The Celebration of the Gospel
November 4, 2018 — All Saints Sunday
You shall love God with all your heart and mind and soul and strength…
and love your neighbor as yourself.
— Mark 12.30-31
________We Gather as the Body of Christ______
GREETING
PRELUDE Adagio from Clarinet Concerto W. A. Mozart, arr: Arjan Breukhoven
[As we listen to the music we quiet our minds and bodies,
listen for our hearts’ deepest desires,
and become present to the Holy One who is lovingly present for us.]
* CALL TO WORSHIP
Leader: With all the saints through the ages, walking ahead of us,
All: we gather to worship God.
With all the saints of creation, plants and animals, all living beings,
we gather to worship God.
With the Holy Spirit breathing within and among us, making us holy people,
we gather to worship God.
Loving God, bless us with your grace, that we may be your holy people. Amen.
* SONG For All the Saints Blue hymnal # 711, v. 1-4
____________We Attend to the Word__________
(10:30) CHILDREN’S TIME
(10:30) THE WORD IN SONG Bound for Glory arr. Alex Gartner
PRAYER
Loving God, you have given us saints through the ages, people whose lives have shone with your love and grace. Bless us that we too may receive your grace, and shine with your love, in the Spirit of Christ. Speak to us now, and light our souls with your truth. Amen.
OLD TESTAMENT Isaiah 25:6-8
[The prophet foresees a coming war, the destruction of Jerusalem, and the dominance of ruthless people—and yet beyond that, a great feast symbolizing God’s establishment of a new reality that will “swallow up” death and destruction — not just for Israel but for all the world, as one community.]
On this mountain the Holy One
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.
On this mountain God will remove
the shroud that is cast over all peoples,
the mourning pall that is spread over all nations;
God will swallow up death forever.
Then God almighty will wipe away
the tears from every cheek,
and take away the shame of God’s people
wherever they are on the earth,
for the Holy One has spoken.
It will be said on that day,
Lo, this is our God;
this is the one whose liberation we have awaited.
This is the One in whom we have hoped;
we rejoice with gladness for our salvation.
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GOSPEL Mark 12:28-34
[Of the hundred or so questions Jesus is asked in the gospels he answers almost all indirectly, with parables or another question. But in when he is asked which is the most important commandment, he answers directly: to love God. And it has a twin: to love your neighbor.]
One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, he asked him, “Which commandment is the first of all?” Jesus answered, “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” Then the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher; you have truly said that ‘God is one, and besides God there is no other’; and ‘to love God with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength,’ and ‘to love one’s neighbor as oneself,’ —this is much more important than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the Realm of God.” After that no one dared to ask him any question.
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SERMON The neighborhood of saints Dr. Elizabeth Windsor
SONG I Sing a Song of the Saints of God Blue hymnal # 712
REMEMBERING THE SAINTS
THE PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
[Anyone who wishes may share a prayer at the microphone.]
SHARING THE PEACE OF CHRIST
__________We Share at Christ’s Table __________
CELEBRATING OUR GIFTS: Touched By God’s Grace
OFFERING OUR GIFTS Sweet Hour Of Prayer Wm. Bradbury, arr: Wesley King
* COMMUNION SONG Eat this Bread Blue hymnal #628
THE GREAT THANKSGIVING
Beloved, the God of love is with you
And also with you.
Let us give thanks to the Holy One our God.
Blessed are you, O God, Creator of all that is and all that is to come.
By your grace you have given us life and made us a people.
You judge the forces of oppression,
rescue us from all that enslaves us, and offer freedom to all people.
You have surrounded us with saints:
women, children and men who rejoiced in your grace,
shared in your work of redemption,
and shined as teachers and examples in the way of faith.
You have gathered us into the community of the redeemed,
and given us as a light to the nations.
Therefore together with the whole communion of saints,
and in union with all Creation, we sing your praise:
Holy, Holy. Holy Lord, God of power and God of love,
heaven and earth are full of your light.
Hosanna! Praise on high!
Blessed is one who comes in your name.
Hosanna! Praise to you!
Blessed are all who come in your name,
and blessed is Jesus, your Christ,
who brought good news to the poor,
who lifted up the downtrodden and gathered the outcast,
and who called disciples to follow
in the holy way of compassion and joy.
Even in death his gift was love and light.
[… The Blessing and Covenant …]
The crucified Christ you have raised to life,
so that we might walk in newness of life.
In his dying and rising
you have sealed the lives of your saints.
Christ has died; and Christ is risen.
Christ will come again in love.
Pour out your Holy Spirit on these gifts of food gathered for the poor.
May those who receive them know your love.
Pour out your Holy Spirit on these gifts of bread and cup,
that they may be for us the Body and Blood of Christ.
In communion with Christ and all the saints,
we offer our lives as a living and holy sacrifice.
May the bread of your grace in us give us courage
to speak and to act, even in the face of danger,
for the sake of justice, for the sake of your people.
Gather us in unity of heart, sanctify us by your grace,
and send us in the power of your Spirit,
for the sake of the healing of the world.
God of all Creation,
may your Word be made flesh
by all your holy Church,
in the love of Christ
and the power of the Holy Spirit.
Alleluia. Amen. Amen. Alleluia. Amen. Amen.
THE PRAYER OF JESUS
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. Amen.
SHARING THE HOLY MEAL [Everyone is welcome at the table of Christ’s self-giving love.
The bread is wheat-, soy- and dairy free. We dip the bread in the juice.]
PRAYER OF BLESSING
Gracious God, we thank you for this mystery in which you have given yourself to us. You have gathered us with all your saints, filled us with your grace, sanctified us, and made us your saints full of love and light to take into the world, in the name and Spirit of Christ. Amen.
______We Are Sent in Ministry to the World_____
THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH IN THE WORLD
* SONG Lord, Dismiss Us with Thy Blessing Blue hymnal #671
* THE BLESSING AND SENDING FORTH
RESPONSE We stand and sing to our neighbors:
May the grace and peace of Christ be with you my friends.
Go and share the love of God, love that never ends.
POSTLUDE Postlude On “SINE NOMINE” Dale G. Rider
[During the postlude there are people ready to pray with you at the candles in the corners.
Following worship please join us for fellowship and refreshments.]