Sundays at All Hallows (Sunday, October 6, 2024)

 

Welcome to Sundays at All Hallows.

This Sunday, the first Sunday in October, is World Communion Sunday, a day which calls Christians to resist the polarizing tendencies of our times and unite around Jesus Christ and his message and teaching. World Communion Sunday “was first observed by Presbyterians in 1936, adopted by the Federal Council of Churches in 1940, and shortly thereafter observed in Methodist and Evangelical United Brethren churches.” To celebrate the occasion the hymns and songs for this Sunday’s service have been selected from those of the global Church.

The message for this Sunday focuses on what Jesus identifies as an essential requirement for entering the Kingdom of God.

GATHERING IN GOD’S NAME

Open this link in a new tab to hear Alexander Gondo, I-to-Loh, and Gary Daigle’s “Come All You People (Uyai Mose).”

1 Sky and earth, moon and star:
Come and praise your Maker.
Desert, meadow, sea and shore:
Come and praise your Maker.
Mountain top and ocean floor:
Come and praise your Maker.
Come now and worship the Lord.

2 Tree and flower, leaf and vine:
Come and praise your Maker.
Living things that crawl and climb:
Come and praise your Maker.
Plants and creatures, humankind:
Come and praise your Maker.
Come now and worship the Lord.

Ev’ry woman, child, and man:
Come and praise your Maker.
Ev’ry nation, ev’ry land:
Come and praise your Maker.
Ev’ry culture, creed, and clan:
Come and praise your Maker.
Come now and worship the Lord.

Come all you people
Come all you people,
come and praise your Maker.
Come all you people,
come and praise your Maker.
Come all you people,
come and praise your Maker.
Come now and worship the Lord

Come all you people
Come all you people,
come and praise your Maker.
Come all you people,
come and praise your Maker.
Come all you people,
come and praise your Maker.
Come now and worship the Lord

Uyai mose
Uyai mose,
tinamate mwari.
Uyai mose,
tinamate mwari.
Uyai mose,
tinamate mwari.
Uyai mose zvino

Come all you people
Come all you people,
come and praise your Maker.
Come all you people,
come and praise your Maker.
Come all you people,
come and praise your Maker.
Come now and worship the Lord

Uyai mose,
tinamate mwari.
Uyai mose,
tinamate mwari.
Uyai mose,
tinamate mwari.
Uyai mose zvino

Come all you people,
come and praise your Maker.
Come all you people,
come and praise your Maker.
Come all you people,
come and praise your Maker.
Come now and worship the Lord
Come now and worship the Lord
Come now and worship the Lord

Blessed be God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Blessed be God’s Kingdom now and forever. Amen.

Our Lord Jesus Christ said:
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and
with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your
strength. This is the great 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.
Matthew 23: 37-40; Mark 12: 30-31

Knowing the goodness of God and our failure to respond
with love and obedience, let us confess our sins.

Silence

Heavenly Father,
you have loved us with an everlasting love,
but we have broken your holy laws
and have left undone what we ought to have done.
We are sorry for our sins and tur away from them.
For the sake of your Son who died for us,
forgive us, cleanse us, and change us.
By your Holy Spirit,
enable us to live for you;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Merciful Lord, grant to your faithful people pardon and peace,
that we may be cleansed from all our sins,
and serve you with a quiet mind;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Open this link in a new tab to hear All Creation Sing’s arrangement of the Gloria from the Lima Liturgy.

1 Glory to God, glory to God, glory in the highest.
Glory to God, glory to God, glory in the highest.
To God be glory forever.
To God be glory forever.
Alleluia, amen.
Alleluia, amen.
Alleluia, amen.
Alleluia, amen.
Alleluia, amen.
Alleluia, amen.
Alleluia amen, alleluia amen—n.

2 Glory to God, glory to God, glory to Christ Jesus
Glory to God, glory to God, glory to Christ Jesus
To God be glory forever.
To God be glory forever.
Alleluia, amen.
Alleluia, amen.
Alleluia, amen.
Alleluia, amen.
Alleluia, amen.
Alleluia, amen
Alleluia amen, alleluia ame—n.

3 Glory to God, glory to God, glory to the Spirit.
Glory to God, glory to God, glory to the Spirit.
To God be glory forever.
To God be glory forever.
Alleluia, amen.
Alleluia, amen.
Alleluia, amen.
Alleluia, amen.
Alleluia, amen.
Alleluia, amen
Alleluia amen, alleluia ame—n.

Let us pray.

Silence

Father,
your love for us
surpasses all our hopes and desires.
Forgive our failings,
keep us in your peace,
and lead us in the way of salvation.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD

A reading from the Book of Genesis (chapter 2, beginning at verse 18).

Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.” So the Lord God formed from the ground all the wild animals and all the birds of the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would call them, and the man chose a name for each one. He gave names to all the livestock, all the birds of the sky, and all the wild animals. But still there was no helper just right for him.

So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep. While the man slept, the Lord God took out one of the man’s ribs and closed up the opening. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib, and he brought her to the man.

“At last!” the man exclaimed.

“This one is bone from my bone,
and flesh from my flesh!
She will be called ‘woman,’
because she was taken from ‘man.’”

This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.

Silence

Hear what the Spirit is saying to God’s people.
Thanks be to God.

Open this link in a new tab to hear Richard Bruxvoort Colligan’s “How Great is Your Name” (Psalm 8).

How great is your name How great is your name
How great is your name in all of the earth
How great is your name How great is your name
How great is your name in all of the earth

1 You have covered the skies
with your splendor
You have filled up the heavens
with your majesty, O Holy One

How great is your name How great is your name
How great is your name in all of the earth
How great is your name How great is your name
How great is your name in all of the earth

2 From the mouths of the children
you bring strength
To put an end to foe and avenger,
O Holy One

How great is your name How great is your name
How great is your name in all of the earth
How great is your name How great is your name
How great is your name in all of the earth

3 When we look at the work of your fingers
The sun and moon above that you
have set in place
We stand in awe
Who are we that you should notice us
The children of the earth that you
should care for us, O Holy One

How great is your name How great is your name
How great is your name in all of the earth
How great is your name How great is your name
How great is your name in all of the earth

Making all of us just beneath angels
Even crowning your servants with your glory
We know your love
All your work of the earth you give to us
All the world at our feet and at our mercy,
O Holy One

How great is your name How great is your name
How great is your name in all of the earth
How great is your name How great is your name
How great is your name in all of the earth

Silence

A reading from the Letter to the Hebrews (chapter 1, beginning at verse 1).

Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he created the universe. The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command. When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven. This shows that the Son is far greater than the angels, just as the name God gave him is greater than their names.

And furthermore, it is not angels who will control the future world we are talking about. For in one place the Scriptures say,

“What are mere mortals that you should think about them,
or a son of man that you should care for him?
Yet for a little while you made them a little lower than the angels
and crowned them with glory and honor.
You gave them authority over all things.”

Now when it says “all things,” it means nothing is left out. But we have not yet seen all things put under their authority. What we do see is Jesus, who for a little while was given a position “a little lower than the angels”; and because he suffered death for us, he is now “crowned with glory and honor.” Yes, by God’s grace, Jesus tasted death for everyone. God, for whom and through whom everything was made, chose to bring many children into glory. And it was only right that he should make Jesus, through his suffering, a perfect leader, fit to bring them into their salvation.

So now Jesus and the ones he makes holy have the same Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them his brothers and sisters. For he said to God,

“I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters.
I will praise you among your assembled people.”

Silence

Hear what the Spirit is saying to God’s people.
Thanks be to God.

Open this link in a new tab to hear Marty Haugen’s arrangement of “Halle, Halle, Hallelujah.”

Halle, halle, hallelujah.
Halle halle, hallelujah.
Halle halle, hallelujah.
Hallelujah, hallelujah.
Halle halle, hallelujah.
Halle halle, hallelujah.
Hallelujah, hallelujah.

Oh God, to who shall we go?
You alone have the words of life.
Let your words be our prayer and the song we sing:
Hallelujah, hallelujah.

Halle, halle, hallelujah.
Halle halle, hallelujah.
Halle halle, hallelujah.
Hallelujah, hallelujah.
Halle, halle, hallelujah.
Halle halle, hallelujah.
Halle halle, hallelujah.
Hallelujah, hallelujah.
Halle, halle, hallelujah.
Halle halle, hallelujah.
Halle halle, hallelujah.
Hallelujah, hallelujah.


The Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Mark (chapter 10, beginning at verse 2).
Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Some Pharisees came and tried to trap him with this question: “Should a man be allowed to divorce his wife?”

Jesus answered them with a question: “What did Moses say in the law about divorce?”

“Well, he permitted it,” they replied. “He said a man can give his wife a written notice of divorce and send her away.”

But Jesus responded, “He wrote this commandment only as a concession to your hard hearts. But ‘God made them male and female’ from the beginning of creation. ‘This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.’ Since they are no longer two but one, let no one split apart what God has joined together.”

Later, when he was alone with his disciples in the house, they brought up the subject again. He told them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries someone else commits adultery against her. And if a woman divorces her husband and marries someone else, she commits adultery.”

One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could touch and bless them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering him.

When Jesus saw what was happening, he was angry with his disciples. He said to them, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children. I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.” Then he took the children in his arms and placed his hands on their heads and blessed them.

Silence

This is the Gospel of the Lord,
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Like a Child

“…anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it” With these words Jesus rebuked his disciples for turning away the parents who brought their children to Jesus to touch them and to bless them. Jesus then took the children in his arms, placed his hands on their heads, and blessed them 

What did Jesus mean when he said, “receive the Kingdom of God like a child”?

For the better part of three decades, I was involved I child welfare work for the state of Louisiana, initially working with children in the custody of the state, their foster parents or other caregivers, and their natural parents or relatives. Later on, I worked with children not yet in the custody of the state but identified as being at risk and their natural parents or other care givers, In some cases this involved supervision of the child and the child’s caregivers ordered by the court. I also conducted child protection investigations. I worked with children of all ages from newborns to teenagers.

Newborns cannot survive, much less thrive, without proper care. They are totally dependent upon their mother or other caregiver. More than one infant has been left in a carrier, crib, or highchair without nourishment or a change or diapers for hours, even days, to be found seriously dehydrated and covered with their own excrement or dead. In such cases the mother or other caregiver has been charged with criminal neglect and the child, if the child is alive, taken into the custody of the state. 

Small children have been found wandering the streets barefooted and inadequately dressed for the time of year, begging people in the neighborhood for food or digging in garbage cans for food scraps. 

While some teenagers may give the impression that they can fend for themselves, it was not uncommon for neglected and runaway teenagers to fall victim to human trafficking and sexual exploitation. The one thing that all these children had in common was their dependency. They needed someone else to care for them and to protect them. 

A small child will trust the person upon whom they are dependent but will lose that trust if the person neglects them, abuses them, or behaves inconsistently toward them. This loss of trust will affect their ability to trust others later in life. It will shape their personality in other ways.

The point Jesus is making is that those who depend upon God like a small child depends on those caring for them and trust in God to supply their needs as a small child trust their caregivers to supply theirs meet what may be described as an important requirement to enter the Kingdom of God. Put another way, they have the right attitude toward God. They also have the right attitude toward Jesus. They have an attitude of child-like dependence and trust.

As the author of the Letter of Hebrews draws to our attention, God has spoken to us through Jesus. Jesus “radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God.” He has cleansed us of our sins and now sits enthroned at the right hand of the Father in heaven. “By God’s grace, Jesus tasted death for everyone.” Through Jesus’ suffering God made him the perfect leader to bring into salvation and make holy those whom God had chosen to become Jesus’ brothers and sisters

While we tend to think of our needs in terms physical, emotional, and relational needs, God, through Jesus, graciously meets our greatest need of all, our need to be restored to a right relationship with God and to live the remainder of our days in that relationship, a relationship of faith, love and obedience, a relationship that will impact not only the way in which we live our lives in this world but also how we spend eternity.

Silence

Open this link in a new tab to hear Geoff Weaver’s arrangement of the Cameroon traditional “He Came Down.”

1 He came down that we may have love;
he came down that we may have love;
he came down that we may have love;
hallelujah for evermore.

Leader: Why did he come?

2 He came down that we may have peace . . .

Leader: Why did he come?

3 He came down that we may have joy . . .

Leader: Why did he come?

4 He came down that we may have power . . .

Leader: Why did he come?

5 He came down that we may have hope . . .

Leader: Why did he come?

6 He came down that we may have love…

Let us confess our faith, as we say:

I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit
and born of the virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to hell.
The third day he rose again from the dead.
He ascended to heaven
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.
From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.

THE MINISTRY OF PRAYER

Almighty God, your Son Jesus Christ has promised that you
will hear us when we ask in faith: receive the prayers we offer.

For the nation

We give thanks for…. We pray for….

Guide with your wisdom and power the leaders of the
nations, so that everyone may live in peace and mutual trust,
sharing with justice the resources of the earth. Give the people
in this land a spirit of unselfishness, compassion, and fairness
in public and private life.

Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.

For the Church

We give thanks for…. We pray for.…

Send out the light and truth of your gospel and bring people
everywhere to know and love you. Enable those who minister
among us to commend your truth by their example and
teaching. May we gladly receive and obey your word.

Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.

For those in need

We give thanks for…. We pray for….

We commend to your fatherly care, merciful God, all who are
in sorrow, sickness, discouragement or any other trouble.
Deliver them from their distress and succor them in their need.
Give them patience in the face of adversity and a firm trust in your goodness. 

Help those who care for them, and bring us all into
the joy of your salvation.

Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.

For our own needs and the needs of others

We give thanks for…. We pray for….

We entrust to your safekeeping, Father, ourselves and each other, our families, our neighbours, and our friends. Enable us by your Spirit to live in love for you and for one another.

Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.

Thanksgiving for the faithfully departed

We give thanks for the life and work of ….

We praise you for all your servants whose lives have
honoured Christ. Encourage us by their example, so that we
run with perseverance the race that lies before us, and
share with them the fullness of joy in your kingdom.

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.

Open this link in a new tab to hear Tom Colvin’s “Jesu, Jesu.”

Jesu, Jesu, fill us with your love,
show us how to serve the neighbors we have from you.

1 Kneels at the feet of his friends,
silently washes their feet,
Master who acts as a slave to them.

Jesu, Jesu, fill us with your love,
show us how to serve the neighbors we have from you.

2 Neighbors are rich and poor,
varied in color and race,
neighbors are near and far away.

Jesu, Jesu, fill us with your love,
show us how to serve the neighbors we have from you.

3 These are the ones we should serve,
these are the ones we should love,
all these are neighbors to us and you.

Jesu, Jesu, fill us with your love,
show us how to serve the neighbors we have from you.

4 Loving puts us on our knees,
silently washing their feet,
this is the way we should live with you.

Jesu, Jesu, fill us with your love,
show us how to serve the neighbors we have from you.

THE SENDING FORTH OF GOD’S PEOPLE

Holy and everliving God,
by your power we are created
and by your love we are redeemed;
guide and strengthen us by your Spirit,
that we may give ourselves to your service,
and live each day in love to one another and to you,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Those present may extend their palms toward each other in a gesture of blessing.

May God, Creator, bless us and keep us,
may Christ be ever light for our lives,
may the Spirit of Love be our guide and path,
for all our days. Amen.

The peace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you always.
And also with you.

Those present may exchange a gesture of peace with these or similar words:
Peace be with you.