SERVICE FOR THE LORD’S DAY
All Saints’ Day
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH (USA)
November 1, 2020
Ten Thirty in the morning
Minister: The Reverend Aaron Ochart
Lay Leader: Ron Palmisano
Bagpiper: Bob Grubb
Bold face indicates congregational participation.
GATHERING
WORDS OF WELCOME
STEWARDSHIP PRESENTATION: Outreach Committee
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF NATIVE LANDS
Every community owes its existence and vitality to generations from around the world who contributed their hopes, dreams, and energy to making the history that led to this moment. Some were brought here against their will, some were drawn to leave their distant homes in hope of a better life, and some have lived on this land for more generations than can be counted. Truth and acknowledgment are critical to building mutual respect and connection across all barriers of heritage and difference. We begin this effort to acknowledge what has been buried by honoring the truth. We are standing on the ancestral lands of the Chitmacha, Acolapissa (now a part of the Houma People), and Chahta Yakni (commonly called Chocktaw). We pay respects to their elders past and present. Please take a moment to consider the many legacies of violence, displacement, migration, and settlement that bring us together here today.
PRELUDE
ADORATION
CALL TO WORSHIP
Let us call upon the one who knows every thread in the fabric of our lives.
God of every seam and stitch, gather and mend us.
Let us call upon the one who embroiders new designs, who weaves new textiles with patience and delight.
God of every seam and stitch, gather and mend us.
Let us call upon the one who patches worn places with compassion.
God of every seam and stitch, gather and mend us.
We are the tapestry of God, each strand important to the pattern, each frayed end worth the mending, every thread a treasure.
May we hope in these words, may harmony be our mending.
Let us worship our God!
HYMN 563 “Lift Every Voice and Sing”
PROCLAMATION
FIRST LESSON 1 Kings 17:1-16
Now Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, ‘As the Lord the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.’ The word of the Lord came to him, saying, ‘Go from here and turn eastwards, and hide yourself by the Wadi Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. You shall drink from the wadi, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.’ So he went and did according to the word of the Lord; he went and lived by the Wadi Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening; and he drank from the wadi. But after a while the wadi dried up, because there was no rain in the land.
Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, ‘Go now to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and live there; for I have commanded a widow there to feed you.’ So he set out and went to Zarephath. When he came to the gate of the town, a widow was there gathering sticks; he called to her and said, ‘Bring me a little water in a vessel, so that I may drink.’ As she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, ‘Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.’ But she said, ‘As the Lord your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of meal in a jar, and a little oil in a jug; I am now gathering a couple of sticks, so that I may go home and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die.’ Elijah said to her, ‘Do not be afraid; go and do as you have said; but first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterwards make something for yourself and your son. For thus says the Lord the God of Israel: The jar of meal will not be emptied and the jug of oil will not fail until the day that the Lord sends rain on the earth.’ She went and did as Elijah said, so that she as well as he and her household ate for many days. The jar of meal was not emptied, neither did the jug of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by Elijah.
MESSAGE FOR THE CHILDREN
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.
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.
They lived not only in ages past, there are hundreds of thousand 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 tea,
For the saints of God are just folk like me, and I mean to be one too.
Second Lesson Hebrews 12:1-2
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.
SERMON “Running the Race” The Rev. Aaron Ochart
RESPONSE
PRAYER OF BLESSING
O Lord, bless the tartans and signs of our heritage we have presented today and bless the people of the clans and families which they signify. May we strive to live up to the very highest ideals they represent.
Bless us that we may be a blessing, O Lord.
We thank you, God, for your Word which has ordained a rich heritage of faith and sacrifice from our ancestors: from Adam to Noah, from Noah to Abraham, from Abraham to David, so onward to the incarnation of Jesus, to the establishment of his church: our brothers and sisters in Christ everywhere. Never let us forget that a heritage of faith is a joy to be shared.
Bless us that we may be a blessing, O Lord.
Thank you, O God, for the blessings of family; the warmth, comfort, and security of family love. Never let us forget that our family love is a gift to be shared with kin and stranger.
Bless us that we may be a blessing, O Lord.
We praise you, O God, for those who have lived and died in Christ that we might have the freedom to dwell in a community of faith. Never let us forget the sacrifices made for us.
Bless us that we may be a blessing, O Lord.
On behalf of all clans, families, and nations, we stand before God in gratitude for our heritage, and we pray God’s blessings on all beloved children in all lands.
We proclaim that we are united in the covenant of Jesus, the Christ, for there is but one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of us all. Amen.
AFFIRMATION OF FAITH Brief Statement of Faith
We trust in God the Holy Spirit
everywhere the giver and renewer of life.
The Spirit justifies us by grace through faith,
sets us free to accept ourselves and to love God and
neighbor,
and binds us together with all believers
in the one body of Christ, the Church.
The same Spirit
who inspired the prophets and apostles
rules our faith and life in Christ through Scripture,
engages us through the Word proclaimed,
claims us in the waters of baptism,
feeds us with the bread of life and the cup of salvation,
and calls women and men to all ministries of the Church.
In a broken and fearful world
the Spirit gives us courage
to pray without ceasing,
to witness among all peoples to Christ as Lord and
Savior,
to unmask idolatries in Church and culture,
to hear the voices of peoples long silenced,
and to work with others for justice, freedom, and peace.
In gratitude to God, empowered by the Spirit,
we strive to serve Christ in our daily tasks
and to live holy and joyful lives,
even as we watch for God’s new heaven and new earth,
praying, “Come, Lord Jesus!”
With believers in every time and place,
we rejoice that nothing in life or in death
can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. Amen
CELEBRATION OF THE LORD’S SUPPER
PARTING PRAYER Ulrich Zwingli (1484-1531)
Living God, by the power of your Spirit, help us to hear your holy word that we may truly understand; that understanding we may believe; and believing, we may follow in faithfulness and obedience, seeking your honor and glory in all that we do; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
CHARGE AND BENEDICTION
POSTLUDE “Highland Cathedral”
Participating in today’s service are Rev. Aaron Ochart, Pastor, Julie Hebert, CE Leader, Sandy Cranfill, Music Director, and Sam Garnett, Organist. Appreciation to David Garland and Dennis Lauland for the video production of today’s service.