The Communion of Saints and Election Day

November 7, 2022

Grace & peace to you in the name of our Savior Jesus!

Today is a unique day for followers of Jesus. Yesterday in worship, many Protestant congregations, we celebrated All Saint’s Day. November 1 is the actual date for All Saint’s Day. In many Protestant congregations, we acknowledge this holy day on the closest Sunday following Reformation Sunday.

Tomorrow, at least in the United States, we will celebrate Election Day.

On the surface, these two days seem very unrelated.

I invite us to look just a little below the surface and see that these two days share a lot in common.

As we sit in the day in between this year, we have a chance to give God thanks and praise for both –

For the saints in our lives who have died in the faith and join with the eternal cloud of witnesses.

And for the saints who felt called to place their names on a ballot in the hope of being elected to serve citizens in our communities, states, and nation.

I appreciated the overview of All Saint’s Day worship that was offered in one of our church’s worship resources yesterday. “Who are the saints, and what do they have to say to us? Rather than being perfect Christians, the saints are people who have been made whole by the grace of God, through baptism into Christ. The communion of saints is a diverse array of witnesses who remind us of God’s continuing faithfulness, past, present, and future.” [from www.sundaysandseasons.org]

If that is true, which I think it is, there are saints among us who are no longer with us in this world. Yes, even those who drove you crazy…are saints.

There are saints among us, walking with us in this world each day who drive us crazy in more ways than we can count…they are saints too.

And, there are also saints who are seeking public office in a variety of ways during tomorrow’s elections. Yes, even those who you didn’t vote for…are saints.

In the Small Catechism, Luther taught us that “This is most certainly true.”

The saints of our faith journey include God’s children like friends and parents, siblings and grandparents, co-workers and cousins, aunts and neighbors.

The saints of our faith journey also include God’s children like our city and county commissioners, state legislators and district court judges, city mayors, and even those who serve in the United States Congress. And, yes, even those whom we will never choose to vote for in an election, are saints.

On this day in between two days that celebrate the saints God places along our path, maybe we can take a few moments and give God thanks today for all the saints.

Who are some of the saints in your life that you are giving thanks for today???

Until next time, may Christ’s peace be with you always and in all ways…