November 5: All Saints’ Sunday
November 5: All Saints’ Sunday
Revelation 7:9-17 (Behold a host, arrayed in white! Blessing and honor and glory and power
be unto God and the Lamb!)
Psalm 34:1-10, 22 (O taste and see how gracious the Lord is; look upon him and be radiant;
the Lord ransoms the lives of his servants)
1 John 3:1-3 (We are God’s children now; we shall be like Jesus, for we shall see him as he is)
Matthew 5:1-12 (The Beatitudes)
Let us approach the Throne of Grace, there to pray for the Church, the world, and one another.
A brief silence is kept.
Thank you, dear Father, for all your saints. Thank you for the ones who shaped our faith and molded our lives. Thank you for Spirit-filled heroes, martyrs, scholars, and pastors who have kept your Church “one, holy, catholic, and apostolic.” Thank you for the nameless and forgotten faithful, known only to you, whose humble lives perfume the airs of heaven. Thank you for joining us to Jesus, and so to all your saints: past, present, and future.
Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.
Grant that the Church may always proclaim your living and holy Word to the world. Use it to forgive and transform many sinners into your saints, your Church, and your beloved children.
Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.
Bless, as you have promised, those who are persecuted for Jesus’ sake. Crown their faithful endurance with his triumphant victory over sin and death; and adorn them with the robes of his righteousness.
Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.
Touch with goodness the hearts of everyone in this congregation. Make our words and deeds gracious and truthful . Let the light of Jesus shine in in all we say and do, so that through us, our neighbors encounter their Savior’s love.
Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.
With reverence and affection, we remember before you those who have shaped our faith and influenced our lives in godly ways. We entrust to your tender care our beloved dead who are now at rest in you. {Here the names of the faithful departed may be read, with tolling of the bell}. Thank you for their witness, love, and encouragement. Grant that we may likewise help others – especially the young and those who do not know you – to seek your face and rejoice in your goodness.
Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.
Keep our nation safe, strong, and honorable. Give wisdom and prudence to all who hold power and authority in our land. Give each of us the desire and the ability to love justice, do mercy, and walk humbly with you and with each other.
Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.
Ransom the lives of your servants who are bound by cords of suffering, including: {List}. Let them look upon you and be radiant. Let them taste and see your gracious favor. Let them be healed and purified in body, mind, heart, and faith, to praise your saving deeds and rejoice in your great goodness.
Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.
Most holy and gracious Father, receive into your Kingdom our beloved dead. Keep us faithful, true, holy, and steadfast, as we walk the narrow Way established by Jesus. Give us a foretaste of heaven’s joy in our Spirit-led fellowship with one another and with Christ. Bring us safely your Kingdom which you prepare for all whom you redeem by his death and resurrection. There let us abide in your dear presence, and love and serve you forever.
Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.
Hear our prayer; and graciously grant all that glorifies you and benefits our poor broken world, for the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.