All Saints Sunday November 4, 2018 Saint James Evangelical Lutheran Church 460 West Annapolis Street - West Saint Paul, MN 55118 Church Office: (651) 457-9232 Fax: (651) 457-1893 www.saintjameslutheran.com stjlc@saintjameslutheran.com facebook.com/stjwsp @stjwsp Pastor Michael Albrecht 651-457-6796 malbrecht@saintjameslutheran.com Pastor Dale Critchley 651-689-3253 dcritchley@saintjameslutheran.com Terese Thune Youth Director 651-336-2117 tthune@saintjameslutheran.com Pastor Tom Volker 612-860-2648 tvolker@saintjameslutheran.com Pastor Richard Stadler 651-338-8621 rstadler@saintjameslutheran.com Tom Rowland Organist & Choir Director 612-861-4503 trowland5726@comcast.net Shirley Hess Parish Nurse 651-210-3380 pnstjlc@saintjameslutheran.com
WELCOME TO WORSHIP! All Saints Sunday November 4, 2018 Cover picture by Paulette Lambert THE TITLE FOR TODAY S SERMON IS: Bringing Heaven to Earth. What is heaven like, and do we have to wait to experience it? How does God give us a taste of eternity today? GUESTS AND VISITORS, we are delighted that you are worshiping with us today! Please take a moment to fill out a Welcome, Guest card which is available in the pew racks and place it in the offering. For every guest who completes this form, Saint James will donate $5 to the Neighbor s Food Shelf. Also, stop by the Visitor Welcome Center as you leave and pick up a small gift. Thank you for coming, and please come back and visit again soon. You are always welcome here at Saint James. LARGE PRINT COPIES OF THE SERVICE ARE AVAILABLE IN THE NARTHEX. SPECIAL POCKET HEARING SYSTEMS are available from the ushers for anyone desiring an amplified broadcast of the service. PREPARING FOR WORSHIP Read Psalm 67. When the day comes for you to stand before God, what will you thank Him for? Take a minute to think about that. Don t wait until then! Thank Him now! THE NURSERY is not staffed but is available for parents who have young children who become noisy or restless during the service. We are thankful for families who teach their children to worship by bringing them to church. When your little ones become noisy, feel free to take them to the narthex or the nursery to settle them down. The service can be seen and heard on TV in the narthex. THE ORDER OF SERVICE PRELUDE: Suite Gothique (I, II, III) Léon Böellmann (1862-1897) OPENING SENTENCE: (10:30) The Lord is in His Holy Temple C.F. Bolle GATHERING HYMN: Root of the Saints (Sung to the tune EARTH AND ALL STARS, CW #247) 1 Night into Day, Breath into clay Father Almighty, You made all things good Forked tongue and lie, by sin all die Mankind undone by the fruit from the wood Hostile the serpent with Eve and her seed, You vow to save us with Your Son's blood. 2 Word became flesh, laid in a crèche Ancient of Days now a baby in arms Flesh nailed to tree, grave, victory! Jesus released us from sin and its charms Head of the serpent crushed under His heel, The old accuser Jesus disarms. 3 Chief Cornerstone reigns on His throne Spirit comes forth from the Father and Son Saints from all lands by His commands Sent forth like branches that all may be one Rooted by faith in the Word of the Lord, Speaking His truth that hell might gain none 4 Truth lifts us high, points to the sky Father, we thank You for those gone before Who shared Your love that we sing of That generations join Your holy corps Open our hearts, Lord, to tell all the world That all be grafted to the vine's core. Text: 2011 Strength and Song Publishing Lyrics for Root of the Saints by Strength and Song Publishing licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. Used by permission: Creative Commons no. licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License 2
PASTORAL GREETING: Pastor Critchley INVOCATION PERSECUTED CHURCH LITANY P: O God the Father, Creator of heaven and earth, have mercy upon us, C: O God the Father, Creator of heaven and earth, have mercy upon us. P: O God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy upon us, C: O God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy upon us. P: O God the Holy Spirit, Sanctifier of the Faithful, have mercy upon us, C: O God the Holy Spirit, Sanctifier of the Faithful, have mercy upon us. P: O holy, blessed and glorious Trinity, three persons and one God, have mercy upon us. C: O holy, blessed and glorious Trinity, three persons and one God, have mercy upon us. P: Lest we forget your own persecution and death upon the cross for the redemption of your servants. C: Activate us, O Persecuted Lamb of God. P: Lest we forget the crushing grief of your mother, Mary, sorrowing before the cross at your bloody sweat and agony, P: Lest we forget how your holy apostles, bereft of their master, walked in fear while they awaited your Holy Spirit, the Comforter, P: Lest we forget John the Baptist, who proclaimed you Lamb of God to the world, P: Lest we forget your martyr Stephen, crying out to you to forgive his persecutors as they stoned him to death, P: Lest we forget your apostles who died for preaching your Gospel, P: Lest we forget all the saints and martyrs who served you faithfully throughout the ages, P: To your glorious Resurrection, P: To the truth of your Holy Word, P: To your saving grace, P: To your living presence, P: To your loving arms, P: To the balm of your mercy, P: To your brilliant light, P: To your comforting Spirit, P: To your faithful service, P: We beseech thee to help us to love the Holy Trinity with all our heart, all our soul, all our mind and with all our strength, P: Help us to love our neighbor as ourselves, P: Help us to pray for and sustain your persecuted Church, wherever it is called upon to suffer for you, 3
P: Help us to love the enemies of your Church and to pray for their conversion, P: Help us to witness to your truth with strong voices, in the conduct of our daily lives and against all adversity, P: From all thoughts of vengeance, P: From all thoughts and deeds of violence, especially against the weak, the unborn and the defenseless, P: From all thoughts of hatred and malice, P: From all unkindness, uncaring and charitableness, P: From hypocrisy and pride, P: From hardness of heart, greed and neglect of our persecuted brethren, P: From lack of courage in defending your Church and Holy Word, P: From failing to show mercy and forgiveness to others, P: From false doctrine, false prophets, half-heartedness and backsliding, P: From failure to forbear slander, imprisonment and pain for your sake; from denial of your name and Gospel in the face of death, P: Upon Christian women, widowed in acts of persecution and children orphaned in the same, P: Upon your people made sick, starving, or deprived from your Holy Supper by persecution, P: Upon your servants forced into slavery, captivity and exile through the evil of others, P: Upon your people turned to anger from witnessing vile acts of violence against their loved ones, P: Upon all those who commit grievous sins against your faithful through hatred, contempt or ignorance of Your Holy Word, P: We appeal to you, Gracious Father, Fount of all Love, heal and protect your divided and persecuted Church, C: We appeal to you, Gracious Father, Fount of all Love, heal and protect your divided and persecuted Church. P: We appeal to you, Holy Redeemer, to forgive the sins of your poor servants, C: We appeal to you, Holy Redeemer, to forgive the sins of your poor servants. 4
P: We appeal to you, Holy Spirit, Comforter of the afflicted, assist and strengthen those who are oppressed for their Christian faith, C: We appeal to you, Holy Spirit, Comforter of the afflicted, assist and strengthen those who are oppressed for their Christian faith. P: Lamb of God, have mercy upon us, C: Lamb of God, have mercy upon us. P: O Christ hear us, C: O Christ hear us. P: O Christ arise and help us, C: O Christ arise and help us. 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. P: In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, C: Amen. P: Blessed Savior, you taught that it is a blessed thing when men revile us, persecute us and say all manner of evil against us falsely for your sake. Grant us the courage to be steadfast in our faith in you in the face of all evil and danger. Keep us constant in our worship and fervent in our praise. Take away all fear of dying for your sake and fill our hearts with joy at your promise of a great reward in Heaven; for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, ever one God, now and forever. C: Amen. SAINT JAMES CHOIR: (10:30) His Love Rolls Over Me McCartha/Rouse PRAYER OF THE DAY & COMMEMORATION OF ETERNAL CORONATIONS Today we remember these loved ones who have died since All Saints Day last year: Bruce Price November 26, 2017 Liz Adams December 5, 2017 Pam Leonard December 9, 2017 Allan Campbell December 17, 2017 Erma Mueller December 21, 2017 Keith Reichenbach December 23, 2017 J. R. Clairday December 31, 2017 Mabel Zolldan December 31, 2017 Bob Wodke January 1, 2018 June Shepherd January 2, 2018 Alice Hallgren January 13, 2018 Doris Wicker January 27, 2018 Ralph Wassmann February 1, 2018 Vic Keller February 13, 2018 Bill Rahn February 26, 2018 Elinor Laflin March 9, 2018 Galina Krongolm March 21, 2018 Curt Radman March 30, 2018 Val Clasen April 9, 2018 Orville Redding April 14, 2018 Douglas Thompson April 16, 2018 Angeline McDonald May 1, 2018 Diane Gray May 2, 2018 Jim Bryan May 2, 2018 Harry Camm May 5, 2018 Marie Krikava May 10, 2018 Jeanne Van May 12, 2018 Elaine Waccholz May 13, 2018 Peggy Ann Everson May 17, 2018 Juanita Meyer May 28, 2018 Shari Hanson July 14, 2018 Mary Sorenson July 18, 2018 Lou Trowbridge July 20, 2018 Sandy Johnson July 28, 2018 Russel May July 29, 2018 Gilbert Schmoock July 29, 2018 Eileen Lick July 30, 2018 Steve Frazier August 8, 2018 Janet Schally August 16, 2018 Renate Mutschler August 22, 2018 Rita Wagenknecht August 25, 2018 Paul Helland August 29, 2018 Jan Zimmerman September 2, 2018 Kathy Feifarek September 8, 2018 Charlotte Dunkel September 16, 2018 Faye Miller September 18, 2018 Irene Steenberg September 21, 2018 Barbara Diedrich September 29, 2018 Bunny Erhart October 11, 2018 Calvin Kubat October 22, 2018 Carolyn Bohrer October 29, 2018 5
Before God s throne, we re not identified or united by our national origin, but by the robe of Christ s righteousness. God has adopted us into His family through Holy Baptism, and since we have been covered in the righteousness of Christ, even though adopted, we look like family. FIRST READING: Revelation 7:9-17 After this I looked, and there was a vast multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and language, which no one could number, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes with palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: Salvation belongs to our God, who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb! All the angels stood around the throne, and along with the elders and the four living creatures they fell facedown before the throne and worshiped God, saying, Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and strength be to our God forever and ever. Amen. Then one of the elders asked me, "Who are these people in white robes, and where did they come from?" I said to him, "Sir, you know." Then he told me: These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. For this reason they are before the throne of God, and they serve him day and night in his temple. The one seated on the throne will shelter them: They will no longer hunger; they will no longer thirst; the sun will no longer strike them, nor will any scorching heat. For the Lamb who is at the center of the throne will shepherd them; he will guide them to springs of the waters of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Reading Response P: This is the Word of the Lord. C: Thanks be to God! EPISTLE: 1 John 3:1-3 See what great love the Father has given us that we should be called God's children -- and we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it didn't know him. Dear friends, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. We know that when he appears, we will be like him because we will see him as he is. And everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself just as he is pure. Reading Response P: This is the Word of the Lord. C: Thanks be to God! VERSE RESPONSE: Christian Worship, page 40 Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! These words are written that we may believe That Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Those able, please stand No matter what we suffer or strive for, Jesus assures us that we re blessed in spite of our circumstances or abilities. HOLY GOSPEL: Matthew 5:1-12 When he saw the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to teach them, saying: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs. "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. "Blessed are the humble, for they will inherit the earth. "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. "Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. "Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs. "You are blessed when they insult you and persecute you and falsely say every kind of evil against you because of me. "Be glad and rejoice, because your reward is great in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Gospel Response P: This is the Gospel of the Lord. C: Praise to You, O Christ! 6
HYMN OF THE DAY: Christian Worship #169 Alleluia! Sing to Jesus Please be seated SERMON: Text: Revelation 7:9-17 Theme: Bringing Heaven to Earth CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION: P: Come wash your robes and make them white in the blood of the Lamb as we kneel and confess our sin. C: Holy Father, we often live as if we don t know Jesus. We worry about the future. Our actions don t demonstrate Your unconditional love. And because the world doesn t always see You in our lives, it doesn t know You. So we cry to You for mercy, because salvation belongs to our God, who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb! P: See what great love the Father has given us that we should be called God's children and we are! The Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, was slain for You. He has washed your robe and made it white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore, as a called and ordained servant of Christ and by His authority, I forgive you all your sin in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Be glad and rejoice, because your reward is great in heaven. C: Amen. Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and strength be to our God forever and ever. Amen. Those able, please kneel NICENE CREED OFFERING: Honor the Lord with your substance and with the first fruits of all your income. Proverbs 3:9 OFFERTORY: Chant de Paix Jean Langlais HYMN OF REDEDICATION: Christian Worship #403 I Know My Faith Is Founded PRAYER FOR OURSELVES AND OTHERS Please be seated Give online at give.4gvn.us Those able, please stand Please be seated FIRST BLESSING LITURGY OF THE SACRAMENT: Christian Worship, pages 21-23 The Sacrament of the Altar is a special blessing for God s people: our sins are forgiven, our faith is strengthened, and our resolve to live for the Lord is renewed. We believe the word of Jesus that under the bread and the wine we receive the Real Presence of our Savior, His Body and His Blood, for the forgiveness of sins, life and salvation. All who are baptized and confirmed and confess this understanding of the Lord s Supper are welcome to receive the sacrament with us. We enjoy fellowship in a close communion with each other as we receive the Body and Blood of our Lord together. Visitors who wish to continue to commune with us on a regular basis, or those who have questions are encouraged to speak with one of the pastors. Parents are welcome to bring their non-confirmed children with them to the altar. The pastor will pronounce a blessing on them. Parents should instruct such unconfirmed children not to stand on the cushions and to keep their hands folded, so the pastor will know who should not receive the sacrament. Those able, please stand Non-alcoholic white wine is available in each tray for anyone who prefers it. Gluten-free wafers are also available. To indicate that you prefer gluten-free, please raise your index finger when the wafers are brought to you. 7
SAINT JAMES FOUNDATION Remember the Foundation in your will your gift can make a difference for generations to come. Suggested Wording: In thanks to God for the gift of His Son Jesus, and for all His blessings to me in my lifetime, I gift and bequeath to Saint James Lutheran Church Foundation at 460 West Annapolis Street, West Saint Paul, MN 55118 the amount of $ or (specify the asset.). Stewardship Thought True wealth is what money can t buy and what no one can steal. ~ see Matthew 6:19 (Contributed by a Saint James member) DISTRIBUTION HYMNS: (10:30) Saint James Choir: The Sinner s Prayer Botz/Millikan Christian Worship #551 For All the Saints Christian Worship #352 Lord, Enthroned in Heavenly Splendor Christian Worship #550 Behold a Host, Arrayed in White POST-COMMUNION THANKSGIVING BENEDICTION POSTLUDE: Suite Gothique (IV) Léon Böellmann SERVING IN OUR WORSHIP TODAY Pastor Dale Critchley (preaching) Pastor Michael Albrecht Pastor Tom Volker Organist and Choir Director: Tom Rowland Harrison Lawrence, Organ Intern Saint James Choir Ushers: (8:00) Loren Bahls and Team #5 (10:30) Virginia Genz and Team #6 Audio Video Team: Hannah Critchley, Sharon Ferrara, Glenn & Wendy Gatzke, Jerry Hinz, Len & Diane Munson, Jerry Peterson, Becky Martinez, Lorna Redding, and Leif Thune Screen Slide Production: Ami Heesch PEOPLE TO PRAY FOR Let us remember to pray for some of our veteran members: Iona Wagenknecht, Audrey Ward, Ruth Wassmann Living as a Local Missionary In a parking lot with carts all over, collect them, and put them away, either in the corrals or back to the store. This will be especially welcome when the weather s bad. MISSIONS TO PRAY FOR This week please pray for Our Lady of Peace Home in St. Paul, providing residential care for terminal cancer patients. FLOWERS The flowers in the chancel vases for All Saints Sunday are provided by a Saint James member. If you would like to order FLOWERS please contact Altar Guild Flower Chairwoman Kathy Stadler at 651-450-6452 or stadlerek@comcast.net. 8