Sunday School, November 1, 2015 All Saints’ Sunday, B
Themes
You might invite the children to wear their Halloween
Costumes to Sunday School
The loss of community participation in three events, All
Saints’ Eve, All Saints’ Day and All Souls Day means that Halloween is
basically a secular ritual of costumes and candy, not an Eve or Vigil of
preparation for All Saints’ Day. All
Souls’ Day is like an after thought for Halloween and All Saints’ Day except in
cultures where the Dia de los Muertos is an important event to celebrate
connections with departed loved ones. Hispanic cultures have a more active
tradition of observing all three days.
Children tend to wear costumes of princesses or super
heroes. This is a perfect lead in to
discuss the notion of heroes. Use the
notion of the Hall of Fame. Nearly every
sport and every area of life has a way of honoring people who excel in a certain
field.
The Church has a tradition of having a Hall of Fame of
important Christians. The Christian Hall
of Fame are the Saints of the Church.
Saints are the people who are remembered because they followed the life
and teachings of Jesus Christ the best.
They did this in such excellent ways that people remembered them and
continued to tell their stories about the good things which they did in their
lives. All Saints’ Day is a Feast Day
when we celebrate all of the great people in our Christian Hall of Fame.
Some people who are heroes have become well known all around
the world, but there are other people who have been important people in our own
lives. Teachers, coaches, grandparents
have been local heroes for us. All Souls’
Day is a day for the local heroes of our lives.
We remember them. We express our
faith in the resurrection by acknowledging that they are still alive with
God.
So teach the meaning of world wide saints but also local and
personal saints, the people who have helped to teach us about Christ, but who
are no longer with us.
The final message is each child is to understand their own
baptismal calling to be a saint. It does
not mean that we have to be famous, it means that we have do our very best to
follow Jesus Christ.
A Sermon for All Saints’ Day
Joe Montana, Willie Mays, Babe Ruth, and Reggie
Jackson? What do these people have in
common? Yes, they were athletes,
professional athletes, good professional athletes. They were so good that they were put in a
special place after they were too old to play their sports. Do you know where we put them? We put them in a place called the Hall of
Fame. Sports writers study all of the
records and they vote on who goes into the Hall of Fame.
Did you know that
the church has its own Hall of Fame? It
is called the Communion of Saints. The
Communion of Saints is a big group of people who all share something in
common. They all love Jesus Christ, and
some of them are alive and some of them have died. Some of them are really famous good people
and others are not very famous at all.
But they all share their love of Jesus Christ.
If you want everyone
to be a good baseball player do you say, “Okay everyone, if you want to be
really good at baseball, you need to play baseball like Father Phil?” Is Father Phil a good baseball player? Does he even play baseball? I can play baseball but you don’t want to
copy how I play baseball. You want to
copy a really good baseball player. This
is why we have the Hall of Fame so that we can have really high standards and
models to learn how to be the best we can at baseball.
In the church, we
have some famous Christians called saints.
These famous people are Christians who have been really good at loving
God and their neighbors and they were so good that people said we need to
remember them because they have set a very good example for us. And so we call these people saints and we
celebrate them on All Saints’ Day. This
is why we have Halloween. To remember
that some very good people have died and they set a good example for us. We want to keep their example alive and so we
put them in the Christian Hall of Fame of Saints to remind us of how good we
too need to be.
Another reason we
have All Saints’ Day is remember that the resurrection of Jesus reminds us that
God preserves our lives after we die.
The lives of the saints and the lives of people who have died have been
preserved by God, and ours will be preserved too when we die.
So we have this
Communion of Saints. A group of people
who are preserved by God in life and death and this gives us hope. It means we don’t have to live with the fear
of death, because we will always be a part of the Communion of Saints.
Let us give thanks
to God for the famous Christians called saints.
Let us give thanks too for the important saints in our lives, our
grandparents, teachers and parents and the people who help us live our lives
with love and kindness.
And let us not
forget this: Each one of us is a saint too, because we have been given a
special relationship with Jesus Christ.
And we are saints, too, because we follow Jesus Christ. So, turn to your neighbor and call your
neighbor a saint. Amen.
St. John the Divine Episcopal Church
17740 Peak Avenue, Morgan Hill, CA 95037
Family Service with Holy Eucharist
November 1, 2015: All Saints’ Sunday
Gathering Songs:
When the Saints Go Marching In; O, Come Let Us Adore Him, Onward
Christian Soldiers
Liturgist: Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
People: And blessed be God’s kingdom, now and forever. Amen.
Liturgist: Oh God,
Our hearts are open to you.
And you know us and we can hide nothing from you.
Prepare our hearts and our minds to love you and worship
you.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Song: When the Saints Go Marching In
When the saints go marching in, when the saints go marching
in. Lord I want to be in that number,
when the saints go marching in.
When the girls go marching in…..
When the boys go marching in….
Liturgist: The
Lord be with you.
People: And also with
you.
Liturgist: Let us
pray
Almighty God, you have joined together your chosen people
into one family of people who enjoy a special friendship as we are gathered as
the body of Christ on earth today; Give us grace so to follow the great heroes
in good living, that we may come to those unspeakable joys that you have
prepared for those who truly love you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with
you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen
Litany of Praise: Alleluia
O God, you are Great!
Alleluia
O God, you have made us! Alleluia
O God, you have made yourself known to us! Alleluia
O God, you have provided us with us a Savior! Alleluia
O God, you have given us a Christian family! Alleluia
O God, you have forgiven our sins! Alleluia
O God, you brought your Son Jesus back from the dead! Alleluia
A Reading from the Wisdom of Solomon
Those who trust in him will understand truth, and the
faithful will abide with him in love, because grace and mercy are upon his holy
ones, and he watches over his elect.
Liturgist: The Word of the Lord
People: Thanks be to
God
A Reading from Psalm 24
The earth is the LORD'S and all that is in it, * the world
and all who dwell therein.
For it is he who founded it upon the seas * and made it firm
upon the rivers of the deep.
Litany Phrase: Thanks be to God!
Litanist:
For the good earth, for our food and clothing. Thanks be to
God!
For our families and friends. Thanks be to God!
For the talents and gifts that you have given to us. Thanks
be to God!
For this day of worship. Thanks be to God!
For health and for a good night’s sleep. Thanks be to God!
For work and for play. Thanks be to God!
For teaching and for learning. Thanks be to God!
For the happy events of our lives. Thanks be to God!
For the celebration of the birthdays and anniversaries of
our friends and parish family.
Thanks be to God!
Liturgist: The
Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John
People: Glory to you,
Lord Christ.
When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his
feet and said to him, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not
have died." When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her
also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. He said,
"Where have you laid him?" They said to him, "Lord, come and
see." Jesus began to weep. So the Jews said, "See how he loved
him!" But some of them said, "Could not he who opened the eyes of the
blind man have kept this man from dying?"
Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave,
and a stone was lying against it. Jesus said, "Take away the stone."
Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, "Lord, already there is a
stench because he has been dead four days." Jesus said to her, "Did I
not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?" So
they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, "Father, I
thank you for having heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I have said
this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you
sent me." When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice,
"Lazarus, come out!" The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound
with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them,
"Unbind him, and let him go."
Liturgist: The
Gospel of the Lord.
People: Praise to you,
Lord Christ.
Lesson – Fr. Cooke:
Children’s Creed
We did not make ourselves, so we believe that God the Father
is the maker of the world.
Since God is so great and we are so small,
We believe God came into our world and was born as Jesus,
son of the Virgin Mary.
We need God’s help and we believe that God saved us by the
life, death and
resurrection of
Jesus Christ.
We believe that God is present with us now as the Holy
Spirit.
We believe that we are baptized into God’s family the Church
where everyone is
welcome.
We believe that Christ is kind and fair.
We believe that we have a future in knowing Jesus Christ.
And since we all must die, we believe that God will preserve
us forever. Amen.
Litany Phrase: Christ, have mercy.
For fighting and war to cease in our world. Christ, have
mercy.
For peace on earth and good will towards all. Christ, have
mercy.
For the safety of all who travel. Christ, have mercy.
For jobs for all who need them. Christ, have mercy.
For care of those who are growing old. Christ, have mercy.
For the safety, health and nutrition of all the children in
our world. Christ, have mercy.
For the well-being of our families and friends. Christ, have
mercy.
For the good health of those we know to be ill. Christ, have
mercy.
For the remembrance of those who have died. Christ, have
mercy.
For the forgiveness of all of our sins. Christ, have mercy.
Youth Liturgist: The
Peace of the Lord be always with you.
People: And also with you.
Song for the
Offertory: O Come, Let Us Adore Him (Renew # 1)
O come, let us adore him; O come, let us adore him; O come,
let us adore him, Christ the Lord.
We’ll give him all the glory. We’ll give him all the glory; we’ll give him
all the glory, Christ the Lord.
For he alone is worthy.
For he alone is worthy. For he
alone is worthy, Christ the Lord.
We’ll praise his name forever. We’ll praise his name forever. We’ll praise his name forever, Christ the
Lord.
Doxology
Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Praise Him, all
creatures here below.
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host. Praise Father, Son, and
Holy Ghost.
Prologue to the Eucharist
Jesus said, “Let the children come to me, for to them belong
the kingdom of God.”
All become members of a family by birth or adoption.
Baptism is a celebration of birth into the family of God.
A family meal gathers and sustains each human family.
The Holy Eucharist is the special meal that Jesus gave to
his friends to keep us together as the family of Christ.
The Lord be with you
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to God.
It is right to give God thanks and praise.
It is very good and right to give thanks, because God made
us, Jesus redeemed us and the Holy Spirit dwells in our hearts. Therefore with Angels and Archangels and all
of the world that we see and don’t see, we forever sing this hymn of praise:
Holy, Holy, Holy (Intoned)
Holy, Holy, Holy Lord, God of Power and Might. Heav’n 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. Hosanna in the Highest.
(All may gather around the altar)
Our grateful praise we offer to you God, our Creator;
You have made us in your image
And you gave us many men and women of faith to help us to
live by faith:
Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob
and Rachael.
And then you gave us your Son, Jesus, born of Mary, nurtured
by Joseph
And he called us to be sons and daughters of God.
Your Son called us to live better lives and he gave us this
Holy Meal so that when we eat
the bread and drink
the wine, we can know that the Presence
of Christ is as near to us as
this food and
drink that becomes a part of us.
The Prayer continues with these words
And so, Father, we bring you these gifts of bread and wine.
Bless and sanctify them by your Holy Spirit to be for your people the Body and
Blood of Jesus Christ our Lord. Bless and sanctify us by your Holy Spirit so
that we may love God and our neighbor.
On the night when Jesus was betrayed he took bread, said the
blessing, broke the bread, and gave it to his friends, and said, "Take,
eat: This is my Body, which is given for you. Do this for the remembrance of
me."
After supper, Jesus took the cup of wine, gave thanks, and
said, "Drink this, all of you. This is my Blood of the new Covenant, which
is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Whenever you drink
it, do this for the remembrance of me."
Father, we now celebrate the memorial of your Son. When we
eat this holy Meal of Bread and Wine, we are telling the entire world about the
life, death and resurrection of Christ and that his presence will be with us in
our future.
Let this holy meal keep us together as friends who share a
special relationship because of your Son Jesus Christ. May we forever live with praise to God to
whom we belong as sons and daughters.
By Christ, and with Christ, and in Christ, in the unity of
the Holy Spirit all honor and glory
is yours, Almighty
Father, now and for ever. AMEN.
And now as our Savior Christ has taught us, we now sing,
Our Father: (Renew # 180, West Indian Lord’s Prayer)
Our Father who art in heaven: Hallowed be thy name.
Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done: Hallowed be thy name.
Done on earth as it is in heaven: Hallowed be thy name.
Give us this day our daily bread: Hallowed be thy name.
And forgive us all our debts: Hallowed be thy name.
As we forgive our debtors: Hallowed be thy name.
Lead us not into temptation: Hallowed be thy name.
But deliver us from evil: Hallowed be thy name.
Thine is the kingdom, power, and glory: Hallowed be thy
name.
Forever and ever: Hallowed be thy name.
Amen, amen, amen: Hallowed be thy name.
Amen, amen, amen, amen: Hallowed be thy name.
Breaking of the Bread
Celebrant: Alleluia,
Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.
People: Therefore
let us keep the feast. Alleluia.
Words of Administration
Communion Song: Jesus
Stand Among Us (Renew # 237)
1-Jesus, stand among us in your risen power; let this time
of worship be a hallowed hour.
2-Breathe the Holy Spirit into every heart; bid the fears
and sorrows from each soul depart.
Post-Communion Prayer
Everlasting God, we have gathered for the meal that Jesus
asked us to keep;
We have remembered his words of blessing on the bread and
the wine.
And His Presence has been known to us.
We have remembered that we are sons and daughters of God and
brothers
and sisters in
Christ.
Send us forth now into our everyday lives remembering that
the blessing in the
bread and wine
spreads into each time, place and person in our lives,
As we are ever blessed by you, O Father, Son and Holy
Spirit. Amen.
Closing Song: Onward Christian Soldiers (Blue Hymnal # 562)
Onward Christian Soldiers, marching as to war, with the
cross of Jesus going on before. Christ
the royal master, leads against the foe; forward into battle, see, his banners
go.
Refrain: Onward,
Christian soldiers, marching as to war, with cross of Jesus going on before.
Onward, then ye people, join our happy throng; blend with
ours your voices in the triumph song: glory, laud, and honor, unto Christ the
King; this through countless ages we with angels sing. Refrain
Dismissal
Liturgist: Let us go forth in the Name of Christ.
People: Thanks be to God!
