Oration for All
Saints Sunday
Almighty God, whose people are knit together in one holy Church, the body of 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 your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Additions to the
Prayers of the people:
·
For
our national bishop, Susan Johnston, and the Staff of the ELCIC, let us pray…
·
For Bishop Michael Pryse, and all who
share the ministry of leadership and
authority in the church, let us pray…
·
For
all the needs and prayers we hold in our hearts…
(a time of
silent prayer)… let us pray…
For all our
friends and loved ones who have passed on, especially…
Amen.
Revelation 7:9-17
9 After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands. 10 They cried out in a loud voice, saying, "Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!" 11 And all the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 singing, "Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen." 13 Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, "Who are these, robed in white, and where have they come from?" 14 I said to him, "Sir, you are the one that knows." Then he said to me, "These are they who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 For this reason they are before the throne of God, and worship him day and night within his temple, and the one who is seated on the throne will shelter them. 16 They will hunger no more, and thirst no more; the sun will not strike them, nor any scorching heat; 17 for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of the water of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."
Psalm 34: 1-10, 22
I will bless the Lord at all
times;
his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2 My soul makes its boast in the Lord;
let the humble hear and be glad.
3 O magnify the Lord with me,
and let us exalt his name together.
4 I sought
the Lord, and he answered me,
and delivered me from all my fears.
5 Look to him, and be radiant;
so your[a] faces shall never be ashamed.
6 This poor soul cried, and was heard by the Lord,
and was saved from every trouble.
7 The angel of the Lord encamps
around those who fear him, and delivers them.
8 O taste and see that the Lord is good;
happy are those who take refuge in him.
9 O fear the Lord, you his holy ones,
for those who fear him have no want.
10 The young lions suffer want and hunger,
but those who seek the Lord lack no good
thing.
The Lord redeems the life of
his servants;
none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.
Second Reading: 1 John 3
1 See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is. 3 And all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.
Reading: Matthew 5: 1-13
When Jesus saw
the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came
to him. 2 Then 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 righteousness’ sake, 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.
Remembrance of
those passed-on since All Saints 2019
§
Elfriede
Hayes
§
Katie
Theissler
§
Lusie
Schneider
§
John
Naswetter
§ Clara Ungar
Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be
has not yet been revealed.
·
Today is the
Sunday of All Saints. The festival of All Saints is November 1st and
that just so happens to fall on Sunday this year. In the Lutheran tradition,
the festival recalls all those whom we consider to be “saints” and in
particular, all those who have passed from this life since the last celebration
of All Saints. We will hear their names before too long in this time of
worship.
·
Now… what is a
saint? Someone of obvious holiness? Would that be the sort of person who never
gets mad, or uses nasty language, or is always smiling? Let me know when you
find one of those please. I’ve been around some holy people and some of them
have been rather peculiar if not downright weird. I’ve told you about Brother
Mark whom I met in the seminary; an old man who served in the First World War
and later as a Franciscan friar, taught catechism in a small town parish where
he taught a child, Charles Buchinsky, who later took the screen name “Charles
Bronson.” Brother Mark could get cranky if you got in the way of his dry mop
and at times he would wear a medallion of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph over his
friar’s habit. When questioned what that was about, he’d snap “It’s the Holy
Family! Ever hear of ‘em?” I could mention a few others, but that’s for another
time.
·
Maybe we’ve all
known saints. In fact, I’m sure we have. They can be holy, thoughtful, and,
hard-working, or they might be cranky, profane, distracted, and even
incompetent in a number of ways. They all have had one thing in common: they
were (and are) human… just like the rest of us.
·
See, it’s not the
saint that makes a saint, but God.
·
We might think
that it’s what a person does that makes a saint. It is however the work of
grace in a person’s life that makes a saint. It is a calling although it is not
a career or a job; saints have come from every walk of life and have done so
many different jobs – kings and queens, doctors and nurses, teachers, poets,
and composers, bishops, pastors and deacons, artisans, mechanics, cooks, and
people who worked at home. It is the grace of God in each and every life we
might discuss that makes the difference.
·
These people
lived their lives in faith, in hope, and in love. Many will never be known to
us and their holiness may be known only to God. They might be examples to many
whose lives they’d touched, even if their live might remain hidden from most of
the Church or most of humanity.
·
Despite sin and
even failure, these people have reflected Christ to the world, even if only a
few saw it. Again it is the grace of God in Christ that makes the difference,
not the fame or reputation they may have accrued.
·
For many of us,
this day is a day for remembering those who have passed from this life to the
next. We remember who God made them to be as well as what God could make of
them. In remembering them, whether they have passed recently or passed a long
time ago, we recall and give thanks for God’s grace in their lives.
·
We can call them
saints because their lives now are fully hidden in Christ. Their journey here
is ended, even if ours continues. Their faith is done and has been rewarded…
for faith is ended since they know. Their hope is fulfilled. What
remains is love, the center and the heart of the Christian’s live and the very
life of God. Doesn’t John the Apostle tell us later in the same letter we read
a portion of today, that Whoever does not love does not know God,
for God is love. (1 John 4:8)
·
It is good to
hold these people in memory. They may never have a festival of their own so
today serves and serves well. Let us remember them for who and what they are;
As John says See what love the
Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what
we are.
·
We are all
children of God and what will come remains to be seen. It might be best to use
our memories to recall what the grace of God can do in the lives of those we
love. In that way, we can come to know what God’s grace can do in our lives.
Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be
has not yet been revealed.
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