Friends in Faith,
Luther chose the eve of All Saints’ Day, October 31, to post his Ninety-Five Theses in Wittenberg because he wanted the crowds gathering for the feast day to see his challenge to the church. These two commemorations fall within a day of each other, but we honor them on separate Sundays when our community gathers for worship. Join us as we observe All Saints Sunday on November 2nd, when we will remember our Faithful Departed through readings, prayers, and the lighting of candles in their memory.
In the spirit of that celebration, let me share a powerful witness to the communion of saints I encountered during my 2022 pilgrimage to Cappadocia, Turkey.
Among the remarkable rock-cut churches we toured at the Göreme Open Air Museum—a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1985—ancient murals still glow with surprising freshness and vibrancy. Centuries ago, volcanic eruptions blanketed these valleys with soft tuff stone that early Christians carved into homes, chapels, and places of refuge. By the 4th century, believers fleeing persecution found sanctuary in these caves, and over the following centuries they created stunning examples of Middle Byzantine monumental art. The painted churches we see today date from the 10th to 13th centuries.
The most striking is called Karanlik Kilise—the “Dark Church”—where the dim atmosphere has exquisitely preserved the vivid colors painted directly onto stone. Among the many images adorning these walls, one scene particularly struck me: a Byzantine depiction of Christ’s Harrowing of Hades. In this icon, our risen Lord storms the gates of death itself, seizing Adam and Eve by the wrists while David and Solomon look on in hope. Evil lies trampled beneath Jesus’ feet. This is resurrection. This is hope for our loved ones who have died.
Standing in those ancient chapels, gazing up at these renderings of hope painted on walls and ceilings, I felt the living connection across centuries. The resurrection hope that sustained those early Christians—for hundreds and thousands of years—is the same faith in love’s triumph that knits us together today.
Martin Luther nailed his theses to the church door in hope of reform and freedom. Byzantine artists depicted Christ liberating the saints from death’s captivity as a defiant statement against evil and tyrannical powers that parade their pretend, temporal might.
Take heart, friends, and be full of Christian faith, for our God is a rescuing and reforming Savior. May we remain ever awake to the promise of the resurrection of the body and life everlasting. Blessed All Saints, friends.