Order of Worship

22nd Sunday after Pentecost/ All Saints

GATHERING AS THE BODY OF CHRIST

Prelude

 Christ the Victorious

UMH #653

Welcome and Sharing of Announcements

A Time to Make Connections

Call to Worship

Liturgist: God is calling you today.

People: Help us to hear God’s call in our lives.

Liturgist: God needs your gifts and graces to help others.

People: May we use the blessings which God has given us to benefit others.

Liturgist: Come, let us worship and celebrate God’s love for us.

People: Let us show our faithfulness in our words and actions. AMEN.

Liturgist: Rejoice as we join together in praise for God’s great gifts.

People: God established it on the rivers

Liturgist: Grace to you and peace from God who is, and was, and is to come.

People: We bless your holy name, O God, for all your servants who, having finished their course, now rest from their labors. Give us grace to follow the example of their steadfastness and faithfulness, to your honor and glory; through Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

*A Prayer for All Saints Day

(Written by Safiyah Fosua)

We give you thanks, O God, for all the saints who ever worshiped you, whether in arbors or cathedrals, wooden churches or cement meeting houses. We give you thanks, O God, for hands lifted in praise: manicured hands and hands stained with grease or soil, strong hands and hands gnarled with age, holy hands. We thank you, God, for hardworking saints whether hard-hatted or aproned, blue-collared or three-piece-suited. They left their mark for you, for us, for our children to come. Thank you for the sacrifices made by those who have gone before us. Bless the memories of your saints. May we learn how to walk wisely from their examples of faith, dedication, worship, and love. Amen.

Prayer of Confession

[We are all invited to silent confession. “Grace is just the natural loving flow of things when we allow it, instead of resisting it. Sin is any cutting or limiting of that circuit.”― Richard Rohr- We may confess silently so that we let God’s love flow in us and to others. Though the time of silence confession of sin, Christ “purifies us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9) (1 minutes of silence)

Words of Assurance

Liturgist: In the midst of our darkness and ignorance, the bright light of God’s love shines through, healing our anguished souls. Rejoice, beloved of God, for God’s love and forgiveness are given to you this day. AMEN.

Opening Hymn

  “For All the Saints” 

UMH #711 (verses 1 & 4)

Children’s Time

Courtney Till

(in-person only)

All Saints' Remembrance

Message in Music 

 “Where Two or Three are Gathered”

by Deborah Govenor

Adult Choir

(in-person service only)

  “In Remembrance”

by Buryl Red

Adult Choir with Joy Stepinski, flutist, April 18, 2019

(online service only)

Communion Liturgy For All Saints

We come to this table, not because it itself is so special, but because it is an echo of another table, a table that stretches as far as the eye can see, a table that is laden with God’s good gifts, a table where no one goes hungry, or sits alone. A table where everyone we ever loved and who ever loved us sits and feasts together. In our own lives, we sit at tables where there are empty chairs, people we love and miss, people who no longer stop by for dinner or come in for the holidays. We grieve those empty chairs, but know that in Christ, our separation is only a temporary thing. I invite you to think about the saints in your life the people whose memory you carry in your heart. And I invite you to name them aloud. [names may be spoken by the congregation] For all those we have mentioned in your presence, God, we give thanks, and come gladly to this table to eat once more with those we love to join with all the saints, all our saints in praising Jesus Christ, who defeated death and leads us all to God’s heavenly banquet. All are welcome here.

The Great Thanksgiving for All Saints 

The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

Lift up your hearts. The pastor may lift hands and keep them raised.

We lift them up to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

It is right to give our thanks and praise.

It is right, and a good and joyful thing,

always and everywhere to give thanks to you,

Almighty God,

Creator of heaven and earth:

God of Abraham and Sarah,

God of Miriam and Moses,

God of Joshua and Deborah,

God of Ruth and David,

God of the priests and the prophets,

God of Mary and Joseph,

God of the apostles and the martyrs,

God of our mothers and our fathers,

God of our children to all generations.

And so, with your people on earth and all the company of heaven,

we praise your name and join their unending hymn:

UM Hymnal Page, 17 (Musical Setting A) 

Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,

heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest.

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.

Holy are you, and blessed is your Son Jesus Christ.

By the baptism of his suffering, death, and resurrection

you gave birth to your Church,

delivered us from slavery to sin and death,

and made with us a new covenant by water and the Spirit.

On the night in which he gave himself up for us, he took bread,

gave thanks to you, broke the bread, gave it to his disciples, and said:

"Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you.

Do this in remembrance of me."

When the supper was over he took the cup,

gave thanks to you, gave it to his disciples, and said:

"Drink from this, all of you; this is my blood of the new covenant,

poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins.

Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me."

And so, in remembrance of these your mighty acts in Jesus Christ,

we offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving

as a holy and living sacrifice, in union with Christ's offering for us,

as we proclaim the mystery of faith.

UM Hymnal Page, 18 (Musical Setting A) 

Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again.

Pour out your Holy Spirit on us gathered here,

and on these gifts of bread and wine.

Make them be for us the body and blood of Christ,

that we may be for the world the body of Christ, redeemed by his blood.

Renew our communion with all your saints,

especially those whom we name before you—

Name(s) —(in our hearts).

Silence may be kept for the remembrance of names.

Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,

strengthen us to run with perseverance the race that is set before us,

looking to Jesus, the Pioneer and Perfecter of our faith.

By your Spirit make us one with Christ,

one with each other, and one in ministry to all the world,

until Christ comes in final victory, and we feast at his heavenly banquet.

Through your Son Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit in your holy Church,

all honor and glory is yours, almighty Father (God), now and forever.

UM Hymnal Page, 18 (Musical Setting A) 

Amen

Closing Prayer

Jesus Christ, lamb and shepherd, we remember you here, as we remember all your saints. Help us to remember you not just in this sanctuary but in our homes and schools our cars and offices to remember that every part of our life is shot through with your grace and that we are never alone but surrounded by a cloud of witnesses united by your love. Amen.

ATTENTION TO THE WORD OF GOD

 Hebrews 12:1-2; John 11:28-44

12 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely,[a] and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith, who for the sake of[b] the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.

28 When she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary and told her privately, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” 29 And when she heard it, she got up quickly and went to him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet come to the village but was still at the place where Martha had met him. 31 The Jews who were with her in the house consoling her saw Mary get up quickly and go out. They followed her because they thought that she was going to the tomb to weep there. 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.”

Liturgist: The word of God for the people of God.

People: Thanks be to God.  

Message

A Cloud of Witnesses!

 Pastor Seok-Hwan

A Time for Reflection

Offering

“For the Bread Which You Have Broken"

UMH #614

Doxology

“Praise God, from Whom All Blessings Flow"

UMH #95

*Offertory Prayer

Lord, we know that you are the Creator. You made everything. We appreciate your generosity, and we would like to be generous with our gifts in all areas of our lives. We pray that you will help us discern those gifts and use them wisely. We thank you for your Son, Our Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus. Amen.

*Closing Hymn

 “Come, Let Us Join Our Friends Above”

 UMH #709

     Blessing and Sending Forth

Benediction Response

 “For the Joy of Human Love” 

by Buryl Red

Adult Choir

(in-person service only)