October 29th, 2025
by Rev. Dr. Vaughn Stafford
by Rev. Dr. Vaughn Stafford
One of my mentor preacher friends began every Sunday sermon with the greeting, “Good morning, saints. Good morning, sinners.” It was his way of reminding us that all who have professed faith in Jesus as Savior and Lord become a part of the priesthood of all believers. It was also his way of reminding us that we all fall short of the glory of God before and after professing our faith in Him.
A little boy attended church with his grandfather one Sunday, and his grandpa's church had beautiful stained-glass windows. The Grandpa told his grandson that the windows contained pictures of Saint Matthew, Saint Mark, Saint Luke, Saint John, Saint Paul, and a whole lot of other saints.
When he got home, the boy told his mom and dad all about it. Dad, wanting to be funny and curious about what his son had learned, asked his son, "What is a saint?" The boy thought for a minute and then replied, "A saint is somebody the light shines through."
That's a pretty good definition of a saint, and it begs answers to several questions: Who are your saints? Who are the people in your life who let the light of God shine through them for you to see? Who is looking for the light of Christ to shine through your life?
November 2, 2025, is All Saints’ Sunday. It is the day set apart each year to remember the saints who have gone on before us. It is the day when we remember those whose light has illuminated our path, whose love has inspired our steps, and whose guidance has directed us toward living faith-filled and faithful lives.
This Sunday, we will lift the names of our beloved saints who have gone before us in both the 8:45 contemporary and 11 traditional worship services. You will be invited to share the names of your saints, sinners, and loved ones who have passed in the past year. We will celebrate the lives of those who have transitioned from the church militant (those who are imperfect and face earthly struggles) to the church triumphant (those who have been perfected in Christ). We will remind ourselves that we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses.
I will be preaching on three things that the “Great Cloud of Witnesses”, which Revelation 7:9-17 calls the “Great Multitude”, is doing right now and how their current reality inspires our living today. I hope to see you and your loved ones this Sunday as we remember the saints and become Christ’s remembrance for future saints.
A little boy attended church with his grandfather one Sunday, and his grandpa's church had beautiful stained-glass windows. The Grandpa told his grandson that the windows contained pictures of Saint Matthew, Saint Mark, Saint Luke, Saint John, Saint Paul, and a whole lot of other saints.
When he got home, the boy told his mom and dad all about it. Dad, wanting to be funny and curious about what his son had learned, asked his son, "What is a saint?" The boy thought for a minute and then replied, "A saint is somebody the light shines through."
That's a pretty good definition of a saint, and it begs answers to several questions: Who are your saints? Who are the people in your life who let the light of God shine through them for you to see? Who is looking for the light of Christ to shine through your life?
November 2, 2025, is All Saints’ Sunday. It is the day set apart each year to remember the saints who have gone on before us. It is the day when we remember those whose light has illuminated our path, whose love has inspired our steps, and whose guidance has directed us toward living faith-filled and faithful lives.
This Sunday, we will lift the names of our beloved saints who have gone before us in both the 8:45 contemporary and 11 traditional worship services. You will be invited to share the names of your saints, sinners, and loved ones who have passed in the past year. We will celebrate the lives of those who have transitioned from the church militant (those who are imperfect and face earthly struggles) to the church triumphant (those who have been perfected in Christ). We will remind ourselves that we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses.
I will be preaching on three things that the “Great Cloud of Witnesses”, which Revelation 7:9-17 calls the “Great Multitude”, is doing right now and how their current reality inspires our living today. I hope to see you and your loved ones this Sunday as we remember the saints and become Christ’s remembrance for future saints.
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