All Saints Sunday -- Year A - Worship Service 11:00 am - 12:00 PM Service -- Pastor Naomi Carriker

We gather each Sunday at 11:00 am for worship by singing hymns, hearing readings from the bible, praying together and a celebration of Holy Communion. Communion is the spiritual bread our bodies need to live. All are invited to join us at the Lord's table to be fed by his heavenly food, There are no strangers in God’s house, and if you choose to worship with us, we would be honored by your presence.

Introduction to todays service.

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.

Prayer of the Day

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 Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Amen.

First Reading: 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.

Psalm: 34:1-10, 22

Fear the Lord, you saints of the Lord; for those who fear the Lord lack nothing. (Ps. 34:9)

Second Reading:  1 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.

Gospel:  Matthew 5:1-12

 In the Beatitudes, Jesus provides a unique description of those who are blessed with God’s favor. His teaching is surprising and shocking to those who seek wealth, fame, and control over others.

1  When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he sat down, his disciples came to him.

2  And he began to speak and taught them, saying:  

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

11  “Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.

12  Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

After the Sermon, Holy Communion will be offered. Come as you are, the gift of the Table of the Lord has been prepared as Jesus has requested and now we are invited to the meal. Come to the table like Peter, with more enthusiasm than resolve and like James and John, disappointed and the priorities of God’s reign. Come to the table like Martha, hosting and leading with confidence like Mary, full of love and grief. Come to the table like Judas, disillusioned and rebellious and like Mary Magdalene, faithful till the end. Come to the table, because it is God who invites us and it’s God’s will that those who want to should meet God here.

Blessing for the day (Our blessing is an adaptation of a Franciscan Prayer)

May God bless us with discomfort at a Easy answers, half truths and superficial leaderships so that we may live out God’s will deep in our heartland in our world.

May god bless with anger at injustice, oppression and exploration and the environments that we may work for justice, freedom and peace.

May God bless us with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, hunger and war so that we may reach out with hands and hearts to help them, walk with them and turn their pain into hope and joy.

And may God bless us with enough foolishness to believe that we can make a difference in this world, so that we can do what others claim cannot be done. To bring justice, peace, hope and love to all children, the poor and all others in any need.

God be your comfort, your strength;

God be your hope and support;

God be your light and your way; and the blessing of God Creator, Redeemer and Giver of Life, remain with you now and forever.