The following piece was first written for the November 1, 2026 pew sheet at St Augustine’s Anglican Church. I share it here again in the hope that it may continue to encourage and bless.
Today, 1 November, is All Saints’ Day. At St Augustine’s Unley we observe this day as an opportunity to give thanks to God for all who have been redeemed through Jesus Christ. This is not a celebration of an elite class of miracle-working saints. In the New Testament, “saints” refers to all who belong to Christ and have been set apart for God. Paul, for example, addresses ordinary Christians in Corinth as “those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be his holy people” (1 Corinthians 1:2). Hebrews 12:1 speaks of a “great cloud of witnesses” who have gone before us in faith. Their lives encourage us to persevere in our own Christian journey. Yet our eyes must remain fixed on Jesus, “the pioneer and perfecter of faith” (Hebrews 12:2).
We give thanks for the faithfulness of God displayed in the lives of his people, but our worship and prayers belong to God alone. Tomorrow, 2 November, some churches will observe All Souls’ Day. Traditionally, this observance has been associated with prayers for the departed and, in Roman Catholic teaching, with the belief in purgatory – a state of purification before entering heaven. I do not observe All Souls’ Day because I do not believe that these practices are supported by Scripture. I believe that those who die in Christ enter his presence, resting in the sufficiency of his saving work. Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross is fully sufficient to deal with our sins; we do not need to complete or supplement his work through further purification after death. I also believe that our eternal destiny is determined by our response to God’s grace in this life, not through prayers offered on our behalf after death.
Scripture therefore calls us to trust in Christ and to share the good news with others while we have the opportunity. As we celebrate All Saints’ Day, let us thank God for those whose faith and witness have encouraged us. Let us remember that our salvation rests entirely on God’s grace through Jesus Christ, and let us follow Christ faithfully in our own generation. May the example of those who have gone before us spur us on to share the gospel with our loved ones and neighbours.
Let us pray:
Almighty God, you have knit together your people in one communion and fellowship in the mystical body of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Grant us grace to follow your blessed saints in all virtuous and godly living, that we may run with perseverance the race set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, and share with them in the fullness of your eternal kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Photo: Aldinga Beach – photograph by Deo Vistar, Aldinga Beach, South Australia.
