Bulletin – Sunday, October 31, 2021

Sunday, October 31, 2021
Our Saints’ Day

Approach

Lighting the Candle

On this All Saint’s Sunday, as we come to light our Christ Candle, we give thanks, first of all, for all the saints who have held the Christ Light for us when we had no strength to hold it ourselves. We give thanks for all the saints whose lives stand as witness to light and love, and who invite our light to join theirs. And we give thanks also for those whose work for peace and justice, inspiring us to learn, grow, and discover our own light in this good work of healing in the world with God’s love.

(written by Bob Root, Gatherings, Pentecost 2, 2021, page 44, used with permission)

Call to Worship

One:   Come, you saints of God, let us praise and worship God who has gathered us together this morning.
All:      We have come. Our hearts are ready to give God praise.

One:   Come, you saints of God, who are called to carry out God’s work in the world.
All:      We have come. We are ready to do God’s will.

One:   Come, you saints of God, remember all those who have gone before us, the faithful who have carried the torch of faith and lit the way.
All:      We have come. We remember those who have helped us on our journey and accompany us still.

One:   Come, you saints of God, in the communion of saints, let us worship God.
All:      We have come. Let us worship God today.

(adapted from Sue Webb, Gatherings, Pentecost 2, 2021, page 45, used with permission)

Hymn – “The Church is Wherever”

The church is wherever God’s people are praising,
Singing God’s goodness for joy on this day.
The church is wherever disciples of Jesus
Remember his story and walk in his way.

The church is wherever God’s people are helping,
Caring for neighbours in sickness and need.
The church is wherever God’s people are sharing
The words of the bible in gift and in deed.

Prayer of Approach

Loving God we gather together today to remember, this community and these people, as we come back together. We remember and give thanks for the foundation you built, the church community you loved, the community you grew. We carry our faith in this new day.

We reach out to each other, greeting each other without touch, without words. We are thankful for the blessing of being present, here, in our sanctuary, with each other. We offer blessing in this new day.

We are grieving the dear ones who are not here. We grieve those we have lost and have not been able to say “goodbye” to. We remember their places among us and how they have shaped who we are and who we are called to be as a community of faith. We lament that it is still not safe for many to move freely because of COVID-19. For all who are missing, but close in spirit, we hold you in love, this day.

We do not know what the future holds, Loving God. We extend our hopes and prayers for the world, out in cyberspace, across the distance, into the community. We bless, in your name. We pray as your people. May we be a sign of your coming, a sign of hope for the new world, the new day that is born in Christ, today and each day. Amen.

(adapted from Wendy MacLean, Gatherings, Pentecost 2, 2021, page 63, used with permission)

Prayer of Confession

God of Love, we have placed our only hope in the things we can see and touch, and have denied ourselves, or those close to us, that greater hope in the glory of things unseen. We have chosen to nurse our grief for the loss of dear ones with the bitterness of those who weep without hope or faith in your saving love.

We put the saints on pious pedestals and restrict ourselves to a diminished respect for our own capacity to grow in the knowledge and love of God. God of love, we thank you for your patience. You have given us many guides and helpers to inspire us and have given us the word that one day we shall be as Christ Jesus is; yet we have been slow to hear, reluctant to learn and sluggish in our efforts.

We repent this our lack of faith and love and ask that the love of Jesus Christ which so healed and uplifted the saints, may mercifully deal with our sins and empower our renewed good intentions. This we humbly ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Words of Assurance

Time for All Ages

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.

The Word

Scripture Reading:           Isaiah 45:6-9

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.

Scripture Reading:           Revelation 21:1-6

¹Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. ² And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. ³ And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them;
⁴ he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.” ⁵ And the one who was seated on the throne said, “See, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.” ⁶ Then he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life.

Scripture Reading:           John 14:1-6a

¹ “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. ² In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? ³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. ⁴ And you know the way to the place where I am going.” ⁵ Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” ⁶ Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.

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

Meditation – “Who are the Saints?”

Anthem – “I’ll Fly Away”

The Response

Prayers of the People

One:   God of the prophets, God of Christ: we are reminded today that your blessings do not necessarily follow the logic of the world. The world believes that the rich are blessed, but Jesus reminds us that it is the poor who are blessed, the poor in spirit and the materially poor as well. We pray for a more just world in which all have enough, and none are left behind. Hear our prayer.
All:      and in your love, answer.

One:   Though we fear death and avoid its inevitable arrival, Jesus tells us that those who mourn are blessed. Help us to experience the truth of this mystery, bring healing and wholeness to those who are sick; and comfort those of us who have lost loved ones. Help us be your presence in the lives of those we lift up to you today…Hear our prayer.
All:      and in your love, answer.

One:   While people covet power, Jesus blesses the meek; instruct us, O God, in the ways of humility; help us to stand in solidarity with the oppressed and marginalized; show us your presence in the faces of those the world forgets. Hear our prayer.
All:      and in your love, answer.

One:   Give us a hunger and thirst for righteousness; fill our hearts with love, overflowing with mercy, make our hearts pure, and give us a vision of your glory. Hear our prayer.
All:      and in your love, answer.

One:   In a society divided by race, gender, class, ideology, sexual orientation, and so many other labels we alone have created, remind us that we are created in your image, each of us a beautiful reflection of you, each of us your beloved child. Help us then to end our conflicts and wars, help us to be peacemakers and agents of reconciliation. Hear our prayer.
All:      and in your love, answer.

One:   Gracious God, you have so richly blessed us with life, with love and joy, with hope in the midst of despair. Help us to be the salt of the earth. Help us to be the light of the world, sharing with others that which we have received, boldly proclaiming the good news of your love, finding the seeds of your kingdom within us and letting your way grow in our lives and throughout the world. Hear our prayer.
All:      and in your love, answer.

One:   Give us eyes to see the ways you are changing the world in which we live. Give us ears to hear your call to join with you in the great transformation. Hear us now, O God, as we pray for the coming of your kingdom, following Christ as he taught us to pray:
All:      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.

Hymn – “For the Faithful Who have Answered”

For the faithful who have answered when they heard your call to serve,
For the many ways you led them testing will and stretching nerve,
For their work and for their witness as they strove against the odds,
For their courage and obedience we give thanks and praise, O God.

Many eyes have glimpsed the promise, many hearts have yearned to see.
Many ears have heard you calling us to greater liberty.
Some have fallen in the struggle, others still are fighting on.
You are not ashamed to own us. We give thanks and praise, O God.

For this cloud of faithful witness, for the common life we share,
For the work of peace and justice, for the gospel that we bear,
For the vision that our homeland is your love—deep, high, and broad—
For the different roads we travel we give thanks and praise, O God.

Benediction

As you go about your week, think about the saints in your life and the blessings you have received from them. Let us leave this time together, renewed and inspired by those who have lived as saints before us and among us. May we continue to grow in our faith, may we follow in the footsteps of the saints that we have lost from this community, may we continue to see to live in the way of Jesus. Amen

(adapted from Carol Frost, Gatherings, Pentecost 2 2021, page 45, used with permission)

Response

Amen, amen, amen.