When I was a high schooler, I had an enormous bulletin board on the wall of my bedroom. There were photographs on the board, of course, but I also crowded it with all sorts of mementos that reminded me of joyful memories and relationships: concert tickets, brochures from sites we'd visited on vacation, name tags from events, and various other "pinnable" items. A favorite item on my bulletin board was a small white cloud, which I'd crafted from clay at a church camp and decorated with a Bible verse, Hebrews 12:1. That verse includes the image of a "cloud of witnesses" (hence the clay cloud!), by whom we are all surrounded in our journey of faith. These witnesses are the saints and ancestors who went before us, who spur us on in the faith, grounding us and inspiring us.
I loved that little clay cloud on my bulletin board because it reminded me of the saints in my own life. It reminded me of my paternal grandfather, whom I never met but whose legacy lives on; of my maternal grandmother, who died when I was young but whose faith has always inspired me; of the nameless saints from generations ago who showed forth the love of Jesus in their ordinary, holy lives. On November first, Christian churches across the world celebrate All Saints Day, giving thanks for the lives of the faithful departed. On that day, we remember the "cloud of witnesses" that surround us, the faithful ones who inspire us through the generations to follow in the way of Jesus.
We observe All Saints Day here at Sing For Joy with our November 5 program, and you will hear well-loved favorites — "For All the Saints" — and pieces that may be less familiar to you, including the Norwegian hymn "Behold a Host Arrayed in White" and the African American spiritual "John Saw Duh Numbah." I hope you will tune in that week to hear the ways that church musicians across the centuries have helped to texture All Saints Day with beautiful music and poetry. Blessings to you, Sing For Joy listeners, as you remember your own cloud of witnesses this All Saints Day.
Peace,
