All Saints, Year A

​“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.”
 
~Matthew 5:3-6
 
On a day like All Saints when we remember those who have gone before us, who have paved the way an modeled the shape of a life-affirming Christian Way, it may be easy for us to stop at the second of the beatitudes, struck by our sense of loss for loved ones. Indeed, this work of mourning is necessary for us to find our way through difficult loss to the newness that the eastering God raises in us and our communities.
 
But in the whole of the beatitudes in Matthew, Jesus is actually offering a template of this life-affirming Way that we should not miss. To sit with these is to sit with the kind of truth-telling that sets us free and those who follow us.
 
This Sunday we will take time to remember and bless those who have gone before us. Bring pictures or a token of remembrance with you as we create a visual representation of all the saints in light and the God who will wipe away every tear.
 
Enter into worship.
 
Readings: Revelation 7:9-17 † Psalm 34:1-10, 22 † 1 John 3:1-3 † Matthew 5:1-12
 
About the Art: Anonymous. Grief, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. https://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=56330 [retrieved October 25, 2023]. Original source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/shockinglytasty/15117071790 - CC BY-SA 2.0.

---

We are so grateful to be gathering in person. If you can't join us, you can watch the service in real-time. Join us in person or watch it here live Sunday morning, 10:00am. You can view it upon completion by clicking on the video graphic to the left.

​We continue to keep our financial commitments to our mission partners and staff. If you are not yet able to join us, thank you for remembering to send in your financial pledges and offerings or donating here.