The Rev’d Lucy Nguyen
All Saints Sunday – 2 November 2025
Readings: Daniel 7:1-3,15-18; Ephesians 1:11-23; Luke 6:20-31
Have you ever missed an appointment perhaps you had your dates mixed up, double booked or simply forgot about it? I had not marked Friday as a day of trick or treating as it’s not something I do any more.
As a child in America, it was game on every year sorting costumes, arranging with parents to take us out and sorting the goodies once we were home. From church we were given cardboard boxes to collect coins for UNICEF along with our sweet treats. It was only a handful of “naughty” ones who did a bit nonsense and at the time it was all pretty mild.
As a young mum here in Aotearoa I organised costume parties and invited a few of the children’s friends over. We didn’t go trick or treating because I did know that was NOT the custom. It took the greedy marketing powers of supermarkets and department stores to get that event to happen, sadly fuelled by the drive for increased profit margins and the seemingly mindless consumption by consumers, no folklore or grounding of “the why” needed – sugar was included and the people were hooked.
This year I made several plans for the afternoon of Friday the 31st of October, completely forgetting about trick or treating – and on Friday there was a bit of scramble as plans were made for the possible arrival of grandsons in costume and a rearrange for another who also realised they would be caught up in the “fun” of Halloween, the eve of All Hallows –
While we might want to dismiss Halloween, there is a tradition within the church calendar, to hold vigils in the evening as a time to prepare for the holy day of remembrance for saints.
As you may know, All Saints’ Day, follows on November 1st and is celebrated on the nearest Sunday. So today is our patronal Sunday – as an All Saints Church we are named in dedication to “all saints,” not a specific one. I understand that the practice of naming churches “All Saints” is a tradition rooted in the commemoration of both canonized saints and all other faithful departed individuals.
The decision of name was likely made by Bishop George Augustus Selwyn, who personally selected the church’s site and commissioned its design. The choice of “All Saints” likely served as a broad dedication for the new parish, honouring the collective Christian tradition as the community was being formed.
We can take that understanding as encouragement to be broad in our welcome to all God’s people. And we remember to be inspired by the lives of holy people, to recognize the “communion of saints” and to give thanks to God for them. Next Sunday will be All Souls’ Day a day dedicated to remembering and praying for all the faithful departed. We will have lighting of candles and the blessing of the cemetery next week.
Today on All Saints’ Sunday, we focus on the understanding that one’s relationship with Jesus is a collective relationship, rather than a purely personal one. The community of relations is a central theological concept. We emphasise the “communion of saints,” celebrating the interconnectedness of all believers—past and present—in a single, unified body of Christ.
Our faith is not primarily a private affair it is a shared spiritual living legacy. It is only together that we are the body of Christ. As one writer said, no Christian walks the path of faith alone. We are connected by our faith, a web of connection – across time, across culture. It is vitally important to see ourselves in the corporate not just as individuals. We have choices to make in our communal Christian life and our choices matter.
By remembering lives of saints, by learning from them and imitating them we celebrate what Jesus has done and is doing in and through us. We also can find consolation recognising that we are not alone, we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses who are cheering for us, encouraging us.
It is worth considering your relationship with the saints. Making saints a part of worship is a way to root the reality of the gospel in a world we experience with our senses. Remembering the work that martyrs, early church and faith leaders did putting the gospel into practice in their times and places can help us think of ways to apply their courage, wisdom and virtue in our own time. (2)
In the bible, in our faith, saints are normal people, normal people yet who differ from others in this world, not because of the degree of their moral perfection, but because of the degree of their faith and how, because of their faith and how they lived, they drew others to give praise to God and inspired them to want to believe in and to also follow Christ.
Our Gospel reading of the beatitudes is a reminder that blessing means “God is with us”. Following the saints, being a saint does not protect one from trials. What keeping the faith does do is give us the endurance we need to see beyond the trials – to recognise something greater than ourselves. Life will still hurt and humble us, but we can choose what defines us – and when we truly grasp the wonder of being surrounded by this cloud of witnesses, of being held in the web of being beyond the world wide web of the internet, then we persevere with joy. We are held in a network of unconditional love and the eternal presence of God, and the saints, guide us along the way.
Take a moment now to think of the saints — not just of the famous saints – like Saint John or Saint Theresa, or Saint Catherine or Saint Francis but think of the saints who have touched your lives of those who have inspired in you a deeper faith in God, of those who have made you want to bless the God they believe in… of those whose love and whose testimony have awakened something in your soul.
Who are you thinking of? Take the hands you have been given, close your eyes and think about the saints who have touched your life. By remembering we celebrate what Jesus has done in and though us and others throughout the ages. Blessed are those who live God’s love yesterday and today. We remember them. For they have found grace and forgiveness which knows no boundaries and love which knows no limits. And we too, just as we are, ordinary saints, may also know this mind blowing love and grace, so that our lives may in some small way (or large, let’s not be shy for Jesus) so that we in our time will be part of the great cloud of witnesses.
For all the saints we give thanks and praise and say Amen!
Reading sources include : John Van de Laar; https://anglicanjournal.com/all-these-saints-im-supposed-to-be-communing-with-a-primer-on-the-heroes-of faith/#:~:text=Not%20all%20Anglicans%20agree%20that,Anglican%20Church’s%20Reformation%2Dera%20roots;
Rev. Richard J. Fairchild c-allssesn 449804 http://spirit-net.ca/sermons/c-allssesn.php