By: Rev. Stephanie York Arnold
November 1, 2025
On All Saints’ Day, I find myself thinking and reflecting on those who have passed from this life to the next. The list is long at my church this year, and it is filled with the names of people I have known for many years. Because our lives have intersected so meaningfully, this All Saints’ Sunday will be more than just names called out and remembered. Instead, by their influences, I find myself taking spiritual inventory of the many saints who have shaped and formed my life. Included in that inventory are the countless ancient women of faith who have impacted my journey. We likely will not call their names, but they are no less Saints to be remembered who surround us and encourage us along our journey of faith.
Eve, the first woman. A partner and helpmate because the Divine saw that life without community and intimacy with another to be less than abundant life. Often, she is misrepresented in our remembrance and painted a temptress. She knows the sting of being seen as something you are not.
Sarai, the wife of Abram whose name was changed when they entered covenant relationship with God and left all they had known to move to an unknown land. She endured watching her handmaid bear her husband a son before she, incredibly, became pregnant with Isaac. She knows what it is like to leave behind all you have known, feeling barren and second best.
Shiphrah and Puah, who despite the Egyptian King’s command to murder the Hebrew boys born under their watchful midwifery, defied orders and hid baby Moses helping to be instruments of salvation to an entire nation of people. They know the weight of facing empire, injustice and oppression.
Deborah, prophetess and the only female judge known of in the pre-monarchic Israel, was called to speak truth and offer wisdom in the face of Israel turning from God. She knows the burden and delight of understanding and sharing the Divine’s Wisdom as she leads others.
Vashti, Queen of Persia. When King Ahasuerus drunkenly commanded her to parade naked in front of fellow elites of his kingdom, she courageously refused and was banished from her home, replaced with another queen. She knows what it feels like to be reduced to an object for another’s pleasure.
Bathsheba, spied upon, ogled and raped by King David before forcibly becoming a widow. She then is wed to her assaulter and bears his children. She knows the haunting pain of sexual violence and the gripping fear of power used for harm.
Mary, invited by The Divine Presence to conceive, carry and mother Jesus, who is Christ incarnate. She, unlike Bethsheba, is given agency and courageously chooses to offer her life and body to this Divine invitation. She knows the gift and sorrow of Divine Love that reaches your inner depths and leads you to endure all things.
Mary of Magdala, follower and close friend of Jesus who was the first apostle and preacher of the Gospel after encountering the Risen Christ. Other disciples found her message of resurrection unbelievable, and history would seek to vilify her and deem her a prostitute without evidence. She knows the joy of lived experiences, intimate friendship with Christ, and the power of a resurrected life.
Junia, an early apostle of Christ who was following Jesus even before Paul and who was imprisoned alongside him for spreading of the Gospel. She knows what it feels like to be a leader and a shepherd of people. She also knows the cost of that leadership and chose it anyway.
Lydia, considered the first European convert to Christianity. She and her entire household were baptized after she listened to Paul’s preaching in Philippi. She was a wealthy merchant and showed incredible hospitality and generosity to those leading the early church. She knows the gift of choosing to be generous with her resources.
During this holy season of remembering those who have gone before us, may we call the names and remember those we have lived life with and known intimately. May we remember the ways they blessed us in our daily living and the things we have come to understand because of their lived experiences and faithfulness.
May we also remember those saints who are woven throughout our sacred text whose stories we have learned in our faith formation. The lessons of their lives not only shaped and formed them in their age but have the power to encourage us and lead us forward in our faith today.
May we see those women of faith standing alongside us, journeying with us and calling us forward with love, steadfastness, courage and perseverance. Remembering, they, like those who have departed from their earthly life since last All Saints’ Day, are always with us as “love never dies” (1 Cor. 13:8).
York Arnold is the general secretary for the General Commission on the Status and Role of Women.