As We Approach the End…

November is the beginning of the end of the church liturgical year.  November begins with All Saints’ Sunday and the church calendar ends with Christ the King/The Reign of Christ Sunday.  So, as we approach the end of another church calendar year, what is it that we need to know about the winding down of one Christian year as we prepare for the new year and the more expectant and festive seasons of Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany?

All Saints’ Day is part of the season of “All Hallowtide”, which includes three days from October 31st through November 2nd.  In the Church All Saints’ (or All Hallows’) Day is observed on November 1st, which is why October 31st is known as All Hallows’ Eve or Halloween and All Soul’s Day is observed on November 2nd.  The Christian celebration of All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day stems from a belief that there is a powerful spiritual bond and continued communion between those who have passed away and are living in Christ and those living the Christian life here on earth.

In the Catholic and in some Anglican traditions All Souls’ Day is a day to pray for the dead trapped in purgatory, who are believed to be undergoing purification before entering heaven.  In that most Protestant denominations do not embrace the concept of purgatory, we do not observe All Souls’ Day here at the Chapel, however there are some Protestant churches that mark the occasion by visiting and decorating the graves of their loved ones.  

Each of the three days of All Hallowtide have a different emphasis but in the forty-nine year tradition of the Chapel, All Saints’ Sunday is the day that we remember with love all those in our faith community who have died in the past year and honor all the saints of our church…past, present, and future.  To me it seems so appropriate that we end the liturgical year with an acknowledgement of the saints that have made up the church in the past, those that are the church today, and those who will shepherd our Chapel into the future.

But, All Saints’ is only the beginning of the end of the liturgical year.  The Christian year is not complete until Christ the King Sunday which is now most commonly called the Reign of Christ Sunday.

Pope Pius XI established Christ the King Sunday in 1925 to counter what he regarded as the destructive forces of the modern world: nationalism and secularism in the West, the rise of communism in Russia, fascism in Italy and Spain, and the harbingers of Nazism soon to seize Germany.  Christ the King Sunday was to be observed on the last Sunday in October.  The purpose of Christ the King Sunday was to remind Christians that their allegiance was to their spiritual ruler in heaven as opposed to any earthly government or ideology.  The Pope also wanted this new feast to inspire the faithful.  He hoped that in celebrating it, Christian men and women would be reminded that it is to Christ we owe our fealty and that no earthly power can ever surpass that of Jesus' kingship.

Christ the King Day was renamed the "Reign of Christ" Sunday when the feast was moved in 1970 by Pope Paul VI to the last Sunday of Ordinary Time, which is the end of the church year.  This move was to symbolize that Christ’s reign was not limited to a temporal, earthy one, but was expanded to a vision of his reign over all of history and all of creation that would hold throughout eternity.

Here at the Chapel we will celebrate All Saints’ Sunday on November the 2nd as we remember all those in our faith community who have died in the past year.  We will celebrate Christ the King/Reign of Christ Sunday on the last Sunday of the liturgical year, November 23rd. 

But, for our church in particular another date, November 20th, calls for an additional remembrance.  On this Sunday we will celebrate the 49th Anniversary of our Chapel and remember those that founded and sustained it and passed it onto us to guide us into the future.  Next year there will be an even larger celebration for our 50th Anniversary and if you have ideas as to how we might plan for that celebration, please speak to any member of our church board.

Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany are  just on the  horizon, but  in November let us not forget to rejoice as we approach the climax of another church year, as we remember the saints of this Chapel, as we acknowledge that Christ rules over heaven and earth, and as we celebrate the faithful Christians who formed this Chapel just forty-nine years ago. 

Peace,

Pastor Paul