We Are All Saints

All Saints Day

**Please note this service is based on the format of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Canada. Unless otherwise indicated, all prayers come from Evangelical Lutheran Worship (ELW). Hymns and other prayers have been sourced to give appropriate credit.

**NRSV translation used for the readings, unless otherwise stated.

**This is for personal use at home as the church is unable to gather in our houses of worship but together we can worship in our own homes.

Introduction to the Day

All Saints celebrates the baptized people of God, living and dead, who are the body of Christ. As November heralds the dying of the landscape in many northern regions, the readings and liturgy call us to remember all who have died in Christ and whose baptism is complete. At the Lord’s table we gather with the faithful of every time and place, trusting that the promises of God will be fulfilled and that all tears will be wiped away in the new Jerusalem.

Confession and Forgiveness

Blessed be the holy Trinity, ☩ one God,
in whose image we are made,
who claims us and calls us beloved.

Amen.

Holy One,
we confess that we are not awake for you.
We are not faithful in using your gifts.
We forget the least of our siblings.
We do not see your beautiful image in one another.
We are infected by sin
that divides your beloved community.
Open our hearts to your coming,
open our eyes to see you in our neighbor,
open our hands to serve your creation. Amen.

Beloved, we are God’s children,
and Jesus, our Beloved, opens the door to us.
Through ☩ Jesus you are forgiven,
by Jesus you are welcome,
in Jesus you are called to rejoice!
Let us live in the promises prepared for us
from the foundation of the world.

Amen.

Remembrance of All Saints

Let us remember all the saints before God.

We praise and bless you, O holy Trinity. You have taught your church that it is an ageless communion of saints. We thank you for gathering those who faithfully waited in hope for the redemption you promised, and now for adding us who celebrate the love of Christ for the redemption of the world. Prepare a place for us among those who are already with you. Help us remember them as an encouragement to saintly living, exciting us to love, in anticipation of an eternal reunion. With them we praise and bless you, O holy Trinity.
Amen.

Jesus says, Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me;
for I am gentle and humble in heart,
and you will find rest for your souls.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
And you will find rest for your souls.

Gathering Song – For All Your Saints, O Lord (ELW #427)

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Greeting

Beloved of God, called to be saints:
Grace, mercy, and peace be with you all.
And also with you.

Canticle of Praise

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Prayer of the Day

The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us pray.
Almighty God, you have knit your people together in one communion in the mystical body of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Grant us grace to follow your blessed saints in lives of faith and commitment, and to know the inexpressible joys you have prepared for those who love you, through Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen.

A reading from the Book of Revelation 7:9-17

The book of Revelation is written to seven churches in western Asia Minor during a time of great oppression. Today’s reading is a response to the question asked in 6:17: “Who is able to stand?” The writer gives the faithful the assurance of God’s protection and a vision of victory.

After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands. They cried out in a loud voice, saying,

“Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

And all the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, singing,

“Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom
and thanksgiving and honor
and power and might
be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, robed in white, and where have they come from?” I said to him, “Sir, you are the one that knows.” Then he said to me, “These are they who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

For this reason they are before the throne of God,
    and worship him day and night within his temple,
    and the one who is seated on the throne will shelter them.
They will hunger no more, and thirst no more;
    the sun will not strike them,
    nor any scorching heat;
for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd,
    and he will guide them to springs of the water of life,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

The word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Psalm 34:1-10, 22

I will bless the Lord at all times;
    his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul makes its boast in the Lord;
    let the humble hear and be glad.
O magnify the Lord with me,
    and let us exalt his name together.
I sought the Lord, and he answered me,
    and delivered me from all my fears.
Look to him, and be radiant;
    so your faces shall never be ashamed.
This poor soul cried, and was heard by the Lord,
    and was saved from every trouble.
The angel of the Lord encamps
    around those who fear him, and delivers them.
O taste and see that the Lord is good;
    happy are those who take refuge in him.
O fear the Lord, you his holy ones,
    for those who fear him have no want.
The young lions suffer want and hunger,
    but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
The Lord redeems the life of his servants;
    none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.

A reading from the First Letter of John 3:1-3

A saint is one who has been set apart by God for God’s purposes. God, out of divine love, set us apart to be the children of God. Our holy hope is that we shall see God as God really is.

See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is. And all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.

The word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Children’s Message

As Christians, we begin November by remembering those who have died. We call the first two days of November All Saints Day and All Souls Day.

November 1, All Saints Day, was called All Hallow’s Day because hallow is another word for holy. The night before was called All Hallow’s Eve, which was eventually shortened to Halloween. Dressing in scary costumes and putting up pictures of tombstones and ghosts are ways to make death seem less scary at a time when nature is reminding us of death.

But the Church offers us an even better way of thinking about those who have died. On All Saints Day and All Souls Day we remember that we are members of the People of God. United with God, we are also united with all Christians who have come before us in the Communion of Saints.

All Saints Day and All Souls Day are good opportunities for us to remember how we are connected to one another through the Communion of Saints. Listen for where those words come up during the service.

We pray in thanksgiving that we all have eternal life and are united in the Communion of Saints.

Amen.

Gospel Acclamation

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The Lord be with you.
And also with you.

The Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew 5:1-12
Glory to you, O Lord.

After Jesus begins teaching in the temple, religious leaders try to trap him with questions. First they ask if God’s people should pay taxes to an earthly tyrant like Caesar.

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

“Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

“Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

The gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.

Sermon

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts be acceptable and pleasing in your sight O Lord, for you are our rock and our redeemer. Amen.

Very rarely does the book of Revelation come up in our Sunday readings. When it does, it seems to me that we should reflect on it.

The Book of Revelation is often considered to be apocalyptic literature – heavily symbolic displaying distinctive literary characteristics and claims to unveil the truth about the world as viewed from an apocalyptic perspective.1

It’s a very imaginative book, full of colour and sound. The stories are full of divine visions granted to a seer and then interpreted by angels or other spiritual beings. Symbolism is prevalent throughout the Book of Revelation, with the visions involving bizarre creatures and mysterious events.

Theologians like Calvin and Luther wanted nothing to do with Revelation, neither writing a word about it. In pop culture, it fuels films ranging from pulp fiction to rock operas. Revelation fuels the human imagination, taking readers beyond themselves, expanding our horizons as it travels from earth to heaven and from present to future. And most of the time, it is very difficult to figure out what the experience means.2

You can see maybe why the creators of the common lectionary leave Revelation out of the cycle for the most part.

So why is it part of our readings today? On All Saint’s Sunday?

The custom on All Saints Day is to remember those who have died in the last year. It gives us a moment to grieve those we have lost but also to move to thanksgiving for their life and, even more, for their place now among the saints gathered in the nearer presence of God.

All religions have saints – those who are deceased, and those who are living and walking among us, and if we think with Paul, perhaps even we ourselves are saints. The word saint is not limited to the “greats” of history, for Paul and other writers in the New Testament use the term synonymously with Christian and, at times, believer. No matter how you define it, the word saint has broad implications, and that is perhaps the best way to describe today’s passage from Revelation 7.

In contrast to the first eight verses in this chapter which depict a specific number of worshipers (144,000), Revelation 7:9 casts a larger and more general vision for those who are able to worship around the throne of the Lamb. Beginning with verse 9, the writer describes a great multitude that is countless, numbering those from every tribe, and people, and language. There is no limit to the scope of this multitude, be it geographic, ethnic, numeric, linguistic, economic, and on the list goes.

Also, this multitude is seen and heard. The multitude is clad in white, it is waving palm branches, and it is crying hymns of praise in a loud voice. While much of this imagery parallels the Triumphal Entry scene as depicted in the gospels, it should be noted that this multitude pledges itself to the Lamb. Unlike the multitude in the Triumphal Entry scene that later turns its back on the Messiah, this multitude will remain faithful to the Lamb “forever and ever.”3

They remain loyal to the Lamb, they wash their robes, and they worship in the temple. As a result, they are sheltered, they are fed, and they are protected. Summed up, it might be said that this multitude has found freedom in the One they worship. Herein, the prophecy of Isaiah 25 is fulfilled.

This passage reminds us that being a faithful witness – like the great multitude – is the baptismal vocation of us all. It also reminds us that when we live out our Christian vocation, we find freedom in the Lamb of God who sustains all of us.

Most importantly, this passage reminds us that the vision for sainthood is all encompassing. It is all-inclusive.

And so, on this Feast Day of All Saints, we Christians around the world gather to celebrate the lives of those saints who have gone on before us. We read the names of those who have passed since the last time we observed this day; do it with solemnity and dignity and reverence and joy.

But let us also remember that loss that deserves notice and demands comfort comes from many places, not only death. It comes in leave-takings, as we depart for a new job and home and leave beloved friends and colleagues behind. It comes as you slowly lose a loved one to Alzheimer’s. It comes in the loss of employment or dignity. It comes from struggles with illness both of body and mind. It comes from being isolated for months from friends and family.

Loss comes at us from so many sources.

The passage from Revelation then becomes a letter of encouragement, hope, and comfort to all of us who are struggling with enormous loss over the last 12 months, and not just in loved ones who have died.

When struck with grief or loss, there is little capacity to imagine, let alone move toward, a future not dominated by these difficult realities.

But Christ promises us that with faith in him, we will be sheltered, fed, and protected.

Jesus will indeed wipe every tear from our eyes one day.

In the meantime, Jesus sees our struggles and knows our grief. Indeed, he has borne them in his cross and bears them with us even now.

So I ask again, why does Revelation show up, really, only on All Saints Day in our lectionary?

Because this passage is a reminder that sanctity is a gift from God, and that commemorating the Saints in our lives, living and dead, is a way of affirming that the transformative power of Christ is at work all about us in human lives. We are saints because God’s sanctity is at work in us.4

Amen.

[1] Powell, Mark Allan. Introducing the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Publishing Group, 2009. P. 523.

[2] Ibid. P. 537.

[3] Rowland, Christopher C. “The Book of Revelation: Introduction, Commentary, and Reflections,” in The New Interpreter’s Bible: Volume XII, ed. Leander E. Keck, Thomas G. Long, David L. Petersen, et al, The New Interpreter’s Bible: A Commentary in Twelve Volumes. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1994. P. 621.

[4] Stookey, Lawrence Hull. Christ’s Time for the Church. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1996. P. 141-142.

Hymn of the Day – For All the Saints (ELW #422)

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Creed

Let us confess the faith of our baptism, as we say the Nicene Creed:

We believe in one God,
    the Father, the Almighty,
    maker of heaven and earth,
    of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
    the only Son of God,
    eternally begotten of the Father,
    God from God, Light from Light,
    true God from true God,
    begotten, not made,
    of one Being with the Father;
    through him all things were made.
    For us and for our salvation
            he came down from heaven,
            was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary
            and became truly human.
            For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
            he suffered death and was buried.
            On the third day he rose again
            in accordance with the scriptures;
            he ascended into heaven
            and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
            He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
            and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
    who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
    who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified,
    who has spoken through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
    and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Prayers of Intercession

Longing for Christ’s reign to come among us, we pray for the outpouring of God’s power on the church, the world, and all in need.

Silence

Lord of all the saints, we praise you for evangelists and martyrs whose sacrifices witness to your gospel across time and space. Inspire us by their courage to carry our faith to new people and places around us.

Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.

Lord of every place, the universe proclaims your greatness from generation to generation. Bless the work of naturalists, and conservationists who train our attention to the wonders of the world you have made.

Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.

Lord of every blessing, your Son’s blessing came to those living with poverty, grief, hunger, thirst, and persecution. Shape our vision of the saints to match his own. Awaken in us your call to serve all who suffer. We pray especially for all those we name aloud or in our heart.

Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.

Lord of every venture, anoint us with the missionary spirit of the early church. Bless all new missions of our synod. Empower testimony from new communities of faith to shape a diverse witness to your saving power.

Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.

Lord of every time, countless are the multitudes you have called by name and gathered to yourself. Comfort us as we grieve those who have died in the past year. In faith, may we join with them in ceaseless praise.

Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.

Receive our prayers in the name of Jesus Christ our Saviour, until that day when you gather all creation around your throne where you will reign forever and ever.

Amen.

Peace

The peace of Christ be with you always.
And also with you.

Hymn of Thanksgiving – Precious Lord, Take My Hand (ELW #773)

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Thanksgiving for the Word

Let us pray.

O God of justice and love, we give thanks to you that you illumine our way through life with the words of your Son. Give us the light we need, awaken us to the needs of others, and at the end bring all the world to your feast; through Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory forever.

Amen.

Lord’s Prayer

Gathered into one by the Holy Spirit, let us pray as Jesus taught us.

Our Father, who art in heaven,
    hallowed be thy name,
    thy kingdom come,
    thy will be done,
        on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses,
    as we forgive those
        who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
    but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
    and the power, and the glory,
    forever and ever. Amen.

Blessing

May the God of all creation, in whose image we are made, who claims us and calls us beloved, who strengthens us for service, give you reason to rejoice and be glad! The blessing of God, Sovereign, ☩ Saviour, and Spirit, be with you today and always.

Amen.

Sending Song – Shall We Gather at the River (ELW #423)

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Dismissal

Beloved of God, go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
Thanks be to God.