On the first Sunday in November we mark the commemoration of “All Saints.” This is both the celebration of all the faithful, throughout time and space, and also the remembrance of the dear ones of our congregation and their families. We gather around the Lord’s Table, also a kairos commemoration, in which the saints past, present and future gather with us.
Join us for worship in our beautiful sanctuary, or right here online. Worship videos are available here or on Youtube following the service. You are invited!
31st Ordinary: Memorial of All Saints
Not Yet Revealed
Psalm 34:1-10; 22; 1 John 3:1-3
Union Presbyterian Church
November 5, 2023
Sharing the Light of Christ, Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow
Liturgist: Cindy Surrena Preacher: Rev. Pat Raube
Prelude Chris Bartlette
“Voluntary in F,” Robert Lau
Prayer Concerns Rev. Pat Raube
Welcome Rev. Pat Raube
Announcements Cindy Surrena
Prelude Chris Bartlette
“With the Saints in Glory Shining,” Edward Broughton
©2014, Lorenz Publishing Company, All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE.
License #A-728112. All rights reserved.
Call to Worship
Thanks be to you, O God, that we have risen this day,
to the rising of this life itself.
May the purpose of God be between us and each purpose,
the hand of God between us and each hand,
the pain of Christ between us and each pain,
the love of Christ between us and each love.
O God, who brought us to the bright light of this new day,
bring us to the guiding light of eternity.
Hymn #469 W & R
“Lord of All Hopefulness,” Jack Schrader
©1989, Hope Publishing Company, All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE.
License #A-728112. All rights reserved.
Lord of all hopefulness, Lord of all joy,
Whose trust, ever childlike no cares could destroy,
Be there at our waking, and give us, we pray,
Your bliss in our hearts, Lord, at the break of the day.
Lord of all eagerness, Lord of all faith,
Whose strong hands were skilled at the plane and the lathe,
Be there at our labors, and give us, we pray,
Your strength in our hearts, Lord, at the noon of the day.
Lord of all kindliness, Lord of all grace,
Your hands swift to welcome, your arms to embrace,
Be there at our homing, and give us, we pray,
Your love in our hearts, Lord, at the eve of the day.
Lord of all gentleness, Lord of all calm,
Whose voice is contentment, whose presence is balm,
Be there at our sleeping, and give us, we pray,
Your peace in our hearts, Lord, at the end of the day.
Call to New Life
Prayer for Wholeness and Peace
Eternal God, in every age you have raised up people to live and die in faith. We confess that we are indifferent to your will. You call us to proclaim your name, but we are silent. You call us to do what is just, but we remain idle. You call us to live faithfully, but we are afraid. Give us courage to follow in your way, that joined with those from ages past, who have served you with faith, hope, and love, we may know the love and justice of your reign.
We will now have a time of silent prayer.
And we pray,
We are grateful that neither death, nor life, nor present things, nor things to come, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord, through the power of the Holy Spirit. Thanks be to God. Amen.
Words of Assurance
Sharing of the Peace
A saint of the early church prayed,
“O Lord, you have made us for yourselves,
and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.”
May the peace of God be with you.
And also with you.
Let us offer one another a sign of God’s peace.
Scripture Psalm 34:1-10, 22
I will bless the Lord at all times;
the praise of God shall ever be in my mouth.
I will glory in the Lord;
let the lowly hear and rejoice.
Proclaim with me the greatness of the Lord,
let us exalt God’s name together.
I sought the Lord, who answered me,
and delivered me from all my terrors.
Look upon the Lord, and be radiant;
and let not your faces be downcast.
I called in my affliction, and the Lord heard me,
and saved me from all my troubles.
The angel of the Lord encamps
around those who fear the Lord, and delivers them.
Taste and see that the Lord is good;
happy are they who take refuge in God.
Fear the Lord, you saints of the Lord,
for those who fear the Lord lack nothing.
The lions are in want and suffer hunger,
but those who seek the Lord lack nothing that is good.
O Lord, you redeem the life of your servants;
and those who put their trust in you will not be punished.
Time for Young Disciples Rev. Pat Raube
Music: “Rise Up, O Saints of God”
Scripture 1 John 3:1-3
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.
Response Holy Wisdom, Holy Word:
Thanks be to God!
Meditation “Not Yet Revealed” Rev. Pat Raube
Affirmation of Faith The 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,
was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary
and became truly human.
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,
who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified,
who 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.
Anthem
“Shall We Gather at the River,” David Lantz III
©2022, Beckenhorst Press, All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE.
License #A-728112. All rights reserved.
Shall we gather at the river,
Where bright angel feet have trod,
With its crystal tide forever
Flowing by the throne of God?
Yes, we’ll gather at the river,
The beautiful, the beautiful river;
Gather with the saints at the river
That flows by the throne of God.
Yes, we’ll gather at the river.
Yes, we’ll gather at the river,
Beautiful river.
E’er we reach the shining river,
Lay we every burden down.
Grace our spirits will deliver,
And provide a robe and crown.
Yes, we’ll gather at the river,
The beautiful, the beautiful river;
Gather with the saints at the river
That flows by the throne of God.
Oh, yes, we’ll gather at the river.
Yes, we will gather at the river
That flows by the throne of God.
Soon we’ll reach the shining river,
Soon our pilgrimage will cease;
Soon our happy hearts will quiver
With the melody of peace.
Yes, we’ll gather at the river,
The beautiful, the beautiful river;
Gather with the saints at the river
That flows by the throne of God.
Yes, we’ll gather at the river,
The beautiful, the beautiful river;
Gather with the saints at the river
That flows by the throne of God.
A Reading from John Donne’s “Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions”
The church is catholic, universal, so are all her actions; all that she does, belongs to all. When she baptizes a child, that action concerns me; for that child is thereby connected to that head which is my head too, and ingraffed into that body, whereof I am a member. And when she buries a man, that action concerns me; all mankind is of one author, and is one volume; when one man dies, one chapter is not torn out of the book, but translated into a better language; and every chapter must be so translated; God employs several translators; some pieces are translated by age, some by sickness, some by war, some by justice; but God's hand is in every translation, and his hand shall bind up all our scattered leaves again, for that library where every book shall lie open to one another; as therefore the bell that rings to a sermon, calls not upon the preacher only, but upon the congregation to come; so this bell calls us all…
No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main; if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friend's or of thine own were; any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.
The Naming of the Saints
The Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper/ Prayers of the People
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them up to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise!
…Therefore we praise you, joining our voices with angels and archangels,
with prophets, apostles, and martyrs, and with all the faithful of every time and place, who forever sing to the glory of your name:
Sanctus
“Holy, Holy, Holy Lord,” Marty Haugen
©1984, GIA Publications, All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE.
License #A-728112. All rights reserved.
Holy, holy, holy Lord,
God of power, God of might,
Heaven and earth are filled with Your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is He who comes
In the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest,
Hosanna in the highest.
The Story of the Supper
…According to his commandment:
We remember his life and death,
we proclaim his resurrection,
we await his coming in glory.
The Gracious Spirit
Prayers of the People
…This we pray in your name, and using the prayer you taught us to pray together:
The Lord’s Prayer (Unison)
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 debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.
The Communion
Music during Communion:
"Gift of Finest Wheat," Robert E. Kreutz,
©1977, Archdiocese of Philadelphia, All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE.
License #A-728112. All rights reserved.
Prayer After Communion
God of glory, in this holy feast you have made us one with Christ and with that great multitude of the faithful—those who hunger and thirst no more and worship night and day in your temple. Lead us in the paths of righteousness and guide us to the springs of the water of eternal life, until we join the choir of the redeemed, singing: Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb: Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Hymn #529 W & R
“For All the Saints”
(Public Domain)
For all the saints who from their labors rest,
Who thee by faith before the world confessed,
Thy name, O Jesus, be forever blest.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Thou wast their rock, their fortress and their might;
Thou, Lord, their captain in the well-fought fight;
Thou in the darkness drear, their one true light.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
O blest communion, fellowship divine!
We feebly struggle; they in glory shine.
Yet all are one in thee, for all are thine.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
And when the strife is fierce, the warfare long,
Steals on the ear the distant triumph song,
And hearts are brave again and arms are strong.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
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!
From earth's wide bounds and ocean's farthest coast,
Through gates of pearl streams in the countless host,
Singing to Father, Son, and Holy Ghost:
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Benediction
Go into the world in peace.
Have courage!
Hold fast to what is good.
Return no one evil for evil.
Strengthen the faint-hearted,
support the weak,
help the suffering.
Honor all people.
Love and serve the Lord your God,
rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit.
…
Thanks be to God. Amen
Postlude Chris Bartlette
“Forward Through the Ages,” Lyndall Leatherman
©2018, Lorenz Publishing Company, All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE.
License #A-728112. All rights reserved.
Where an * is indicated, please rise in body and/or in spirit.
“W & R” ~ the red Worship and Rejoice hymnal.
“PH” ~ the blue Presbyterian Hymnal
Call to Worship from the Iona Community, Scotland.
Prayer for Wholeness and Peace and Communion prayer from the PCUSA Book of Common Worship.