Tucked in November is the observance called All Saints’ Day. This is the church occasion when we acknowledge those who have passed on from this life to the church triumphant, particularly those who have died in the past year. Our recognition will be on Sunday, November 1, when we pause to give thanks for the lives of the saints from our congregation. We also give glory to God for the ordinary, holy lives of believers in this and every age as we pray that we may be counted among the company of the faithful too.

At Westminster Church we have a peaceful place for reflection and remembrance in the south courtyard where the columbarium and the labyrinth are located. Here is the final resting place for many loved ones. The courtyard is a beautiful place to sit, meditate, and pray for others. Day and night, people stop by the church to descend the steps for quiet time to pay respects. The names of the saints of our congregation are found in the private niches in the courtyard. Each of these individuals carried a unique story as to how he/she contributed to living out his/her faith as part of the church.

One item that each niche has in common is a small dash between the birth and death year. Everything that happens to us happens in that dash. None of us knows how many years our dash will represent until it is over. We might have a shorter number of days or a hundred years to live. What do you want that dash to mean when your life is over and both dates have been set?

Paul writes in Colossians 2:6-7, "As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught abounding in thanksgiving."

This is a good thought to chew on no matter what each day brings!

So much is out of our control in life, but what is in our control is how we choose to live as a person of faith, nourishing our souls so that we can grow into people of thanks. We can begin by each day reflecting on the abundant gifts God has given to us, including thanking God for the saints we have known in our lives. What counts is not so much the number of years we live, but how we live in the number of years we are given. It’s how we fill in the dash.

Together on the journey,
Louise