In recent years, one of the most dramatic developments in Protestantism has been a rediscovery of the Christian Saints. I’m not talking about such Reformation stalwarts as Calvin and Luther here, but pre-Reformation writers such as St. Augustine and Hillary of Poitiers - hardly your typical Protestant fare. What’s more, this rediscovery is taking place not just in the so-called mainline denominations, but in Evangelical circles as well.

Thus Wheaton College initially assembled the Internet’s largest collection of “Church Fathers” (it is now housed at Calvin College, www.ccel.org), while Inter-Varsity Press, an Evangelical publishing house, is presently producing a multivolume series entitled Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, pairing passages of Scripture with reflections from the saints. Overall, it’s a general realization that the Protestant Reformers may well have tossed out the proverbial “baby with the bathwater” when they stopped studying the words and deeds of the saints.

What these other denominations are now slowly reclaiming, Anglicans have since long embraced. As purveyors of the “ Middle Way” between Protestantism and Catholicism, we have never relinquished our appreciation for the greater “Communion of Saints” affirmed in the Apostles’ Creed. Indeed, this “great cloud of witnesses” has remained an integral part of our common confession. And so to this very day, we continue to commemorate saints in our liturgical calendar, and to draw from their treasure trove of wisdom and spiritual insight when interpreting Scripture.

We’ll be exploring several of these spiritual champions this fall in my Sunday morning class, “Classics of the Christian Journey.” Each week we’ll reflect upon passages from a different masterpiece written by or about one of these Christian pilgrims, seeking through our studies to incorporate their insights into our own spiritual journeys. Classes will be held during the Sunday school hour (10:15 am - 11:05 am) in the Annex, beginning October 7 and running through November. All members of the parish (and guests!) are invited to attend and participate in any or all of these sessions.

While we will be reflecting upon these great exemplars of our faith in class, we also recognize that the word “saint” in the New Testament refers to all believers in Christ, not just those with special days of commemoration. Traditionally, this greater body of the faithful is remembered on All Saints and All Souls Days, November 1 and 2, as well as on the Sunday following, which is November 4 in 2007. On this latter day, All Saints’ Sunday, we not only welcome new members into the “household of saints” through baptism, but also remember those loved ones who have gone on before us and now stand before the throne of God.

This year we will be more intentional in our All Saints’ commemoration, and so we ask that if members of the congregation would like for a departed family member or friend to be remembered on that day, that you phone or email the parish secretary so that his or her name may be included in the bulletin for that Sunday.