All Saints’ Day

In the early church it became customary to remember the martyrs of the church in worship. When the list of martyrs became too great, a special day was set aside to remember their commitment to Christ, a commitment that led to their suffering and death for the sake of the gospel. Although different areas of the church celebrated the memory of these saints on different days at first, by a. d. 835 it became the custom to celebrate these martyrs on November 1. Today, All Saints' day is celebrated on November 1 or the Sunday closest to November 1. Scriptural Words of Greeting for All Saints' Day Grace be to you and peace from God, who is and who was and who is to come, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. Amen. (Rev. 1:45) Opening Prayers for All Saints' Day Almighty God, whose people are knit together in one holy church, the body of Christ our Lord: Grant us grace to follow your blessed saints in lives of fait…