All Saints’ Day - November 2, 2025

Grace to you and peace from God our Father, from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

On this All Saints Day, we remember family and friends who have gone on ahead of us.

They have died with faith in Christ, and they are now with our Lord in heaven.

Perhaps a grandparent, a parent, a son, a daughter,

a sibling comes to mind Perhaps you

remember a dear friend or neighbor I remember my mother who died in February

of this year And I also remember my father-in-law who just died this past July As a congregation,

we remember our sister in Christ,

Laureen McAtee, and also our brother in Christ, Dean Day.

He was a kind and lovable man.

For all of our family and friends who have gone on to heaven, we miss them dearly.

Our memories of them will last a lifetime. They have been a blessing to us in so many ways.

We don't pray to them. We don't glorify them.

But we thank God that he has covered them with a robe of Christ's righteousness

in the waters of holy baptism. We thank God that he has given to them saving faith in Christ.

We thank God that he gave them strength and perseverance in the midst of life and death.

We pray that we may imitate their faith and their holy living according to our calling in life.

We also pray that God will keep us faithful unto death.

Our first reading for today is from Revelation chapter 7, and it gives us a

Revelation 7 · chapter mention

glimpse of heaven, what we also call the church triumphant,

where there is peace and joy.

St. John the Apostle wrote the book of Revelation, and what did he see?

He saw a very large number of people.

There were so many that no one could number them. There were as many as the

sand on the seashore or the stars in the sky.

They were not from one ethnic group, but they were from every nation,

tribe, and people and language.

They were from Asia and Africa, from Europe and America and beyond.

Even today, the gospel goes out to all nations and to all people.

The gospel goes out to the poor and the rich, the young and the old,

the student in elementary school or the college students, to the sick and the healthy.

The gospel goes out to you and to your friends and family.

God shows no partiality.

He desires that all be saved and come to the knowledge that Christ is our one and only Savior.

So we pray for our unbelieving family members and friends, that they someday

may believe in Christ, and that they also may someday join us in heaven above.

What are the saints in heaven doing? They are standing before the throne and

before the Lamb, serving him day and night in this temple.

They are standing before Jesus. He is the Lamb of God. He died for their sins and he rose again.

He ascended to heaven and he now sits at the right hand of the Father, reigning the world.

The saints in heaven serve him day and night in his temple. He deserves all

praise and glory for what he has done.

But today, God serves us.

He serves us with his precious gospel, and we receive these gifts,

and then we give him all thanksgiving and praise.

What are the saints in heaven wearing? They are wearing a white robe.

Their robes are white because of the blood of the Lamb.

The color white symbolizes holiness, as is the color today.

Their white robes affirm that they are saints in heaven.

In baptism, their sins were washed away. They were cleansed by the washing of

water and word in holy baptism.

And though their robes were once stained with sin, they are made pure and holy

because of the blood of Christ.

We who remain here on this earth are both sinner and saint.

We are sinful by nature, but we are also a saint through faith in Christ,

redeemed with the blood of Christ.

We have the old Adam in us, which doesn't like to do what God,

doesn't like to follow God's command.

But rather, and what we do when we confess our sins this morning,

it is as if we drown that old Adam.

And here in the forgiveness of sins, it is as if we arose, having the new Adam,

the Christ in us, receiving the forgiveness of sins.

Out of our hearts, Jesus says, come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, fornication.

And yet when our sins are forgiven, God creates in us a clean heart.

Out of our mouths come cursing and swearing, gossip and lies.

And yet when we receive the Lord's Supper, into our mouth goes the body and

blood of Christ for the forgiveness of all our sins.

As long as we live here on this earth, we struggle against the sinful nature.

It is very important for us that to always confess our sins and receive the

forgiveness of sins on account of Christ.

What are the saints in heaven holding? They are holding palm branches in their hands.

Palm branches symbolize victory. And so the saints rejoice that Christ won the

victory over sin, death, and the devil.

We may not be holding a palm branch today, but Christ won the victory for us.

Just as the children and others held palm branches of their hand on Palm Sunday

as Jesus rode into Jerusalem,

so also we glorify Jesus for the salvation that he has provided us by means

of the cross and the resurrection.

What are the saints in heaven singing? They are singing a beautiful hymn.

It goes like this. Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne and to the Lamb.

Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne and to the Lamb.

Their hymn attributes salvation to God the Father and to Jesus who is the Lamb

of God. This hymn is centered on what God has done in Christ Jesus for the salvation of the whole world.

It points out that the redemption of God's people in Christ Jesus is the most

important thing that God has done for us.

Then the angels affirm all of this. They also sing. They sing, Amen.

Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power might be

to our God forever and ever.

Amen. In other words, even the angels are rejoicing that God has rescued fallen

mankind through his Son.

So also, our hymns today are not centered on ourselves, or our emotions,

or our works, but they are centered on Christ.

Our hymns give thanks for what God has done for us and for our salvation.

They are Christ-centered, giving him all thanks and glory and blessing and honor

for his death upon the cross and for his rising again.

Where did the saints in heaven come from?

They came out of the great tribulation. In other words, they suffered here on

earth, but they have come out of this life of suffering and have entered heaven.

While on earth, they suffered from their own sin. They were not perfect.

They were sinful by nature, but they confessed their sins and they received

the forgiveness of sins on account of Christ.

They also suffered from the hostility of an unbelieving world, which made fun of them.

And they also suffered even from the temptations of the devil.

In the midst of their suffering and tribulation, God was a source of their strength.

Our sermon hymn kind of put it this way. The Lord was their rock,

their fortress and their might.

He was their captain in the well-fought fight.

In the midst of darkness, he was their one true light.

When they walked through the valley of the shadow of death, they came out of

a world of trial and tribulation, and they are now with our Lord in heaven.

They now enjoy a life free from sin and suffering. They now enjoy the glory of heaven.

But for us who remain here on this earth, we suffer from the consequences of a fallen world.

We suffer from trial and tribulation. We suffer from family conflicts and disagreements between others.

We suffer from sickness and disease, aging, cancer, and the list goes on and on.

We also suffer from our own sin. We commit sins of idolatry and disrespect for

authority, anger, sexual immorality, gossip, and the list goes on and on.

We confess our sins, and God is most gracious and merciful to forgive us on account of his Son.

We also suffer from the hostility of the world, which makes fun of us.

The enemies of the gospel speak all kinds of evil against us falsely,

as Jesus said in our gospel for today.

We also wrestle against the devil and his spiritual hosts of wickedness.

We look forward to the day when we will leave this world of suffering forever,

And enter in the joy of having heaven until that day. And while we remain here,

help one another. Love your neighbor.

Be faithful in the vocation that God has given to you as spouse or son,

daughter, student or worker. Be faithful.

Are the saints in heaven cared for?

Yes, they are. They are being taken care of by Jesus. Our text says that Jesus

is leading them to living fountains of waters.

Jesus was their good shepherd here on earth, and he is still their good shepherd today in heaven.

Does God care for us here on earth? Yes, he does.

He gives us food and drink, clothing and shoes, house and home,

and all that we need. He feeds us with the gospel.

He forgives our sins in Christ Jesus. And Jesus then is our good shepherd today.

He restored our soul. He anointed our head in the waters of holy baptism.

And he leads us on his path of righteousness all the way to heaven.

And someday we will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Do the saints in heaven suffer? No.

They hunger no more, nor thirst anymore.

The sun does not strike them, nor any scorching heat.

For God has wiped away every tear from their eyes.

They now enjoy eternal peace and joy.

Revelation chapter 21 says that in heaven, And quote, there will be no more

Revelation 21 · chapter mention

death, nor sorrow, nor crying.

There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.

The saints in heaven then wrest from their labors.

They have fought a good fight. They finished the race. They have kept the faith.

Again, we miss them, but we know that they are in a better place.

Today we are gathered together in the divine service.

And Hebrews chapter 12 tells us that we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses.

Hebrews 12 · chapter mention

Though we cannot see them, they are present with us.

The angels and archangels and all the company of heaven join us here at this altar.

And the closest place that we come to a loved one who has gone on ahead of us

is not at the cemetery, but it's at the communion rail.

It is here at the altar. We are united with them in Christ.

One mystical communion with them in heaven and us here on this earth.

Again, the angels and archangels and all the company of heaven are present with

us as we partake holy communion.

We just can't see them.

Dearly beloved, the Lord, as you journey to heaven, do not give up.

Do not drop out of the race.

Do not let anything hinder you from Christ.

Hear preaching of God's word and receive the sacrament on a regular basis.

Make worship your highest priority in life. For Sunday morning is a foretaste

of heaven above. By God's grace, look forward to what lies ahead.

Fix your eyes on Jesus.

Set your mind on things above and not on earthly things.

Persevere in the one true faith. Run with endurance the race that is set before

you and press on to the goal of heaven.

This world is temporary heaven is our real home amen please stand.