All Saints Day

Opening Prayer

Holy and Compassionate God,
Most perfect loving Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
Through Christ you proclaim the way to life in all its fullness,
Through Christ you offer us the promise of sure and certain hope of eternal life …
In the life death and resurrection of Jesus you declare that your love is such that even death itself cannot overcome it …

We give you thanks that you do not leave us alone as we face the mystery and shadow of death…
As today we remember people who have been precious to us and who have died,
Hold us in your care …
Bless us with comfort and peace …

Creating and forgiving God,
We confess that we have not always loved as Christ has loved us.
Forgive us and enable us by your grace to forgive anything that has been hurtful to us.
Assure us that through Christ you set us free from sin and bring healing and wholeness.
And we pray in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Scripture readings:

Isa. 25: 6-9

(NRSV)

On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples
a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines,
of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wines strained clear.
And he will destroy on this mountain
the shroud that is cast over all peoples,
the sheet that is spread over all nations;
he will swallow up death forever.
Then the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces,
and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth,
for the Lord has spoken.
It will be said on that day,
Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us.
This is the Lord for whom we have waited;
let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.

Rev. 21: 1-6a

(NRSV)

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,
“See, the home of God is among mortals.
He will dwell with them;
they will be his peoples,
and God himself will be with them;
he will wipe every tear from their eyes.
Death will be no more;
mourning and crying and pain will be no more,
for the first things have passed away.”
And the one who was seated on the throne said, “See, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.” Then he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.

All Saints Prayer

For all the saints, who from their labors rest,
The saints gone too soon before the fullness of their grace was truly known by human minds.
The saints who were not lauded, but whose faithfulness bore generations of fruit.
The saints whose witness spoke truth to power and brought forth new creations.
The saints who died with doubts, questions, and hope in mystery.
The saints who held to the truth through it all.
The saints whose legacies are the history from which we learn how to do and be better.
The saints who are only remembered by God and who rest in light perpetual.
For these and so many others,
we give thanks to God. Amen.

Source: Rev Julia Seymour, posted on RevGalBlogPals

Prayers of intercession

On this holy day of memory, O LORD our God,
inspire our vision so that we might see with clear eyes
the hope and fullness of life that is found in you.

We pray for clarity and courage to see and live out Christ’s call for a world in which the poor are blessed, the hungry fed and your good news made known.

We seek healing and unfailing comfort for those persons (known and unknown) who are struggling, grieving deeply, in pain, in fear, with ill health and we name them silently before you . . .

By your mercy and grace, grant us wisdom
for these days of remembering,
and of living into the coming of your future,
strengthened by your witnesses in days past.

Based on a prayer by Rachel Hackenberg, RevGalBlogPals

Wisdom

Welcome and notices

Please go to our website https://stlukesuca.org.au if you want to find out more about the life of the congregation.

Opening Prayer & Confession

Lets look to the Psalms as we come to God in prayer

Drawn from Psalm 37

(1-4) Do not fret because of the wicked;  do not be envious of wrongdoers,

for they will soon fade like the grass, and wither like the green herb.

Trust in God, and do good; so you will live in the land, and enjoy security.

Delight in everything about God, and God will give you the desires of your heart.

(5-7)

Commit the way you live to God; if you trust God, God will act to show where you are right,

and bring justices to your case, like the bight noonday sun.

Be still before God, wait patiently for her response.

Do not fret over those who seem to be getting their way despite evil desires and motives.

Trust in God to show you how they will be stopped, and truth and grace will prevail.

(27-28)

Run from evil, and do good; so you shall be at home with God for ever.

For God loves justice and will not forsake his faithful ones.

(30-31)

The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom; they speak for justice.

The law of their God is in their hearts; they don’t slip as they follow in God’s footsteps.

Opening prayer

God we recognise that we do slip.

We strive to be faithful to your love and grace to us, but too often we focus on ourselves:

• we want to be as successful as others in our careers, families, sports or talents
• we become frustrated and angry when others don’t understand the world the way we do
• we hold on too tightly to beliefs that make us comfortable – when you challenge us to see things from your point of view.

Forgive us God.

Help us to learn from the wise ones – from the scriptures, from your Saints through history and today, and even from the insights of the young.

Today open our ears and our hearts to listen and learn from you, to hear again the questions and guidance for us from your Son Jesus, and the wisdom and courage offered through your Holy Spirit.

Teach us to spend more time listening, asking questions to understand and act positively, than in preaching, prosecuting or politicking others to get things our way.

Amen

Family of God, through God’s Spirit we can always draw on the fountain of wisdom and love, even in the darkest of times and when our actions (or inaction) shame us so much. There is enough mercy to cover all your sins, and not yours only, but those of the whole world. Take up the challenge then – live as Christ showed us, as he called you and me to serve in the world.

Live as forgiven people, for in Christ, such you truly are!

Thanks be to God! Amen.

Gospel reading: John 1: 1-18

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.

He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.

And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth. (John testified to him and cried out, ‘This was he of whom I said, “He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.”’)

From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.

Prayers of the People & Dispersal (by Rev. Ann Perrin, UCA)

Ever-living, ever-present God,

You are with us.

We come before you this day

knowing we’re are to be dispersed,

sent out into your world

to be your church in new ways.

If we are resistant to this change Lord,

hear our prayer of confession

and bless us with forgiveness,

patience and resilience

for we are committed to care for each other as we care for ourselves.

So help us to discover new ways to share

why we live our lives committed to sharing the promises of the gospel.

During these times of change, we will remember those whose groups are still unable to meet together in our buildings, or new challenges to gathering,

and the new ways we will need to navigate to be community.

We remember planned baptisms, weddings and celebrations

And pray times for rejoicing will not be too far away.

We remember those for who this time is one of uncertainty and challenge

those who now live with fear and in isolation,

and those for whom this time is one of anguish and death.

Hold all those in need of your love at this time.

Holy God, you encourage us when doubtful to draw closer to you.

Allow us to recognise your Holy Spirit as our guide, comforter, and companion.

And so with the hope you instill in us

and when the time time is right and this season of our church is over

we will return as your gathered community

with the joy of Easter Day,

celebrating our resilience, knowing our communities are stronger then ever

to continue your work to help build a flourishing world where ever we find ourselves.

AMEN.

St Luke … Witness and Healer

Welcome and notices

Please go to our website https://stlukesuca.org.au if you want to find out more about the life of the congregation.

Opening Prayer

Opening Prayer of adoration

Blessed are you, Compassionate Father,

Creator of all:

we glorify and adore you.

Blessed are you, Lord Jesus Christ,

loving Saviour of the world:

we glorify and adore you.

Blessed are you, eternal Spirit,

gracious source of light and life:

we glorify and adore you.

Father, Son and Holy Spirit,

Lord our God, source of sure and certain hope:

we praise your name for ever and ever.

Amen.

Prayer of praise and confession

Holy one and holy three,

Life-giving God you have come amongst us in Jesus,

And in Jesus you announce good news for the poor, liberty for captives, sight for those who cannot see and freedom for the oppressed.

In you is love that surpasses all loves. You are the Light of all lights.

We confess our need of you …

We are not meant to navigate this life on our own …

Help us to be honest about ourselves … help us to disentangle the good from the bad …

Enable us to be humble enough to declare that in too many ways we have not lived up to the standard of living found in Christ …

(Pause)

Bring your healing, forgiveness, and good news into our lives …

Break us free from anything that takes us away from the path of Christ …

Please gather us up into the saving grace of Jesus Christ. Assure us that you desire to forgive us through and through … that you desire to deal with the burden of guilt that so many carry.  May we hear your good news of hope and liberty right within the core of our beings … And may we be open to the Holy Spirit transforming us more and more into the people you would have us be. Through Christ Jesus our Saviour.

Amen!

Some phrases are derived from prayers to be found at  www.bruceprewer.com/DocB/BSUNDAY29.htm

Declaration of forgiveness

This is the best of all:

when we are empty, God fills us;

when we are disheartened, God is compassionate;

when we are wounded, God brings healing;

when we confess our sin, God forgives.

In Christ, through Christ and because of Christ,

our sins are forgiven.

Thanks be to God.

Scripture readings:

Luke 1: 1-4

1 Dear Theophilus:

Many people have done their best to write a report of the things that have taken place among us. ² They wrote what we have been told by those who saw these things from the beginning and who proclaimed the message. ³ And so, Your Excellency, because I have carefully studied all these matters from their beginning, I thought it would be good to write an orderly account for you. ⁴ I do this so that you will know the full truth about everything which you have been taught.

Luke 4: 14-21

Prayers for intercession

O Lord, hear the deep prayers of our hearts:
Prayers for hope for those who feel desolate and are struggling to find meaning in life
Prayers for healing for those who are in physical, mental or spiritual need
Prayers for jobs for those who cannot find paid employment
Prayers for community for those who feel isolated
Prayers for peace for those whose lives are filled with conflict.
Prayers for people who genuinely listen for those seeking to be understood.
Prayers for comfort for those who grieve.
Prayers for food and clean water for those who hunger and thirst.
Prayers for shelter for those who are homeless.
Prayers for those impacted by droughts, fires or flooding rains
Prayers for freedom for those who live under dictatorships.
Prayers for wisdom for our leaders.
Prayers for spiritual growth and health for our churches.

In the name of Christ,
Amen.

— adapted from a prayer written by Rev Abi, and posted on RevGalBlogPals blog.  http://revgalblogpals.blogspot.ca/

Unless otherwise stated prayers are either by the author or based on resources from Uniting in Worship 2 © Uniting Church Press, Sydney, 2005.  And images are from Wikimedia Commons and are in the public domain.