Keep the Faith: A Familiar All Saints Hymn

Tomorrow will be observed by many in the Christian Church as the Sunday of All Saints. The actual date of All Saints has, historically, been Nov. 1. At one time in history, All Saints was the “big day” of worship attendance throughout the year, which is why, as history has taught us, on Saturday, Oct. 31, 1517, an almost 34-year-old Roman Catholic priest and professor, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther, attached a notice on the door of his local congregation’s house of worship — the Castle Church of Wittenberg, modern Germany — inviting the readers to an academic debate. His intention was to reach as wide of an audience as possible; hence, the posting on the eve of All Saints. By the way, that term “eve of All Saints” was, very recently, widely used by many in this nation and the world, perhaps unwittingly by some. The word “Halloween” literally means “the eve of All Saints.”

Luther’s intention was to invite debate on the issue of the selling of indulgences by the Church establishment. He meant it to be little more than that. He certainly didn’t mean for the commencement of the chain of events which led to the formation of the Lutheran Church as well as numerous Protestant ones. But, isn’t that how it so often goes? Many things are discovered by accident.

So, given that All Saints’ Day was a Tuesday this year, many congregations will observe it tomorrow, the first Sunday in November. Perhaps the dynamic of the Christian life associated with the Commemoration of All Saints is that of an ongoing battle. To help us understand, shall we turn to 19th century hymn writer William H. How, and his well-known hymn, “For All the Saints Who From Their Labors Rest.” The translation used here is from the 1941 “The Lutheran Hymnal” (Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, Mo.), and the text here provided is in the public domain. One change to this version — excellent hymnal that TLH is, the stanzas therein for this hymn are out of order. In this article, I will present these eight in their original and fitting order. I also generally provide a printed copy of the stanzas in order when we sing this hymn at our congregation.

Stanza One — “For all the saints who from their labors rest, Who Thee by faith before the world confest, Thy name, O Jesus, be forever blest, Alleluia! Alleluia!” This introductory stanza seeks to bless the name of the Lord for all those faithful ones who confessed their faith and trust in Him in the battle known as life in this world.

Stanza Two – “Thou wast their Rock, their Fortress, and their Might; Thou, Lord, their Captain in the well-fought fight; Thou, in the darkness drear, their one true Light. Alleluia! Alleluia!” This is the acknowledgment that Christ was everything to them, their true Reliance in the ongoing battle.

Stanza Three — “Oh, may Thy soldiers, faithful, true and bold, Fight as the saints who nobly fought of old And win with them the victor's crown of gold. Alleluia! Alleluia!” Having recognized Christ in the lives of those who, at one time, were the saints of this world, and are now with Him in glory, we turn our recognition to our own struggle as the faithful here on earth in the present tense. The recognition of the aspect of “struggle” will be brought out more vividly in the next stanza.

Stanza Four — “O blest communion, fellowship divine, We feebly struggle, they in glory shine; Yet all are one in Thee, for all are Thine. Alleluia! Alleluia!” In faith in Christ, we are one with those who’ve preceded us into glory, they having fought the good fight of faith and now rest from their labors, and we continuing in the battle, which seems to go on and on, as we’ll see in the next stanza.

Stanza Five — “And when the fight is fierce, the warfare long, Steals on the ear the distant triumph song, And hearts are brave again, and arms are strong. Alleluia! Alleluia!” Encouragement in the ongoing battle are the promises of Christ and the bliss the saints in His presence experience.

Stanza Six — “The golden evening brightens in the west; Soon, soon, to faithful warriors cometh rest. Sweet is the calm of Paradise the blest. Alleluia! Alleluia!” This is given as Stanza Eight in TLH, but should be here. The earthly struggle will see its end, as “Paradise” here is accessed at the end of earthly life – hence, the sunset imagery. Important – this does not mean that death is a friend! It never is! Even when someone was in pain, a difficult life situation, or severely ill. The effects of sin and death are what brought that about. Death is the enemy, as Scripture describes it (1 Corinthians 15:26). Death would seek to destroy us, and that’s no friend. Rather, God uses death against its own will to bring His own of faith to Himself.

Stanza Seven – “But, lo, there breaks a yet more glorious day; The saints triumphant rise in bright array; The King of Glory passes on His way. Alleluia! Alleluia!” This is Stanza Six in TLH. The end of earthly life, in the preceding stanza, then gives way, or, as of now, will give way, to the “life of the world to come” we confess in the Nicene Creed – glorious beyond description.

Stanza Eight – “From earth's wide bounds, from ocean's farthest coast, Through gates of pearl streams in the countless host, Singing to Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, Alleluia! Alleluia! Amen!” Stanza Seven in TLH. Praise be to God for His victory over sin and death, through Christ crucified, and that victory guaranteed in the resurrection of Christ from the dead. Thus is the essence of our celebration of All Saints. A blessed one to you!

A closing, off topic encouragement — this Tuesday is Election Day. I will not endorse a candidate or party in this pastoral setting, but, Christians, know the issues and vote according to your faith.

The Rev. Paul E. Gramit is pastor of Evangelical Trinity Lutheran Church in Clinton.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Keep the Faith: Sunday of All Saints an opportunity to eye hymnal