All Saints Sunday Worship Service | 11-3-24
11-03-2024 10:00AM Hybrid Worship
+ We Gather to Worship +
OPENING SONG: “COME, WE THAT LOVE THE LORD” Brown #135
THE OPENING RITE (based on REVELATION 21:1-6a):
L In a time when many believers were being oppressed and persecuted because of their faith, and in a time and when many Christians were being seduced and sidetracked from their faith by the things of this world, and in a time when the terror of death, the tears of pain, and the tremble of fear affected so many lives, John the seer, in lonely island exile, looked and saw a vision of something new and glorious –
C He saw a NEW heaven and a NEW earth…
and God was wiping away the tears from our eyes.
L He saw the faithful who had already died being raised to life…
and God was wiping away the tears from our eyes.
C He saw the people of God from every time and place,
gathered in joy and unity around the throne of God…
and God was wiping away the tears from our eyes.
L And he even saw you and me, standing near the throne,
standing in the glorious presence of God…
and God was wiping away the tears from our eyes.
C And he heard a stirring word,
he felt the rising up of hope inside,
he dared to start believing –
L No more suffering, no more sorrow, no more dying,
and even no more crying ever…
C And God had NO MORE TEARS to wipe away!
HALLELUJAH AND AMEN!
THE PRAYER OF THE DAY (together):
Almighty God, you have knit your people together in ONE HOLY CHURCH, the Body of Christ our Lord.
Grant us amazing grace to follow your blessed saints in lives of faith and commitment,
and to know the abundant joys you have prepared for those who sincerely love you.
We want to be ready when the trumpet sounds, when the saints go marching in. Amen.
+ We Open Ears and Hearts to God’s Word +
FIRST READING: ISAIAH 25:6-9
[NO MORE TEARS – God will swallow up death and gather all God’s people on his holy mountain for a feast of celebration.]
25:6 On this mountain the LORD of hosts 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.
25:7 And he will destroy on this mountain the shroud that is cast over all peoples, the covering that is spread over all nations; he will swallow up death forever.
25:8 Then the Lord GOD will wipe away the tears from all faces, and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the LORD has spoken.
25:9 It will be said on that day, “See, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us. This is the LORD for whom we have waited; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”
SECOND READING: REVELATION 21:1-6a
[NO MORE TEARS – God will eliminate death, despair, mourning, and pain…God will join his people and make all things new!]
21:1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.
21:2 And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
21:3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them as their God; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them and be their God;
21:4 he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.”
21:5 And the one who was seated on the throne said, “See, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
21:6 Then he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End.
GOSPEL VERSE:
“Victory is mine, victory is mine, victory today is mine!
I TOLD SATAN ‘GET THEE BEHIND!’… victory today is mine!
(2) Joy is mine…
(3) Peace is mine…”
HOLY GOSPEL: JOHN 11:32-44
[NO MORE TEARS – Jesus will turn our graves and our grief into the doorway to eternal life!]
11:32 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.”
11:33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved.
11:34 He said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.”
11:35 Jesus began to weep
11:36 So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”
11:37 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”
11:38 Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it.
11:39 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.”
11:40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?”
11:41 So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, “Father, I thank you for having heard me.
11:42 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.”
11:43 When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus come out!”
11:44 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.”
SONG SELECTION ALL SAINTS CHOIR
THE SERMON: Pastor Gwen or Pastor Neil
SONG RESPONSE: “BLESSED ASSURANCE” Brown #118
THE APOSTLES’ CREED (together):
I believe in God the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into hell.
On the third day he rose again.
He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
THE PRAYERS… We pray for NEW LIFE in the Spirit and the MISSION of the Church to the world!
+ We Share God’s Holy Meal +
OFFERING OF TITHES (10% giving) AND GIFTS… By God’s grace and our response of gratitude and generosity, we are a sharing people. So let us bless others both near and far away with our gifts of time, talent, and treasure.
Those in the Sanctuary can put their offering in the offering plate to share their gratitude and their generosity in response to Christ’s love. Those who are farther away might: mail a check or money order to St. Peter’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, 2169 74th Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19138… contribute online through bit.ly/stpetersgiving and set up a one-time donation or a recurring weekly gift to selected categories… or text Give+ at 833-914-0896 and follow the instructions to register and record your contribution. God has blessed us to be a blessing!
SONG SELECTION: ALL SAINTS CHOIR
THE OFFERTORY SONG: “Thank you, Lord… thank you, Lord… thank you, Lord… I just want to thank you, Lord!
(2) Been so good…
(3) Love you, Lord…”
OFFERING PRAYER led by the Communion Assistant:
God of grace and glory, we thank you for the gift of creation and the gift of our lives, for the gift of salvation and the gift of Jesus Christ, for the gift of your Holy Spirit and the gift of your Church.
Take our attitude of gratitude and transform it into caring and sharing towards the least, the lost, and the lonely all over the face of this earth.
Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an everflowing stream. Amen.
THE PREFACE:
L The Lord be with you. C And also with you.
L Lift up your hearts! C We lift them up in love for God!
L Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. C It is right to give God our thanks and praise.
L Almighty God, today we keep the festival of your holy city, the heavenly Jerusalem.
Around your throne the saints, our brothers and sisters, sing your praise forever.
Their glory fills us with joy, and their communion with us gives us inspiration and strength,
We pray we may run with perseverance the race that is set before us on this earth,
We pray we may anticipate the place you have prepared for us among those who are already with you,
And we pray we will seek to be saintly in our living and fervent in our loving, even as we now sing…
C [singing]… (1) “O when the saints go marching in… O when the saints go marching in…
O Lord, I want to be in that number – when the saints go marching in!
(2) O when they gather ‘round that throne…
(3) O when they crown him King of kings…
(4) And on that hallelujah day…”
THE EUCHARISTIC WORDS by the Celebrant, who recalls and re-enacts Jesus’ Holy Meal.
THE LORD’S PRAYER (spoken)
COMMUNION AND BLESSINGS… All believers in Jesus Christ are welcome at the Lord’s Table! The wine may be received from the pouring chalice; we also have grape juice on the tray. Praise the Lord for this community meal that unites us together, renews our spirits, powers our faith, and reminds us of the future heavenly banquet that awaits us!
COMMUNION SONGS: “SOON AND VERY SOON” Brown #38
“WE SHALL OVERCOME” Brown #213
THE COMMUNION BLESSING by the Celebrant after all have communed.
POST-COMMUNION PRAYER by the Communion Assistant.
+ We Rejoice in Our Mission +
THE BENEDICTION by the Pastor…We are sent forth to be and become the BODY OF CHRIST for the world!
CLOSING SONG: “SOME GLAD MORNING WHEN THIS LIFE IS O’ER” Brown #176