November 2, 2025: All Saints Day: Restoring Humanity through Christ, Who Fills All In All

Our dead are never dead until we have forgotten them. 

George Elliott  

Sermon 

Ephesians 1:11–23 opens with a declaration of inheritance, which is not written in the language of property or privilege, but in the language of purpose. “In Christ we have obtained an inheritance so that we might live for the praise of God’s glory.” This isn’t about securing our place in heaven or claiming ownership over grace. This is about discovering that we already belong. We belong to one another and to God.

This passage invites us to imagine “inheritance” not as exclusion but as participation. God’s plan is "to gather up all things in Christ, things in heaven and things on earth.” The universe is being drawn together, not divided. God’s dream isn't a gated kingdom. It is a healed cosmos.

When Paul prays that the “eyes of your heart may be enlightened,” he reminds us that faith is not blind assent but, rather, a kind of seeing. Enlightened hearts see through systems of domination, nationalism, and fear. Enlightened hearts recognize the divine image in strangers, refugees, and those our culture often overlooks. Enlightened hearts see that God’s power, “immeasurable and great,” is not the power of conquest but the power of resurrection and of life rising again where death once ruled.

The power that raised Jesus from the dead and “seated him at God’s right hand” is the same power now animating the body of Christ here, as St. Teresa of Avila observed, in the church.  Our church cannot be confined to steeples or denominations. In a world torn by greed and violence, the church becomes every community that lives resurrection in defiance of despair. It is every act of hospitality that interrupts exclusion, every movement that lifts the lowly, every table where love breaks bread with justice.

When Paul describes Christ as “the head over all things for the church,” it is not to crown a monarch but to describe the heartbeat of a living body and “the fullness of him who fills all in all.” The life of God is pulsing through creation, still filling and still uniting. We are always called to live as if heaven and earth are already being reconciled in love.

This call is not naïve optimism. It is the daring conviction that love is the deepest law of the universe in the tension of history and the understanding of resurrection as a power constantly at work. Hope is not waiting for heaven to come; it is joining God in making heaven visible here.

One of our group members helps recipients navigate the SNAP program.We prayed that her work would be less painful. We found out today that Tina Kotek, the Governor of Oregon, is directing $5 million in state funds to support the state’s food-bank network and has declared a 60-day food security emergency so that food assistance can be coordinated while federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits are likely to be paused during the federal government shutdown   

Many local restaurants are also helping out. For example, Nan’s Taqueria (Happy Valley) has committed to feeding people affected by the SNAP suspension “no questions asked.” It is gratifying to have community solidarity and local efforts in place to provide for needs when the federal safety net is interrupted. 

This Sunday Creator celebrates All Saints' Day. In traditions around the world, from Samhain to Día de los Muertos, this is the time of year when the veil between the living and the dead is said to be at its thinnest. In ancient Celtic spirituality, it was believed that ancestors could walk among us during this liminal moment, offering guidance, warnings, blessings. In Christian practice, All Souls Day became a time to pray for those who have died. In many Indigenous cultures, this is a season of honoring the wisdom of the elders, the spirits of the land, and the continuity of life beyond death.

I remembered those Creator members who have passed recently Shirley Peterson, Scott Mattox and, most recently, Christa Hoven. who passed away on November 3rd, the day after her 88th birthday. I have a very vivid memory of her at a German-themed party after worship when we were celebrating Pastor Michelle's final service at Creator. The party was planned by congregation members, and the food and festivities were wonderful 

Christa played accordion and piano. The congregation sang German songs with her Tom with his Lederhosen and Bundhosen, and Katie in her Dirndl, danced in their traditional Tracht German costumes. People enjoyed the grilled bratwurst, sauerkraut, potato salad, root beer (of course!) , and a variety of available desserts. I also remember reading her book about her life in Germany during World War II with great curiosity and interest.

Perhaps this year, we feel that veil more tangibly than ever.  May the eyes of everyone's hearts be opened to the inheritance we share. In the end this passage makes me want to hear God's call and see through the power of Christ, who fills all in all.

November 3, 2024 - All Saints Sunday and Creator's Día de los Muertos Celebration

Readings and Psalm
Wisdom 3:1-9; Psalm 24; Mark 12:28-34 

All Saints Sunday and the Gospel reading for Creator was John's account of Lazarus being raised. 

Pastor Emilie captured the ambivalent feelings and emotions among certain members of the audience in her sermon. I believe I was particularly sensitive to that ambivalence having recently experienced a death in my family and with two close friends.

The power of grief particularly hit me as the Gospel was being read this Sunday. “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”

Martha believes in Jesus and that her brother will be resurrected but the power of losing Lazarus still makes her accusation that Lazarus could have been saved and that Jesus was not there when her brother died. 

The tears still sting our eyes and our hearts can feel not enough was done at a particular life moment to prevent the loss when those we love die. And even Jesus weeps before raising Lazarus and he knows Lazarus will be raised from the dead that day. Still, our tears and our hearts do not belie our belief that God overcomes death. Our expressed emotions are part of our being human.

After our All Saints service the congregation went to the Fellowship Hall and learn more about Día de los Muertos from our friends who honor the day.    

The Día de los Muertos celebrations officially finished on November 2 but Creator's celebration took place after our All Saints service. Its combination of the Indigenous cult of death and ritual rites with Catholicism brought it over from Europe. The custom of inviting departed loved ones home for a day is a way to honor their lives and accept what will happen after death.

For those who celebrate the Day of the Dead food, flowers and altars are components of the celebration. To honor the deceased, foods such as sugar skulls, sweetbread rolls and beverages are arranged on ofrendas, or house altars, along with clay ornaments and sentimental objects. Either at the cemetery itself or at a table at home, family members think their loved ones will feast on the “essence” of their offered treats.  

At Creator's Day of the Dead, Magally Saldivar Montoya did most of the speaking, Leticia Hermoza who the other Madres (who hosted this), respectfully call Doña Leti shared a bit of the traditions in Spanish. Erika Ramirez helped set it all up and cook. Elizabeth Roman Arrietta did most of the set up on Saturday of the backdrops is Peruvian, loves decorating, and learning about Mexican traditions)