All Saints’ Day has its origins in the 7th century. It is particularly associated with these islands because it was placed on the 1st of November to replace the pagan Celtic feast of Samhain, on which dead ancestors were commemorated - hence the keeping of Halloween (“The Eve of all Hallows”, i.e. saints) on the evening before. We are keeping it this year on the nearest Sunday. This great festival reminds us that we are not alone in our Christian life.
The whole company of heaven prays with and for us - and our worship is a sharing in their own. In our worship we join with all who have gone before us, now gathered around God’s throne: praising and worshiping together as one body in Christ, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Prayer
God of holiness,
your glory is proclaimed in every age:
as we rejoice in the faith of your saints,
inspire us to follow their example
with boldness and joy;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.