Worship Service: November 7, 2021, All Saints Sunday

Gathering

Prelude

Opening Hymn #175 (green hymnal)

“Ye Watchers and Ye Holy Ones” v. 1, 3-4

1  Ye watchers and ye holy ones,
bright seraphs, cherubim, and thrones,
raise the glad strain: “Alleluia!”
Cry out, dominions, princedoms, pow’rs,
archangels, virtues, angel choirs:
“Alleluia! Alleluia!” Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

3  Respond, ye souls in endless rest,
ye patriarchs and prophets blest:
“Alleluia! Alleluia!”
Ye holy twelve, ye martyrs strong,
all saints triumphant, raise the song:
“Alleluia! Alleluia!” Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

4  O friends, in gladness let us sing,
supernal anthems echoing:
“Alleluia! Alleluia!”
To God the Father, God the Son,
and God the Spirit, Three in One:
“Alleluia! Alleluia!” Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

Thanksgiving for Baptism

All may make the sign of the cross, the sign marked at baptism, as the presiding minister begins.

P: In the name of the Father, and of the ☩ Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

C: Amen.

P: Joined to Christ in the waters of baptism, we are clothed with God’s mercy and forgiveness. Let us give thanks for the gift of baptism.

   We give you thanks, O God, for in the beginning your Spirit moved over the waters and by your Word you created the world, calling forth life in which you took delight.

   Through the waters of the flood you delivered Noah and his family. Through the sea you led your people Israel from slavery into freedom. At the river your Son was baptized by John and anointed with the Holy Spirit. By water and your Word you claim us as daughters and sons, making us heirs of your promise and servants of all.

   We praise you for the gift of water that sustains life, and above all we praise you for the gift of new life in Jesus Christ. Shower us with your Spirit, and renew our lives with your forgiveness, grace, and love.

   To you be given honor and praise through Jesus Christ our Lord in the unity of the Holy Spirit, now and forever.

C: Amen.

Greeting and Prayer of the Day

P: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

C: And also with you.

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

C: Amen.

The Word

Blessing of the Lector

P: Let us pray. God Almighty, we ask your blessing upon Kathy as she reads to us the scriptures. May the words of her mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our rock and our redeemer.

C: Amen.

First 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.

  The word of the Lord.

C: Thanks be to God.

Psalmody: Special Music

“Lift Up Your Heads” (Psalm 24)

The lector reads v. 1 and 2 of Psalm 24.

1 The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it,
  the world and those who dwell therein.
2 For the Lord has founded it upon the seas
  and established it upon the rivers.

   Who may ascend God’s Holy Hill?
Stand within God’s holy place?
Those with clean hands; those whose hearts are pure.
They will receive God’s blessings.
They will receive God’s mercy.
Those whose generations seek the Lord!

   Lift up your heads, O ye gates.
Be lifted up ye ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in!
Who is this King of glory?
This Lord so strong and mighty?
It’s our Lord Almighty, hallelujah!
God is the King of Kings!

Second Reading: Revelation 21:1-6a

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. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 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;
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.”
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.” 6a Then he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.”

  The word of the Lord.

C: Thanks be to God.

Gospel: John 11:32-44

P: The holy gospel according to St. John, the 11th chapter.

C: Glory to you, O Lord.

32 When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. 34 He said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Jesus began to weep. 36 So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” 37 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”
38 Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. 39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days.” 40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” 41 So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, “Father, I thank you for having heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me.” 43 When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”

P: The gospel of the Lord.

C: Praise to you, O Christ.

Children’s Sermon

Sermon

Silence for meditation

Hymn of the Day #176 (green hymnal)

“For All Your Saints, O Lord” v. 1-4

1  For all your saints, O Lord,
who strove in you to live,
who followed you, obeyed, adored,
our grateful hymn receive.

2  For all your saints, O Lord,
who strove in you to die,
who counted you their great reward,
accept our thankful cry.

3  They all in life and death,
with you, their Lord, in view,
learned from your Holy Spirit’s breath
to suffer and to do.

4  For this, your name we bless
and humbly pray anew
that we like them in holiness
may live and die in you.

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;
  by the power of the Holy Spirit
   he became incarnate from the virgin Mary,
   and was made man.
 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.
 With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified.
 He 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

A: Let us pray for the whole people of God in Christ Jesus, and for all people according to their needs.

After each petition:

A: Lord, in your mercy,

C: Hear our prayer.

After the last petition:

A: Into your hands, O Lord, we commend all for whom we pray, trusting in your mercy; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

C: Amen.

Peace

P: The peace of Christ be with you always.

C: And also with you.

The Meal

Temple Talk: Nick Huitger – “Worship – I Feel like a New Person”

Offering Prayer

A: Let us pray.

C: God of all creation, all you have made is good, and your love endures forever. You bring forth bread from the earth and fruit from the vine. Nourish us with these gifts, that we might be for the world signs of your gracious presence in Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

Great Thanksgiving

P: The Lord be with you.

C: And also with you.

P: Lift up your hearts.

C: We lift them to the Lord.

P: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

C: It is right to give our thanks and praise.

P: In the night in which he was betrayed, our Lord Jesus took bread, and gave thanks; broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying: Take and eat; this is my body, given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me.

  Again, after supper, he took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it for all to drink, saying: This cup is the new covenant in my blood, shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sin. Do this for the remembrance of me.

  Lord, remember us in your kingdom, and teach us to pray:

The Lord’s Prayer

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.

Thanksgiving for the Baptized Saints of All Times and Places

P: God of grace and glory, we remember before you today our brothers and sisters who have shared our common life and have died in this past year, including:

☩ Julie Accetta ☩ David Faulkner ☩ Sandra Hale ☩ Richard Hoffman ☩ Doris Minton ☩ Jack Moorhouse ☩ Paul Pieper ☩ Mary Ellen Welsh ☩

   and all those whom we name before you in our hearts. We thank you for giving them to us to know and to love as companions in our pilgrimage on earth. In your boundless compassion, console us who remain. Give us faith to see that death has been swallowed up in the victory of our Lord Jesus Christ, so that we may live in confidence and hope until, by your call, we are gathered to our heavenly home in the company of all your saints; through Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord.

C: Amen.

Invitation to Communion

P: Feast at the banquet, saints on earth, with all the saints in heaven.

  The Body of Christ, broken for you.

  The Blood of Christ, shed for you.

All eat bread and drink wine or juice at their seat.

Communion Hymn #702 (blue hymnal)

“I Am the Bread of Life”

1  “I am the Bread of life.
You who come to me shall not hunger,
and who believe in me shall not thirst.
No one can come to me unless the Father beckons.”

Refrain
“And I will raise you up,
and I will raise you up,
and I will raise you up on the last day.”

2  “The bread that I will give
is my flesh for the life of the world,
and if you eat of this bread,
you shall live forever, you shall live forever.” Refrain

3  “Unless you eat
of the flesh of the Son of Man
and drink of his blood,
and drink of his blood,
you shall not have life within you.” Refrain

4  “I am the resurrection,
I am the life.
If you believe in me,
even though you die, you shall live forever.” Refrain

5  Yes, Lord, I believe
that you are the Christ,
the Son of God,
who have come into the world. Refrain

Hymn of Remembrance #691 (blue hymnal)

“Sing with All the Saints in Glory”

1  Sing with all the saints in glory,
sing the resurrection song!
Death and sorrow, earth’s dark story,
to the former days belong.
All around the clouds are breaking,
soon the storms of time shall cease;
in God’s likeness we awaken,
knowing everlasting peace.

2  Oh, what glory, far exceeding
all that eye has yet perceived!
Holiest hearts for ages pleading
never that full joy conceived.
God has promised, Christ prepares it,
there on high our welcome waits.
Ev’ry humble spirit shares it,
Christ has passed the eternal gates.

3  Life eternal! heav’n rejoices:
Jesus lives who once was dead.
Shout with joy, O deathless voices!
Child of God, lift up your head!
Life eternal! Oh, what wonders
crowd on faith; what joy unknown,
when, amid earth’s closing thunders,
saints shall stand before the throne!

Table Blessing

P: The body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ strengthen you and keep you in his grace.

C: Amen.

Prayer after Communion

A: Let us pray. God of abundance, with this bread of life and cup of salvation you have united us with Christ, making us one with all your people. Now send us forth in the power of your Spirit, that we may proclaim your redeeming love to the world and continue forever in the risen life of Jesus Christ, our Lord.

C: Amen.

Sending

Announcements for God’s Mission in the World

Blessing

P: Almighty God, Father, ☩ Son, and Holy Spirit, bless you now and forever.

C: Amen.

Closing Hymn #174 (green hymnal)

“For All the Saints” v. 1-2, 4, 8

1  For all the saints who from their labors rest,
all who by faith before the world confessed,
your name, O Jesus, be forever blest.
Alleluia! Alleluia!

2  You were their rock, their fortress, and their might;
you, Lord, their captain in the well-fought fight;
you, in the darkness drear, their one true light.
Alleluia! Alleluia!

4  Oh, blest communion, fellowship divine,
we feebly struggle, they in glory shine;
yet all are one within your great design.
Alleluia! Alleluia!

8  From earth’s wide bounds, from ocean’s farthest coast,
through gates of pearl streams in the countless host,
singing to Father, Son, and Holy Ghost:
Alleluia! Alleluia!

Dismissal

A: Go in peace. Serve the Lord.

C: Thanks be to God.

Postlude


Worship Leaders

The Rev. Emily Beckering, Pastor
Kris Keith, Music Director
Kate Wollenburg, Organist
Donald Harris, Assisting Minister
Kathy Hirt, Reader

Upcoming Events

Sunday, November 7: All Saints Sunday

9 am Sunday School / Adult Forum
10:30 am Worship Service (in-person/livestreamed)
After worship: Evangelism Committee
2 pm “The Game’s Afoot” rehearsal

Tuesday, November 9

6:30 pm “The Game’s Afoot” rehearsal

Wednesday, November 10

7 pm Bell Choir

Thursday, November 11

10:30 am Bible Study (Sunday’s readings)
6 pm Scouts BSA meeting
6:30 pm “The Game’s Afoot” rehearsal

Sunday, November 14: 25 Pentecost

Stewardship Intent Sunday
9 am Sunday School / Adult Forum
10:30 am Worship Service (in-person/livestreamed)
2 pm “The Game’s Afoot” rehearsal

Monday, November 15

7 pm Council Meeting

Tuesday, November 16

5:30 pm Confirmation Class
6:30 pm “The Game’s Afoot” rehearsal

Wednesday, November 17

7 pm Bell Choir

Thursday, November 18

10:30 am Bible Study (Sunday’s readings)
6:30 pm “The Game’s Afoot” rehearsal

Copyright Notices

“Lift Up Your Heads”: Text and music by Stephen J. Pearson © 1996 Psalmistry Music.

“For All Your Saints, O Lord”: Arr. © 1978 Augsburg Fortress.

“I Am the Bread of Life”: Text and music © 1966 GIA Publications, Inc., 7404 S. Mason Ave., Chicago, IL 60638. www.giamusic.com. 800.442.3358.

“Sing with All the Saints in Glory”: Music by William Bradley Roberts © 1995 Augsburg Fortress.

Hymns/anthems: Music reprinted and streamed by permission under ONE LICENSE #A-726103 and CCLI Licenses #21045423 and #21045416. All rights reserved.

Liturgical texts and service music: From SundaysandSeasons.com. Copyright © 2021 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission under Augsburg Fortress Liturgies Annual License #SAS010308.