2 November 2020 All Souls

On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples
a feast of rich food, a feast of well-matured wines,
of rich food filled with marrow, of well-matured wines strained clear.
And he will destroy on this mountain
the shroud that is cast over all peoples,
the sheet that is spread over all nations;
he will swallow up death for ever.
Then the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces,
and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth,
for the Lord has spoken.

From Isaiah 25: 6-9, NRSV

These wonderfully consoling words are often read at funerals and can bring great comfort to those in distress. They must also have brought great consolation to the people who heard them for the first time. For these people, death marked a transition to “Sheol”, a place of darkness and punishment. Yet here the prophet is assuring them that God’s love is so great that it accompanies the faithful even in death. As we remember today those who have died, we too have the reassurance that whatever our imperfections, our destiny is a place where all fear, sadness and disgrace will be wiped away for ever.

• • Why does the prophet say that death will be destroyed (swallowed up)?
  • What do these words mean to you?

Pray today for those who have died and who are on their journey to heaven. You may like to read or listen to a sung version of Psalm 23. Here is one version