The Celebration of the Gospel
November 3 , 2019 — All Saints Sunday
______We Are Received as Children of God____
CALL TO WORSHIP
PRELUDE – I Need Thee Every Hour – Tune: NEED, arr: Lani Smith
(10:30) AWAKENING – Ephesians 1.11-14
[God will redeem us, and gives us the Holy Spirit as a promise. The author prays that the eyes of our hearts be enlightened, so that we can know the hope God offers us, and the riches of God’s gift, and the greatness of God’s power, which raised Christ and placed him in authority over all things.]
God’s will, which is always fulfilled,
is that that we, who began by hoping in the Love that Fills the World,
would ourselves live lives that radiate that love.
When you first heard this wonder—
your wholeness that you see given to you in Christ—
and when you first trusted this love and opened yourself to it,
it poured into you. God’s Spirit changed you.
Now you yourself are part of God’s promise.
The Spirit in you is the first bit of God’s redemption of the world.
That is God’s glory, God’s praise.
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(10:30) BRINGING OURSELVES
* GREETING
Leader: Jesus said, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the realm of God.”
All: We give thanks for your grace in all our circumstances.
“Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled.”
We open our hearts to your spirit, that you may fill us with your love.
“Love your enemies, and pray for those who abuse you.”
Change our hearts, O God, and by your grace in us
help us become the saints you create us to be.
* SONG – Rejoice in God’s Saints – Blue hymnal # 708
____ We Are Transformed by the Love of Christ___
(10:30) THE WORD IN SONG – For All The Saints – Ralph Vaughan Williams
(10:30) CHILDREN’S TIME
PRAYER
Loving God, we thank you for the saints who have gone before us, who have shown us the way of love. May we learn from them, and by your grace in us shine with the light of your glory. Speak to us, and sanctify our lives for your purposes, that we too may be your saints, now and in eternal life. Amen.
(10:30) HEBREW BIBLE Habakkuk 1.1-4; 2.1-4
[The prophet is discouraged by the injustice that he sees. But though it seems hopeless, God’s vision will be fulfilled: it is a vision of how things will actually turn out (“it speaks of the end”). The righteous are those who “live by faith,” that is, they trust this vision of God’s grace.]
O Lord, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not listen?
Or cry to you “Violence!” and you will not save?
Why do you make me see wrong-doing and look at trouble?
Destruction and violence are before me;
strife and contention arise.
So the law becomes slack and justice never prevails.
The wicked surround the righteous—
therefore judgment comes forth perverted.
Then the Lord answered me and said:
Write the vision;
make it plain on tablets,
so that a runner may read it.
For there is still a vision for the appointed time;
it speaks of the end, and does not lie.
If it seems to tarry, wait for it;
it will surely come, it will not delay.
Look at the proud! Their spirit is not right in them,
but the righteous live by their faith.
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GOSPEL Luke 19.1-10
[Jesus invites himself to the home of Zacchaeus, a tax collector, as if they are relatives. In the context of Jesus’ acceptance of him, Zacchaeus experiences a dramatic turnaround in his life.]
Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through it. A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was rich. He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way. When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today.” So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him.
All who saw it began to grumble and said, “He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner.” Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.” Then Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. For the Human One came to seek out and to save the lost.”
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SERMON Three witnesses
SONG – For All the Saints – Black hymnal # 2283
REMEMBERING THE SAINTS – Ephesians 1.15-16
Fiends, I have heard of your deep trust in Jesus,
the Beloved, the Anointed of God,
and of your love for all the saints,
so I never cease giving thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers.
THE PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
SHARING THE PEACE OF CHRIST
__________We Share at Christ’s Table__________
RECEIVED… TRANSFORMED… SENT… – Tom McIntyre
OFFERING OUR GIFTS – Simple Gifts – Traditional, arr: Dale Wood
* COMMUNION SONG – Spirit Song – Blue hymnal #347
THE GREAT THANKSGIVING – Black hymnal # 2257-a
We thank you, God, for you create us in your image,
make covenant to be our God, and set us free from all that oppresses.
You have given us saints, young and old, women and men,
who shine for us with the way of love, who in your Spirit gather with us now.
Therefore we sing with all the saints, with every living being and all Creation.
[Sanctus # 2257-b]
Blessed are all who come in your name,
and blessed is Jesus, your Christ.
He taught and healed, he fed people and set them free.
He gathered a community of those who desire to live by love,
who would sanctify themselves for the work of love.
He sought justice, and for that he was crucified,
but you raised him from the dead.
[The Blessing and Covenant…]
Jesus said, “Do this in remembrance of me.”
As often as we break this bread and share this cup
we remember his death and resurrection until he comes again.
Remembering these, your mighty acts in Jesus Christ,
we offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving
as a living and holy sacrifice, in union with Christ’s offering for us,
as we proclaim the mystery of our faith:
[Memorial Acclamation # 2257-c]
Pour out your holy Spirit on these gifts of food,
that those who receive them may experience your love and grace.
Pour out your Holy Spirit on these gifts of bread and cup,
that they may be for us the body and blood of Christ.
Pour out your Holy Spirit on us,
that we may be for the world the Body of Christ,
though poor in spirit, blessed by your grace;
though ordinary people, sanctified for lives of love,
for the sake of the wholeness of the world,
in the name and the Spirit of Christ,
[Amen # 2257-d]
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.]
PRAYER OF BLESSING
Gracious God, we thank you for this mystery in which you have given yourself to us. Together with all whom you have made holy by your grace, send us into the world to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with you. May we shine with the light of your grace now and in eternal life. Amen.
BLESSING – Ephesians 1.17-22
I pray that the God Jesus reveals to us, the glorious Giver of Life,
will give you a spirit of wisdom and perceptiveness,
so you may know God more deeply.
I pray that the eyes of your heart will be enlightened,
so the hope God offers us will fill your hearts.
May you know the riches that God’s beloved ones inherit
and the immeasurable greatness of God’s power for us who trust,
the very power by which God raised Jesus from the dead,
and seated Christ at God’s right hand in the realm of the infinite.
____We Are Sent in the Power of the Holy Spirit__
THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH IN THE WORLD
* SONG – Make Us One — Black hymnal #2224
* THE BLESSING AND SENDING FORTH
RESPONSE
May the grace and peace of Christ be with you my friends.
Go and share the love of God, love that never ends.
POSTLUDE – When The Saints – James Black, arr: Phillip Keveren