves of the Sea of Galilee: We beg you to have mercy on us, your defenseless people, and deliver us from all evil that may befall us because of storms, floods and other manifestations of your power. Through Jesus Christ, your only Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, always one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Be still, my soul, the waves and wind still know, the voice of Him who ruled them when He dwelt below.