All Saints’ Day

All Saints’ Day commemorates all saints, known and unknown. All Saints’ Day is one of the seven principal feasts of the church year. Join us as we celebrate the Holy Eucharist on the Twenty-First Sunday after Pentecost.

All Saints’ Day
November 1st, 2020
Christ Episcopal Church Online

Prelude  “By the Merits of the Saints” Alexandre Guilmant

Opening Hymn  “For all the saints”    Hymnal 287, v. 1, 2. 7, 8

1          For all the saints, who from their labors rest,

who thee by faith before the world confessed,

thy Name, O Jesus, be for ever blessed.

Alleluia, alleluia!

2          Thou wast their rock, their fortress, and their might:

thou, Lord, their Captain in the well-fought fight;

and thou, in the darkness drear, the one true Light.

Alleluia, alleluia!

7          But lo! there breaks a yet more glorious day;

the saints triumphant rise in bright array;

the King of glory passes on his way.

Alleluia, alleluia!

8          From earth’s wide bounds, from ocean’s farthest coast,

through gates of pearl streams in the countless host,

singing to Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Alleluia, alleluia!

Celebrant: Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit

People: and blessed be God’s kingdom now and forever. Amen.

Celebrant: Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Gloria
Glory to God in the highest,
and peace to his people on earth.
Lord God, heavenly King,
almighty God and Father,
we worship you, we give you thanks,
we praise you for your glory.
Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father,
Lord God, Lamb of God,
you take away the sin of the world:
have mercy on us;
you are seated at the right hand of the Father:
receive our prayer.
For you alone are the Holy One,
you alone are the Lord,
you alone are the Most High,
Jesus Christ,
with the Holy Spirit,
in the glory of God the Father. Amen.

Celebrant: The Lord be with you.

People: And also with you.

Celebrant: Let us pray.

The Collect of the Day
Almighty God, you have knit together your elect in one communion and fellowship in the mystical body of your Son Christ our Lord: Give us grace so to follow your blessed saints in all virtuous and godly living, that we may come to those ineffable joys that you have prepared for those who truly love you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

Prayer for our Country
Almighty God, who hast given us this good land for our heritage: We humbly beseech thee that we may always prove ourselves a people mindful of thy favor and glad to do thy will. Bless our land with honorable industry, sound learning, and pure manners. Save us from violence, discord, and confusion; from pride and arrogance, and from every evil way. Defend our liberties, and fashion into one united people the multitudes brought hither out of many kindreds and tongues. Endue with the spirit of wisdom those to whom in thy Name we entrust the authority of government, that there may be justice and peace at home, and that, through obedience to thy law, we may show forth thy praise among the nations of the earth. In the time of prosperity, fill our hearts with thankfulness, and in the day of trouble, suffer not our trust in thee to fail; all which we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Lessons

First Reading: Revelation 7:9-17
Read by D. Crocker

After this I, John, looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands. They cried out in a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!” And all the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, singing, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.” Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, robed in white, and where have they come from?” I said to him, “Sir, you are the one that knows.” Then he said to me, “These are they who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. “For this reason they are before the throne of God, and worship him day and night within his temple, and the one who is seated on the throne will shelter them. They will hunger no more, and thirst no more; the sun will not strike them, nor any scorching heat; for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of the water of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

Psalm: 34:1-10,22
Read by D. Crocker

1 I will bless the Lord at all times; *

his praise shall ever be in my mouth.

2 I will glory in the Lord; *

let the humble hear and rejoice.

3 Proclaim with me the greatness of the Lord; *

let us exalt his Name together.

4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me *

and delivered me out of all my terror.

5 Look upon him and be radiant, *

and let not your faces be ashamed.

6 I called in my affliction and the Lord heard me *

and saved me from all my troubles.

7 The angel of the Lord encompasses those who fear him, *

and he will deliver them.

8 Taste and see that the Lord is good; *

happy are they who trust in him!

9 Fear the Lord, you that are his saints, *

for those who fear him lack nothing.

10 The young lions lack and suffer hunger, *

but those who seek the Lord lack nothing that is good.

22 The Lord ransoms the life of his servants, *

and none will be punished who trust in him.

Second Reading: 1 John 3:1-3
Read by D. Crocker

See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is. And all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.

Celebrant: The Word of the Lord.

People: Thanks be to God.

Sequence Hymn “I sing a song of the saints of God”  Hymnal 293, all verses

1 I sing a song of the saints of God, patient and brave and true.

Who toiled and fought and lived and died for the Lord they loved and knew.

And one was a doctor, and one was a queen, and one was a shepherdess on the green:

they were all of them saints of God and I mean, God helping, to be one too.

2 They loved their Lord so dear, so dear, and his love made them strong;

and they followed the right, for Jesus’ sake, the whole of their good lives long.

And one was a soldier, and one was a priest, and one was slain by a fierce wild beast;

and there’s not any reason no, not the least, why I shouldn’t be one too.

3 They lived not only in ages past, there are hundreds of thousands still,

The world is bright with the joyous saints who love to do Jesus’ will.

You can meet them in school, or in lanes, or at sea, in church or in trains,

or in shops, or at tea,

for the saints of God are just folk like me, and I mean to be one too.

The Gospel: Matthew 5:1-12

Priest: The Holy Gospel of our Savior Jesus Christ according to Matthew.

People: Glory to You, Lord Christ.

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. “Blessed are the meek, 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 receive mercy.”Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

Priest: The Gospel of the Lord.

People: Praise to you, Lord Christ.

The Homily                                                                 The Rev. Elizabeth Ewing

Nicene Creed       
We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified.
He has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Offertory  “Let Us Now Praise Famous Men”   Ralph Vaughan Williams

The 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.
Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.
Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory for ever and ever. Amen

The Peace

Priest: The peace of the Lord always be with you.

People: And also with you.

The Communion Prayer

In union, O Lord, with the faithful at every altar of your Church where the Holy Eucharist is and has been celebrated, we desire to offer you praise and thanksgiving. We present to you our souls and bodies with the earnest wish that we may always be united to you, and since we cannot now receive you sacramentally in the Bread and the Wine, we ask you to come spiritually into our hearts. We unite ourselves with you, and embrace you with all the love of our souls. Let nothing ever separate you from us. May we live in you, and may you live in us, both in this life and in the life to come. Amen.

Prayers and General Thanksgiving

Prayer List: We ask that our parishioners pray for Alli, Anne, Bob, Carolyn, Connor, George, Sharon, Rose, Millie, Joell, Mario, Connie, Scott, and Kristina.

Please take time to say silently or aloud your intercessions and thanksgivings for the church, governments, individuals and the world. 

Almighty God, Father of all mercies, We, your unworthy servants, give you humble thanks for all your goodness and loving-kindness to us and to all whom you have made. We bless you for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; but above all for your immeasurable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ; for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory. And, we pray, give us such an awareness of your mercies, that with a truly thankful heart we may show forth your praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving up ourselves to your service, and by walking before you in holiness and righteousness all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory throughout all ages. Amen.

The Blessing

Closing Hymn   “Ye holy angels bright”   Hymnal 625, v. 1 & 4

1          Ye holy angels bright, who wait at God’s right hand,

or through the realms of light fly at your Lord’s command,

assist our song, for else the theme too high doth seem for mortal tongue.

4          My soul, bear thou thy part, triumph in God above;

and with a well-tuned heart sing thou the songs of love!

Let all thy days till life shall end, what e’er he send, be filled with praise.

The Dismissal