The celebrations of Reformation Day on the last day of October and All Saints’ Day on the first day of November remind us Christians that we are both sinners and saints in God’s kingdom. The church was in need of reformation in the 16th century because the church was filled with sinners back then, that is, people who wanted things their way rather than God’s way. The church of today is in need of reformation for the same reason, because we still want our way rather than God’s way. Our sinfulness is certainly one of the things that we are reminded of when we celebrate Reformation Day.
But God doesn’t want us to get discouraged about our sinfulness so we wait only one day until we can celebrate the fact that we are also saints. This is what we do on All Saints’ Day. This day isn’t only for those people who have died and have been designated as spectacular examples of the faith; this day is for all forgiven sinners who know that Christ has made a transformation within them. Thus, between these two days we can come to the realization that we are both sinners and saints in God’s eyes.
In this way, we can see how we are surrounded by God’s love. In that loving situation, God doesn’t change us or force us to be something that we are not, but rather God brings forgiveness and hope to us. Our reaction is one of thankfulness because we don’t deserve this much love from God. And by the end of November, we find ourselves celebrating that special day of Thanksgiving as well, all because God is involved in our lives.
