A Sermon for The Feast of All Saints (Year A)
The Baptism of Dorothy Weeks Atkinson
November 1, 2026
Text: Revelation 7:9-17
Now, O Lord, take my lips, and speak through them. Take our minds, and think through them. Take our hearts, and set them on fire. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
As many of you know, we have a Wednesday morning Bible study that meets each week in the Library. Back in the spring, as we came to the end of our study of the Book of Romans, we had a conversation about which book of the Bible we wanted to study next, and all of us agreed that in the fall we should tackle the Book of Revelation.
It’s a book that many of us aren’t very familiar with.
It’s filled with mystery and symbolism and imagery that can be difficult to understand and even harder to connect with our lives.
And I think that’s why so many Christians tend to stay away from it—including preachers!
But I saw it as a challenge and a good opportunity for us to address some of the common beliefs and misconceptions people have about Revelation.
So for the past few months, we’ve been digging deep into this mysterious book, one chapter at a time.
One thing that’s really surprised me—and I think others as well—is how often the book returns to these beautiful scenes of heavenly worship.
For a lot of people, they think Revelation is about predicting the future or how to avoid getting “left behind” when everyone else is raptured up into heaven—things they’ve read about in novels or seen in movies.
Or they tend to focus on the really frightening parts—like the four horsemen of the apocalypse or the monstrous creatures that bring chaos and destruction to the earth.
Now, I’m not suggesting we should overlook the difficult parts of the text, but what we’ve discovered in our Bible study group so far is that even with these terrifying and mysterious images, Revelation is a book about hope.
We see that so beautifully in our lesson this morning.
John—the author of Revelation—witnesses a great multitude of people gathered from every nation, tribe, people, and language. And they all stand before God’s throne, clothed in white robes, worshiping the Lamb.
John writes that these are those who have come through the great ordeal. These are the saints gathered around God’s throne in heaven.
They aren’t people whose lives have always been easy or free from suffering. They are people whose faith has been tested and who now share in the victory of Christ.
These are the ones who have endured through the end and now stand before God. The Lamb who was slain has become their shepherd, and God promises to wipe away every tear from their eyes.
What this means for us today, beloved, is that even though we live in a world filled with conflict and suffering, God is still the one who sits on the throne.
We can’t always control the circumstances around us. We can’t eliminate every hardship. And following Jesus won’t always be easy.
But our call is to remain faithful, just like the saints who’ve come before us.
Our call is to continue to worship God, to love our neighbors, to serve those in need, and to proclaim the Good News of God in Christ to the world.
Our faith is rooted in the hope that one day, God will make all things new. All that is broken will be restored, and God’s Kingdom will finally be fulfilled, ushering in a new heaven and a new earth.
That’s the hope we find in the Book of Revelation, and it’s the same hope we celebrate today on the Feast of All Saints.
On this day, we remember and give thanks for the saints who’ve gone before us.
Some of the saints we remember today are well-known figures in history. Others are ordinary people whose faith shaped our lives—family members, loved ones, and even beloved members of our church family.
Today, we give thanks for their lives and trust that they now rest in the eternal presence of God.
A little later in the service, when we come to the Prayers of the People, we’ll name aloud all those saints in our lives whom we love but see no longer.
But All Saints’ Day is more than just the Church’s Memorial Day.
It’s also about remembering who we are as Christians and the vows and promises we make in Baptism.
All Saints is one of those days that’s especially appropriate for Baptism, because through the sacrament of Baptism, we are woven into the tapestry of Christ’s Body—the Church—and become part of the communion of saints.
That communion includes both the faithful departed and those of us still living who carry on the work of Christ.
Death doesn’t sever the bonds that unite us.
One of the most beautiful things about our worship in the Episcopal Church is that we celebrate the Eucharist every Sunday.
And every time we gather around this altar to receive the Body and Blood of Christ, it’s not just those of us who are here physically.
We join our voices with angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven, including the saints who’ve gone before us.
We are all connected as the Body of Christ and part of that great cloud of witnesses that stretches across time and space.
And because of that, it’s important for us to reflect on what it really means to be a saint.
The first thing we should remember is that sainthood isn’t reserved for a handful of exceptionally holy people.
We do have feast days throughout the year when we remember the lives of certain, individual saints who led holy lives and who teach us what it means to live faithfully.
But the New Testament repeatedly uses the word “saints” to describe ordinary, Christian believers.
Being a saint doesn’t mean we’re perfect or that we never make mistakes. It means we belong to God and are set apart to live faithfully as followers of Jesus.
It’s like that hymn we sang just a few moments ago: “I Sing a Song of the Saints of God.” Saints aren’t just figures from the past. They’re ordinary people living out their faith in everyday life—just like you and me.
A lot of people think that in order to live faithful lives, we have to retreat from the world or renounce everything we consider worldly.
But that’s not our calling.
We’re called to be in the world, but not of the world—to proclaim the Good News of God in Christ and participate in God’s work of healing and restoration.
Thankfully, we don’t have to do it alone.
In Baptism, we are welcomed into a community that promises to walk with us. And today, we have the joy of welcoming a brand-new Christian into that community.
In just a few moments, together with her parents and godparents, we will welcome Dorothy Weeks Atkinson—also known as “Dodie”— as the newest member of the Body of Christ.
Together, we will renew our own vows and promises of Baptism and recommit ourselves to following Jesus.
Through the waters of baptism, Dodie will be welcomed into the household of God and marked as Christ’s own forever.
Baptism is a gift from God—an outward and visible sign of God’s grace. It’s not something we can earn or deserve.
None of us can do anything to earn or deserve God’s love, yet God claims us as his own and welcomes us into his family.
The same will be true for Dodie.
Josh and Collie, together with Dodie’s godparents and family, will promise to nurture her and help her grow in the Christian life and faith.
But they’re not making that commitment alone.
All of us will be asked: “Will you who witness these vows do all in your power to support this person in her life in Christ?”
And with a loud voice, we’ll answer: “We will.”
That promise is about more than just being present at Dodie’s baptism today. It’s about being present in her life.
It’s about being there when she needs the love and support of her church family.
Dodie will learn what it means to follow Jesus not only from her parents and godparents but also through the example of the people in this church.
She’ll need that example because there will be moments when life is hard. There will be moments when she’s confused and afraid and unsure of which path to follow.
Because the Christian life isn’t always easy and the ways of the world have a tendency to draw us away from loving God and our neighbor.
There will be moments when Dodie struggles with her faith, just like we all do. There will be times when she falls short of her calling and makes mistakes.
Thankfully, we have a loving and merciful God.
At every baptism, we promise to persevere in resisting evil and, whenever we fall into sin, to repent and return to the Lord.
And our response to that promise is always: “I will, with God’s help.”
We depend upon the grace and mercy of God and the support of our brothers and sisters in Christ to help us live lives worthy of the Gospel.
In our lesson this morning from Revelation, John sees a great multitude of saints gathered around God’s throne in heaven, united in worship.
And today, through the waters of baptism, Dodie will be welcomed into the household of God and counted among the saints.
Just as we’ve been supported by those who came before us, we now promise to support her.
That’s one of the most beautiful things about the way we do baptism in this church.
It’s not just about the person being baptized.
It’s about all of us remembering who we are and promising to love and support this new Christian in her life in Christ.
There’s no doubt she’ll have the love and support of her parents. She has some really good parents.
She has the love and support of her godparents and her family and this parish.
And together, we will be with her as she grows and matures in her faith and discovers how God is calling her to live as a follower of Jesus.
Thanks be to God.
Amen.
