Holy Scripture indicates that the Israelites and the early Christians honored the believers who preceded them. For example, Hebrews 11 and 12 refer to great examples of faith and how Jesus Christ fulfilled their hope and trust in God's promises. Since the 300s A.D., Christians have set aside times to honor the saints who have preceded them in faith. And since the 800s, the western church has designated November 1 as the date to commemorate all the saints, great and small, known and unknown.
At the time of the sixteenth-century Reformation, the Reformers rejected medieval excesses and corruptions associated with the saints. Nevertheless, Lutherans still used the day to recall the great cloud of witnesses. For us, this observance can still be a time to remember those believers who have faithfully passed on the Christian message in word and deed. So, let us give thanks for all the saints of God, and let us renew our commitment to follow their faithful witness!
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