Sundays at All Hallows (November 1, 2026)

Welcome to Sundays at All Hallows.

This Sunday, November 1, 2026, is All Saints’ Day. It is also the sixth year that All Hallows Murray has celebrated its patronal festival since the ministry was launched on June 10, 2020, on the eve of the feast day of St. Barnabas the Encourager.

The old Church Year is drawing to close. On November 29 it will be Advent Sunday, the first Sunday of Adventide, and the first Sunday of the new Church Year. For Adventide we will be switching to a traditional language service on Thursday evenings and Sundays. Before then I will post a tutorial to help those who are not familiar with the vocabulary and grammar of the older Prayer Books.

In this Sunday’s message we delve into what All Saints’ Day is and why we observe it.

GATHER IN GOD’S NAME

Open this link in a new tab to hear George Thalben-Ball’s prelude on NATIVITY from his 113 Variations on Hymn Tunes for the Organ.

Silence

These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they
have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the
Lamb. Revelation 7: 14

If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves,
and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins,
God is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins
and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:8-9

Let us draw near to God with sincerity and confidence,
and humbly confess our sins.

Silence

Almighty and most merciful Father,
we have strayed from your ways like lost sheep.
We have followed too much
the devices and the desires of our own hearts.
we have offended against your holy laws,
we have left undone what we ought to have done,
and we have done what we ought not to have done.
Yet, good Lord, have mercy on us;
restore those who are penitent,
according to your promises declared
in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Grant, most merciful Father, for his sake,
that we may live a godly, righteous, and sober lives,
to the glory of your holy name. Amen.

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

Open our lips, O Lord;
And we shall declare your praise.
O God, make speed to save us.
O Lord, make haste to help us.
Glory to God; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit:
as in the beginning, so now, and for ever. Amen.
Let us praise the Lord.
The Lord’s name be praised.

Open this link in a new tab to hear Timothy Dudley Smith’s “Come Let Us Praise the Lord (Psalm 95).”

1 Come, let us praise the Lord,
with joy our God acclaim,
his greatness tell abroad
and bless his saving Name.
Lift high your songs
before his throne
to whom alone
all praise belongs.

2 Our God of matchless worth,
our King beyond compare,
the deepest bounds of earth,
the hills, are in his care.
He all decrees,
who by his hand
prepared the land
and formed the seas.

3 In worship bow the knee,
our glorious God confess;
the great Creator, he,
the Lord our Righteousness.
He reigns unseen:
his flock he feeds
and gently leads
in pastures green.

4 Come, hear his voice today,
receive what love imparts;
his holy will obey
and harden not your hearts.
His ways are best;
and lead at last,
all troubles past,
to perfect rest.

Open this link in a new tab to hear Timothy Dudley Smith’s “Praise the Lord of Heaven” (Psalm 148).

1 Praise the Lord of heaven,
praise him in the height;
praise him, all his angels,
praise him, hosts of light.
Sun and moon together,
shining stars aflame,
planets in their courses,
magnify his Name!

2 Earth and ocean praise him;
mountains, hills and trees;
fire and hail and tempest,
wind and storm and seas.
Praise him, fields and forests,
birds on flashing wings,
praise him, beasts and cattle,
all created things.

3 Now by prince and people
let his praise be told;
praise him, men and maidens,
praise him, young and old.
He, the Lord of glory!
We his praise proclaim!
High above all heavens
magnify his Name!

Silence

O glorious God,
the whole of creation proclaims your marvellous work:
increase in us a capacity to wonder and delight in it,
that heaven’s praise may echo in our hearts
and our lives be spent as good stewards of the earth;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Open this link in a new tab to hear a simple organ accompaniment of Samuel Howard’s ST. BRIDE (also known as ST. BRIDGET) , the setting for James Quinn’s “Bless’d Be the Lord Our God!”(Psalm 150).

Organ accompaniment only. No vocals.

1 Bless’d be the Lord our God!
With joy let heaven ring;
Before His presence let all earth
Its songs of homage bring!

2 His mighty deeds be told;
His majesty be praised;
To God, enthroned in heav’nly light,
Let every voice be raised!

3 All that has life and breath,
Give thanks with heartfelt songs!
To Him let all creation sing
To Whom all praise belongs!

4 Acclaim the Father’s love,
Who gave us God, His Son;
Praise too the Spirit, giv’n by both,
With both for ever one!

Silence

God of life and love,
whose Son was victorious over sin and death:
make us alive with his life,
that the whole world may resound with your praise;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD

A reading from the Book of Jeremiah.
Jeremiah 31:31-34

‘The days are coming,’ declares the Lord,
‘when I will make a new covenant
with the people of Israel
and with the people of Judah.
It will not be like the covenant
I made with their ancestors
when I took them by the hand
to lead them out of Egypt,
because they broke my covenant,
though I was a husband to them,’
declares the Lord.
‘This is the covenant that I will make with the people of Israel
after that time,’ declares the Lord.
‘I will put my law in their minds
and write it on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
No longer will they teach their neighbour,
or say to one another, “Know the Lord,”
because they will all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest,’
declares the Lord.
‘For I will forgive their wickedness
and will remember their sins no more.’

Silence

Open this link to hear a simple piano accompaniment of Ralph Vaughan Williams’ KINGSFOLD, the setting for Ruth Duck’s “Now Bless the God of Israel (Benedictus).

1 Now bless the God of Israel who comes in love and power,
who raises from the royal house deliv’rance in this hour.
Through holy prophets God has sworn to free us from alarm,
to save us from the heavy hand of all who wish us harm.

2 Remembering the covenant, God rescues us from fear,
that we might serve in holiness and peace from year to year.
And you, my child, shall go before, to preach, to prophesy,
that all may know the tender love, the grace of God most high.

3 In tender mercy, God will send the dayspring from on high,
our rising sun, the light of life for those who sit and sigh.
God comes to guide our way to peace, that death shall reign no more.
Sing praises to the Holy One, O worship and adore.

A reading from the Revelation to John.
Revelation 7:9-17

After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice:

‘Salvation belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb.’

All the angels were standing round the throne and round the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshipped God, saying:

‘Amen!
Praise and glory
and wisdom and thanks and honour
and power and strength
be to our God for ever and ever.
Amen!’

Then one of the elders asked me, ‘These in white robes – who are they, and where did they come from?’

I answered, ‘Sir, you know.’

And he said, ‘These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore,

‘they are before the throne of God
and serve him day and night in his temple;
and he who sits on the throne
will shelter them with his presence.
“Never again will they hunger;
never again will they thirst.
The sun will not beat down on them,”
nor any scorching heat.
For the Lamb at the centre of the throne
will be their shepherd;
“he will lead them to springs of living water.”
“And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”’

Silence

Open this link to hear a simple piano accompaniment of Thomas Tallis’
TALLIS’ CANON (EIGHTH TUNE), the setting of David Mowbray’s
“Great Is the Lord We Now Acclaim” (Te Deum).

1 Great is the Lord we now acclaim
God everlasting is his name:
let heaven and earth with music ring,
and 'Holy, holy, holy' sing!

2 Let prophets and apostles join
with martyrs in triumphant line
to echo the angelic cry
and celebrate God's mystery.

3 We praise God's true and only Son,
for ever with the Father one;
we praise the Spirit at their side,
the Church's advocate and guide.

4 When once the time had fully come
Christ did not scorn the Virgin's womb;
our Lord the sting of death defied
and flung the gate of heaven wide!

5 He shed his blood to pay sin's price,
the full and perfect sacrifice;
as Saviour, reigns eternally,
as Judge of all, presides on high.

6 Lord God, protect us all from sin,
our hearts to love and goodness win;
that we yet firm in faith, shall stay
unshaken in the last great day.

A reading from the Gospel according to Matthew.
Matthew 5:1-12

Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them.

He said:

‘Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

‘Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Silence

All Saints’ Day – What Is It and Why Do We Observe It?

English cathedrals and parish churches have observed All Saints’ Day at least since the ninth century, from around the year 800, for more than 1,200 years. During the Middle Ages All Saints’ Day was known as All Hallows Day or Hallowmas and its eve as All Hallows Eve or Hallowe’en. “Hallow” is an early English word for “holy one,” or saint. It was principal feast day of the church year, and a number of customs grew up around its observance like those which grew up around Christmas, Easter, and other Christian festivals. Among these customs was that of distributing sweet buns or cakes to children and other folks.

Propers for All Saints’ Day, a Collect of the Day, an Epistle, and a Gospel, appeared in the First Prayer Book of King Edward VI in 1549 and have appeared in the service books of the Church of England and her daughter churches since that time. At the time of the English Reformation, however, the theological focus of All Saints’ Day underwent a dramatic shift. The English Reformers concluded from their study of the Bible that the medieval Catholic practice of venerating the saints and their relics and praying to the saints and asking for their intercessions had no basis in Scripture. All Saints’ Day became a day for giving thanks to God for his grace and for commemorating the faithful departed whose lives serve as an example and pattern for the living.

Unlike the Roman Catholic Church, the Anglican Church does not have a canonical process of officially recognizing and declaring that a dead person meets its criteria for sainthood and therefore may be become the object of veneration and prayer, that is someone to whom Roman Catholics should show peculiar reverence and to whom they should address prayer. Indeed, the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion of 1571, the Anglican Church’s historic confession of faith, declares the latter practices as “a fond thing vainly invented, and grounded upon no warranty of Scripture, but rather repugnant to the Word of God.” The Bible is quite clear that we should worship no one or no thing beside God and to God and to God alone our prayers should be addressed. The risen and ascended Son, Jesus Christ, who is one with the Father and is seated at the Father’s right hand pleads for us. And the Holy Spirit, God’s own indwelling presence, unites us to the Father and the Son, and intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words. We need no one else to plead or intercede for us.

The Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox practice of praying to the saints likely has pagan origins. As well as an official pantheon of gods and goddesses, the people of the ancient Mediterranean world poured libations, burned incense, and offered prayers to their household gods and other minor deities and to their ancestors, to the dead. Indeed, their devotion to these deities and ancestral spirits may have been far greater than to the official pantheon of gods and goddesses. As the ancient Mediterranean world became Christianized, the people transferred their devotion to the saints and their relics.

Who then do Anglicans regard as “saints” and on what basis?

The first place to look is the Holy Scriptures. In their translation of the New Testament the seventeenth century Anglican scholars and theologians who translated the Authorized Version of the Bible, the venerable King James Version, translated wording in Paul’s Letter to Philemon as saints, or holy ones. These words were used to describe all Christians as well as the members of a particular Christian community. We may hear “saint” used in a similar way nowadays to describe older members of a church who evidence a strong devotion to Christ, his message, and his teaching and to deceased members of the church who likewise evidenced such a devotion in their lifetime. They are folks whose example younger Christians are encouraged to follow.

The ancient Celtic Church in the British Isles applied the descriptor of “saint” to individuals of exceptional piety. These individuals attracted followers who sought to learn from them and the communities they formed became centers of Christianity in their particular localities. While miracles were sometimes attributed to such individuals, they were chiefly known for their faith in Jesus Christ shown in their way of life and their teaching. These individuals played a significant role in the spread of Christianity in the British Isles and beyond. Like the Celtic Church, Anglicans recognize as “saints” those who shone as bright stars in their day and advanced the cause of the gospel.

Anglicans also recognize as “saints” those biblical and other historical figures that the wider church has historically recognized as saints.

From an Anglican perspective being a saint is not for just for extraordinary people, those who have received a special gifting, but for all Christians who love their Lord, devote their lives to him, and live their lives according to his teaching and example. With the help of God’s grace, we can be one too. Good reason enough for giving thanks for God’s grace and honoring those who have gone before us in the faith and set a good example for us to follow.

Silence

I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth;
and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into hell.
The third day he rose again from the dead.
He ascended into 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

The Lord be with you.
And also with you.

Let us pray.

Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.

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,
for ever and ever. Amen.

Lord, show us your mercy,
and grant us your salvation.
Keep our nation under your care,
and guide us in justice and truth.
Clothe your ministers with righteousness,
and make your chosen people joyful.
Lord, save your people,
and bless your inheritance.
Give peace in our time, O Lord,
for you are our help and strength.
Create in us dean hearts, O God,
and renew us by your Holy Spirit.

Almighty God,
you have knit together your elect
in one communion and fellowship
in the mystical body of your Son Christ our Lord:
Grant us grace so to follow your blessed saints
in all virtuous and godly living
that we may come to those inexpressible joys
that you have prepared for those who truly love you;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

O God, the author and lover of peace, in knowledge of whom
stands our eternal life, whose service is perfect freedom;
defend us your servants in all assaults of our enemies,
that, surely trusting in your defense, we may not fear the power
of any adversaries, through the might of Jesus Christ our
Lord. Amen.

Eternal God and Father, by whose power we are created and
by whose love we are redeemed: guide and strengthen us by
your Spirit, that we may give ourselves to your service, and
live every day in love to one another and to you; through Jesus
Christ your Son our Lord. Amen.

Open this link in a new tab to hear Lesbia Scott’s “I Sing a Song of the Saints of God.”

1. I sing a song of the saints of God,
patient and brave and true,
who toiled and fought and lived and died
for the Lord they loved and knew.
And one was a doctor, and one was a queen,
and one was a shepherdess on the green:
they were all of them saints of God—and I mean,
God helping, to be one too.

2. They loved their Lord so dear, so dear,
and his love made them strong;
and they followed the right, for Jesus' sake,
the whole of their good lives long.
And one was a soldier, and one was a priest,
and one was slain by a fierce wild beast:
and there's not any reason, no, not the least,
why I shouldn't be one too.

3. They lived not only in ages past,
there are hundreds of thousands still,
the world is bright with the joyous saints
who love to do Jesus' will.
You can meet them in school, or in lanes, or at sea,
in church, or in trains, or in shops, or at tea,
for the saints of God are just folk like me,
and I mean to be one too.

[Let us pray for all in civil authority.]

Almighty God, you rule over the kingdoms of the world: We
commend to your merciful care the people of this land, that,
being guided by your providence, they may dwell secure in
your peace. Grant to [here the appropriate persons in government
are named] and to all in authority, wisdom and strength to know
and to do your will. Fill them with the love of truth and righteousness,
that they may serve your people faithfully to your honour and glory;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

[Let us pray for the Church]

Almighty and eternal God, you alone work great marvels:
send down your life-giving Spirit of grace on our bishops and other clergy, and on the congregations which they serve; and, in order that they may truly please you, pour upon them the continual dew of your blessing. Grant this, Lord, for the honour of our advocate and mediator, Jesus Christ. Amen.

[Let us pray for all people according to their needs]

God of providence, God of love,
we pray for all people: make your way known to them, your saving power
among all nations.
We pray for the welfare of your Church throughout the world: guide and
govern it by your Holy Spirit, that all who call themselves Christians
may be led in the way of truth, and hold the faith in unity of spirit,
in the bond of peace, and in righteousness of life.
We commend to your fatherly goodness all who are afflicted or distressed
in mind, body, or circumstances (especially…). Relieve them according to their needs, giving them patience in their sufferings, and deliverance in their afflictions. This we ask for the sake of Jesus Christ our Saviour. Amen.

[Let us pray for ourselves and others.]

Silence

Those present may offer their own prayers and thanksgivings, either silently or aloud.

Father,
all-powerful and ever-living God,
today we rejoice in the holy men and women
of every time and place.
May we with them know your forgiveness and love.
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.

[Let us give thanks to God for his goodness.]

Almighty God and merciful Father,
we give you heart-felt thanks
for all your goodness and loving kindness to us
and to all people.
We bless you for our creation and preservation,
and all the blessings of this life;
but above all for your immeasurable love
in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ;
for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory.
And, we pray, give us such a sense of all your mercies,
that our hearts may be truly thankful,
and that we praise you,
not only with our lips but in our lives,
serving you in holiness and righteousness all our days;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
to whom with you and the Holy Spirit,
be honour and glory, now and for ever. Amen.

Almighty God, you have promised to hear the petitions of
those who ask in your Son’s name: mercifully accept us who
have now made our prayers to you; and grant us those things
which we have asked in faith according to your will; through
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Open this link in a new tab to hear William Walsham How’s “For All the Saints, Who from Their Labor Rest.”

1 For all the saints who from their labours rest,
who thee by faith before the world confessed,
thy name, O Jesu, be for ever blest.
Alleluia. Alleluia.

2 Thou wast their rock, their fortress, and their might;
thou, Lord, their Captain in the well-fought fight;
thou, in the darkness, still their one true light.
Alleluia. Alleluia.

3 O may thy 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 O bl est communion, fellowship divine!
we feebly struggle, they in glory shine;
yet all are one in thee, for all are thine.
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 lo, 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.

THE SENDING FORTH OF GOD’S PEOPLE

The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us praise the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Open this link in a new tab to hear the Concordia Chöre‎’s metrical version of the Grace, “And the Grace of God our Father.”

And the grace of God, our Father,
and the love of Jesus Christ,
and the Holy Spirit’s union be with us forevermore.
And the grace of God, our Father,
and the love of Jesus Christ,
and the Holy Spirit’s union be with us forevermore.