Items for the week of Sunday, November 1st

This past Sunday, November 1^st, was All Saints Day

We heard the following scripture readings, introduction, and prayer of the day during the Sunday morning worship service:

Introduction

All Saints celebrates the baptized people of God, living and dead, who are the body of Christ. As November heralds the dying of the landscape in many northern regions, the readings and liturgy call us to remember all who have died in Christ and whose baptism is complete. At the Lord’s table we gather with the faithful of every time and place, trusting that the promises of God will be fulfilled and that all tears will be wiped away in the new Jerusalem.

Prayer of the Day

Almighty God, you have knit your people together in one communion in the mystical body of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Grant us grace to follow your blessed saints in lives of faith and commitment, and to know the inexpressible joys you have prepared for those who love you, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Scripture
Revelation 7:9-17 The multitudes of heaven worship the Lamb
Psalm 34:1-10, 22 Fear the Lord, you saints of the Lord; for those who fear the Lord lack nothing. (Ps. 34:9)
1 John 3:1-3 We are God’s children
Matthew 5:1-12 Blessed are the poor in spirit

The Message

If you would like a transcript of the message, please let the office know.

Devotion for the week from Augsburg Fortress

Comfort And Afflicted

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German Lutheran theologian who was executed by the Nazi regime, wrote, “We are not to simply bandage the wounds of victims beneath the wheels of injustice, we are to drive a spoke into the wheel itself” (Letters and Papers from Prison, Fortress, 2015). Driving a spoke into the wheels of injustice—this is challenging and risky work. Sometimes we walk in justice and humility, and other times we harm our neighbors and surrounding communities. Lord, have mercy on us. And yet God still sends faithful prophets and teachers to encourage us and spur us to good works in Jesus’ name.

In contemporary culture, humility is a countercultural value. Many of us love to be honored, lauded, and exalted by others. But in a strange turn of events, Jesus reminds us that those who are exalted will be humbled and those who are humbled will be exalted. Indeed, our God of justice and might will lift up all who are being ground under the wheels of injustice.

Each community of faith is situated in a specific context chosen by God. In these contexts, whether inner city, suburb, or rural area, we are called to stand with people who are poor, downtrodden, and marginalized; to bandage wounds; and to work against injustice. May the words and deeds of our faith communities and the larger church fulfill our baptismal vows to bring greater justice and peace to all the earth!