“My heart exults in the LORD; my strength is exalted in my God.” 1 Samuel 2:1
Dear Redeemer Family:
It is hard to believe that we are in November already. And with November, we have the end of the Church Year. It has been a quick year in many ways. And it has been definitely a better year than 2020. The pandemic has waned a bit. The Delta surge is subsiding. Let us hope that this is the ending of that chapter of history. And, hopefully, we will be able to celebrate.
In the Church, November is a month of celebrations really. We begin on the first day of November celebrating All Saints’ Day, and the following day is All Souls’ Day. We celebrate the whole Church; living, dead, and yet to come. That makes for a good-sized party. While the world celebrates the end of October with Halloween (All Hallows’ Evening), the true holiday is Nov. 1st. We commemorate all of the saints throughout history. All who have come to have faith in Our Lord Jesus Christ and whose lives have bore witness to Him.
Later in the month, we will celebrate Thanksgiving Day. Strangely, Thanksgiving is a National holiday. But, the Church has “adopted” it. The belief is simple: everyday should be a day of thanksgiving to God. On this day, in particular, we set aside and emphasize our thanks. Originally, it was a day of repentance, but it seems to have grown into literally a “Feast Day.” Among other things, it also commemorates the harvest to get us through the winter. True, many of us overeat on Thanksgiving, and possibly overindulge on football. But, the emphasis is upon giving thanks to God for mercies received. And, we all have things to be thankful for. That is reason to celebrate as we go into the “holiday season.”
And finally, we end the month with Christ the King Sunday, the last Sunday of the Church Year. It is the day which celebrates Our Lord’s enthronement at the end of time. It is thus a “looking forward” holiday, looking forward to the end of the age. It is then that all things are to be but right with Christ’s final, eschatological (if you want the theological term), victory over sin, death and evil. It looks forward to the culmination of the age and Christ’s kingship over us. It is well something worth looking forward to in anticipation.
November is a time for celebration. As days turn darker and colder. We need to remember that this month, we really have a lot to celebrate and be glad in. So, I wish all of you a very happy November, with all that it brings. Our hearts exult in the LORD!
In Christ,
Pastor Rose