Virtual Worship Service for November 7, 2021
All Saints Sunday
Worship and Holy Communion 9:00 a.m.
The congregation reads the boldface responses.
PRELUDE
Jesus Remember Me - Jacques Berthier
GATHERING
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Please stand if you are able.
GATHERING HYMN
\Ye Watchers and Ye Holy Ones (LBW 175)
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!
2. O higher than the cherubim,
more glorious than the seraphim,
lead their praises: "Alleluia!"
Thou bearer of the eternal Word,
] most gracious, magnify the Lord:
"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!
Text: J. Athelstan Riley, 1858-1945
CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS
Blessed be the holy Trinity, ☩ one God,
whose teaching is life,
whose presence is sure,
and whose love is endless.
Amen.
Let us confess our sins to the one who welcomes us with an open heart.
Silence is kept for reflection.
God our comforter:
like lost sheep, we have gone astray.
We gaze upon abundance and see scarcity.
We turn our faces away from injustice and oppression.
We exploit the earth with our apathy and greed.
Free us from our sin, gracious God.
Listen when we call out to you for help.
Lead us by your love to love our neighbors as ourselves.
Amen.
All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
By the gift of grace in ☩ Christ Jesus, God makes you righteous.
Receive with glad hearts the forgiveness of all your sins.
Amen.
GREETING
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
The love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
And also with you.
PRAYER OF THE DAY
O God, you show forth your almighty power chiefly by reaching out to us in mercy. Grant us the fullness of your grace, strengthen our trust in your promises, and bring all the world to share in the treasures that come through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.
Amen.
A PRAYER FOR THE CALL COMMITTEE
Dear God, We thank you for your continued guidance as we look for the next pastor to lead, inspire, and help our church grow. We ask that you bless our call committee. Keep their hearts open and their eyes looking to you, so that you may direct all that they do towards the vision and plan you have for us. Again, we thank you Lord for all your blessings of wisdom, knowledge, and strength during this time of transition and your plentiful blessings unbeknown to us in the future. We pray this in your name. Amen.
Please be seated.
WORD
FIRST READING
1 Kings 17:8-16
This chapter begins the story of Elijah. God sends a drought on Israel because of the sins of King Ahab. This passage depicts God’s saving acts not only on behalf of Elijah, but also on behalf of those who are associated with the prophet, even a foreigner, the widow of Zarephath.
8The word of the Lord came to [Elijah,] saying, 9“Go now to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and live there; for I have commanded a widow there to feed you.” 10So he set out and went to Zarephath. When he came to the gate of the town, a widow was there gathering sticks; he called to her and said, “Bring me a little water in a vessel, so that I may drink.” 11As she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, “Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.” 12But she said, “As the Lord your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of meal in a jar, and a little oil in a jug; I am now gathering a couple of sticks, so that I may go home and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die.”
13Elijah said to her, “Do not be afraid; go and do as you have said; but first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterwards make something for yourself and your son. 14For thus says the Lord the God of Israel: The jar of meal will not be emptied and the jug of oil will not fail until the day that the Lord sends rain on the earth.” 15She went and did as Elijah said, so that she as well as he and her household ate for many days. 16The jar of meal was not emptied, neither did the jug of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by Elijah.
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
PSALMODY
Psalm 146
(Read responsively.)
Hallelujah!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
I will praise the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.
Put not your trust in rulers,
in mortals in whom there is no help.
When they breathe their last, they return to earth,
and in that day their thoughts perish.
Happy are they who have the God of Jacob for their help,
whose hope is in the Lord their God;
who made heaven and earth, the seas, and all that is in them;
who keeps promises forever;
who gives justice to those who are oppressed, and food to those who hunger.
The Lord sets the captive free.
The Lord opens the eyes of the blind; the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
the Lord loves the righteous.
The Lord cares for the stranger;
the Lord sustains the orphan and widow, but frustrates the way of the wicked.
The Lord shall reign forever,
your God, O Zion, throughout all generations. Hallelujah!
SECOND READING
Hebrews 9:24-28
The letter to the Hebrews describes Christ as a high priest who offers himself as a sacrifice for our sin. Christ does not die again and again each year. He died once, is alive with God, and will reveal himself on the last day.
24Christ did not enter a sanctuary made by human hands, a mere copy of the true one, but he entered into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. 25Nor was it to offer himself again and again, as the high priest enters the Holy Place year after year with blood that is not his own; 26for then he would have had to suffer again and again since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the age to remove sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27And just as it is appointed for mortals to die once, and after that the judgment, 28so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Please stand if you are able.
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION
GOSPEL
Mark 12:38-44
The holy gospel according to Mark.
Glory to you, O Lord.
38As [Jesus] taught, he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, 39and to have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets! 40They devour widows’ houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”
41He sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. 42A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. 43Then he called his disciples and said to them, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. 44For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”
The gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.
Please be seated.
SERMON
Peering Beyond the Veil of Tears
Pastor Harkness
Please stand if you are able.
HYMN OF THE DAY
Shall We Gather at the River (WOV 690)
1. Shall we gather at the river,
where bright angel feet have trod,
with its crystal tide forever
flowing by the throne of God?
Refrain
Yes, we'll gather at the river,
the beautiful, the beautiful river;
gather with the saints at the river
that flows by the throne of God.
2. On the margin of the river,
washing up its silver spray,
we will walk and worship ever,
all the happy golden day. Refrain
3. Ere we reach the shining river,
lay we ev'ry burden down;
grace our spirits will deliver,
and provide a robe and crown. Refrain
4. Soon we'll reach the shining river,
soon our pilgrimage will cease;
soon our happy hearts will quiver
with the melody of peace. Refrain
Text: Robert Lowry, 1826-1899
Please be seated.
RECEPTION OF OUR ANNUAL PLEDGES AND COMMITMENTS
Please stand if you are able.
PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION
Set free from sin and death and nourished by the word of truth, we join in prayer for all of God’s creation.
A brief silence.
The response to “Lord, in your mercy,” is “hear our prayer.”
The prayers conclude:
Confident that you hear us, O God, we boldly place our prayers into your hands; through Jesus Christ, our truth and life. Amen.
Please be seated.
REMEMBRANCE OF THE DEPARTED AND VOTIVE LIGHTING
On this All Saints Sunday, with the sign of votive candles on the Altar, we remember with gratitude the lives of the following members of Good Shepherd who have died since All Saints Sunday, 2020:
John Bickel, Norma Cole, Anita E. Conover, Mark Emhart, John F. Farara, Bruce Fleming, Florence E. Gannon, Diana C. Garwood, Carol A. Garwood, Bill Garwood, Judith Gleason, Doris E. Hawkins, Richard Keiser, Edna K. Kullick, Jean M Rice, Karolann Schwarz, Nancy Triscoli, John Weisser III.
We also remember all those family members, friends, and fellow church members who have died in years past. Those attending worship are invited to come forward to light a special candle in remembrance.
MEAL
OFFERING
OFFERTORY
Jerusalem My Happy Home - Joseph Bromehead
Please stand if you are able.
OFFERING PRAYER
Let us pray. God our creator,
you give us all we are, all we have,
all we bring, and all we need.
Draw us together around your table with all your saints
on earth and in your eternal home.
Let us eat and drink your promise of new life,
that we might be your promise to the world,
spoken in Jesus’ name. Amen.
THE GREAT THANKSGIVING
DIALOGUE
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
PREFACE
It is indeed right, our duty and our joy,
that we should at all times and in all places
Give thanks and praise to you, almighty and merciful God,
through our Savior Jesus Christ.
By the witness of your saints
you show us the hope of our calling
and strengthen us to run the race set before us,
that we may delight in your mercy and rejoice with them in glory.
And so, with all the saints,
with the choirs of angels and all the hosts of heaven,
we praise your name and join their unending hymn:
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.
THANKSGIVING AT THE TABLE
God of our weary years, God of our silent tears,
you have brought us this far along the way.
In times of bitterness you did not abandon us,
but guided us into the path of love and light.
In every age you sent prophets
to make known your loving will for all humanity.
The cry of the poor has become your own cry;
our hunger and thirst for justice is your own desire.
In the fullness of time, you sent your chosen servant
to preach good news to the afflicted,
to break bread with the outcast and despised,
and to ransom those in bondage to prejudice and sin.
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 all people for the forgiveness of sin.
Do this for the remembrance of me.
For as often as we eat of this bread and drink from this cup
we proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
Christ has died.
Christ is risen.
Christ will come again.
Remembering, therefore, his death and resurrection,
we await the day when Jesus shall return
to free all the earth from the bonds of slavery and death.
Come, Lord Jesus! And let the church say, Amen.
Amen.
Send your Holy Spirit, our advocate,
to fill the hearts of all who share this bread and cup
with courage and wisdom to pursue love and justice in all the world.
Come, Spirit of freedom! And let the church say, Amen.
Amen.
Join our prayers and praise with your prophets and martyrs of every age,
that, rejoicing in the hope of the resurrection,
we might live in the freedom and hope of your Son.
Through him, with him, in him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
all glory and honor is yours, almighty Father, now and forever.
Amen.
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.
INVITATION TO COMMUNION
All who hunger and thirst, come.
The table is ready.
COMMUNION
Holy Communion will be consumed together
by the congregation at your seats.
When giving the bread and cup, the pastors will say:
The body of Christ given for you. The blood of Christ shed for you.
Everyone may respond by saying: Amen.
POST-COMMUNION BLESSING
The body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ strengthen you and keep you in his grace.
Amen.
PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION
Lord of life,
in the gift of your body and blood
you turn the crumbs of our faith into a feast of salvation.
Send us forth into the world with shouts of joy,
bearing witness to the abundance of your love
in Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.
Amen.
SENDING
BLESSING
People of God,
you are Christ’s body,
bringing new life to a suffering world.
The holy Trinity, ☩ one God,
bless you now and forever. Amen.
DISMISSAL
Led on by the saints before us,
go in peace to serve the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
SENDING HYMN
For All the Saints (LBW 174) v. 1,2,4,6,7
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!
6. The golden evening brightens in the west;
soon, soon to faithful warriors comes their rest;
sweet is the calm of paradise the blest.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
7 But then there breaks a yet more glorious day:
the saints triumphant rise in bright array;
the King of glory passes on his way.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Text: William W. How, 1823-1897, alt.
POSTLUDE
When the Saints Go Marching In - James Milton Black
From sundaysandseasons.com. Copyright © 2021 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission under Augsburg Fortress Liturgies Annual License #SB125183.
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Permission to reprint, podcast, and / or stream the music in this service obtained from CCLI with licenses #2332347and #20946066 . All rights reserved.”