Cloud of Witnesses
November 1, celebrated in the church on the following Sunday
All Saints’ Day has been set aside to remember and honor those who have gone before us and set the example of how we should follow Christ. It reminds us to be thankful for those who have gone before—those whom we personally know who told us about God and those who have told us through the pages of Scripture and other forms. Tis should be a great celebration
commemorating the life and witness of God’s people who model a relationship with God for us. We see an example of this in Scripture where Paul recalls those who have gone before (Hebrews 11:1–40). Recalling the great cloud of witnesses (Hebrews 12:1) helps to encourage our own faith journey today.
Call to Worship
Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us. Hebrews 12:1
O For A Thousand Tongues To Sing
Words by Charles Wesley (1739); Tune by Carl G. Gläser (1828), adapted by Lowell Mason (1839)
O for a thousand tongues to sing
My great Redeemer’s praise,
The glories of my God and King,
The triumphs of his grace!
My gracious master and my God,
Assist me to proclaim,
To spread thro’ all the earth abroad
The honors of your name.
Jesus! the name that charms our fears,
That bids our sorrows cease,
’Tis music in the sinner's ears,
’Tis life and health and peace.
He breaks the power of cancelled sin,
He sets the prisoner free;
His blood can make the foulest clean;
His blood availed for me.
To God all glory, praise, and love
Be now and ever given
By saints below and saints above,
The Church in earth and heaven.
Prayer
Almighty God, your people of all the ages live and praise you without ceasing. In our communion with you, we have communion with generations past and generations yet unborn. Before your throne we are one with a great multitude which no one could number, and in praising you we join with people from every nation.
Grant to your church on earth that as we celebrate the triumph of your saints in glory we may
learn from their example and enter with them into the inexpressible joys you have prepared for those who love you, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
For All the Saints
Words by William Walsham How (1864); Music by Ralph Vaughn Williams
For all the saints who from their labors rest,
Who thee by faith before the world confessed,
Thy name, O Jesus, be forever blest.
Alleluia, alleluia!
Thou wast their rock, their fortress, and their might;
You, Lord, their captain in the well fought fight;
Thou in the darkness drear their one true light.
Alleluia, alleluia!
O blest communion, fellowship divine!
We feebly struggle, they in glory shine;
Yet all are one in thee, for all are thine.
Alleluia, alleluia!
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!
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!
We say in the Apostles’ Creed that we believe in the “communion of the saints.” Historically, that statement meant the unity of the living and the dead in one community of faith in Christ. In terms that seem perhaps too military to us, the one church used to be described as the church militant – the living, still deeply engaged in the great cosmic spiritual battle. Those who are dead in Christ were the church triumphant, now reigning with Christ. Tis great “cloud of witnesses” surrounds us and cheers us on all through our lives but especially in our worship. Let’s join in this creedal statement spoken by followers of Jesus Christ since the 4th century.
The Apostles' Creed
I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker 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, dead, and buried;
He descended into Hades; the third day He rose again from the dead;
He ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God, the Father Almighty;
From thence He shall come to judge the quick 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.
O Church Arise
Words and Music by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend
© 2005 Thankyou Music
O church, arise, and put your armor on;
Hear the call of Christ our captain.
For now the weak can say that they are strong
In the strength that God has given.
With shield of faith and belt of truth,
We’ll stand against the devil’s lies.
An army bold, whose battle cry is love,
Reaching out to those in darkness.
Our call to war, to love the captive soul,
But to rage against the captor;
And with the sword that makes the wounded whole,
We will fight with faith and valor.
When faced with trials on every side,
We know the outcome is secure.
And Christ will have the prize for which he died:
An inheritance of nations.
Come, see the cross, where love and mercy meet,
As the Son of God is stricken;
Ten see his foes lie crushed beneath his feet,
For the Conqueror has risen!
And as the stone is rolled away,
And Christ emerges from the grave,
This victory march continues till the day
Ev’ry eye and heart shall see him.
So Spirit, come, put strength in every stride;
Give grace for every hurdle.
That we may run with faith to win the prize
Of a servant good and faithful.
As saints of old, still line the way,
Retelling triumphs of his grace,
We hear their calls, and hunger for the day
When with Christ we stand in glory.
Offering Prayer
Offertory:
Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty! (instrumental)
Words by Reginald Heber (1826); Music by John B. Dykes (1861)
Prayer of Illumination
Jesus, King of heaven and earth, open our hearts and minds by the power of your Holy Spirit,
that, as the Scriptures are read and your Word proclaimed, we may hear with joy what you say to us today.
Amen.
Sermon
The Lord's Supper
[instrumental music played or congregational singing]
The Mystery of the Faith
And so, in remembrance of these your mighty acts in Jesus Christ, we offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving as a holy and living sacrifice, in union with Christ’s offering for us, as we proclaim the mystery of faith.
Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again!
Come, Let Us Join Our Friends Above
Sung to the tune of “Come People of the Risen King"
Words by Charles Wesley (1759); Music by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend
© 2007 Thankyou Music
Come, let us join our friends above,
Who have obtained the prize,
And on the eagle wings of love
To enjoy celestial rise.
Let saints on earth unite to sing
With those to glory gone,
For all the servants of our king
On earth and heaven are one.
One family we dwell in him,
One church above, beneath,
Though now divided by the stream,
The narrow stream of death;
One army of the living God,
To his command we bow;
Part of His host have crossed the food,
And parts are crossing now.
Ten thousand to their endless home
This solemn moment fly,
And we are to the margin come,
And we expect to die.
His militant embodied host,
With wishful looks we stand,
And long to see that happy coast,
And reach the heavenly land.
Our old companions in distress
We haste again to see,
And eager long for our release,
And full felicity:
Even now by faith we join our hands
With those that went before;
And greet the blood besprinkled bands
On the eternal shore.
Our spirits too shall quickly join,
Like theirs with glory crowned,
And shout to see our captain’s sign,
To hear his trumpet sound.
O that we now might grasp our guide!
O that the word were given!
Come, Lord of hosts, the waves divide,
And land us all in heaven.
Benediction
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.
Hebrews 12:1–3
* The Apostles' Creed states, “I believe in the holy Catholic church.” Many Protestant free-church worshipers have a misunderstanding of this statement. The word Catholic here does not refer to the Roman Catholic church, but to the universal church of all believers in Christ Jesus. An explanation of this may need to be given before reciting the creed, or you can simply exchange the words “holy Catholic” for the word “universal” to avoid confusion among the worshipers.