All Saints and Connection

Cori Snyder died on October 30. She was the wife of Rev. John Snyder, pastor of Anderson United Methodist Church in Gretna, Virginia.

During Cori Snyder’s funeral, I was reminded of just how important we are to each other. Right in front of me were three rows of pastors from our district to show support for their fellow pastor, John Snyder.

Throughout the congregation were other pastors and leaders throughout the Virginia conference. The church where the worship service was held was from another denomination. They offered the use of their building because the pastor was a friend of Johns through the ministerial alliance in Gretna.

This week, I saw example after example of how people surrounded Cori’s family with love and help from the mountain of food donated to the family, to babysitting the younger children by members of his church.

John will also be given time to grieve thanks to our connection. John Siegle, a retired pastor on our district led services at his church, Anderson UMC last Sunday. I will be there this Sunday and others will be there over the next few Sundays to give John all the time he needs.

For me, this was an example of how we support each other in crisis. One pastor told me later, it was comforting to see our connection in action. He could feel the strength of our support for each other.

We are connected as leaders in the United Methodist Church certainly but we are connected as Christians as well. On All Saints Sunday we are reminded that the connections are deeply rooted as we are reminded of the foundation laid for us by the Saints who have gone before us.

See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know him. Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is. And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure. (1 John 3:1-3)

This passage became more relevant to me this morning because of the events of this week. Our connection as children of God is a huge comfort and strength in times of crisis because God promised that someday we will be like Christ. We will see Christ as he really is. And armed with this eager expectation we will work to keep ourselves pure just as Christ is pure.

Today you will be a part of a connection that is so much bigger than yourself or even your church. You will remind others of our link to those who have gone before us but we will all be reminded that ultimately what connects us is Jesus Christ.

This is what gives us the ability to grieve and yet celebrate; to cry and yet laugh. We grieve for today but celebrate with eager hope for tomorrow. We cry over the loss but laugh in the comfort of knowing something better awaits us.

Today, I can pray with confidence because I feel the connection of our chuch and our leaders, I feel the connection of our church and all of the Saints and I feel the connection to God through the example of Jesus Christ and the continuing presence of The Holy Spirit.

When you go to church this morning, look around you and imagine this scene being repeated throughout the world. What an awesome connection we have.

So, as pastors and leaders we can enter our church with confidence knowing that we are not alone. You are part of a Holy Connection that links us as pastors and leaders within the United Methodist Church and as Christians within the family of God.