All Souls Day or the Commemoration of the Faithful Departed.

All Souls Day follows All Saints Day (Nov 1) and the vigil of All Saints (Halloween). Like many parishes, St. Simon’s will remember All Saints Day at our weekend services following Nov 1st, and we are guilty of mashing together All Saints and All Souls. For me, following the New Testament understanding that all those who have died in Christ are saints, but also recognizing those who have a special remembrance in our calendar of Lesser Feasts is a juggling act worth the juggle. We will name in church all those we have lost since the previous All Saints Day as well as allowing time for people to name their loved ones who are part of the Faithful Departed. We celebrate their lives and sing for ALL the saints who from their labors rest.

Today begins our Craft Fair at St. Simon’s, come shop if you are in the area! Over 100 booths of homemade crafts, great Christmas shopping opportunities along with our world famous Cajun Pickles!

Then tonight we are joining with a multitude of faith groups in a prayer vigil for those lost in the mass murders at the synagogue in Pittsburg, to pray and remind each other of the way of love in the midst of a world that seems to has lost that way at times. We will be at the Landing in Ft. Walton Beach at 5pm,

For to your faithful people, O Lord, life is changed, not ended; and when our mortal body lies in death, there is prepared for us a dwelling place eternal in the heavens.

It’s the feast day of our patron saint! St. Simon and St. Jude, disciples of Jesus, share a feast day. We are blessed to have both a St. Simon and a St. Jude Episcopal churches in Okaloosa County. Here is the Collect for their feast day.

O God, we thank you for the glorious company of the apostles, and especially on this day for Simon and Jude; and we pray that, as they were faithful and zealous in their mission, so we may with ardent devotion make known the love and mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Faithful AND zealous in their mission. We need more of that don’t we? And we also need, I think, more ardent devotion SO WE MAY make known the love and mercy of Jesus.

An amazing weekend at St. Simon’s. The ordination to the Priesthood of our Curate, the Reverend Forbes Sirmon, on Saturday was really awesome! Joyous and beautiful and the Holy Spirit showed up and “Made him a Priest”! I had the privilege and honor of preaching and really had a fun and holy time with that!

Today we had wonderful services, although we also took time to remember those murdered in cold blood for simply being Jewish on Saturday in Pittsburg. As the preacher today also, that was one of those change-the-sermon-at-5am moments. Like I suspect most if not all preachers, I sure am weary of having to deal with such senseless slaughter and evil as took place at the Synagogue in Pittsburg. It is heart breaking.

All these sermons are posted on our website, usually by Monday afternoon. www.stsimons-fwb.org, if you want to take a listen.

Father Forbes was Celebrant today for the first time ever and he did a wonderful job. Playing with holy fire is exhilarating and dangerous and wonderful, welcome to the college of Presbyters, Forbes!

Then this afternoon we had a really great Trunk or Treat event, with around 80 folks, adults and kids, very cool trunk decorations, fun games, great costumes and, of course, HOT DOGS! It was a beautiful afternoon and evening right there on the Sound, and near the end, the Blue Angels (who are stationed in Pensacola), flew right over us, on their way back to their home base (Zoom in). I bet your trunk or treat didn’t have that! We were reminded of our blessings during a time when people are hurting and afraid, or still recovering, right down the road from us, from Hurricane Michael. Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy.

Suffrage’s B from Evening Prayer was the right one for this weekend, for all those suffering, all those afraid, all those seeking answers, all those searching.

That this evening may be holy, good, and peaceful,

We entreat you, O Lord.

That your holy angels may lead us in paths of peace and goodwill,

We entreat you, O Lord.

That we may be pardoned and forgiven for our sins and offenses,

We entreat you, O Lord.

That there may be peace to your Church and to the whole world,

We entreat you, O Lord.

That we may depart this life in your faith and fear, 
and not be condemned before the great judgment seat of Christ,

We entreat you, O Lord.

That we may be bound together by your Holy Spirit in 
the communion of all your saints, 
entrusting one another and all our life to Christ,

We entreat you, O Lord.