Saints,
Perhaps you’ve heard the exclamation “Saints Alive!” As an everyday idiom, “Saints Alive!” is an old-fashioned American and English exclamation used to express surprise, shock, or wonder. It is similar to saying “My goodness!”, “Good heavens!”, or “Oh my word!”.
In Christian theology – particularly within Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and some Anglican traditions –the statement “The saints are alive” represents the belief that those who have died in a state of grace are not truly dead but are fully alive in heaven with Christ. Yet again, in many Protestant and evangelical settings, the phrase is used to describe living Christians on Earth. Because the New Testament often refers to ordinary believers as “saints,” a “Saints Alive” sermon or program focuses on how everyday people can live out their faith under the guidance of the Holy Spirit right now.
All Saints Day 2026 is upon us. I will be sharing a reflection that speaks to Revelation 7:9-17 and Matthew 5:1-12 (the Beatitudes). Whatever your understanding of a saint may be, I invite you to bring that and a memento of a saint currently in your life or one that has moved over to the other plane to place on the altar this Sunday.
I look forward to seeing you at 10 am on 1130 Balclutha, Zoom, or Livestream as we celebrate the great cloud of witnesses. Be a saint and bring a saint.
Love,
Rev. Michael
P.S. Send in those hymn/song requests for Congregational Hymn Sing Sunday by Nov 1!