All Hallows Sunday Morning and Evening Worship (February 5, 2023)

The order of service for this Sunday's morning and evening worship is based upon the basic pattern of worship found in The United Methodist Book of Worship. The songs used in each service come from the United Methodist Church’s The Faith We Sing (2000) or Worship and Song (2011). The Faith We Sing and Worship and Song are supplements to The United Methodist Hymnal (1989).

Morning Worship begins at the top of the page. Scroll down the page for the beginning of Evening Worship.

Morning Worship

Opening Hymn:
Open this link in a new tab to hear Shirley Erena Murray’s “God of the Bble.” [WnS #3020]

1 God of the Bible, God in the Gospel,
hope seen in Jesus, hope yet to come,
you are our center, daylight or darkness,
freedom or prison, you are our home.

Fresh as the morning, sure as the sunrise,
God always faithful, you do not change.
Fresh as the morning, sure as the sunrise,
God always faithful, you do not change.

2 God in our struggles, God in our hunger,
suffering with us, taking our part,
still you empower us, mothering Spirit,
feeding, sustaining, from your own heart.

Fresh as the morning, sure as the sunrise,
God always faithful, you do not change.
Fresh as the morning, sure as the sunrise,
God always faithful, you do not change.

3 Those without status, those who are nothing,
you have made royal, gifted with rights,
chosen as partners, midwives of justice,
birthing new systems, lighting new lights.

Fresh as the morning, sure as the sunrise,
God always faithful, you do not change.

Fresh as the morning, sure as the sunrise,
God always faithful, you do not change.

4 Not by your finger, not by your anger
will our world order change in a day,
but by your people, fearless and faithful,
small paper lanterns, lighting the way.

Fresh as the morning, sure as the sunrise,
God always faithful, you do not change.
Fresh as the morning, sure as the sunrise,
God always faithful, you do not change.

5 Hope we must carry, shining and certain
through all our turmoil, terror and loss,
bonding us gladly one to the other.
till our world changes, facing the Cross.

Fresh as the morning, sure as the sunrise,
God always faithful, you do not change.
Fresh as the morning, sure as the sunrise,
God always faithful, you do not change.

Fresh as the morning, sure as the sunrise,
God always faithful, you do not change.
Fresh as the morning, sure as the sunrise,
God always faithful, you do not change.

Greeting:
We will extol you, our God and King,
and bless your name for ever and ever.

Hymn of Preparation:
Open this link in a new tab to hear Rusty Edwards and Linda Cable Shute’s “By Grace We Have Been Saved.” [WnS #3110]

1 By grace we have been saved
Through faith and not by keeping law
God's saints believed
By what they heard
And not by what they saw
And not by what they saw

2 For all have sinned and fallen short
God's plan not one obeyed
Christ has for all fulfilled the law
Believe confess be saved
Believe confess be saved

3 God gave to earth a perfect love
Through Jesus on the cross
While we were foes
Christ died for us
We gained by God's own loss
We gained by God's own loss

4 We know the wage of sin is death
Thank God we shall revive
For just as Jesus rose again
We too are made alive
We too are made alive

5 Set free we now have peace with God
Salvation is secured
How beautiful the feet of those
Who share this gospel word
Who share this gospel word

Opening Prayer:
Let us bow our heads in prayer.

Silence

We praise you, God,
that the light of Christ shines
in our darkness
and is never overcome;
show us the way
we must go to eternal day;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Scripture Reading:
A reading from the New Testament (Luke 6: 24-26)

“What sorrow awaits you who are rich,
for you have your only happiness now.
What sorrow awaits you who are fat and prosperous now,
for a time of awful hunger awaits you.
What sorrow awaits you who laugh now,
for your laughing will turn to mourning and sorrow.
What sorrow awaits you who are praised by the crowds,
for their ancestors also praised false prophets.

Silence

This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Plain Talk: Sorrows Foretold

From what we can gather from the gospel narratives, Jesus’ words were not always comforting to his disciples. They often challenged what they believed. While Jesus’ Sermon on the Plain bears similarities to his Sermon on the Mount, this morning’s New Testament reading from the Gospel of Luke sets it apart from the Sermon on the Mount. In this passage Jesus foretells the sorrows that await “the rich,” “the fat and the prosperous,” “those who laugh now,” and “those who are praised by the crowds.”

Like the crowds that gathered to hear Jesus and to healed from disease or injury or delivered from evil spirits, Jesus’ disciples believed that being rich and successful, having a lot of money and owning many things, living a life of ease, and enjoying the admiration and approval of their fellow Jews was signs of God’s favor. A number of contemporary preachers of the prosperity gospel promote the same belief. Jesus points to the attention of his disciples and us elsewhere in the gospels that this is not the case. Indeed, wealth, material possessions, a life of leisure, and the plaudits of others can be a serious hindrance to entering God’s Kingdom.

The view of the affluent, the self-indulgent, and the narcissistic that Jesus takes is not really a new one. If you survey the Old Testament, the Hebrew Bible, you will find a similar view expressed in the Book of Psalms, the Book of Proverbs, and the books of the Prophets. As Jesus drew to the attention to his disciples, a life focused upon the accumulatio of wealth and material possessions, on pleasure-seeking and self-gratification, on the pursuit of the limelight and acclaim, can be spiritually bad for us, so do these passages of the Old Testament. It is better to pursue wisdom, we are told. And what is the beginning of wisdom—the fear of God, the right attitude toward God. What Jesus does in this morning’s New Testament reading is reaffirm what his disciples should have known all along from hearing the Old Testament read in the synagogue on the Sabbath.

Based on what our society values the most, what Jesus teaches is counter cultural. It represents a way of life and a set of ideas that are completely different from those accepted by most of our society. We as Christians, as followers of Jesus, however, are not called to follow what is described as “the way of the world.” We are called to live lives guided by Jesus’ message and teaching as the late Queen Elizabeth II put it.

Silence

Hymn of Response:
Open this link in a new tab to hear Ruth Duck’s “Living Spirit, Holy Fire.” [WnS #3108]

1 Living Spirit, holy fire,
burning bright to light our way,
blaze among us and inspire
lives that praise you day by day.

2 Warm us, draw your people near
when our love draws weak or cold.
Free our frozen hearts from fear,
that each story may be told.

3 Melt away the masks we wear,
hiding what we know and feel.
Risking growth, we want to share
love in action, love that's real.

4 Open hearts; affirm us all,
many splendored, one in you,
we embrace the work, the call:
You are making all things new.

Concerns and Prayers:

The following is prayed, during which any person may offer a brief prayer of intercession or petition.

After each prayer, the leader may conclude: God of mercy and all may respond: Hear our prayer.

Together, let us pray

for the people of this congregation...

for those who suffer and those in trouble...

for the concerns of this local community...

for the world, its peoples, and its leaders...

for the earth you have given to our care…

for the Church universal—its leaders, its members, and its mission...

in communion with the saints...

Accept our prayers through Jesus Christ our Lord, who taught
us to pray,

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,
the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.

Closing Hymn:
Open this link in a new tab to hear Jeremy Johnson’s “As We Go.” [WnS #3183]

As we go, may your Spirit go before us
As we go, may we follow where you lead
May we live what we have learned
Share the message we have heard
And be a light unto the world as we go

As we go, may your Spirit go before us
As we go, may we follow where you lead
May we live what we have learned
Share the message we have heard
And be a light unto the world as we go
And be a light unto the world as we go

Benediction:
May we grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

Evening Worship

Opening Hymn:
Open this link in a new tab to hear G. A. Young’s “God Leads Us Along.” [WnS #3031]

1 In shady, green pastures, so rich and so sweet,
God leads his dear children along;
where the water’s cool flow bathes the weary one’s feet,
God leads his dear children along.

Some through the waters, some through the flood,
some through the fire, but all through the blood;
some through great sorrow, but God gives a song,
in the night season and all the day long.

2 Sometimes on the mount where the sun shines so bright,
God leads his dear children along;
sometimes in the valley, in darkest of night,
God leads his dear children along.

Some through the waters, some through the flood,
some through the fire, but all through the blood;
some through great sorrow, but God gives a song,
in the night season and all the day long.

3 Though sorrows befall us and evils oppose,
God leads his dear children along;
through grace we can conquer, defeat all our foes,
God leads his dear children along.

Some through the waters, some through the flood,
some through the fire, but all through the blood;
some through great sorrow, but God gives a song,
in the night season and all the day long.

Greeting:
We will extol you, our God and King,
and bless your name for ever and ever.

Hymn of Preparation:
Open this link in a new tab to hear Rusty Edwards and Linda Cable Shute’s “By Grace We Have Been Saved.” [WnS #3110]

1 By grace we have been saved
Through faith and not by keeping law
God's saints believed
By what they heard
And not by what they saw
And not by what they saw

2 For all have sinned and fallen short
God's plan not one obeyed
Christ has for all fulfilled the law
Believe confess be saved
Believe confess be saved

3 God gave to earth a perfect love
Through Jesus on the cross
While we were foes
Christ died for us
We gained by God's own loss
We gained by God's own loss

4 We know the wage of sin is death
Thank God we shall revive
For just as Jesus rose again
We too are made alive
We too are made alive

5 Set free we now have peace with God
Salvation is secured
How beautiful the feet of those
Who share this gospel word
Who share this gospel word

Opening Prayer:
Let us bow our heads in prayer.

Silence

We praise you, God,
that the light of Christ shines
in our darkness
and is never overcome;
show us the way
we must go to eternal day;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Scripture Reading:
A reading from the New Testament (Ephesians 4: 17-32)

In the Lord's name, then, I warn you: do not continue to live like the heathen, whose thoughts are worthless and whose minds are in the dark. They have no part in the life that God gives, for they are completely ignorant and stubborn. They have lost all feeling of shame; they give themselves over to vice and do all sorts of indecent things without restraint.

That was not what you learned about Christ! You certainly heard about him, and as his followers you were taught the truth that is in Jesus. So get rid of your old self, which made you live as you used to—the old self that was being destroyed by its deceitful desires. Your hearts and minds must be made completely new, and you must put on the new self, which is created in God's likeness and reveals itself in the true life that is upright and holy.

No more lying, then! Each of you must tell the truth to the other believer, because we are all members together in the body of Christ. If you become angry, do not let your anger lead you into sin, and do not stay angry all day. Don't give the Devil a chance. If you used to rob, you must stop robbing and start working, in order to earn an honest living for yourself and to be able to help the poor. Do not use harmful words, but only helpful words, the kind that build up and provide what is needed, so that what you say will do good to those who hear you. And do not make God's Holy Spirit sad; for the Spirit is God's mark of ownership on you, a guarantee that the Day will come when God will set you free. Get rid of all bitterness, passion, and anger. No more shouting or insults, no more hateful feelings of any sort. Instead, be kind and tender-hearted to one another, and forgive one another, as God has forgiven you through Christ.

Silence

This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

God Does More than Save Us

What Paul writes about in this evening’s New Testament reading—getting rid of our old self, renewing our hearts and minds, and putting on the new self—are not things we do solely by our own efforts. Just as God awakens and arouses in us a living faith, God also enables us to do these things. As Paul wrote the church at Philippi, God is always at work in us to make us willing and able to do what is pleasing to God, to obey God’s own purpose.

Our perfecting as a disciple of Jesus as John Wesley described the process in his sermons and writings is a work of God’s grace, as is our coming to faith. We have no natural ability to believe in Jesus, to become like Jesus in our character, and to live in harmony with God. It is all God’s doing, a gift from God. It does, however, require our cooperation.

If someone gives you a gift, you can accept the gift, open the box, take it out, and use it. Or you can refuse the gift.

Or you accept it and then stick the box in the back of the closet unopened and forget about it. This is what too often happens when someone responds to an altar call, goes forward, says a sinner’s prayer, and then goes on living their life as they did previously. They accepted the gift only to stick it in the back of the closest unopened. Years may pass before they open the box and take out the gift and make use of it. On the other hand, it may sit in the closet unopened until the recipient of the gift dies, in which case it will do them no good.

God meets where we are, but God does not leave us where we are. God undertakes our renovation—gives us a complete makeover, repairing the damage that we may have done to ourselves when we live our lives separated from God, heedless of how we lived affected our relationship to God.

God restores the divine image in us, enabling us to reflect God’s own character as we are meant to do, to be compassionate, kind, forgiving, generous, patient, and holy. God makes it possible for us to live more perfectly what Jesus called the two greatest commandments—to love God with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our mind, and to love our neighbor as we love ourselves.

Silence

Hymn of Response:
Open this link in a new tab to hear Ruth Duck’s “Living Spirit, Holy Fire.” [WnS #3108]

1 Living Spirit, holy fire,
burning bright to light our way,
blaze among us and inspire
lives that praise you day by day.

2 Warm us, draw your people near
when our love draws weak or cold.
Free our frozen hearts from fear,
that each story may be told.

3 Melt away the masks we wear,
hiding what we know and feel.
Risking growth, we want to share
love in action, love that's real.

4 Open hearts; affirm us all,
many splendored, one in you,
we embrace the work, the call:
You are making all things new.

5 Living Spirit, holy fire,
burning bright to light our way,
blaze among us and inspire
lives that praise you day by day.

Concerns and Prayers:
The following is prayed, during which any person may offer a brief prayer of intercession or petition.

After each prayer, the leader may conclude: God of mercy and all may respond: Hear our prayer.

Together, let us pray

for the people of this congregation...

for those who suffer and those in trouble...

for the concerns of this local community...

for the world, its peoples, and its leaders...

for the earth you have given to our care…

for the Church universal—its leaders, its members, and its mission...

in communion with the saints...

Accept our prayers through Jesus Christ our Lord, who taught
us to pray,

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,
the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.

Closing Hymn:
Open this link in a new tab to hear Gordon Light’s “Draw the Circle Wide.” [WnS #3154]

Draw the circle
Draw the circle wide,
Draw the circle
Draw the circle wide,
No one stands alone.
We’ll stand side by side,
Draw the circle
Draw the circle wide

Draw the circle wide,
draw it wider still.
Let this be our song:
No one stands alone.
Standing side by side
Draw the circle
Draw the circle wide

Draw the circle wide,
draw it wider still.
Let this be our song:
No one stands alone.
Standing side by side
Draw the circle
Draw the circle wide

Draw the circle
Draw the circle wide,
Draw the circle
Draw the circle wide,
No one stands alone.
We’ll stand side by side,
Draw the circle
Draw the circle wide

Draw the circle wide,
draw it wider still.
Let this be our song:
No one stands alone.
Standing side by side
Draw the circle
Draw the circle wide

Draw the circle wide,
draw it wider still.
Let this be our song:
No one stands alone.
Standing side by side
Draw the circle
Draw the circle wide

Draw the circle wide,
draw it wider still.
Let this be our song:
No one stands alone.
Standing side by side
Draw the circle
Draw the circle wide

Draw the circle wide,
draw it wider still.
Let this be our song:
No one stands alone.
Standing side by side
Draw the circle
Draw the circle wide
Draw the circle
Draw the circle wide

Benediction:
May we grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.