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Author and theologian Anne Lamott once wrote, “The mystery of grace is that it finds you exactly where you are, but never leaves us where it found us.” These words ring true in a number of circumstances, but especially when reflecting on our grief or sadness or fear.
“The mystery of grace is that it finds you exactly where you are, but never leaves us where it found us.” I know that to be true as this past week marked the anniversaries of two deaths of those close to me; the first anniversary of my mother-in-law’s death from cancer and the 20th anniversary of the death of my priest and mentor who died tragically and suddenly when I was in seminary.
The Commemoration of All Faithful Departed or All Souls’ Day. That is what we are doing here tonight. This is a day dedicated to remembering and praying for all the faithful who have died, particularly those who may not be recognized as Saints with a capital “S” by the Church. It is a more personal observance, focusing on the loss of loved ones, such as family members and friends.
If you were here earlier today, you might be wondering what that was all about and how it was different. This morning, we celebrated a principal feast in the Church, an observation that honors all the Saints – capital S – who are heroes of the faith as recognized by the Church throughout history.
But tonight is for you. This is a space that welcomes your grief. This liturgy is intended to do several things. It gives you permission to grieve, to shed tears, and to focus on themes of rest and eternal peace. And perhaps, in the doing of these things in community, you will find healing.
Tonight, we read the parish necrology. That is, a solemn recitation of the names of your beloved who have died in the past year. The reading of the necrology serves as a communal act of remembrance, helping us to acknowledge the lives and contributions of the departed and to offer prayers for their souls.
This tradition underscores the connection between us, the living, and our beloved dead. That is why we have gathered your photos on this special altar in the weeks leading up to tonight.
As I mentioned, one year ago, my mother-in-law, Kathy, died following an 18 month struggle with pancreatic cancer. She lived in Michigan her entire life, but many of you would have met her. As soon as her grandchildren were born here in Seattle, we couldn’t keep her away!
She was here for every birthday, Christmas, and Easter, a constant presence of love in our lives. She loved worshiping at Epiphany and my in-laws made a faithful pilgrimage here every year in Holy Week to soak up the beauty of the liturgy, the incredible music of this choir, and to dye Easter eggs with the kids, making memories to last their lifetimes.
On All Souls’ Day last year, we were reeling from grief, having just returned home from her funeral. This year, while the pain is still there and talking about Kathy brings tears to my eyes, this is what helps us heal.
We’ve been talking a lot about practice around here lately. We talked about practices and habits at RELATA a couple weeks ago. Jamie Balducci preached about practice last Sunday. And I am reminded of its primary importance in our lives as Christians on this day. We practice grief and feeling our feelings on this feast of All Souls’ Day. It is built into the regular rhythm of our lives just like feasts of celebration and joy.
Tonight, the choir is singing the Fauré Requiem, composed by Gabriel Fauré in the late 19th century. If you attended the concert a week ago, you heard two other settings of a requiem. Many requiem compositions emphasize the fear of judgment and the wrath of God. But this one is notably different with a more gentle and comforting view of death, focusing on themes of rest and eternal peace.
The final movement is called In Paradisum, to be sung at the end of the service. The movement is noted for its ethereal and serene quality, providing a comforting and hopeful vision of the afterlife. The text speaks of angels leading the soul into paradise, where it will be welcomed by martyrs and enter the holy city of Jerusalem. This piece is peaceful, floating, and soothing, emphasizing the hope of eternal rest and the joy of being in the presence of God.
We cannot discuss such matters as life and death without taking a moment to place this within the structure of our Christian framework. While scripture is laden with references to and images of “heaven” and “hell,” it is not as prescriptive as our corporate memory would have us think.
Most of our cultural references of the afterlife come from Milton’s Paradise Lost, Dante’s Inferno, medieval and renaissance art, and iconography. They don’t come from the Bible. This has led to a common misunderstanding in which we think the important question is: Where do we go when we die? But the important question is not that. The question we ought to be asking is this: How can we embrace the promise of eternal life right now?
It’s easy to get bogged down in questions about the details of heaven and hell when these things are shrouded in mystery and metaphor. Christians have often fallen into the trap of declaring who is going where when Scripture is quite clear – God is the ruler and judge of all, not you or me. We make eternity about us, when it is clearly and emphatically about God.
Jesus makes is abundantly clear that we are to focus on the Kingdom of Heaven right here, right now, rather than being preoccupied with an unknown future that is to come.
Jesus says, “Very truly, I tell you, anyone who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life, and does not come under judgment, but has passed from death to life.” Jesus is speaking of something that is a current reality, not a future possibility. Eternal life begins in the here and now, as we live in relationship with God. And that is good news!
In Jesus’ words, we hear this message of passing from death to life as one of transformation. It signifies a movement from a state of spiritual death or separation from God to a state of spiritual life and mutual indwelling with God.
As we commemorate all the faithful departed this night, I urge you to take comfort in Jesus’ message of hope and assurance. When we have faith in Jesus and embrace the promise of eternal life that begins now and continues into the future, it has transformative power in our lives. May we simultaneously remember our beloved dead this night and find hope in the eternal life which begins now.
Reference Material
Gunn, Scott & Melody Wilson Shobe. 2015. Transforming Questions: Exploring the Way with Jesus. Forward Movement.