The livestream may be found here.
Service of the Word
Day of Thanksgiving
Tuesday, November 23, 2021, 7:30 p.m.
The livestream may be found here.
Service of the Word
Day of Thanksgiving
Tuesday, November 23, 2021, 7:30 p.m.
Happy Thanksgiving from our Faith Family to our friends and neighbors!
Please join us at St. Stephen in giving thanks to God for all his blessings on Tuesday, November 23, at 7:30 p.m.
The service will also be live-streamed.
The livestream may be found here.
EVENING PRAYER Vespers
for the commemoration of Elizabeth of Thuringia, Princess of Hungary (1231)
(Lutheran Book of Worship, page 142)
Philip Pfatteicher, New Festivals and Commemorations
The livestream may be found here.
EVENING PRAYER Vespers
for the commemoration of Leo the Great, bishop of Rome (461)
(Lutheran Book of Worship, page 142)
The livestream may be found here.
November 7, 2021
All Saints Sunday
ALL SAINTS SUNDAY
‘This great
festival recalls to the mind the size and the solidarity of the church: a vast
communion that spreads beyond all bounds of race and language and human
condition, beyond even time and space, across the barrier of death. In each
faithful person the Christian proclamation has concrete realization, for this
is the Christian gospel: to call people to believe that they, in company with
multitudes of others, might become holy. When the church praises the saints, it
praises God himself, who has triumphed through them. Those who are still in the
church on earth are supported and encouraged by the fellowship of a throng of
witnesses, who fought their way with effort and pain, and who now in the
company of the redeemed are watching and supporting the church on earth in its
present struggle.’ -
Philip Pfaitteicher, New Festivals and Commemorations
FIRST
READING: Once again, God is the subject of the active verbs: it is God who makes a
feast for his people, who wipes away their tears and defeats death. The people
declare the praises of God to each other, as they rejoice in his salvation.
SECOND
READING: This as well as the preceding text describe the newness of life in the
recreated Jerusalem. In Revelation, the new Jerusalem is pictured as somewhat
like an ultimate World’s Fair: the diverse peoples of the earth bringing their
gifts to enrich the whole (21:24-26). But sin, death, and evil are excluded – ‘The
former things have passed away.’
GOSPEL: In John,
the restoration of Lazarus to life is the final and greatest sign of what Jesus
will do in his death and resurrection. Lazarus’s death and restoration to life
serve to glorify Jesus and his Father. In the same way, the death and resurrection
experiences of the saints show the power of God working in them, not their own
strength in overcoming adversity or their own cleverness in escaping death.
OPENING MUSIC
For All the Saints
I.
Flor
Peeters
II.
Charles
Ore
Sing the Praise of Famous
People- Text/
Madeline Marshall
Music/ J.M. Strobel
Sing
the praise of famous people, men and women long ago,
Known
in legend, song and story, God has granted them great glory.
So
might we their life’s work know.
Prophets,
poets, fine composers call their excellence to mind:
Rulers,
artists, wise advisers, scientists and organizers
Blest
most gifted humankind!
Godly,
peaceful, goodly people, saints by faith and saints in deed,
Known
in our own congregations, parents, mentors, dear relations,
May
we their example heed.
Thus
assembled, sisters, brothers, we recall and celebrate
All
our forbears high and lowly, wise and faithful, brave and holy.
We
remember every saint.
Jerusalem,
My Happy Home- Wilbur Held
Stand
XHYMN Jerusalem,
My Happy Home
1 Jerusalem, my happy home,
when shall I come to thee?
When shall my sorrows have an end?
Thy joys when shall I see?
2 O happy harbor of the saints,
O sweet and pleasant soil!
In thee no sorrow may be found,
no grief, no care, no toil.
3 Thy gardens and thy gallant walks
continually are green;
there grow such sweet and pleasant
flow’rs
as nowhere else are seen.
4 There trees forevermore bear fruit
and evermore do spring;
there evermore the angels sit
and evermore do sing.
5 Jerusalem, my happy home,
would God I were in thee!
Would God my woes were at an end,
thy joys that I might see!
Text: F.B.P., 16th cent. Tune: American
APOSTOLIC GREETING
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God,
and the
communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
And also with you.
KYRIE
ELEISON
In peace, let us pray to the Lord. Lord,
have mercy.
For the peace from above,
and for our salvation, let us pray to the
Lord. Lord, have mercy.
For the peace of the whole world,
for the well-being of the Church of God,
and for the unity of all, let us pray to the
Lord. Lord, have mercy.
For this holy house,
and for all who offer here their worship and praise,
let us pray to the Lord. Lord, have mercy.
Help, save, comfort and defend us, gracious Lord. Amen
HYMN OF PRAISE
This is the feast of victory for
our God.
Alleluia.
Worthy is Christ, the
Lamb who was slain,
whose blood set us free to be people of God.
Power and riches and wisdom and strength,
and honor and blessing and glory
are his.
This is the feast of victory for our God. Alleluia.
Sing with all the people
of God
and join in the hymn of all creation:
Blessing and honor and glory and might
be to God and the Lamb forever. Amen.
This is the feast of
victory for our God,
for the Lamb who was slain has begun his
reign. Alleluia. Alleluia.
PRAYER OF THE DAY
Almighty God, whose people are knit together in one
holy Church, the body of 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 your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen
CALL TO
THE WORD
The one who was seated on the throne…
said, ‘Write this, for these words
are trustworthy and true.’
Revelation 21:5b
Let us
hear the Word of the Lord.
Sit
FIRST READING Isaiah
25:6-9
6On 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.
7And he will destroy on this mountain
the shroud that is cast over all peoples,
the sheet that is spread over all nations;
8he 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.
9It 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.
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
PSALM 24
1 The earth is the Lord's
and all | that is in it,*
the
world and all who | dwell therein.
2 For it is he who founded it up- | on the seas*
and
made it firm upon the rivers | of the deep.
3 "Who can ascend the hill | of the Lord*
and
who can stand in his | holy place?"
4 "Those who have clean hands and | a pure heart,*
who
have not pledged themselves to falsehood,
nor
sworn by what | is a fraud.
5 They shall receive a blessing | from the Lord*
and
a just reward from the God of | their salvation."
6 Such is the generation of | those who seek him,*
of
those who seek your face, O | God of Jacob.
7 Lift up your heads, O gates; lift them high, O ever- |
lasting doors;*
and
the King of glory | shall come in.
8 "Who is this | King of glory?"*
"The
Lord, strong and mighty,
the
Lord, might- | y in battle."
9 Lift up your heads, O gates; lift them high, O ever- |
lasting doors;*
and
the King of glory | shall come in.
10 "Who is he, this | King of glory?"*
"The
Lord of hosts, he is the | King of
glory." R
SECOND READING
Revelation
21:1-6a
1I 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. 2And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming
down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3And
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;
Death will be no more;
mourning and crying and pain will be no more,
for the first things have passed away.”
5And 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.” 6aThen he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the
Omega, the beginning and the end.”
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to
God.
Stand
VERSE
Revelation 7:15 Setting by Walter Pelz
Sung by the Choir
Alleluia. They are before the throne of God, and he
who sits upon the throne will shelter them with his presence. Alleluia.
Gospel John 11:32-44
The
Holy Gospel according to St. John.
32When 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.” 33When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with
her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. 34He
said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” 35Jesus
began to weep. 36So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” 37But
some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept
this man from dying?”
38Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a
cave, and a stone was lying against it. 39Jesus 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.” 40Jesus said to
her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?”
41So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said,
“Father, I thank you for having heard me. 42I 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.” 43When he had said this, he
cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44The 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.”
SERMON
HYMN OF THE DAY For All the Saints
ALL: St. 1-2, 4, 6,
7-8; Choir: St. 3, 5
1 For
all the saints who from their labors rest,
all
who by faith before the world confessed,
your
name, O Jesus, be forever blest.
Alleluia!
Alleluia!
2 You
were their rock, their fortress, and their might;
you,
Lord, their captain in the well-fought fight;
you,
in the darkness drear, their one true light.
Alleluia!
Alleluia!
3 Oh,
may your soldiers, faithful, true, and bold,
fight
as the saints who nobly fought of old
and
win with them the victor’s crown of gold.
Alleluia!
Alleluia!
4 Oh,
blest communion, fellowship divine,
we
feebly struggle, they in glory shine;
yet
all are one within your great design.
Alleluia!
Alleluia!
5 And
when the strife is fierce, the warfare long,
steals
on the ear the distant triumph song,
and
hearts are brave again and arms are strong.
Alleluia!
Alleluia!
6 The
golden evening brightens in the west;
soon,
soon to faithful warriors comes their rest;
sweet
is the calm of paradise the blest.
Alleluia!
Alleluia!
7 But
then there breaks a yet more glorious day:
the
saints triumphant rise in bright array;
the
King of glory passes on his way.
Alleluia!
Alleluia!
8 From
earth’s wide bounds, from ocean’s farthest coast,
through
gates of pearl streams in the countless host,
singing
to Father, Son, and Holy Ghost:
Alleluia!
Alleluia!
Text: William W. How, 1823-1897, alt.
CONFESSION OF FAITH
The pastor and people confess the faith
of the Church in the words of the Nicene Creed.
X At the words ‘For us and for our
salvation,’ and continuing through ‘and was made man,’ a solemn bow is
appropriate to praise the incarnation of our Lord.
We believe in one God,
the
Father, the Almighty,
maker
of heaven and earth,
of
all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus
Christ,
the
only Son of God,
eternally
begotten of the Father,
God
from God, Light from Light,
true
God from true God,
begotten,
not made,
of
one Being with the Father.
Through
him all things were made.
X For us and for our salvation
he
came down from heaven;
by
the power of the Holy Spirit
he
became incarnate from the virgin Mary, and was made man. X
For our sake he was crucified
under Pontius Pilate;
he
suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he
rose again
in
accordance with the Scriptures;
he
ascended into heaven
and
is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He
will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and
his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the
Lord, the giver of life,
who
proceeds from the Father and the Son.
With
the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified.
He
has spoken through the prophets.
We
believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We
acknowledge one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We
look for the resurrection of the dead,
and
the life of the world to come. Amen
PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH
Let us pray
for the whole people of God in Christ Jesus, and for all people according to
their needs.
A brief silence is kept.
We bless
you, O God, for your Church, bride of Christ and mother of the saints. Fill the
Church with the Spirit of Holiness; that she may always do your will and sing your
praise. Lord, in your mercy,
hear
our prayer.
We praise
you, O God, for this congregation, in which we have found a welcome, where we
continue to bear witness to your love for all people. We thank you for John
Henson, Lottie Hunt, and Rick and Charlene Kleen as they have taken up the
rights and responsibilities of members of this congregation. Lord,
in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
We thank
you, O God, for the earth is yours and all that is in it; the world and all who
dwell therein. Help us, we pray, that we may be faithful stewards of your
bounty. Give our elected and appointed leaders a spirit to act justly and
wisely, and bring peace among us and among all peoples. Lord, in your mercy,
hear
our prayer.
We ask you,
O God, to have mercy on those who suffer. As you raised Lazarus from the dead
and Mary and Martha from their weeping, so lift up all those who are bowed down,
that they may sing your praise. We name those for whom we are called to pray.
The pastor reads the names submitted for prayer;
The people offer spoken or silent intercession and
thanksgiving.
Lord, in
your mercy,
hear
our prayer.
We rejoice in the
saints and martyrs of the Church, in St Stephen our namesake, and in people of
every time and every place, of every tribe, nation and language, who have
witnessed to your love in Christ.
Especially this day
we give thanks for those we love, and those of our faith family who have died
this past year:
William Roth
Dorothy
Uhlemann
Ronald
Farrier
Bring us, with
them, before your throne, worshiping you with unwearied alleluia. Lord, in your mercy,
hear our
prayer.
We worship
you, O God, for in the resurrection of Christ we see the future you have
prepared for all your saints. Bring us quickly to that day when every tear will
be wiped away; when death shall be no more, and when you shall make all things
new. Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
Into your hands, Father, we commend all for whom we
pray, trusting in your steadfast love, through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
The peace
of the Lord be with you always.
And also with you.
The
people exchange a sign of peace with the simple words, Peace be with you.
Sit
The Lord’s Table is prepared.
OFFERTORY
Revelation 19:7-8 Setting by Richard Hillert
Sung by the Choir
Let us rejoice and exult
and give him the glory. For the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride
has made herself ready. Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory. It was
granted her to be clothed with fine linen bright and pure, for the fine linen
is the righteous deeds of the saints. Let us rejoice and exult and give him the
glory.
GREAT THANKSGIVING
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 him thanks and praise.
It is indeed right and salutary that we should at all times and in all
places offer thanks and praise to you, O Lord, holy
Father,
through
Christ our Lord.
In the blessedness of your saints you have
given us a glorious pledge of the hope of our calling; that, moved by their
witness and supported by their fellowship, we may run with perseverance the
race that is set before us and with them receive the unfading crown of glory.
And so with the Church on earth and the hosts
of heaven, we praise your name and join their unending hymn:
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!
The pastor leads the people in praying the Eucharistic canon:
Almighty God,
we
rejoice in your goodness and in your sustaining grace.
By that grace you chose Abraham and Sarah
and
blessed their descendants as the people of your promise.
You made of them a nation
by
your covenant established on Sinai’s hills;
and
though they often strayed from your commands,
your
remained faithful to them, promising them life and peace.
Then, in love and mercy for all your creation,
you
sent your Son, our Lord Jesus,
who
was faithful in fulfilling your will
as
he reached out to the poor and lonely;
as
he forgave sinners;
as
he blessed those distressed by life;
and
who, as he poured out his life upon the cross,
sealed
the new covenant of life in his kingdom
for
all the saints.
In the night in which he was betrayed,
our
Lord Jesus took bread and gave thanks,
broke
it, and gave it to his disciples, saying:
Take
and eat; this is my body, given for you.
Do this for the remembrance of me.
Again, after supper, he took the cup, gave thanks,
and
gave it for all to drink, saying:
This
cup is the new covenant in my blood,
shed
for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sin.
Do this for the remembrance of me.
For as often as we eat of this bread and drink from
this cup,
we proclaim the Lord’s death, until he comes.
Christ has died.
Christ is risen.
Christ will come again.
Gracious Father, we give thanks for our Lord’s life and
death,
and
for his glorious resurrection and exaltation
at
your right hand.
We bless you for sealing us in Holy Baptism
to
the promises made to all the saints,
and
for incorporating us into your Church,
the
dwelling place of your Holy Spirit.
Send your Spirit upon these gifts,
this
most holy mystery of our Lord’s body and blood;
enliven
us in the faith we share
as
we partake of this meal of life;
unite
our praises with all those
whom our Lord Jesus calls blessed,
until the new day when the Lamb shall be our light
and when we shall share in his heavenly glory.
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
all honor and glory is yours, Almighty Father,
now and forever.
Amen
In the presence of Christ, we pray
to his Father using the words he gave us.
By the power of the Spirit,
we pray to his Father, saying:
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy
name,
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on
earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day
our daily bread;
and forgive us our
trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass
against us;
and lead us not
into temptation,
but
deliver us from evil.
For thine is the
kingdom, and the power, and the glory,
forever
and ever. Amen
Matthew 6:9-15
The Lord of
hosts will make for all peoples
a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines. Isaiah 25:6
Blessed be God forever.
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 peace.
Sit
DISTRIBUTION
Admission to the Sacrament is by invitation of the Lord,
presented through the Church to those who are baptized.
They
may receive the Lord’s Body and Blood who are baptized in the name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, who commune in their home
churches, and who believe that Jesus Christ, crucified and risen, is truly
present in, with, and under the forms of bread and wine for the forgiveness of
sins, life, and salvation.
The communicants will be invited
forward one family unit at a time. Please do not come forward until the pastor
directs you to come forward, do not approach all the way to the table until the
pastor has retreated.
When the pastor says ‘The body of Christ,
given for you,’ eat the bread. When the pastor says, ‘The blood of Christ, shed
for you,’ drink the wine. Please take
the plate and the glass(es) and place them on the table that is indicated.
HYMNS Behold a Host Arrayed in White
Text/ Hans A. Brorson, Tr. Gracia
Grindel;
Music/
Norwegian folktune, 17th cent.,
arr. Bradley Ellingboe
Behold
a host arrayed in white
like
thousand snowclad mountains bright,
That
stands with palms and sings its psalms before the throne of light!
These
are the saints that kept God’s word;
they
are the honored of the Lord.
He
is their Prince who drowned their sins,
so
they were cleansed, restored.
They
now serve God both day and night;
they
sing their songs in endless light.
Their
anthems ring when they all sing with angels shining bright.
At the Lamb’s High Feast
ALL: St. 1-2, 4-5, 7-8;
Choir: St. 3, 6
1 At
the Lamb’s high feast we sing
praise
to our victorious king,
who
has washed us in the tide
flowing
from his pierced side.
Alleluia!
2 Praise
we him, whose love divine
gives
his sacred blood for wine,
gives
his body for the feast-
Christ
the victim, Christ the priest.
Alleluia!
3 Where
the paschal blood is poured
death’s
dread angel sheathes the sword;
Israel’s
hosts triumphant go
through
the wave that drowns the foe.
Alleluia!
4 Praise
we Christ, whose blood was shed,
paschal
victim, paschal bread;
with
sincerity and love
eat
we manna from above.
Alleluia!
5 Mighty
victim from the sky,
hell’s
fierce pow’rs beneath you lie;
you
have conquered in the fight,
you
have brought us life and light.
Alleluia!
6 Now
no more can death appall,
now
no more the grave enthrall;
you
have opened paradise,
and
your saints in you shall rise.
Alleluia!
7 Easter
triumph, Easter joy!
This
alone can sin destroy;
from
sin’s pow’r, Lord, set us free,
newborn
souls in you to be.
Alleluia!
8 Father,
who the crown shall give,
Savior,
by whose death we live,
Spirit,
guide through all our days:
Three
in One, your name we praise.
Alleluia!
Text: office hymn, 17th cent.; tr. Robert Campbell, 1814-1868,
alt.
When all have received, the congregation stands at the direction of the
pastor.
The body and
blood of our Lord Jesus Christ strengthen you and keep you in his grace.
Amen
POST
COMMUNION CANTICLE
Lord, now you let your servant
go in peace;
your word has been fulfilled.
My own eyes have seen the
salvation
which you have prepared in the
sight of every people:
A light to reveal you to the nations
and the glory of your people
Israel.
Glory to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning, is
now, and will be forever. Amen
Song of Simeon (Luke 2:29-32)
Almighty God, you gave your Son
both as a sacrifice for sin
and a model
for the godly life. Enable us to receive him always
with
thanksgiving, and to conform our lives to his; through the same
Jesus
Christ our Lord.
Amen
Almighty God, Father, XSon, and
Holy Spirit, bless you now and forever.
Amen
DISMISSAL
Go in peace. Serve the
Lord.
Thanks be to God!
THIS
WEEK FOR THE FAITH FAMILY Sun/
Nov 7 Choir rehearsal 9:30 AM WORSHIP 10:30 AM Food Bank Prayer at
the Close of the Day (livestream) 9:30 PM Mon/Nov 8 Morning Prayer (livestream or in-person) 8:30 AM Wed/
Nov 10 Evening Prayer
(livestream) 7:00 PM Bible Study
(over Zoom) 7:30 PM Sat/
Nov 13 NA Meeting 11 AM SATURDAY
EVENING WORSHIP 6:30 PM Sun/
Nov 14 Choir rehearsal 9:30 AM WORSHIP 10:30 AM
From
Sundays and Seasons.com. Copyright 2021 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved.
Reprinted
by permission under Augsburg Fortress Liturgies Annual License #20540.
New
Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education
of the
National Council of the Churches of Christ in
the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Raising of Lazarus on Venetian Ivory,
from Art in the
Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity
Library, Nashville, TN. https://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=31701 [retrieved
November 1, 2021]. Original source: Image donated by Patout Burns.
Agnus Day appears with the permission
of www.agnusday.org
St Stephen Lutheran Church
55 Forsythe Road
Pittsburgh PA 15220
(412) 279-5868
office@ststephenpittsburgh.org
Saturday Evening Worship – 6:30 pm
Sunday Morning Worship – 10:30 am