ALL SAINTS DAY (OBSERVED) NOVEMBER 3-4, 2018 AS WE GATHER This Sunday we observe the feast of All Saints Day. While many congregations use this service to remember those saints who have departed this life in faith, we do well to remember that saint is simply another word for believer or follower of Jesus. All of those who gather to confess Jesus as Lord are indeed already saints. The Gospel for today is a section of the Sermon on the Mount known as the Beatitudes. Jesus begins this sermon by recounting the present reality of those who have faith: they are blessed. Even when it looks as though the faithful are the opposite of blessed, they are indeed blessed because theirs is the kingdom of heaven. They are a part of the reign and rule of God. All saints, including you, are a part of the reign and rule of God; therefore, you are blessed. HYMN O God, Our Help in Ages Past LSB 733 Stand CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION P In the name of the Father and of the T Son and of the Holy Spirit. P Our help is in the name of the Lord, C who made heaven and earth. P If You, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? C But with You there is forgiveness; therefore You are feared. P Since we are gathered to hear God s Word, call upon Him in prayer and praise, and receive the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ in the fellowship of this altar, let us first consider our unworthiness and confess before God and one another that we have sinned in thought, word, and deed, and that we cannot free ourselves from our sinful condition. Together as His people let us take refuge in the infinite mercy of God, our heavenly Father, 1
seeking His grace for the sake of Christ, and saying: God, be merciful to me, a sinner. C Almighty God, have mercy upon us, forgive us our sins, and lead us to everlasting life. Amen. P Almighty God in His mercy has given His Son to die for you and for His sake forgives you all your sins. As an ordained servant of Christ, and by His authority, I therefore forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the T Son and of the Holy Spirit. SERVICE OF THE WORD INTROIT P These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. C In you, O LORD, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame; in your righteousness deliver me. P For you are my rock and my fortress; and for your name s sake you lead me and guide me. C Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O LORD, faithful God. C Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen. P These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. KYRIE LSB 204 C Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. 2
GLORIA IN EXCELSIS LSB 204 C To God on high be glory And peace to all the earth; Goodwill from God in heaven Proclaimed at Jesus' birth! We praise and bless You, Father; Your holy name we sing Our thanks for Your great glory, Lord God, our heav'nly King. To You, O sole-begotten, The Father's Son, we pray; O Lamb of God, our Savior, You take our sins away. Have mercy on us, Jesus; Receive our heartfelt cry, Where You in pow'r are seated At God's right hand on high For You alone are holy, You only are the Lord. Forever and forever, Be worshiped and adored; You with the Holy Spirit Alone are Lord Most High, In God the Father's glory. "Amen!" our glad reply. SALUTATION AND COLLECT OF THE DAY P The Lord be with you. C And also with you. P Let us pray. Almighty and everlasting God, You knit together Your faithful people of all times and places into one holy communion, the mystical body of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Grant us so to follow Your blessed saints in all virtuous and godly living that, together with them, we may come to the unspeakable joys You have prepared for those who love You; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Sit FIRST READING Revelation 7:9 17 9After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb! 11And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell 3
on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying, Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen. 13Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come? 14 I said to him, Sir, you know. And he said to me, These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence. 16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. 17 For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. A This is the Word of the Lord. C Thanks be to God. GRADUAL P These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. C Blessèd are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion. EPISTLE 1 John 3:1 3 1See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2Beloved, we are God s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 3 And 4
everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. A This is the Word of the Lord. C Thanks be to God. Stand ALLELUIA AND VERSE C Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. These things are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. HOLY GOSPEL Matthew 5:1 12 P The Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew, the fifth chapter. C Glory to You, O Lord. 1Seeing the crowds, [Jesus] went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2And he opened his mouth 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 shall be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. 7 Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. 10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 Blessed are you when others 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 so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. P This is the Gospel of the Lord. C Praise to You, O Christ. 5
[Saturday] APOSTLES' CREED LSB 207 C I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth. And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life T everlasting. Amen. [Sunday] NICENE CREED C I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth and of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of His Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made; who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary and was made man; 6
and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate. He suffered and was buried. And the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures and ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father. And He will come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead, whose kingdom will have no end. And I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified, who spoke by the prophets. And I believe in one holy Christian and apostolic Church, I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins, and I look for the resurrection of the dead and the life T of the world to come. Amen. Sit CHILDREN'S MESSAGE HYMN Behold a Host, Arrayed in White LSB 676 SERMON "For All the Saints" Revelation 7:14, 17 Stand PRAYER OF THE CHURCH P Let us pray to the Lord our God, who raised Jesus from the dead. Almighty God, You have knit Your chosen people together into one communion in the mystical body of Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Give to Your whole Church in heaven and on earth Your light and Your peace. Lord, in Your mercy, P Grant that all who have been baptized into Christ s death and resurrection may die to sin and rise to newness of life and so pass with Him through the gate of death and the grave to our joyful resurrection. Lord, in Your mercy, 7
P Grant that all who have been or will be nourished by the holy body and blood of Your Son may be raised to immortality and incorruption, to be seated with Him at Your heavenly banquet. Lord, in Your mercy, P Give to all who mourn comfort in their grief and a sure confidence in Your loving care, that casting all their sorrow on You, they may know the consolation of Your love. Lord, in Your mercy, P Give courage and faith to Your people who pass through difficult and trying times [especially commending to Your care this day ]. Give them relief according to Your will and strength to meet the challenges ahead in the assurance of a holy and certain hope and final healing at the resurrection of the dead. Lord, in Your mercy, P Remember in Your kindness all entrusted with civil authority among us, and give them wisdom, courage and integrity. Lord, in Your mercy, P Raise up ever new servants of the Word, and strengthen and sustain those whom You have sent, that the good news of sin s forgiveness and death s defeat may bring everlasting joy to Your elect. Continue to guide us with Your Spirit in the process of Calling a Pastor. Lord, in Your mercy, P Into your hands, O Lord, we commend all for whom we pray, through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Sit COMMEMORATION OF THE FAITHFUL DEPARTED HYMN For All the Saints LSB 677 sts. 1 6 P Holy Scripture says in Psalm 116:15: Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints. On this All Saints Day, we remember and give thanks and praise to God for the life and for 8
the death of His saints. We rejoice with those who rejoice, and that includes rejoicing with those whose happiness now knows no end in the kingdom of glory. During the past year, families in our congregation and our extended church family have been impacted greatly by the death of ones we love. As those who trust in Jesus Christ, we do not grieve as the rest of the world grieves. We grieve in hope, we pray with confidence, and we live with certainty that those who have died in Christ are secure in His presence. We also rejoice that one day we shall join them in their heavenly joy, which knows no end. We honor the life and give thanks to God for these His saints: Larry Hartman Steven Ingram Suzanne Carter Arlene Lampe Paul Tegtmeyer Mildred Kahre Mary Lou Millsap Avonell Salger Donna Jungewaelter Shannon Hohgrefe James Word Jewell Rubach Gloria Moore P... and all others dear to our hearts who have entered into everlasting rest with the Lord Jesus. Let us pray. Merciful Father, whose dear Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, rose victoriously over death and the grave, we remember with thanksgiving Your faithful people who have trusted in Christ, whose tears are gone, and whose sorrows You have turned to joy. We humbly implore You to strengthen us in the confident hope of the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. HYMN For All the Saints LSB 677 sts. 7 8 OFFERING While we worship the Lord with our offerings, please write your names in the fellowship registers, indicating the date and time of the service you are attending. To help us serve you more effectively, please use the blanks provided to indicate a change in mailing address, phone numbers (home, work, cell, fax) or e- mail address(es). Please tear out the sheets with names on them 9
and let them stick out of the top of the folder so that the ushers can collect them. Thank you! Saturday s service continues with the Lord s Prayer. SERVICE OF THE SACRAMENT Stand PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING P Blessed are You, O Lord our God, king of all creation, for You have had mercy on us and given Your only-begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. By faith the saints of old held fast to Your promise of things hoped for though not yet seen, leaving an example and encouragement for us who walk now by faith and not by sight. Grant that we may faithfully eat and drink this Holy Supper of Your Son s body and blood and in the union of His mystical body, the Church, be joined in unending praise with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; Moses, Elijah, and all the faithful prophets; the blessed apostles and evangelists, the holy martyrs, and all the saints in glory who fought the good fight of faith before us. Hear us as we pray in His name and as He has taught us: LORD'S PRAYER LSB 209 C 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. Saturday s service continues with the Benediction. THE WORDS OF OUR LORD 10
PAX DOMINI LSB 209 P The peace of the Lord be with you always. AGNUS DEI LSB 210 C O Jesus Christ, true Lamb of God, You take the sin of the world away; O Jesus Christ, true Lamb of God, Have mercy on us, Lord, we pray. O Jesus Christ, true Lamb of God, You take the sin of the world away; Have mercy on us, Jesus Christ, And grant us peace, O Lord, we pray. Sit DISTRIBUTION Thine the Amen, Thine the Praise LSB 680 Jesus Lives! The Victory's Won LSB 490 Stand NUNC DIMITTIS LSB 211 C O Lord, now let Your servant Depart in heav'nly peace, For I have seen the glory Of Your redeeming grace: A light to lead the Gentiles Unto Your holy hill, The glory of Your people, Your chosen Israel. All glory to the Father, All glory to the Son, All glory to the Spirit, Forever Three in One; For as in the beginning, Is now, shall ever be, God's triune name resounding Through all eternity. POST-COMMUNION COLLECT A Let us pray. We give thanks to You, almighty God, that You have refreshed us through this salutary gift, and we implore You that of Your mercy You would strengthen us through the same in faith toward You and fervent love toward one another; through Jesus Christ, Your 11
Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. BENEDICAMUS AND BENEDICTION A Let us bless the Lord. C Thanks be to God. P The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. The Lord look upon you with favor and T give you peace. HYMN Savior, Again to Thy Dear Name We Raise LSB 917 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Divine Service, Setting Four from Lutheran Service Book Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Created by Lutheran Service Builder 2006 Concordia Publishing House. 12