The Mystical Body of Christ

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“After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’” (Revelation 7:9-10).

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!

The Feast of All Saints is the most comprehensive of the days of commemoration within the Church year, encompassing the entire scope of that great cloud of witnesses with which we are surrounded (Hebrews 12:1). It holds before the eyes of faith that great multitude which no man can number: all the saints of God in Christ—from every nation, race, culture, and language—who have come out of the great tribulation … who have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (Revelation 7:9, 14).

As such, it sets before us the full height and depth and breadth and length of our dear Lord’s gracious salvation (Ephesians 3:17-19). It shares with Easter a celebration of the ingathering of the entire Church—in heaven and on earth, in all times and places—in the one mystical Body of Christ, in the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Just as we have all been called to the one hope that belongs to our call, “one Lord, one faith, one Baptism, one God and Father of us all, who is over all and through all and in all” (Ephesians 4:4-6). All Saints Day focuses upon the lives of all those made holy, sanctified to the Lord through the waters of Holy Baptism, both living and at rest in Christ.

The Lutheran Reformers retained the celebration of Saints’ Days and All Saints for good reasons. First, remembering the saints gives us the opportunity to give thanks to God for His mercy shown to those who have gone before us in the faith. Second, our faith should be strengthened as we recall God’s mercy and grace shown to these saints as to us. And third, as we remember the saints, we are encouraged to imitate their faith and good works according to our own callings even as John reminds us, “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on... that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!” (Revelation 14:13).

It is certainly worthwhile for us to remember and consider our parents, mentors, teachers, examples, brothers and sisters in the faith, our loved ones who rest now from their labors, the multitude of witnesses past and present. It is meaningful and appropriate to recall and imitate the faith of the saints. And yet, as we do so, we fix our eyes where they fixed theirs—on the Lamb of God whose blood washes away our sins.

In Revelation 7, St. John reveals a vision of two scenes of the Church—the Church Militant and the Church Triumphant. In the opening verses we hear of the 144,000, a number which is symbolical and refers to the whole body of Christians, Jews and Gentiles, on earth through the time period covered by Revelation (from Christ’s ascension to His return at this world’s end) and at any given time in that period. This is the Church Militant on earth.

To the human eye the Church looks anything but perfectly ordered as she is torn asunder by schisms, tribulations, and persecutions. But in God’s eyes she is in perfect pattern and position for the purpose of Christ’s mission. This is so because she has been sealed (Revelation 7:1-8). She will not lose faith. She will not deny her Lord. Unto death she will remain faithful to the Lamb of God.

The second scene in this chapter is in sharp contrast to the first. While the Church Militant on earth appeared as the 144,000, the great host in heaven, the Church Triumphant is too numerous to count (Revelation 7:9). In addition, the Church Militant on earth (as witnessed by the orderly arrangement of the twelve tribes) was prepared to march out in mission. In contrast, the great multitude of people before the throne of God is at rest and peace, celebrating the results of the mission of the Church on earth.

As the 144,000 stand poised to be launched out into a world of turmoil and suffering, they are quite aware of the peril they face, though they are confident of God’s sealing protection. But the Church Triumphant, at rest and peace and awaiting the final act of God’s judgment and the resurrection at the End, will never again experience tribulation and persecution on earth.

The great crowd around the throne is clothed in white robes. The white robes symbolize the purity and righteousness of Christ, which have been given to His people because of His blood (Revelation 7:14).

This heavenly crowd is also carrying palm branches in their hands. Biblical and Jewish sources associate palm branches with victory and celebration. In the ancient Near East the palm tree often appears in artistic form as the tree of life on cylinder seals. In the Old Testament palm branches are associated with the Feast of Tabernacles (Leviticus 23:40; Nehemiah 8:13-17). In Jewish celebrations, as when Simon Maccabaeus delivered Jerusalem from the pagan enemy, palm branches were used in the victory celebration. In 2 Maccabees 10:5-8 palm branches were carried at the celebration of the purification of the temple.

John would have been aware of this tradition. As he reflected on the sight of the palm branches, he may have thought of the crowd that went out to meet Jesus as the King rode triumphantly into Jerusalem (John 12:12-13). Whatever their thoughts or the motivation of their actions, including their waving of the palm branches, they were consciously taking part in a celebration. With the palm branches they were participating in a godly reception of the promised King, the Son of David, who would cleanse the temple.

In John’s vision, the crowd is much larger, and a host of people from every nation is in heaven before God, celebrating the triumph of Christ. The multitude are shouting a hymn of praise in which God’s people attribute their salvation to God and to the Lamb (Revelation 7:10). No greater praise can be given to God than that His creatures attribute their salvation to Him and His Christ.

The elder tells John, “These are those who are coming out of the great tribulation, and they washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (Revelation 7:14). Thus, this vision of the Church Triumphant has a message of comfort for all Christians, including those who go through death long before the “great tribulation” at the End.

The picture of eternal glory of Revelation 7:14 is for the comfort of all Christians of all times as we experience whatever tribulations sorely test our faith and patience. Every Christian will experience tribulation and sufferings. Some will be so piercing and poignant that the very faith and foundation of our hope will be severely tried, almost to the point of despair and defeat, but sealed, the Lord will see us through to the end of the world and to eternity in His kingdom.

The joy of the Feast of All Saints is in its celebration of the unity of the Church Triumphant (the saints gathered already into rest) and the Church Militant (the present and future Church that struggles still under daily crosses). Together, both constitute but one communion, one fellowship.

They are the crowd glimpsed in our reading from Revelation for this day, a vast multitude beyond human numbering and calculation. What makes them one is what they have received from the Lord: They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Their sins are forgiven and they hold the palm of victory He has placed in their hand.

If you look at the crowd, you can readily discern that some were among earth’s famous and powerful. Most were quite unknown to history. There are some black, some white, and every color of the flesh of humanity. Some were very wealthy upon earth; most quite poor. Some spoke this language, others that. They come from every nation and tribe. What is most captivating about them, however, isn’t their diversity; it’s the unity of their attention. They aren’t paying the least bit of attention to themselves. They are united in their gaze upon the Lamb on His throne, the Lord Jesus Christ victorious in His sacrifice of love. And therein lies the secret to becoming part of that crowd. You do so not by squeezing in and trying to imitate the look of astonishment and awe upon their faces. Rather you share their blessedness by joining in what they are so fixated upon: Jesus Christ, who humbled Himself to become what they were (a child of man) in order to lift them up to become what He is (children of God).

Not only then does All Saints’ Day help us recall and focus on the mercy and grace of our faithful God, but it brings us the comfort that we are still united to the saints we mourn and long to see again. The collect (prayer) of the day for All Saints’ underscores the unity of saints in heaven and those of us still on the earth:

Almighty and everlasting God, You knit together Your faithful people of all times and places into one holy communion, the mystical body of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Grant us so to follow Your blessed saints in all virtuous and godly living that, together with them, we may come to the unspeakable joys You have prepared for those who love You; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Knit together in Christ, we are one mystical body together now and forever. In the proper preface we pray, “Therefore with angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven… ” These words remind us that our worship is not limited by time or by space. Where Christ is present, there His saints are as well.

There is an old Swedish custom of having a curved or semi-circle altar rail for communion. The other half of the altar rail that is not there, or unseen, going behind the altar symbolizes the place where the saints who have departed this life are participating in Holy Communion with the saints on earth. When our loved ones die in the Lord, we can remember they are with us at the Lord’s Supper simultaneously communing at the marriage feast of the Lamb in His kingdom that knows no end, singing the songs of the Lamb with angels and archangels.

Knit together in Christ we are joined to all who are joined to Him. We remember and give thanks for God’s mercy and grace to the saints who now rest from their labors. We follow them as they followed Christ. And we take comfort and give thanks to the Lord who has united His saints together forever.

As we gather on this Feast of All Saints, let us rejoice in the profound truth that we are united not only with the saints who have gone before us but also with one another as the living Church, marked by our shared faith in Christ. The vision of the great multitude in Revelation reminds us that our community spans across time, race, and culture, all bound together by the redeeming blood of the Lamb. This unity encourages us to live out our faith boldly, imitating the examples of those who have persevered in love and service to God, while also leaning on His grace for our own journeys.

We are called to remember the saints, both celebrated and unsung, and to honor their legacies by following their lead in faithfulness and devotion. Their lives inspire us, showing that even amidst tribulation, there is hope and victory in Christ. As we partake in the sacrament, we acknowledge the invisible communion that exists between us and those who have entered into eternal rest, celebrating the reality that we are all knit together in one mystical body, united in our mission to share the Gospel with the world.

Let us leave this place with hearts filled with gratitude and hope, knowing that we share a heavenly inheritance with all saints. May our lives reflect the love and grace we have received, guiding us to act with compassion and faith as we navigate the challenges of our time. Together, let us lift our voices in praise, declaring that salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne and to the Lamb, trusting in His promise that one day we will join the countless throng, celebrating eternally in His presence.

May God grant this to us all! Amen

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved