1st. November. 2020 Service.
All Saints Day
Twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost
Prelude: Shall we gather at the river
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-pf-Jx19Lc
Let us worship God
All people that on earth do dwell
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NC5FfEavPM4
The Collect for today
Your love, O God, is timeless. May we so trust you in this temporal world, allowing you to shape our lives, that at the end of our days we may join those saints that have gone on ahead of us within the eternal world, where all is light, love, peace and joy. Through the saving love of Christ Jesus, who lives and loves with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Amen!
Holy, holy, holy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39ZfrO0UW_s
Call to Worship
O Lord send your light and your truth as we gather to worship.
May they lead us to your holy presence.
Let us bless the Lord at all times.
God’s praise will always be on our lips.
Magnify the Lord in all ways.
We will lift up God’s name together in worship and in service.
Life giving Father, loving Son, and encouraging Spirit,
God of life and blessing, Creator of all that is:
In Christ Jesus you offer your redeeming love to every soul throughout creation.
It is our greatest joy to be united to you and each other by your Spirit
in the community of your people, which stretches throughout the generations, and all around this world that you love.
We join our thanks and praise to the voices of all your saints in heaven and on earth,
who worship and adore you, saying:
All blessing and glory, all wisdom and thanksgiving, all honour and power belong to you, O God, today, forever, and ever! Amen.
It is not because we fear you, O God, but because we love you and trust in your loving kindness, that we confess our sins together:
God of courage and commitment, we confess that we have wandered from the path you set before us.
Discomfort and fear hold us back from fully embracing your gift of new life.
Our anxieties prevent us from bearing witness to your love.
Forgive us, O God.
Give us courage that we may be your saints in our own time,
faithfully following Jesus, whatever the cost.
Assurance of Pardon
We hear and believe the good news of the gospel as forgiveness floods our beings and we are inspired to follow the example of all your faithful saints who have gone before us. May our light shine as brightly through every act of forgiveness and grace for Jesus sake.
Prayer for Understanding
God of many generations, your Word comes to us through the witness of your saints over the centuries. As the scriptures are read and proclaimed today draw us by your Spirit that we too may hear your wisdom and come to know Christ Jesus your Living Word as He imparts grace to our lives. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer (in the words most familiar to you)
Be still my soul
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAT6PWayxCI
The Readings
Psalm 34:1-10; 22
Of David. When he pretended to be insane before Abimelek, who drove him away, and he left.
1 I will extol the Lord at all times;
his praise will always be on my lips.
2 I will glory in the Lord;
let the afflicted hear and rejoice.
3 Glorify the Lord with me:
let us exalt his name together.
4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me;
he delivered me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to him are radiant;
their faces are never covered with shame.
6 This poor man called, and the Lord heard him;
he saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him,
and he delivers them.
8 Taste and see that the Lord is good;
blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.
9 Fear the Lord, you his holy people,
for those who fear him lack nothing.
10 The lions may grow weak and hungry,
but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
22 The Lord will rescue his servants;
no one who takes refuge in him will be condemned. Amen.
Matthew 5:1-12
5 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them.
He said:
3 ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 ‘Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Revelation 7: 9-17
9 After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. 10 And they cried out in a loud voice:
‘Salvation belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb.’
11 All the angels were standing round the throne and round the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshipped God, 12 saying:
‘Amen!
Praise and glory
and wisdom and thanks and honour
and power and strength
be to our God for ever and ever.
Amen!’
13 Then one of the elders asked me, ‘These in white robes – who are they, and where did they come from?’
14 I answered, ‘Sir, you know.’
And he said, ‘These are they who have come 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.
16 “Never again will they hunger;
never again will they thirst.
The sun will not beat down on them,”
nor any scorching heat.
17 For the Lamb at the centre of the throne
will be their shepherd;
“he will lead them to springs of living water.”
Amen. This is the Word of the Lord, to Him be all glory and praise.
Invitation to the Offering
The gifts of God that we enjoy come to us through the work of many hands and the commitment of many lives over many centuries. We give our gifts to honour God and all God’s saints, praying that we, too, may be a blessing to those who come after us.
Offering Prayer
Generous God, we give you thanks for your steadfast love which has inspired so many lives to give generously, too. Bless the gifts we bring and bless our lives so that our discipleship will also be marked by generosity of heart and hands that witnesses to your love in Christ’s name. Amen
O love that will not let me go
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NC5FfEavPM4
Sermon
Matthew 5: 1-12
The Vatican announced this week that it is in the process of creating the first ever Venezuelan saint, Dr Jose Gregorio Hernandez, known as the doctor of the poor. His remains were exhumed this week as a part of the process his of beatification.
This method of memorializing people of extraordinary devotion is something which is alien to our notion of sainthood, which rests upon the declaration of sanctity of everyone who is committed to faith in Jesus Christ as being God’s prerogative alone. Sanctity is the gift of God, which is given not as a reward, but as a grace of adoption into Jesus Christ the Son of God. Thus, every believer is, by definition, a saint.
One of the dangers of the concept of sainthood is that we put some believers on pedestals. I recall as a young man the awed tones in which some, usually ministers or elders were spoken of in the church. What was often not known or acknowledged were the feet of clay which most of them had. So, we must not wax sentimental about the saints. We must be realistic about the idea of sainthood.
Today is the day we acknowledge their influence and treasure the memory of the holy ones of God from the past. At the same time, we must be careful not to discount the cost of being a saint, because it is still true that the way of Jesus is not for wimps.
That is why we turn to the Sermon on the Mount and the beatitudes for they are our God given template for the way of sanctity
The values which Jesus affirms in the Sermon of the Mount are “out of this world.” We could say they are a preview of eternal life That limitless life we are called to start living here and now.
Living it will, undoubtedly, get Jesus’ followers into trouble. The old world is set in its ways. It does not mind wearing the cloak of respectability, paying lip service to Jesus as an honourable man, but if people begin to emulate him, it makes the world uncomfortable, usually by stirring the conscience and then resentment. Jesus said, “your righteousness must exceed that of the Pharisees,” many of whom consequently hated Jesus and his disciples. Paul was the classic example of this until he understood the grace of God followinghis conversion.
Isn’t it true after all, that those beatitudes — as pretty and harmless as they may sound when read with an ecclesiastical lilt –would turn things upside if they were lived? It takes a brave and adventurous spirit to set out to walk the way of Jesus. It is much easier just to talk about what Jesus said than to live it.
Think about it!
Blessed are the poor, blessed are the sorrowful, blessed are the meek, blessed are the merciful, blessed are the pure in heart, blessed are the peacemakers?
Try these on in our greedy, hedonistic, self-assertive, vengeful, conniving, and violent world, and see how far you get without some troubles coming your way! True saints are divinely adventurous. They attempt to live Jesus-style, as far as possible in this crazy old world. Rarely are they popular in their day.
As we use the word “saints,” we are not only thinking of those great saints who have been officially canonized. We also have in mind the vast number of “small saints.” Those loving adventurers who rarely made a big enough splash to be remembered beyond their generation. Only God knows how many good souls just disappeared, their deeds unrecorded, into the dust of history. Some were dealt with violently, others sent (or had to escape) into exile, many died in poverty and may have been buried in an unmarked pauper’s grave.
Usually such folk were loved by a few but either ignored or mocked by many. That is commonly a lot of saints.
Like St Claire and St Francis, they did what they did despite hostility from those who had much invested in the status quo. I recall reading about the canonization of Mary McKillop in 2010, just before we left Australia. She was Australia’s first Catholic saint, and she was not popular among the power brokers. Her work with the socially disadvantaged was not welcomed by those in power; and that included people with ecclesiastical clout.
Little has changed today. There are countless ordinary, “small saints” around us who said have said yes to the spirit and word of the beatitudes. Loving, adventurous souls who in one way or another have suffered hurt, rejection, or sophisticated disdain, because of their loyalty in following the Lord Jesus. Rarely do such folk into the news.
Many “small saints” do not even complain about their suffering to friends. Most certainly do not brood over their hurts; bitterness is not for them. They just get on with doing the Jesus thing to the best of their ability.
By way of contrast, we have some exponents of a deviant form of Christianity which expects to be popular.
There is a brand of Christianity which equates saintliness with success which is almost worshipped. Prosperity gospel preachers, preachers who gather a huge following, often expect to be healthy and financially prosperous and preach that true faith should result in health and wealth. It is as if with a flick of the wrist, they have produced a new beatitude: “Blessed are you when all men speak well of you.”
You will not find many saints in their ranks. Neither great saints nor small saints.
It may be natural for the rest of us, the faithful plodders, to sometimes feel a trifle envious of those who “make it, big time.” After all, while the small saints may be copping it in the neck for daring to espouse the rights of the poor, the meek, the hungry, the merciful, the pure and the peacemakers. As Jesus pointed out, those whose piety is seen and remarked upon have already had their reward. That is the danger inherent in popular sainthood.
It might be natural to experience a bit of envy, but never covetousness. On this All Saints Day, let us take stock. Let us affirm our commitment to that poor preacher, the “Son of man who had nowhere to lay his head.”” And be happy about it!
We must also stress – for God’s sake be happy about the hard choices you may have to make. To follow Christ is to combine some frustration with much happy adventure. To follow Christ mixes discipline with new liberty, and some pain with much happiness.
On the other hand, dour religion is just as much a perversion as what we have categorised as success religion.
Bruce Prewer an Australian Uniting Church minister sometimes gave this final greeting at the end of a letter: ‘The good humor of Christ be always with you.” He said, “I mean it with all my heart. Joy is one of the key words in the New Testament. Written by Christians who were constantly harassed, imprisoned, flogged or worse, they wrote buoyantly about the joy that was theirs.”
The saints, great and small, are happy souls. The way of Christ is certainly not for wimps, but neither is it for those with sour faces and heavy steps.
It was beautifully written about Jesus who, “For the joy that was set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrew 12:2.
Today remember all the saints; including those small saints whose lives touched on yours with a special blessing. In difficult times like this, the challenges to saintliness are great, but so are the opportunities. Think of the lives of those whom you have loved and lost. What did they overcome during their lives that strengthened their faith? What quiet, loving acts did they perform? What trials and challenges did they meet with faith and hope? What joys did they know and share? Be inspired by your own ordinary saints as much as by the well-known ones, and remember, “… since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy that was set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:1-2
Remember, give thanks, and get real. Take your marks once again for the race on which you are lovingly entered. Amen.
Prayers of Thanksgiving and Intercession
Living God, in whom there is no shadow or change, we thank you for the gift of life eternal, and for all those who having served you well, now rest from their labour.
We thank you for all the saints remembered and forgotten, for those dear souls most precious to us. Today we give thanks for those who during the last twelve months have died and entered your glory.
We bless you for their life and love, and rejoice for them “all is well, and all manner of things will be well.”
God of Jesus and our God,
mindful of all those choice souls who have gone on ahead of us, teach us, and every twenty-first century disciple of every race and place, to follow their example to the best of our ability:
to feed the poor in body or spirit,
to support and comfort the mourners and the repentant,
to encourage the meek and stand with them in crises,
to affirm those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
to cherish and learn from the merciful,
to be humbled by, and stand with, the peacemakers.
Let we clearly recognise what it means
to be called the children of God,
and to know we are to be your saints
neither by our own inclination nor
in our own strength
but simply by the call
and the healing holiness
of Christ Jesus our Saviour. Amen!
Lord Jesus, you said, “Blessed are the poor.” We pray for those who find themselves on the margins of the economy, suffering the anxiety and restriction of low income and the insecurity it brings. Challenge us in our stewardship that this world will increasingly reflect your kingdom, where there is enough for all, and everyone can enjoy the blessings of your creation. God, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
Lord Jesus, you said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst.” We pray for people and communities facing famine and drought, on top of this pandemic.
Give strength to people and agencies dedicated to the alleviation of misery. Move us to share what we have with those who have so much less. God, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
Christ Jesus, you blessed the peacemakers. We pray for those who work for peace and reconciliation in a divided world. Protect those who face violence, persecution and chaos in their homes, workplaces or communities. Transform the day-to-day struggles of those living in danger or discord. Move us to serve as mediators and models of forgiveness in our relationships. We pray for a clear, peaceful and healing conclusion to the election in the USA and other countries electing new leaders and government. God, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Lord Jesus, you blessed those who weep. We pray for those around the world and in our community, who are dying, and for those who weep for their loved ones who have recently died.
We name in silence those in our hearts and minds today, including those saints who have blessed us in days and years gone by:
Living God, in whom there is no shadow or change, we thank you for the gift of life eternal, and for all those who having served you well, now rest from their labours.
Prayer of Remembrance
We thank you for all the saints remembered and forgotten, for those dear souls most precious to us. Today we give thanks for those who during the last twelve months have died and entered glory.
We bless you for their life and love, and rejoice for them “all is well, and all manner of things will be well.”
God of Jesus and our God,
mindful of all those choice souls who have gone on ahead of us,
teach us, and each twenty-first century disciple of every race and place,
to follow their example to the best of our ability:
to feed the poor in body or spirit,
to support and comfort the mourners and the repentant,
to encourage the meek and stand with them in crises,
to affirm those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
to cherish and learn from the merciful,
to be humbled by, and stand with, the peacemakers.
Let us clearly recognise what it means
to be called the children of God,
and to know we are to be your saints
neither by our own inclination nor
in our own strength
but simply by the call
and the healing holiness
of Christ Jesus our Saviour. Amen
For all the saints
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OaBgaMcOvM
Benediction
Go on your way rejoicing.
Surrounded as you are by such a great cloud of witnesses,
take courage as you face each new challenge,
and comfort when you pick yourself up from a fall,
In whatever good you choose to do,
precede it with hope,
accompany it with prayer,
and follow it with thanksgiving.
The blessing of God Most Blessed,
whom the saints have trusted as
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
be with you now and ever more. Amen!
May God’s blessing surround you each day
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_3O_N49GiU
Postlude: Sing for God’s glory
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEi0UpfjGns
Hymns
Here are some hymn suggestions to check on YouTube if you wish to sing along. Some may not be as familiar as their titles suggest and the ones marked “listen” do not have the lyrics on the screen:
Sing for God’s glory
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEi0UpfjGns
Holy, holy, holy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39ZfrO0UW_s
Be still my soul
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAT6PWayxCI
For all the saints
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OaBgaMcOvM
All people that on earth do dwell
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NC5FfEavPM4
O love that will not let me go
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NC5FfEavPM4
Shall we gather at the river
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-pf-Jx19Lc
May God’s blessing surround you each day
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_3O_N49GiU
For Children
In Simon Says, someone tells you some things to do but you have to listen closely. If they say, “Simon says,” then kids do the motion. If they don’t say, “Simon Says,” you shouldn’t do the action.
You can play it the opposite way. You still need to listen to what is said, “Simon Says” before you do a motion. But, in this Opposite Simon Says, you will do the opposite of what they say. If they say, “Simon says, ‘don’t touch your head,’ you will do the opposite and touch your head.”
Simon says, “don’t clap your hands.”
Say these things for kids to do the opposite:
“Simon says, ‘Stand up.’”
“Stand up.”
“Simon says, ‘Sit down.’”
“Simon says, ‘Don’t pat your head.’”
“Simon says, ‘Don’t stop patting your head.’
“Pat your stomach.”
“Simon says, ‘Don’t practice what you preach.”
??? What does this mean?
Practice what you preach. What does that mean? (Pause.) I think it means that if you tell someone to do something, you need to do it, too. Practice what you preach means don’t do the opposite thing that you say. Instead do what you say others should do.
In our Bible lesson today, Jesus had something to say about “practicing what you preach.” Jesus was talking about the teachers of the law and the Pharisees in the synagogue where people went to worship. Jesus said that everything that they did was done so that others would see them and think how great they were. But they din’t do what they told other people to do. In fact, they did the opposite!
What did Jesus tell us to do about teachers like these?
You might think Jesus would say, “Don’t listen to them! You don’t have to do what they say.” But He didn’t. Jesus said, “Obey these teachers and do everything they say. But do not do what they do, because they do not practice what they preach.” When it comes to living the Christian life, we need to make sure we do what we say.
Here’s a little poem that would be good to remember.
You can know a lot of Scripture
And have the gift to teach,
But what is more important —
Is to practice what you preach!
Here is a video to dance along to Deep, deep, deep!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69nQjT9CaHE
Intimations
Please remember to indicate to Joan More if you wish to attend worship in Inverkeithing. Owing to Government regulations, numbers will be restricted to fewer than fifty persons and places will be allocated on a first come first served basis each week. Please call Joan 01383 414515 on Friday to indicate that you wish to attend. Please do not come without first ensuring your place each week as we do not wish to turn anyone away on the day.
Next Sunday is Remembrance Sunday. The services will be at the usual times. There will be no parade and, as of Friday last, the Wreath laying Ceremonies have been cancelled. It may be that some private wreath-laying will take place. We will have our Act of Remembrance during the worship including most of the traditional elements