Before All Saints & All Souls Days
October 29, 2023, at 10:00 a.m.
St. Paul’s Parish, Charlottetown, PEI
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
and the love of God,
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit,
be with you all.
And also with you.
Let not your hearts be troubled; believe in God, believe also in me.
In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, would I have told you
that I go to prepare a place for you? And when I go and prepare a place for you,
I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. John 14.1–3
nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth,
nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God
in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8.38–39
Let us pray,
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, now and for ever. Amen.
Reading: 1 Thessalonians 2:1-8
A Reading From The First Letter Of Paul To The Thessalonians
You yourselves know, brothers and sisters, that our coming to you was not in vain, but though we had already suffered and been shamefully mistreated at Philippi, as you know, we had courage in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in spite of great opposition. For our appeal does not spring from deceit or impure motives or trickery, but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the message of the gospel, even so we speak, not to please mortals, but to please God who tests our hearts. As you know and as God is our witness, we never came with words of flattery or with a pretext for greed; nor did we seek praise from mortals, whether from you or from others, though we might have made demands as apostles of Christ. But we were gentle among you, like a nurse tenderly caring for her own children. So deeply do we care for you that we are determined to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you have become very dear to us.
Hear what the Spirit is saying to the church
Thanks be to God.
Lord, you have been our refuge from one generation to another. Before the mountains were brought forth, or the land and the earth were born, from age to age you are
God.
From age to age you are God.
You turn us back to the dust and say, "Go back, O child of earth." For a thousand years in your sight are like yesterday when it is past and like a watch in the night.
From age to age you are God.
You sweep us away like a dream; we fade away suddenly like the grass. In the morning it is green and flourishes; in the evening it is dried up and withered.
From age to age you are God.
Return, O Lord; how long will you tarry? be gracious to your servants. Satisfy us by your loving-kindness in the morning; so shall we rejoice and be glad all the days of our life. Make us glad by the measure of the days that you afflicted us and the years in which we suffered adversity.
From age to age you are God.
Show your servants your works and your splendour to their children. May the graciousness of the Lord our God be upon us; prosper the work of our hands; prosper our handiwork.
From age to age you are God.
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew.
Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. "Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?" He said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbour as yourself.' On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them this question: "What do you think of the Messiah? Whose son is he?" They said to him, "The son of David." He said to them, "How is it then that David by the Spirit calls him Lord, saying, 'The Lord said to my Lord, "Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet"'? If David thus calls him Lord, how can he be his son?" No one was able to give him an answer, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.
The Gospel of Christ.
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Generous God, who shows mercy to those who are oppressed and food to those who hunger: Hear us as we offer our prayers on behalf of your creation, saying: Hear our prayer.
We pray for the leaders of the church, bishops, priests and deacons, that with your help they will be wise and generous in leading others to live as a holy and forgiven people. God of peace.
Hear our prayer.
We pray for the lay leaders of the church, that you will continue to fill them with strength and peace as they work to make our community a place of love, justice and welcome. God of peace.
Hear our prayer.
We pray for our friends and relatives who have died.
· THE LIST
…with confidence we are assured of eternal joy, comfort and peace for all whom we’ve listed, and those we’ve forgotten. God of love.
Hear our prayer.
We pray for ourselves, that we will honour our Baptismal covenant, which has made us one in Christ: and in communion with all saints. God of peace.
Hear our prayer.
We pray that you will open our eyes and hearts to serving Christ in each other. And we pray for all people whose lives are disrupted by war and we ask that everyone work for a lasting peace in all places ravaged by violence. We pray especially for the people of Maine and victims of the shootings there and for their families and friends. God of peace.
Hear our prayer.
Grant to us who are still in our pilgrimage, and who walk as yet by faith, that your Holy Spirit may lead us in holiness and righteousness all our days. Grant to all who mourn a sure confidence in your loving care that casting all their sorrow on you, they may know the consolation of your love. God of peace.
Give courage and faith to those who are bereaved, that they may have strength to meet the days ahead in the comfort of a holy and certain hope, and in the joyful expectation of eternal life with those they love. God of peace.
We pray for all those in need of prayers, for those who are ill at home or in the hospital, remembering especially,
… and others we may name out loud or in our hearts:
-
… that they may be made strong in your healing love. God of peace.
Hear our prayer.
Almighty God, Father of mercies and giver of comfort, deal graciously, we pray, with all who mourn; that casting all their care on you, they may know the consolation of your love, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Give rest, O Christ, to your servants with your saints,
where sorrow and pain are no more,
neither sighing, but life everlasting.
and we are mortal, formed of the earth,
and to earth shall we return.
For so did you ordain when you created me, saying,
You are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
All of us go down to the dust;
yet even at the grave we make our song:
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
where sorrow and pain are no more,
neither sighing, but life everlasting.
Let us confess our sins, confident in God’s forgiveness.
we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbours as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us, that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your name. Amen.
The peace of the Lord be always with you.
And also with you.
Prayer over the Gifts
Let us pray,
Gracious and righteous Lord, we are united in the love of Jesus Christ. Accept all we offer you this day, and bring us, with all your faithful people who have gone before us, into his eternal glory; who is Lord, now and for ever. Amen.
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
Blessed are you, gracious God, creator of heaven and earth; we give you thanks and praise through Jesus Christ our Lord, whose victorious rising from the dead has given to us the hope of resurrection and the promise of eternal life. Therefore with angels and archangels and all who have served you in every age, we raise our voices to proclaim the glory of your name.
Holy, holy, holy Lord,
God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
we remember his death,
we proclaim his resurrection,
we await his coming in glory;
and we offer our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving to you, Lord of all; presenting to you, from your creation, this bread and this wine.
As our Saviour taught us, let us pray,
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial, and deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and for ever. Amen.
Creator of all, you gave us golden fields of wheat,
whose many grains we have gathered
and made into this one bread.
So may your Church be gathered
from the ends of the earth
into your kingdom.
Lamb of God you take away the sin of the world
have mercy on us.
Lamb of God you take away the sin of the world
have mercy on us.
Lamb of God you take away the sin of the world
grant us your peace.
The gifts of God for the people of God.
Thanks be to God.
494 Not for Tongues of Heaven’s Angels
PB 218 Spirit Song
Let us pray,
God of love, may the death and resurrection of Christ, which we celebrate in this eucharist, bring us, with the faithful departed, into the peace of your eternal home. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, our hope and our salvation. Amen.
May the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in you that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
