I've been thinking about...

...Saints.

I’ve always been partial to the definition in the Harper Collins Bible Dictionary. It reads:

Saints, persons distinct because of their relationship to God. In the Old Testament, two different Hebrew terms are commonly rendered by this English expression. One, derived from the word meaning “covenant faithfulness,” suggests that those who are so designated are bound closely to their God in love (eg Psalms 31:23, 148:14). The other, derived from the word for “holy,” identifies those so described as set apart and dedicated to the service of God (eg., Daniel 7:27). In both cases, the faithful of Israel are in view, and their “sainthood” consists in the relationship they bear to the God who has destined them for righteousness and salvation (Psalms 16:3, 132:9, 16).
The same associations are present in the New Testament, where “saints” always translates the Greek term for “the holy ones”...Thus, in Romans 1:6-7, the phrases “called to belong to Jesus Christ,” “God’s beloved,” and “called to be saints” are virtually synonymous.

On All Saints Sunday we celebrate those “holy ones.” The people of faith that we have known and looked up to. The ones that have helped us to understand the love of God and passed on their faith to us. Today let us remember the saints that we have known, and celebrate the blessings they have shown us.

Yours in the journey, Rev. Brian