All Saints Day | Wednesday 01 Nov 2023

+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Opening:

Almighty and everlasting God,
you govern all things both in heaven and on earth:
Mercifully hear the supplications of your people,
and in our time grant us your peace;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

“God blesses you when people mock you
and persecute you and lie about you
and say all sorts of evil things against you
because you are my followers.”
(Matthew 5)

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Hymn: For All the Saints – Martijn de Groot

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From Revelations: Revelation 7:9-17 (NLT)

Praise from the Great Crowd

7:9 After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands. And they were shouting with a great roar,

“Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne
and from the Lamb!”

And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living beings. And they fell before the throne with their faces to the ground and worshiped God. They sang,

“Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom
and thanksgiving and honor
and power and strength belong to our God
forever and ever! Amen.”

Then one of the twenty-four elders asked me, “Who are these who are clothed in white? Where did they come from?”

And I said to him, “Sir, you are the one who knows.”

Then he said to me, “These are the ones who died in the great tribulation. They have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb and made them white.

“That is why they stand in front of God’s throne
and serve him day and night in his Temple.
And he who sits on the throne
will give them shelter.
They will never again be hungry or thirsty;
they will never be scorched by the heat of the sun.
For the Lamb on the throne
will be their Shepherd.
He will lead them to springs of life-giving water.
And God will wipe every tear from their eyes.”

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From the Psalms: Psalm 34 – (Taste and See That He Is Good) – The Psalms Project

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From the Epistles: 1 John 3:1 (NLT)

3:1 See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know him. Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is. And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure.

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I Shall Be Like Him – SE Samonte

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From the Gospels: Matthew 5:1-12 (NLT)

The Sermon on the Mount

5:1 One day as he saw the crowds gathering, Jesus went up on the mountainside and sat down. His disciples gathered around him, and he began to teach them.

The Beatitudes

5:3 “God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him,
for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
5:4 God blesses those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5:5 God blesses those who are humble,
for they will inherit the whole earth.
5:6 God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice,
for they will be satisfied.
5:7 God blesses those who are merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
5:8 God blesses those whose hearts are pure,
for they will see God.
5:9 God blesses those who work for peace,
for they will be called the children of God.
5:10 God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right,
for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

5:11 “God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.

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Beatitudes – John Alexander Wilson

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Prayer: ACNA | BCP2019

+ Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

+ Almighty God, you have knit together your elect in one communion and fellowship in the mystical Body of your Son: Give us grace so to follow your blessed saints in all virtuous and godly living, that we may come to those ineffable joys that you have prepared for those who truly love you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

The Persecuted Church in Israel (including West Bank and Gaza)

[Overview: The decades-long conflict between the Israeli government and Palestinian authorities over the city of Jerusalem, the temple, the land and the status of Palestinian refugees remains among the world’s most volatile issues. During this conflict, both Jews and Muslims have been coming to faith in Christ despite their religions’ instructions to reject Christ as Lord and Savior. Christian activity is routinely opposed by Islamists among the Palestinian Arab populations of the West Bank and Gaza, and occasionally opposed by ultra-Orthodox and other anti-missionary Jews in Israel proper. Despite this opposition, some evangelical churches include both Jews who have accepted Christ as the Messiah and Arabs who have left Islam and placed their faith in Jesus. Active ministry efforts among both groups involve Bible distribution, discipleship, evangelism, church planting and theological education. The Palestinian Authority maintains some control over the West Bank under Israeli federal authority, while the militant Muslim group Hamas controls the Gaza Strip. Both groups are adamantly opposed to Christian activity and indoctrinate their populace to hate the West, Jews and Christians.