ALL SAINTS’ DAY (Observed)

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November 6, 2022

God Will Wipe Away All of Our Tears

In our Confessions, we say that we remember the saints so we may give thanks for them and their witness, so we might be strengthened by their example, and so we might be moved to follow them as they followed Christ. This is not about hero worship, but it is about recognizing the faithful who went before us, who trusted in Christ, and who were received into His mercy. It is about being encouraged as we fight the good fight here and now. It is also about looking to the great reunion when finally all the faithful will be together forever in the marriage supper of the Lamb without end.

+ Preparation +

OPENING HYMN: #648 – Glorious Things of You Are Spoken

INVOCATION

Pastor: In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.

People: Amen.

CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION

Pastor: O almighty God, merciful Father,

People: I, a poor, miserable sinner, confess unto You all my sins and iniquities with which I have ever offended You and justly deserved Your temporal and eternal punishment. But I am heartily sorry for them and sincerely repent of them, and I pray You of Your boundless mercy and for the sake of the holy, innocent, bitter sufferings and death of Your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, to be gracious and merciful to me, a poor, sinful being.

Pastor: Upon this your confession, I, by virtue of my office, as a called and ordained servant of the Word, announce the grace of God unto all of you, and in the stead and by the command of my Lord Jesus Christ I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.

People: Amen.

+ WORD +

INTROIT Psalm 31:1, 3, 5; antiphon: Revelation 7:14b

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.

In you, O Lord, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame;

in your righteousness deliver me.

For you are my rock and my fortress;

and for your name’s sake you lead me and guide me.

Into your hand I commit my spirit;

you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God.

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.

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

Pastor: In peace let us pray to the Lord:

People: Lord, have mercy.

Pastor: For the peace from above and for our salvation, let us pray to the Lord:

People: Lord, have mercy.

Pastor: For the peace of the whole world, for the well-being of the Church of God, and for the unity of all, let us pray to the Lord:

People: Lord, have mercy.

Pastor: For this holy house and for all who offer here their worship and praise, let us pray to the Lord:

People: Lord, have mercy.

Pastor: For [names of synodical and district presidents], for all pastors in Christ, for all servants of the Church, and for all the people, let us pray to the Lord:

People: Lord, have mercy.

Pastor: For [name of president or monarch], for all public servants, for the government and those who protect us, that they may be upheld and strengthened in every good deed, let us pray to the Lord:

People: Lord, have mercy.

Pastor: For those who work to bring peace, justice, health, and protection in this and every place, let us pray to the Lord:

People: Lord, have mercy.

Pastor: For those who bring offerings, those who do good works in this congregation, those who toil, those who sing, and all the people here present who await from the Lord great and abundant mercy, let us pray to the Lord:

People: Lord, have mercy.

Pastor: For favorable weather, for an abundance of the fruits of the earth, and for peaceful times, let us pray to the Lord:

People: Lord, have mercy.

Pastor: For our deliverance from all affliction, wrath, danger, and need, let us pray to the Lord:

People: Lord, have mercy.

Pastor: For the forgiveness of our sins, for the aid of the Holy Spirit to amend our sinful lives, and for the faith that trusts the absolution of God, let us pray to the Lord:

People: Lord, have mercy.

Pastor: For the faithful who have gone before us with the sign of faith and now rest from their labors, [names may be read with a chime or bell] and those whom we name before You in our hearts and minds and with our voices this day [silence], let us give thanks to the Lord:

People: Alleluia.

Pastor: Help, save, comfort, and defend us, gracious Lord.

Rejoicing in the fellowship of the saints, let us commend ourselves, one another, and our whole life to Christ, our Lord:

People: To You, O Lord.

Pastor: Let us pray.
Lord, remember Your Church throughout the world; make all its members grow in love for You and for one another. As You have received our brothers and sisters who have gone to their rest in the hope of the resurrection to eternal life, bring us at last with them into the light of Your presence, that in union with all Your saints we may give You glory forever, through Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.

People: Amen.

SALUTATION and PRAYER OF THE DAY

Pastor: The Lord be with you.

People: And also with you.

Pastor: Let us pray.
O God of majesty and might, whom the saints and angels delight to worship on high, we give You thanks for the faithful who have gone before us and now live in Your nearer presence. Give us not only the blessing of their witness, but the grace to live as faithfully within our own time and amid our own challenges. Bring us at last with them into the fulfillment of that hope of perfection that we will know when together we stand before Your unveiled glory; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

People: Amen.

FIRST READING Revelation 7:2–4, 9–17

(The Lamb will be their shepherd; He will guide them to springs of living water and wipe every tear from their eyes.)

²Then I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, with the seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm earth and sea, ³saying, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.” ⁴And I heard the number of the sealed, 144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel:. …

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, ¹⁰and 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 on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, ¹²saying, “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?” ¹⁴I 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.
¹⁶They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore;
     the sun shall not strike them,
     nor any scorching heat.
¹⁷For 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.”

Lector: This is the Word of the Lord.

People: Thanks be to God.

GRADUAL Revelation 7:14b; Psalm 84:5

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.

Blessèd are those whose strength is in you,
in whose heart are the highways to Zion.

EPISTLE 1 John 3:1–3

(Beloved, we are God’s children now.)

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. ³And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.

Lector: This is the Word of the Lord.

People: Thanks be to God.

VERSE Hebrews 12:1a, 2a

Alleluia. Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us look to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith. Alleluia.

HOLY GOSPEL Matthew 5:1–12

(Rejoice and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven.)

Pastor: The Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew, the fifth chapter.

People: 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. ¹²Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

Pastor: This is the Gospel of the Lord.

People: Praise to You, O Christ.

HYMN OF THE DAY: #677 – For All the Saints

SERMON: God Will Wipe Away All of Our Tears

NICENE CREED

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;
      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 + of the world to come. Amen.

PRAYER OF THE CHURCH

Pastor: Let us pray.
Lord God, heavenly Father, we offer before You our common supplications for the well-being of Your Church throughout the world. So guide and govern it by Your Holy Spirit that all who profess themselves Christians may be led into the way of truth and hold the faith in unity of spirit, in the bond of peace, and in righteousness of life. Send down upon all ministers of the Gospel and upon the congregations committed to their care the healthful spirit of Your grace that they may please You in all things. Behold in mercy all who are in authority over us. Supply them with Your blessing that they may be inclined to Your will and walk according to Your commandments. We humbly ask Your abiding presence in every situation that You would make known Your ways among us. Preserve those who travel, satisfy the wants of Your creatures, and help those who call upon You in any need that they may have patience in the midst of suffering and, according to Your will, be released from their afflictions; through Christ Jesus, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

People: Amen.

LORD’S PRAYER Matthew 6:9–13

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.

CLOSING PRAYER

Pastor: 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.

People: Amen.

BENEDICAMUS and BENEDICTION Numbers 6:24–26

Pastor: Let us bless the Lord.

People: Thanks be to God.

Pastor: 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 + give you peace.

People: Amen.

DISMISSAL

Pastor: Go in peace to love and serve the Lord!

People: Thanks be to God.

ALL SAINTS’ DAY (Observed) – Online Church at Home Bulletin