In the Christian calendar, Nov. 1 is All Saints Day, a recognition of those who have died, especially in the preceding year. While we remember these loved ones who died recently, we also give thanks for all the “saints” in our lives — the people who have gone before and have been examples and inspiration to us.

The Halloween outreach was great fun, reaching over 700 people. Sunday was Pastor Appreciation Day; we recognized Pastor Ethan Kallberg and his family for all they do.

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.”

Father Jon Schnobrich preached this week on these words of Christ: “Call no man on earth your father.” He was speaking against the Pharisees and Scribes in these words. He wanted his audience, made up also of his disciples, to be unlike them.

On All Saints Sunday, Pastor Mike Thorpe focused primarily Revelation 7:9-17, in which John recognizes all those “saints” from every nation — all tribes and peoples and languages, more than anyone can count, who will stand one day before the throne of God, having fought the good fight. Believing God sent his son to give his life for all people, we do our best to live out our lives in the faith and love and forgiveness (when we do fail), that we receive from God, in the belief that we, too, will be among those “saints” who will one day stand before the throne of God.

Abner, Saul’s commander, set up Ish-bosheth as king of the northern tribes after his father, Saul, died. Abner and King Ish-bosheth opposed David, God’s choice, who had been crowned king of Judah in Hebron. David was continuing to gain strength, while the northern kingdom was getting weaker.

Each season of the year has its highlights. In the fall, we enjoy the display of God’s handiwork in the colorful leaves. That is now past, and the leaves are falling.

Our Sunday service opened with prayer to our almighty and everlasting God, to increase in us the gifts of faith, hope and charity. We prayed to obtain what God promises us and to love as God commands we should.

Saul, the king of Israel was dead, as well as three of his four sons, killed in the attack by the Philistines. David was now free to become the reigning king of Israel. But David did not rush back to Israel immediately when he heard that Saul was dead. He waited on God’s timing.

On Sunday, Pastor Mike Thorpe preached on the passages from Exodus 34: 1-12 where Moses arrives at the Promised Land at the end of his life but is not allowed to enter, and Matthew 22: 34-40, in which Jesus spells out to the Pharisees that the greatest commandment is “to love the Lord your God with all your heart, and all your soul, and all your mind” and the second is “to love your neighbor as yourself.”

Moses, a spiritual hero in the Jewish, Christian and Muslim faiths, was a powerful servant of God. He defied Pharoah’s oppressive regime, and led the people into freedom, surviving in the wilderness and conferring with God to bring the people the commandments and pillars of faith to live by. He led them all the way to the Promised Land, but he himself did not enter it. That task fell to his successor, Joshua.