Most people people think of a saint as a person of extraordinary virtue. The Lutheran church takes a broader view. To us, a saint is simply a believer in Jesus Christ. We are sanctified at Baptism by His work on the cross – not by our own, and we are empowered by the Holy Spirit to lead lives that model His. Of course, we fail. That’s why Luther said that all believers are both saints and sinners.

Today we celebrated All Saints’ Sunday in church. On this day we remember all of the saints (believers) who have gone before us and are now receiving their reward. We especially remember those who have died in the last year, but at Bethlehem we have a tradition of reading aloud the name of anyone from any generation who has been submitted as a role model of faith.

My cousin Doris, who died this week, was such a role model. Although her physical health had been precarious for many years, her spiritual health was very strong right up until the end. The day before she passed, she told her family that she had seen God and that she was not afraid to die. Have you had someone like that it your life? Thank God for those people who walk before us. Why not offer a prayer of thanksgiving right now?