Dear COA Family,
This Sunday we celebrate All Saints Day. It is the day in our Christian calendar
where we remember the saints who have gone before us.
Why do we set aside a day to remember them?
This is because the examples of their faith during their lives on earth serve as models
for us to follow. Hebrews 11 details the acts of Old Testament characters who trusted God
despite great obstacles or temptations they faced to turn away from God. They were
recorded for our sake so that we may learn from their examples (1 Corinthians 10:11).
Not only that, we can also look forward to the same hope that they had. They did not
place their hopes on this earth but desired a better country, that is, a heavenly one.
Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared for them
a city (Hebrews 11:16).
Therefore, it is a good practice to recollect their life examples and emulate them. Yet
the greater promise is that we are all saints as well. The apostle Paul, in writing to the
churches, always addresses his readers as saints. This is because every Christian who
has been set apart by God through faith in Christ is a saint — not because of what we
have done, but because of what Christ has done for us. We are saints not by perfection,
but by position in Christ.
The real question is: Are we living like saints?
Are we showing kindness when others are harsh, choosing truth when it’s easier to lie,
and forgiving when it hurts? Shining for Christ is done in the ordinary: how we speak,
how we serve, how we love.
To live as saints today means reflecting the character of Christ wherever we are — at work,
at home or in church. We are meant to be living reminders that God is real, good and
present in our world. Let us all live up to our calling as saints with the help of the Spirit!
God bless,
Revd Ian