“Are You Connected?”
Revelation 7:9-17 & 1 John 3:1-3
11-1-2026
In the name of the Lamb of God who washes us clean from our sin, dear friends in Christ. These days there are a whole lot of ways for us humans to stay connected. We have cellphones for calling and texting, social media like Facebook, and if you’re a business person there’s something called “LinkedIn.” I recall a District youth event that kind of played off this whole idea. The title of the gathering was, “Are you connected?” Their use of that question was slightly different than what I was thinking when I decided to use it as my sermon title, but it seemed like a good question to ask on All Saints’ Day. After all, isn’t that what some of us are wondering? What’s the connection between the saints who have passed into eternity and us living Christians here on earth? Is this celebration just a nice remembrance of dead Christians? It’s all well and good to recognize the faithfully departed but what’s that got to do with us? The answer is: A LOT!
Let me first give you a quick history of All Saints’ Day. Back in the 7th century A.D., Pope Boniface IV took over a famous pagan temple in Rome, cleared out the statues of the Greek gods, and on May 13th, he dedicated it to all the saints who had died from Roman persecution during the first 300 years of Christianity. In the 8th century, Pope Gregory II moved the date from May to November 1st to replace the pagan, Celtic New Year celebration. The Celts believed that on this day the dead came back to mingle among the living. So, they held a feast and wore masks and costumes representing the souls of the dead. Then they’d parade to the outskirts of town, leading the ghosts of the dead away from them. I think you can see some hints of the origins of Halloween developing already here. Anyway, later on the church expanded the celebration to all Christians who had died in the faith. That’s how our All-Saints’ celebration came to be.
But as I said just a bit ago, this celebration has an intimate and intricate connection to us. And it’s not the part about dressing up in costumes for Halloween either. St. John’s vision in our first lesson can help us better understand the real connection. John was privileged to get a glimpse of this scene in heaven and he describes it for us.
Before we get into that, did you notice that the Epistle lesson for today was also written by St. John? He wrote this about 10 years before the Book of Revelation. And he says something rather interesting in verse 2&3: “We are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.” John is saying that we don’t know specifically what our existence will be like in heaven, but we do know that we will be made to be like Jesus– pure and completely free from sin. A little later in his life, God gave John this vision of heaven which he recorded in the Book of Revelation.
So let’s look at that vision. First, John sees a huge throng of people “from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.” In his Gospel, John identifies Jesus as that Lamb on the throne of God when he pointed to Jesus and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” And the variety of people around the throne is a fulfillment of the Great Commission where Jesus told His followers to “Go and make disciples of all nations...”
Next, John reports that this whole crowd is dressed alike in white robes. That’s not just for the sake of uniformity. No, actually there’s a dress code in heaven. If you don’t believe me, look at Matthew 22:11 and you’ll see what I mean. White is the color of purity. So, these white robes symbolize the purity of Christ’s righteousness that all believers have received in their Baptisms. In fact, John tells us a little later that our heavenly robes are white because they have been washed in the blood of the Lamb. In other words, we are purified of all our sins by the atoning blood of Jesus which He shed on the cross for us. That purity makes us fit for heaven.
There’s something that the saints in heaven are holding which at first glance may not make much sense. They’re holding palm branches. That shouldn’t be too tough to figure out though. Do you remember how the people greeted Jesus on the Sunday before He died? They were waving... palm branches. The ancient Greeks and Romans used to welcome home their victorious heroes by lining the streets and waving palm branches. Kind of like a ticker tape parade. The scene in heaven is the saints celebrating the victory of our hero, Jesus Christ. There was an old custom in the Christian Church where a palm branch was placed in the hand of a believer at their burial. It was a symbol that this departed saint had joined the throng in heaven, dressed in white, and waving a palm branch. I need to add that to my list of wishes for my funeral.
Anyway, this crowd of saints is standing around the throne of God and they’re speaking words of worship and praise. The saints are praising God for their salvation which He has freely given to them. Even though it doesn’t say it, I tend to believe that the praises recorded here and throughout Revelation were sung. But whether they were sung or just spoken, doesn’t really matter. What I would point your attention to is that for centuries now the Christian Church has continued to repeat those praises in our ancient liturgy which we still use today. So, in a sense, you could say that when we gather for worship it’s kind of like a choir practice for God’s saints on earth. Even if you can’t carry a tune in a bushel basket, your praises are still sweet to God’s ears because they’re sung from grateful and loving hearts.
Okay, so that’s the glorious scene in heaven. But what’s the connection to us here on earth? Well, if you haven’t caught it already, I’ve referred several times to us living Christians as “saints.” As we confess in the Apostles’ Creed, “I believe in the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints.” Folks, there are not 2 Christian Churches or 2 communions of saints. There’s only one. Verse 5 of our sermon hymn puts it so well:
Yet she on earth has union
With God the Three in One,
And mystic sweet communion
With those whose rest is won.
O blessed heav’nly chorus!
Lord, save us by Your grace
That we, like saints before us,
May see You face to face.
We are united with the saints in heaven in a “mystic sweet communion.” We are joined together with them through the Triune God who redeemed and purified both us and them. Maybe you’ve heard me say it before, but there’s an old Swedish custom where they have a semi-circular altar rail which bends around and out of sight. There’s a picture of one on our bulletin cover. It’s meant to illustrate the fact that in a mystical way the saints in heaven are communing with us at the Holy Feast that Christ is serving. They eat at the Lamb’s feast in heaven as we eat at the Lamb’s feast here on earth, separated only by the veil of eternity. So, in the Lord’s Supper, we are united with the saints in heaven. Here at the altar rail, we are closer than ever to our loved ones who died having the true faith. In a very real way, we are connected with them through Christ who unites us.
Years ago, a Pastor friend of mine lost his wife in a car accident. In a conversation later, he made a seemingly strange confession. He said that sometimes he goes to his wife’s grave and talks to her. He admitted that he knew he couldn’t communicate directly with her. And yet, since he was united with Christ and she was united with Christ there was a connection. The saints in heaven can’t hear us or our prayers, but Christ can see and hear both them and us. Christ is simultaneously present with them and us. And so, in Christ Jesus, we have a mystical connection with the saints in heaven. We may not be visible to one another and we may not be able to directly communicate with one another but by faith we know we are connected in that sweet communion of saints.
There is one major difference, though, between the saints in heaven and us saints here on earth. They are now free from all temptations and sin and the evil effects of sin. We, on the other hand, must still struggle with sin daily. To use the illustration from earlier, our robes are regularly stained with the impurity of sin. And yet, the thing that made the robes of the saints in heaven pure and white, is what also purifies our sin-stained robes. That is, the blood of Jesus. Daily we can go to Him with our many sins and humbly ask for forgiveness. And each time we confess our sins, He washes away those crimson stains of sin with His atoning blood. Our robes are white with the purity of Christ’s righteousness and therefore we are fit for heaven. And so, with bold confidence we sing verse 4 of our opening hymn:
Oh, blest communion, fellowship divine!
We feebly struggle, they in glory shine;
Yet all are one in Thee for all are Thine.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
As we remember the saints who have gone before us, may we remember that we too are connected to that great multitude in heaven which stands before the throne of God. May we be reminded that our praises here on earth are mingled with the praises of the saints in heaven. And may Christ, who has purified us with His blood, keep us faithful until the day when we are blessed to join with all the saints in heaven as we enjoy an eternity of bliss with our gracious God and Savior. Amen.
Soli Deo Gloria