The Communion of Saints
- Charlie Smith
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by Charlie Smith
Presbytery Pastor
In the first weekend of October, I gathered with high-school classmates to celebrate 50 years since graduation. Organizers of the weekend asked me if I might lead a memorial service for classmates who have died since 1975. The service, though somber, turned out, in the best Presbyterian tradition, to be a celebration of hope and Witness to the Resurrection.
I’m indebted to Sheldon Sorge, the retired Executive Presbyter of Pittsburgh Presbytery, for offering me a thoughtful and moving Communion of the Saints liturgy. According to the preface of the Order of Worship:
In every time and place, imperfect and broken people who have been made saints through Jesus Christ are called to offer their gifts readily and cheerfully for the service and enrichment of the body of Christ. In this way we all share in the treasures and gifts so lavishly given by Christ to the church (Heidelberg Catechism, Q&A 55).
Christian worship is an occasion for expressing communion of the saints as well as for calling attention to the profound gifts God gives us through others in the body of Christ. Worship on such occasions involves reflection on and thanksgiving for the gifts of all who have given witness to Christ’s love and demonstrated the fruits of the Spirit. It also calls for recognition of Christ’s continued work in the church through imperfect people who are nevertheless “called to be saints” (Romans 1:7).
This service is an opportunity to give thanks for all who have gone before and to
celebrate Christian unity with the “great cloud of witnesses” that precedes us (Heb. 12:1). We focus not on extraordinary achievements, but on the grace and work of God through ordinary people. It Is also Important to remember that all who are united In Christ, whether dead or alive, are saints ("sanctified," made holy, to serve God) because of the unmerited work of Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit.
As we have just marked both Reformation and All Saints Days, I am thinking about saints. For this issue of the Indian Nations Presbytery newsletter, I asked some colleagues for their thoughts about God’s promise of the Communion of Saints.
https://www.okinp.org/post/a-story-about-a-saint - A Story About a Saint by Craig Mead
https://www.okinp.org/post/seeing-the-saints-anew-reflections-from-a-reformed-pilgrim - Seeing the Saints Anew