St Stephen Lutheran Church Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: The Holy Communion on All Saints Day (transferred from November 1)

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;

⁴he will wipe every tear from their eyes.

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.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

Sit

SERMON

Stand

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

PEACE

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.

Stand

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.

Through Him, with Him, in Him,

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.

Christ is in our midst.

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

BENEDICTION

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

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Reprinted by permission under Augsburg Fortress Liturgies Annual License #20540.

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

www.ststephenpittsburgh.org

Saturday Evening Worship – 6:30 pm

Sunday Morning Worship – 10:30 am