MINISTER’S NOTE 5 NOVEMBER 2023
Today as we celebrate All Saints Sunday, we give God
gratitude for the lives of faithful people of God who are
no longer with us, especially those who have personally
guided us to faith in Christ. Mother Teresa said to be a
saint means allowing God “to live his life in us”.
Saints are the faithful people whose lives show us the
ways of God’s kingdom. In the stories of their lives, we
hear again and again stories of people who humbled
themselves, when they could have exalted themselves.
They understood the upside-down kingdom of God, a
kingdom that moves against the flow of power and privilege,
a kingdom that values solidarity in community over
hierarchy, and radical, self-giving love over self-interest.
The deeds of the saints matched their words. Glory and
status were never part of their agenda. The sparkle in their
eye when they served someone else taught us that what
we believe about God always has a corresponding action
that starts and ends in a love beyond comprehension.
When power, pride, and prestige tempt, God’s people
choose another way. Humility, integrity, service, and
solidarity announce the ways of the kingdom of God,
then and now.
Blessed are the lives of the saints. Blessed are the stories
we hold dear. Blessed is their witness to us and to the
world. We give thanks to God for their lives and witness.
Blessings,
Vuyelwa.