Hebrews 11:32-40 Pastor Nathan P. Kassulke
All Saints’ Day Sunday, November 2, 2025 “The Sights and Sounds of All Saints’ Day”
Hebrews 11 is a beloved chapter of the Bible for good reason. Sometimes it’s called the “By faith” chapter. Some have called Hebrews 11 the “Hall of Faith” chapter or the “Faith Hall of Fame.” Others mean pretty much the same thing as they refer to this chapter as the “Heroes of Faith” chapter of the Bible. What an amazing chapter to turn to as we celebrate All Saints’ Day today. All Saints’ Day has been celebrated in various ways since about 600 AD. Unfortunately, many false teachings about what it means to be a saint have caused issues with this observation. Perhaps that explains why in general our Wisconsin Synod Lutheran churches have not regularly celebrated or observed this holy day until recently. In fact, it was the introduction of the new, blue hymnal and the lectionary—the list of readings for the Church Year—that came with it that really introduced this holy day to our churches. It started a trend or a policy to celebrate All Saints on the first Sunday of November, though technically the day falls on November 1 (so this year, we’re one day off). In our society today, Halloween is a much more prominent day. But even the name Halloween comes from “All Hallows’ Eve,” that is, the day before All Saints’ Day. So, today we observe that festival. As we do, I would like you to consider Hebrews 11 a museum to the Saints. I would like you to imagine that for All Saints’ Day, we are going to take a tour through that museum. As we do that, we’ll be reminded of some important truths about what it means to be a saint. Our second reading from earlier is a part of our tour, but I’d like to start with the beginning of Hebrews 11 as well. As I mentioned, this is the “By Faith” chapter of the Bible. As we stop at the ticket counter, we can read the fine print and learn a little bit about what faith means. “Faith is being sure about what we hope for, being convinced about things we do not see. For by this faith the ancients were commended in Scripture” (1-2). Faith tells us that God created the world by his powerful word. We don’t even have to enter the museum to marvel at this. We can see God’s power and wisdom all around us. But into the museum we go. We enter into a large hall. It is filled with pictures and sculptures. It feels lifesize and even larger for so many of these displays. Printed signs at each display mention names and verses in Scripture where we learn about these people. Abel offered a sacrifice that pleased God. Enoch walked with God and was taken out of this world without facing death. Noah comes next, and we can almost feel the raindrops as we consider the flood that destroyed every person and animal outside of the ark he had built. And then we get to Abraham. Picture after picture of his life. He obeyed God when he didn’t fully know the plan. He moved away from his family. He lived as a stranger and wanderer. He became an old man who still trusted that God would give him a son even though no one else believed it was possible. Not only was it possible, but the display tells us to look up into the night sky tonight and try to count the stars that shine in the darkness. That’s how Abraham’s descendants are today. Countless. There are more pictures and sculptures to see for Abraham, his son Isaac, Isaac’s son Jacob, and Jacob’s son Joseph. Moses gets another large display. There’s even a display for Rahab, the prostitute in Jericho who assisted the Israelite spies. In this great hall we have seen many people whom every Christian might call a saint. These are heroes of faith. These are believers who have entered heavenly rest. These are examples for us to emulate and figures to celebrate. And let’s not miss the note that says that all of these individuals who had longed for a better land are in the city that God has prepared for them. They didn’t earn it as some falsely teach about saints. They were saints, holy people, because God made them holy. He prepared the place for them, and he prepared them for the place. Now our tour guide speaks up. He wants to show us so much more, so many more examples of saints to consider and to emulate and to honor and to rejoice in. But pages are few in the book of Hebrews. One couldn’t build a museum big enough for every story and every person. Not every example worthy of such treatment can have his own display in the gallery.