ORDER OF SERVICE FOR SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2022
ALL SAINTS SUNDAY / SERVICE OF REMEMBRANCE
Due to copyright limitations, we are unable to print the words to many of the songs. However, our musicians have chosen music to fit the scriptures. We invite you to look up the words in your worship book and ponder them. If you do not have a worship book, ponder the words to one of your favourite hymns and listen for God’s voice. Those who have internet may find the songs on YouTube.
Parts of this service contributed by Captain (Rev.) Nathan Wright—Chaplain, The Royal New Brunswick Regiment (Fredericton, NB)
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.
~ Francis of Assisi
BEFORE WE WORSHIP, WE REFLECT…
What makes someone a saint? On All Saints Day, we remember that saints are not just people of the past, like St. Patrick or St. Nicholas. They are people of the present. Some saints we see every day. Some saints we have never met in person. All saints inspire us to be closer and more faithful to God in the way we live, serve, and pray. This is because saints are ordinary people who, with God’s help, live in an extraordinary way. By the grace of God, given in our baptism and experienced through the holy people around us, we can all become saints.
We have gathered here with gratitude to recognize the sacrifices of our Canadian Armed Forces and RCMP members who have offered themselves in service to our country. Through world wars and regional conflicts, at home and abroad, they have demonstrated courage, loyalty, integrity, and service to Canada before self. The freedoms we enjoy today would not be possible without them. And so, on this Sunday before the 11th day of the 11th month, we remember them.
LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We acknowledge we gather and worship on Treaty 1 Territory, the original lands of Anishinaabeg, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota, and Dene peoples, and on the homeland of the Métis Nation.
We look to you, Great Spirit, to help us heal our relationships. We call on you, Holy Mystery, to inspire us, guide us, wake us up if needed, so that we may see Christ in each other.
CALL TO WORSHIP
From east and west, north and south, we gather on this day of remembrance to give thanks and praise.
We come to be inspired by the Word of God and honour the sacrifices of those who have committed themselves to service before self.
In times of peace, in times of conflict, and in times of uncertainty,
We remember that we are not alone.
We are the people of God, connected across time and space, from generation to generation.
We are united by the love of the One who said: “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”
As we gather to remember, let us sing and pray.
Let us worship God together!
CHILDREN’S SONG: When The Saints Go Marching In
CENTERING PRAYER
God of our past, present, and future, we have come to this place as a people of hope. We hope for a future without war and a world that lives together in peace. In years past, and in the present day, members of our armed forces have put their lives at risk for this hope, with some paying the ultimate cost. May what we do here today strengthen our resolve to work together so that this hope may be fulfilled. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
A NEW CREED
We are not alone; we live in God’s world.
We believe in God: who has created and is creating, who has come in Jesus, the Word made flesh, to reconcile and make new, who works in us and others by the Spirit.
We trust in God.
We are called to be the Church: to celebrate God’s presence, to live with respect in Creation, to love and serve others, to seek justice and resist evil, to proclaim Jesus, crucified and risen, our judge and our hope.
In life, in death, in life beyond death, God is with us. We are not alone. Thanks be to God.
CHILDREN’S CHAT
Every summer I drive to Ottawa, where I grew up, to visit my family and friends. I have been driving this trip so many years now, I could probably get there with my eyes closed! It takes me three days to get to Ottawa. If you want to see how far that actually is, go to Google Maps, type in the destination of Ottawa, ON, your starting point as Morris, MB, click on “directions” and see the great distance between the two! Part of that distance is driving around Lake Superior.
Today, you have Google Maps to guide you on your journey. When I first started travelling back to Ottawa, I had to use a paper map, because home computers had not yet been invented! (yes, I am old!). The map guided me to Ottawa. On the way, God guided me to certain people who needed to know God loved them. Sometimes it was a conversation with the person who filled my gas tank. Sometimes it was someone who was travelling in the opposite direction on their way to spend time with a dying relative. Sometimes it was a child at the ice cream kiosk who liked chocolate ice cream as much as I did!
Today we celebrate All Saints Sunday. All of us are saints because all of us are made holy by God, guided by God, given the courage, strength and inspiration to share God with others.
Every year I look forward to my three-day drive to Ottawa wondering which saints I will meet along the way, and which saints will bless me as I travel. Thank you, God, for all the saints!
MINUTE FOR MISSION: Mission & Service Partner Urges Banning Killer Robots
Killer robots sound like creepy sci fi. But they are real, and the World Council of Churches―a Mission & Service partner―is taking them seriously. So much so that in 2021 it released a campaign guide for churches on the topic in six different languages.
The free guide introduces churches to “killer robots,” or lethal autonomous weapons systems, and help raise awareness of the need for Christians to advocate for a pre-emptive ban on the future development of such weapons.
Calling the weapons a “unique menace,” the Right Rev. Dr. Christopher Cocksworth, Bishop of Coventry, underscores the urgency to act in the guide’s foreword: “They are a futile and sinister attempt to sanitize war…and contravene fundamental principles of international law. They simply make killing easier,” he writes.
Armed drones are nothing new. But unlike existing semi-autonomous weapons like drones, fully autonomous weapons have no human-operated “kill switch” and instead use artificial intelligence to make decisions over life and death. These machines can both select and attack targets.
And they already exist. In an article published last May, Foreign Policy notes that Israel, Russia, South Korea, and Turkey have reportedly deployed weapons with autonomous capabilities, and Australia, Britain, China, and the United States are investing heavily in their development. *
Around the world, churches are joining the call to raise awareness about the risks posed by killer robots and urging their governments to take steps to ban such technology.
Your generosity through Mission & Service supports the work of organizations like the World Council of Churches that are urging governments to put a pre-emptive ban on autonomous weapons systems and developing awareness tools like the campaign guide.
James 3:18 reads, “ harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace” (ESV). When we sew peace, we reap peace. Thank you for supporting worldwide peace-making efforts through Mission & Service.
*“Killer Robots Are Here—and We Need to Regulate Them,” Foreign Policy, May 11, 2022.
*A Time of Remembrance
O Canada! Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all of us command.
With glowing hearts, we see thee rise,
The True North strong and free!
From far and wide, O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
God keep our land glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
Words of Remembrance:
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old.
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning.
We will remember them.
Last Post
Minute of Silence
Reveilles
Words of Remembrance:
Eternal rest grant unto them, O God, and may perpetual light shine upon them.
May the souls of the righteous, through your great mercy, rest in peace. Amen.
PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION
We do not pretend to understand the mystery of the faith to which you have called us. Open our hearts that we may be prepared for the journey, so that, as the scripture is read and your word proclaimed, we may receive with joy what you have for us today. Amen.
READINGS AND PSALM
First Reading: Daniel 7:1-3, 15-18
The book of Daniel was written in the second century BCE, when the Syrian king Antiochus Epiphanes was severely persecuting the Jews. Daniel’s vision of the four beasts proclaims that human kings will come and go, but the kingdom will ultimately belong to God and to God’s people.
1In the first year of King Belshazzar of Babylon, Daniel had a dream and visions of his head as he lay in bed. Then he wrote down the dream: 2I, Daniel, saw in my vision by night the four winds of heaven stirring up the great sea, 3and four great beasts came up out of the sea, different from one another.
15As for me, Daniel, my spirit was troubled within me, and the visions of my head terrified me. 16I approached one of the attendants to ask him the truth concerning all this. So he said that he would disclose to me the interpretation of the matter: 17“As for these four great beasts, four kings shall arise out of the earth. 18But the holy ones of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever—forever and ever.”
Psalm 149
R: Sing the Lord’s praise in the assembly of the faithful. (Ps. 149:1)
1Hallelujah! Sing to the Lord a new song, God’s praise in the assembly of the faithful.
2Let Israel rejoice in their maker; let the children of Zion be joyful in their ruler.
3Let them praise their maker’s name with dancing; let them sing praise with tambourine and harp.
4For the Lord takes pleasure in the people and adorns the poor with victory. R
5Let the faithful rejoice in triumph; let them sing for joy on their beds.
6Let the praises of God be in their throat and a two-edged sword in their hand,
7to wreak vengeance on the nations and punishment on the peoples,
8to bind their kings in chains and their nobles with links of iron,
9to inflict on them the judgment decreed; this is glory for all God’s faithful ones. Hallelujah! R
Second Reading: Ephesians 1:11-23
After giving thanks for the faith of the Ephesians, the writer of this letter prays that they might understand the wisdom, hope, and power of God that is embodied in Jesus Christ.
11In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance, having been destined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will, 12so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of his glory. 13In him you also, when you had heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and had believed in him, were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit; 14this is the pledge of our inheritance toward redemption as God’s own people, to the praise of his glory.
15I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, and for this reason 16I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. 17I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, 18so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, 19and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power. 20God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. 22And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, 23which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
Gospel: Luke 6:20-31
In echoes of the prophet Isaiah and Mary’s song of praise, Jesus reveals surprising things about who enjoys blessing and who endures woe. He invites his disciples to shower radical love, blessing, forgiveness, generosity, and trust even on enemies and outsiders.
20Then looked up at his disciples and said:
“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
21“Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled.
“Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.
22“Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. 23Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets.
24“But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.
25“Woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry.
“Woe to you who are laughing now, for you will mourn and weep.
26“Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets.
27“But I say to you that listen, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. 29If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. 30Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. 31Do to others as you would have them do to you.”
HYMN: VU 705 For All The Saints
SERMON:
There are some elements of the Christian faith that are just shocking enough, just absurd enough, just unsettling enough, that it is surprising that we believe it. The gospel reading from Luke, chosen for the Festival of All Saints, lifts up one of those elements … and then throws it right into our collective face.
St. Luke’s version of the Beatitudes contains language that is just familiar enough to us that we can easily read or listen to it without really paying attention. We tend to hear it through Matthew’s better-known version, where the poor are poor in spirit, and those who hunger and thirst do so for the sake of righteousness. But not so in Luke. In Luke they’re just poor and hungry and hated — vagrant beggars who can’t sustain themselves, can’t provide for themselves or their families, are hard to look at and are a drain on the system.
In short, they’re losers. And yet Jesus calls them blessed. Why? Simply because God always reserves God’s most acute attention for those in need, those left behind by the powers that be, those left out of the lavish bounty of the world’s produce. Sometimes called God’s preferential treatment of the poor, at other places epitomized by recognizing that God is always on the side of the underdog, God’s unfailing and unflagging concern for the losers of this world is etched across the pages of Scripture in letters deep and clear enough for anyone willing to read.
And in case we’re not sure, Jesus goes on in Luke’s version not only to uplift the poor and hungry and those hated for his sake, but also to warn those who are rich.
This is, of course, a challenging, if not problematic verse for most of us in the middle class to hear. The majority of the middle class are still far better off than the vast majority of the world’s population.
Is that part of the reason it’s hard for us to identity with the folks Jesus lifts up? Have we worked hard enough to attain a measure of security that hearing Jesus affirm what we have tried to avoid is unthinkable? Do we fail to recognize in the face of poverty near and abroad the face of our Lord, asking us to do with less so that others may have more? Or does the idea of that kind of vulnerability — the kind imposed, not chosen, by poverty, hunger, and persecution — simply make us shrink back and fail to recognize our own vulnerability and need.
But no matter how hard we try, this passage — and all of Luke’s Gospel, for that matter — makes one thing unavoidably clear: Jesus is for losers. The realm of God he proclaims is populated by losers. And unless we identify as a loser, we’re likely not going to find ourselves anywhere near it…or want to.
All this, you may be wondering, just a week after Reformation Sunday and the declaration that we are not justified by our works or status but rather by faith in Christ alone? What’s happened?
Nothing. Except that in the face of these passages and on All Saints Sunday in particular we are forced to contend with the fact that we, too, are losers. Many of us were raised with a strong work ethic: “If you work hard enough, you will succeed.” But no matter how hard we try, we still have struggles, insecurities, emotional and psychological baggage, still destined at the end of all of our striving for a hole in the ground. We, too, are losers. The one who has the most toys when they die, dies anyway. Recognizing and confessing that we are losers — not as something to be ashamed of, but rather acknowledging it as a reality of our existence that opens us up to receiving the mercy and forgiveness, grace and life Jesus offers.
For what is the promise of mercy to those who are not weak, forgiveness to those who have not sinned, grace to those who do not need it, or life to those not dead?
In my first parish I was invited to visit one of my parishioners. He was married to his second wife, she having been a widow, and together they were raising 5 children, the sixth child having died in an accident several years earlier. As we sat drinking coffee, he told me his life story – the good, the bad and the ugly. When he came to the present, he ended his story by saying, “There you have it. This is me.” It was as if he was challenging me to accept him, knowing the skeletons he had in his closet, knowing the mistakes he had made, the hurtful choices and messed up life now made good. I looked him in the eye and said, “Thank you for your honesty. I am glad you heard the voice of Jesus through your family members and friends, and that you turned your life around.”
Being a loser does not mean being stuck at the bottom. Being a loser, at least as Jesus views it, means that having been at the bottom, we see Christ reaching down to us and grab hold of the one who has the power to pull us out of despair and fill us with joy and hope, no matter what the world throws at us! When you are already at the bottom, the only direction left to go is up!
Jesus addresses people who were not only materially or spiritually poor and hungry but who were actually suffering those conditions. All Saints’ Sunday invites us to recognize and affirm our common bond and union with all Christians of all times: women and men, rich and poor, all ethnicities and races, from all times and places, joined together as one Body not because of who we are, what we have, or what we’ve done, but because in Christ God calls us holy and blessed and has set us apart to be witnesses to God’s grace and goodness.
I have worked with the poor and the broken. I have seen people with next to nothing share with another who has even less. As a result of that generosity, the person is no longer a stranger, but a brother or sister in Christ. I have witnessed the joy of those who have broken free from psychological bondage and have discovered the wonder of being loved by God, completely and unconditionally. I have witnessed the courage of victims who have chosen to be victims no more and whose combined voices have brought about positive change, but not without great struggle. I have witnessed miracles and examples of deep faith. What this has taught me is what Jesus is saying to those who are willing to listen: it is when you have nothing that, in Christ, you have everything! Amen.
HYMN: WOV 628 Each Winter As The Year Grows Older
PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION
United with your saints across time and place, we pray for our shared world.
Holy One, your church rests on the faithful who came before us. Give bishops, pastors, deacons, and lay leaders the will to carry the church forward and discern your will for the future. Lord, in your mercy,
receive our prayer.
Holy One, the earth is yours and all that dwells within it. Care for places ravaged by natural disasters. Quell raging fires and halt destruction caused by flooding. Lord, in your mercy,
receive our prayer.
Holy One, you raise up leaders to guide your people. Kindle in them a passion to care for others, a desire to seek the common good, and the courage to love their enemies. Lord, in your mercy,
receive our prayer.
Holy One, you bless those who are poor, hungry, and reviled. Provide food, housing, and security to all who are vulnerable or in crisis. May those who have more than enough give generously. Lord, in your mercy,
receive our prayer.
Holy One, hold us in community with one another. Nurture a spirit of abundant hospitality and intentional inclusion among us, welcoming the gifts of adults and children. Inspire creative visions for our life together. Lord, in your mercy,
receive our prayer.
Holy One, we remember in thanksgiving all those who have died. Wipe away our tears and comfort us with the promise of everlasting life in you. Lord, in your mercy,
receive our prayer.
Accept these prayers, gracious God, and those known only to you; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Amen.
THE LORD’S PRAYER
SENDING SONG: VU 710 Shall We Gather At The River
BENEDICTION
Remember the sacrifices of those who have gone before us. Take up the whole armor of God and remain steadfast. Fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. Put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace.
May the grace of God, the love of Christ, and the hope of the Spirit be with you now and always. Amen.