Proper Prayers for All Saints (3 November 2019)

Proper Prayers for All Saints C

Daniel 7.1-3, 15-18; Psalm 149; Ephesians 1.11-23; Luke 6.20-31

Collect of the Day

Almighty God, whose people are knit together in one holy Church, the mystical Body of your Son, 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 your Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, ow and for ever.  Amen.  [1]

or

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 Saviour and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.  Amen.  [2]

or

God of all holiness, in your realm of glory, those who are poor now will receive the kingdom those who are hungry now will be filled, and those who weep now will laugh and leap in joy.  Strengthen us by this vision, so that, with the saints before us, we may bring near your justice and peace; through Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord.  Amen.  [3]

or

Holy God, giver of blessing to hungry and hated, you overturn tables of privilege and greed.  Teach us a new way of being beyond reward, beyond revenge, so that we may do to others as we would have them do to us; through Jesus Christ, who prays for all who crucify him.  Amen.  [3]

or

All-holy God, you call your people to holiness.  As we keep the festival of your saints, give us their meekness and poverty of spirit, a thirst for righteousness, and purity of heart.  May we share with them the richness of your kingdom and be clothed in the glory you bestow.  Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever.  Amen.  [4]

Prayer over the Gifts

Holy and mighty God, we give you thanks for the triumph of Christ in the lives of all his saints.  Receive all we offer you this day, and help us, like them, to run our course with faith, that/so that we may come to your eternal kingdom.  We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.  [1]

or

Holy God, gracious and merciful, you bring forth food from the earth and nourish your whole creation.  Turn our hearts toward those who hunger in any way, so that all may know your care; and prepare us now to feast on the bread of life, Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord.  Amen.  [3]

or

God of all creation, all you have made is good, and your love endures forever.  You bring forth bread from the earth and fruit from the vine.  Nourish us with these gifts, so that we might for the world signs of your gracious presence in Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord.  Amen.  [3]

or

Blessed are you, O God, maker of all things.  Through your goodness you have blessed us with these gifts:  our selves, our time and our possessions.  Use us, and what we have gathered, in feeding the world with your love, through the one who gave himself for us, Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord.  Amen.  [3]

or

God of mercy and grace, the eyes of all wait upon you,  and you open your hand in blessing.  Fill us with good things at your table, so that we may come to the help of all in need, through Jesus Christ, our redeemer and Lord.  Amen.  [3]

or

Merciful God, as grains of wheat scattered upon the hills were gathered together to become one bread, so let your church be gathered together from the ends of the earth into your kingdom, for yours is the glory through Jesus Christ, now and for ever.  Amen.  [3]

Preface

It is indeed right, our duty and our joy, that we should at all times and in all places give thanks and praise to you, almighty and merciful God, through our Saviour Jesus Christ.  By the witness of the saints you show us the hope of our calling, and strengthen us to run the race set before us, that/so that we may delight in your mercy, and rejoice with them in glory.  And so, with ( _____ and) all the saints, with the choirs of angels and the hosts of heaven, we praise your name and join their unending hymn:  [2a]

or

Blessed are you, gracious God, creator of heaven and earth; you are the source of light and life for all your creation, you made us in your own image, and call us to new life in Jesus Christ our Saviour.  Therefore we praise you, joining our voices to proclaim the glory of your name.  [1]

or

Blessed are you, gracious God, creator of heaven and earth; in the multitude of your saints you have surrounded us with so great a cloud of witnesses, that we, rejoicing in their fellowship, may run with patience the race that is set before us, and together with them receive the crown of glory that never fades away. Therefore with angels and archangels and with all who have served you in every age, we raise our voices to proclaim the glory of your name.  [1]

Prayer after Communion

Lord of hosts, we praise your glory reflected in your saints.  May we who share at this table be filled with the joy of your eternal kingdom, where Jesus is Lord, now and for ever.  Amen.  [1]

or

We give you thanks, almighty God, that you have refreshed us through the healing power of this gift of life.  In your mercy, strengthen us through this gift, in faith toward you and in fervent love toward one another; for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.  [3]

or

O God, we give you thanks that you have set before us this feast, the body and blood of your Son.  By your Spirit strengthen us to serve all in need and to give ourselves away as bread for the hungry, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.  [3]

or

God of abundance, with this bread of life and cup of salvation you have united us with Christ, making us one with all your people.  Now send us forth in the power of your Spirit, so that we may proclaim your redeeming love to the world and continue forever in the risen life of Jesus Christ, our Lord.  Amen.  [3]

or

Gracious God, in this meal you have drawn us to your heart, and nourished us at your table with food and drink, the body and blood of Christ.  Now send us forth to be your people in the world, and to proclaim your truth this day and evermore, through Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord.  Amen.  [3]

or

O God, our life, our strength, our food, we give you thanks for sustaining us with the body and blood of your Son.  By your Holy Spirit, enliven us to be his body in the world, so that more and more we will give you praise and serve your earth and its many peoples, through Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord.  Amen.  [3]

Notes

[1]       The Book of Alternative Services 1985

[2]       Evangelical Lutheran Worship 2006

[2a]      Evangelical Lutheran Worship:  Leaders Desk Edition 2006

[3]       Alternative Collects for Years A, B & C of the RCL and Seasonal Prayers over the Gifts and after Communion 2019

[4]       Opening Prayers:  Collects in Contemporary Language 1997

[5]       Prayers for an Inclusive Church 2009

[6]       Revised Common Lectionary Prayers 2002

N.B.  Text in italics are possible alternatives suggested by the Ven. Richard Geoffrey Leggett, Ph.D.

A Letter for Eleanor (All Saints Sunday, 4 November 2018)

This Sunday we're baptizing Eleanor at Holy Trinity Cathedral.  For the past seven years I have written a letter to the person being baptized, especially when it's a child, in the hope that the child's family will read it to her or him in a few years' time.

Here's my letter for Eleanor.

4 November 2018

Dear Eleanor,

            I am writing this letter to you because, in a few years, you may want to ask some questions about your baptism and what it means to be a Christian. These are good questions to ask and I thought that writing a few things down for you will be helpful when that day comes.

            You are being baptized on one of the very special days of the Christian year, a day we call All Saints Day.  During the year Christians remember many of the people who have been followers of Jesus ever since he lived among us and showed us the way to love God and to love one another.  We call these people ‘saints’, a word that means ‘holy ones’.  Some of them are famous and are known both by Christians and by non-Christians.  Others are remembered only by Christians and many are only remembered by some but not all Christians.

            Because there are so many people to remember who have followed Jesus and who have helped other people follow in Jesus’ way, we long ago decided to have one day when we celebrated all the saints, known and unknown, famous and not so famous, important to everyone and important only to some.

            All Saints is one of the days during the year when our church family, the Anglican Church, sets aside as a good day for baptisms.  You might wonder why.  After all, how do we know that you’ll be a ‘saint’?  Well, Eleanor, I’ll tell you a secret that many people don’t know, including some Christians.  Anyone who follows Jesus, no matter how young or old, no matter how well known or not so well known, are saints.  We are all God’s holy ones because we are all trying, as best as we can, to love God and to love one another.

            Today, in your baptism, we are saying to the whole world, ‘Here is Eleanor, a saint of God, a holy one who can show you how to follow the way of Jesus.’ Being a saint is something we work at being for our whole lives.  Sometimes we’re really good at it and sometimes we know that we’re not at our best. But what makes us saints is that we keep working at following the way of Jesus 

• by serving the world God created and gave into our care; 
• by gathering with Christians to pray, to share in the bread and wine and to listen to what the Bible is saying to us today;  
• by sharing with other people what we know about God and God’s ways; 
• by learning as much as we can about God’s ways, and 
• by caring for others when they are in any need or trouble.

            I also need to tell you that being a Christian is not always easy.  It’s not easy because God has given us a job to do. Our job is to work with God to make a new world possible, not only for us but for everybody.

            I know some Christians who may walk for two or more hours on a Sunday to join other Christians for prayer.  As they walk, they sing a walking song:

We have another world in view, in view,

we have another world in view.

We have another world in view, in view,

we have another world in view.

Our Saviour has gone to prepare us a place,

we have another world in view.

We have another world in view, in view,

we have another world in view.

We have another world in view, in view,

we have another world in view.

We have another world in view.  Some people see the world and all its good things as something to use for their own needs alone.  Other people try to take all the good things of the world for themselves without sharing them with others.  This is not how Christians see the world.

            Christians see the world as a gift from God who loves us in so many ways. God wants every single creature, whether they are people or animals or plants, to enjoy life as fully as possible. God’s love reaches to every single person on the earth, no matter what they look like, no matter whom they love and live with, no matter whether they believe in God or not.

            Eleanor, I’m really glad that today you’re being baptized.  You’ve always been a special person to God, to your family and to us here at Holy Trinity Cathedral.  Today you’re becoming even more special by joining as a saint, a person trying to follow the way of Jesus, a person who has another world in view. No matter where you go in the years ahead, there will always be a place like Holy Trinity Cathedral where you can practice up on being a saint and where you sing about the new world God wants for all us.

            So, welcome Saint Eleanor!  Welcome and may the world we’re dreaming of and working towards come even closer for you, for your whole family, for everyone in the world.

Your friend,

Richard +

God Has a Dream: Reflections on All Saints (RCL All Saints A, 5 November 2017)

On All Saints Sunday Saint Faith's welcomes Samantha and her daughters, Callie and Adelaide, into the community of friends who share God's dream.  Here is my letter to Callie and Adelaide.

Click here to listen to my letter as read at the 10.00 Eucharist and Baptisms on Sunday the 5th.

All Saints Sunday

5 November 2017

Dear Callie and Adelaide,

         I hope that in a few years from now you will sit down with your parents and read this letter together.  Because you and your mother are being baptized today, it is important that I share some thoughts with you about what has begun in your lives.  But to do that I have to start at the very beginning.

God has a dream.

         Long before anything existed God had a dream.  In this dream God saw a vast universe of galaxies, stars and planets in their orbits.  On one of those planets God dreamed of oceans and continents, days and nights, plants and animals.  God saw that this dream was good, in fact, very good.

         But God wanted someone to share this dream with.  And so, God caused human beings, people like you and I, to come into existence.  God gave us a very special gift straight from God’s own self --- God gave us the power to love just as God loves.

         This very special gift was important because God’s dream is not yet finished.  For the oceans and continents, the days and the nights, the plants and the animals to flourish, God needs human beings to do our part to make this dream come true.  But people do not always live up to God’s expectations.  We do not always love as God loves us.  But God does not give up on the dream nor on us.

To make God’s dream flourish God calls people together to live and to work for the dream.

         Over the many years since God caused human beings to come into existence, God has tried again and again to call us together so that we can live and work for the dream.  Often God has asked particular people to lead others in living and working for the dream:  Noah and his family, Abraham and Sarah, Moses and then a number of people we call prophets who spoke of God’s dream to people and reminded them of how to make this dream grow.

         After all these people had shared the dream, God knew that there was still something more to be done.  So God sent Jesus among us to show us what it means to live, to work and to love as God lives, works and loves.  Through the ministry of Jesus God brought together people who had not heard about God’s dream.  These people did their best to share the message of Jesus and the dream that God had made known to us in Jesus.  We now call these people ‘the church’, a word that means ‘people who have come together to live and to work for God’s dream’.

Today you and your mother join the people who live and work for God’s dream.

         Callie and Adelaide, living and working for God’s dream is not easy.  We need the support of our family and of a great community of friends who love the dream as much as God does.  Today you and your mother will join one part of this great community of friends by making some promises.  You will promise to join your new friends

• in learning more about God’s dream by listening to the stories about God’s dream and by learning how to listen for God’s voice speaking in your heart;
• in standing up for God’s dream and in being honest when you fall short;
• in sharing God’s dream with other people who have not heard about the dream or who have forgotten what the dream is;
• in loving everyone as God loves us, not just in words but in action;
• in helping every person become the person God wants her or him to become;
• in tending the earth that God has given us, so that the oceans and the land, the plants and the animals, the air and the water sustain life.

         God’s dream is a very big dream and it will take a lot of work to make God’s dream come true for our world.  But God does not expect you or me to do all the work by ourselves.  That’s why you and I are part of this community of friends who share God’s dream.  When we work together, each one of us using the special gifts God has given us, then the dream takes shape, sometimes in ways that everyone can see, sometimes in ways that only a few people can see.

         Callie and Adelaide, I am very happy that you and your mother are becoming my friends in living and working for God’s dream.  I know that you will help me see some of God’s dream that I have not seen.  I promise, as do all of your friends who are here today, to help you see what we have seen of God’s dream.  It’s a beautiful dream and, day by day, it’s a dream that is coming true, not just for you and me, but for all of God’s creation.

         May you always know the joy of this dream and may you always know the love and support of your family and all of God’s friends who share the dream.

Always your friend in the dream,

Richard+

Saint Faith's Anglican Church

Vancouver BC