Bulletin – Sunday, October 30, 2022 – Our Saints Day

Sunday, October 30, 2022
Our Saints Day

Approach

Lighting the Christ Candle

As we light this candle, Gracious God: we remember that you are the love that created the world, you are the light which shines in the dark; you are the one who is here with us now. Holy God. There are times when we cannot feel your love, times when we struggle to see your light, times when you seem absent, and we feel empty. The light from this candle reminds us that you are always there, where the pain is raw, you send relief; when fear paralyses, you pour out peace; where anger festers, you show mercy; when doubts overwhelm, you hold us fast. In the light of this candle we come together today to remember and lift up those saints whom we have lost and as we remember we mourn our loss.

Call to Worship

One:   God, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations.
All:      Before the mountains were born

One:   or you brought forth the earth and the world,
All:      from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

One:   A thousand years in your sight
All:      are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night.

One:   Teach us to number our days aright,
All:      that we may gain a heart of wisdom (Psalm 90)

One:   In all that we do may we worship you.
All:      As we come together in remembrance may we worship you.

Hymn – “Eternal, Unchanging, We Sing”

Eternal, Unchanging, we sing to your praise:
Your mercies are endless, and righteous your ways;
Your servants proclaim the renown of your name
Who rules over all and is ever the same.

Again we rejoice in the world you have made,
Your mighty creation in beauty arrayed,
We thank you for life, and we praise you for joy,
For love and for hope that no power can destroy.

We praise you for Jesus, our Master and Lord,
The might of his Spirit, the truth of his word,
His comfort in sorrow, his patience in pain,
The faith sure and steadfast that Jesus shall reign.

Prayer of Approach and Confession

Merciful God, our Creator and Redeemer, as you knit each of us together at the beginning of our life, so you also draw us together to be one—a community of believers. Grant us humility and gratitude as we remember your saints who have lived among us. Grant us courage and grace to follow their path of faith, love, and caring. And above all, stir up our faith that we may come to know you better.

Merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart and mind and strength. We have not loved our neighbours as ourselves. In you mercy forgive what we have been, help us amend what we are, and direct what we shall be, so that we come together in a community of love, faith, care, concern, hope.

As we remember those saints whom we now miss may we remember you call to come to this place, with these people and live as you call us to live. Amen.

Words of Assurance

Response – “A New Creed”

We are not alone,
We live in God’s world,
We believe in God,
Who has created and is creating,
Who has come in Jesus, the Word made flesh,
To reconcile and make new,
Who works in us and others by the Spirit.
We trust in God.

We are called to be the Church,
To celebrate God’s presence,
To live with respect in Creation,
To love and serve others,
To seek justice and resist evil,
To proclaim Jesus, crucified and risen,
Our judge and our hope.

In life, in death, in life beyond death,
God is with us.
We are not alone.
Thanks be to God.

Time for All Ages

The Word

Scripture Reading:           Isaiah 25:6-9

⁶ On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines, of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wines strained clear. ⁷ And he will destroy on this mountain the shroud that is cast over all peoples, the sheet that is spread over all nations; ⁸ he will swallow up death forever. 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. ⁹ It will be said on that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us. This is the LORD for whom we have waited; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.

Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church.
Thanks be to God!

Remembering Our Saints

Meditation – “To Remember”

Anthem – “I Will Serve the Lord All My Days”

Offering / Response

Grant us, God, the grace of giving with a spirit large and free.
That ourselves and all our living we may offer faithfully.

The Response

Prayers of the People

One:   Loving God, as we come to you in prayer, our minds are full of many memories of loved ones and people of whom we know, whom we have lost.

One:   We remember old people who lived long and rich lives. We remember people whose deaths came to soon or perhaps too suddenly. We remember whose who died peacefully and those who died in terrible circumstances—and those who sacrificed themselves in war and peace, for the good of others.

One:   The circumstances of death are as varied as life itself. Every birth is unique and so is every death. We offer all our memories to you, Gracious God. There are happy memories of those who are gone, though we are sad as well. We that you for those good memories, Compassionate God.

One:   Sometimes, however, we feel ashamed, because of things that happened or didn’t happen. We are sorry. We thank you, Caring God, that you forgive us, heal us, and help us to begin anew.

One:   We pray for ourselves and each other. We lift to you those in this community, and beyond, for whom we pray this day…we also no silently name those who are dear to our hearts whom we privately lift up to you…

One:   Healing God, bear the pain of those broken by grief, comfort where there is sadness, grant rest to those who lie awake in the small hours of the night, be close to those who are lonely, and heal where there is hurt. Grant wisdom, and teach us to care well for those who face legal and financial problems because of a death. Christ Jesus, you conquered death. Help us to understand and come to terms with our own mortality, so that we need not be afraid of it. May your Spirit give us confidence that when our own deaths are near you will support us and care for us.

One:   We pray for our nation and for the world. Every year unhappy deaths and unhappy memories burden our community, our nation and the world-wide human family. We know that grief knows no human boundary, no limit of race or belief. We pray for those who suffer because of accident, disease, disaster and trouble, in their own lives and the lives of those they love. We pray for those who face the ordeal of having their personal grief at the centre of legal proceedings, political debate and media attention.

One:   Merciful God, comfort all those who grieve, whatever the circumstance. As we seek justice and safety, teach us to conduct our personal lives and our national life that we do not cause injury and death to others.

One:   Loving God, as we remember those who have died, we know that you are with us in our remembering, with us in our struggle to come to terms with the past, and with us in our struggle to find faith for today and for the future.

One:   Be close to us now, we pray. Help us to remember well, and to remember peacefully. Amen.

Hymn – “Those Hearts that We have Treasured”

Those hearts that we have treasured, those lives that we have shared;
Those loves that walked beside us, those friends for whom we’ve cared,
Their blessing rests upon us, their life is memory,
Their suffering is over, their spirits are set free.

They still give hope and comfort, they did not lose the fight;
They showed us truth and goodness, they shine into our night.
Remember days of gladness; remember times of joy;
Remember all the moments that grief cannot destroy.

From hearts that we have treasured, from lives that we have shared,
From loves that walked beside us, from friends for whom we’ve cared,
We’ve learned to treasure kindness, we’ve learned that grace provides,
We’ve learned to be together, we’ve learned that love abides.

Benediction

May God give to you and to all those whom you love comfort and peace, light and joy, in this world and the next; and the blessing of God be with you this day, as we have come together to remember, and every day as you walk through this world. Amen.

Response – “Peace be with You”

Peace be with you, peace forever,
Peace be with you, my friends.
Till we meet again, may God be with you.
Peace, peace, peace.