What a beautiful time of year. It’s been grey the past couple of days but we are still seeing blossoms of spring.
This photo was taken in the park at our recent parish picnic. Scroll down the page and you’ll find images of some of the saints from the parish enjoying the great outdoors in our first parish social event since the COVID restrictions began.
Follow the parts of the service on this page using the down arrows to open and close the sections. If you prefer to download a copy of the service booklet click on the link below to a printable PDF.
Rejoice in God's saints, today and all days!
A world without saints forgets how to praise.
Their faith in acquiring the habit of prayer,
Their depth of adoring, Lord, Help us to share.
Some march with events to turn them God's way;
Some need to withdraw, the better to pray;
Some carry the gospel through fire and through flood:
Our world is their parish: their purpose is God.
Rejoice in those saints, unpraised and unknown,
Who bear someone's cross, or shoulder their own:
They share our complaining, our comforts, our cares:
What patience in caring, what courage, is theirs!
Rejoice in God's saints, today and all days!
A world without saint forgets how to praise.
In loving, in living, they prove it is true:
Their way of self-giving, Lord, leads us to you.
Fred Pratt Green 1903-2000
Collect
Let us pray.
Almighty ever-living God,
by whose gift we venerate in one celebration
the merits of all the Saints,
bestow on us, we pray,
through the prayers of so many intercessors,
an abundance of the reconciliation with you
for which we earnestly long.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Liturgy of the word
A reading from the book of Revelation.
After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands. They cried out in a loud voice, saying ‘Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!’ And all the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshipped God, singing, ‘Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honour and power and might be to our God for ever and ever! Amen.’ Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, ‘Who are these, robed in white, and where have they come from?’ I said to him, ‘Sir, you are the one that knows.’ Then he said to me, ‘These are they who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. For this reason they are before the throne of God, and worship him day and night within his temple, and the one who is seated on the throne will shelter them. They will hunger no more, and thirst no more; the sun will not strike them, nor any scorching heat; for the Lamb at the centre of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of the water of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’
For the word of the Lord,
thanks be to God.
Response
Taste and see the goodness of the Lord;
taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
- I will bless the Lord at all times,
with praise always on my lips;
in the Lord my soul shall make its boast.
The humble shall hear and be glad. - Glorify the Lord with me.
Together let us praise God's name.
I sought the Lord and was answered;
from my terrors God set me free. - Look towards the Lord and shine in light;
let your faces be not ashamed.
When the poor fry out the Lord hears them
and rescues them from all their distress. - The angel of the Lord is encamped
around those who revere God.
Taste and see that the Lord is good
The are happy who seek refuge in God.
A reading from the first letter of John.
See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is. And all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.
For the word of the Lord,
thanks be to God.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened,
and I will give you rest, says the Lord.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew.
Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:
‘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 receive 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 for righteousness’ sake,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you
and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.’
For the Gospel of the Lord,
praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
REFLECTION FOR ALL SAINTS DAY
For many years I used to think of All Saints Day as a “round up day” for all the saints we celebrated throughout the year. In more recent times I have come to think of this as off the mark. I now see All Saints Day as the day when we give thanks for certain special people who have been very inspirational, courageous and generally amazing in their lives. I may not have known them personally or indeed I may have but it is impossible for the Church to be aware of everyone who has lived a saintly life. All Saints Day is our chance to fill in some gaps and to include people we honestly feel are worthy of being known as “saints”.
A salutary thought is that we are all called to be saints when we are baptised. To start with this means that we all have a special purpose in life which we are called to discover then live out in life. How many of us believe that we are trying to do this? I know that there will be some affirmatives here. Others of us have tended to drift through our lives or to kick against whatever seems to have beckoned us consistently.
It is never too late to find one’s real purpose in life. Such a purpose is one of the most precious parts of our lives. People of faith believe that it comes from God.
In the Gospels there is a prescription of sorts for saintliness. The Sermon on the Mount gives this prescription. Jesus, in this sermon, teaches, “Happy are the poor in spirit . .the gentle . . . the peacemakers, He says as well, “Happy are you when people abuse you and say all kinds of things against you “ – “they shall all see God.”
What Jesus teaches here gives us a big picture of saintliness, far removed from popular or stained glass piety. We too often think of saints as incredibly calm people – somewhat removed from reality. In fact, whatever degree of calmness they possessed the saints were and are passionate people with solid determination to live their purpose in life.
Does a saint as we understand the term have to be a person of Christian faith? Arguably, I would suggest, a saint can be a person of any religious or no faith. The important factor is the strong sense of purpose to achieve something good and worthwhile. In the Scriptures there are people who are without faith but who do the will of God in their lives and help to achieve God’s purpose in this world. Cyrus, king of Persia, is one example.
Are there saints among us now? We are all called to be saints. There are certainly people who succeed in living out their purpose in life and they do so with distinction. Perhaps we know one or more people like this. Often they become for us role models for life.
All Saints Day is here for us to celebrate generously and thankfully. Less distinctive people who have died we pray for tomorrow on All Souls’ Day. God loves all people and we pray for them confidently tomorrow (at 6.15 p.m. here at St Mary Magdalene’s Church.)
Faithful God
on this feast of All Saints
we give thanks for
the lives of Christians who have gone before us:
the great leaders and thinkers,
the mercy givers, the peace makers,
and those whose goodness transformed all that they did;
Give us grace to follow their example and continue their work.
God of love, hear our prayer.
Faithful God
we remember before you the newest generation of your saints,
and the martyrs from every age who gave their lives for Christ.
We pray for the future of the church,
for evangelists, catechists, teachers,
missionaries, religious, members of the clergy,
and all who nurture and encourage the faith.
We pray also for the persecuted church.
God of love, hear our prayer.
Faithful God
we pray for all churches, schools, hospitals and agencies dedicated to “All Saints” (especially the parishes of Seacliff and Moonta),
and the parish of “All Souls” St Peters.
We give thanks for their work as faithful saints on earth.
We pray that the Holy Spirit may guide and strengthen them and us
in our efforts to provide food for the hungry, shelter for the homeless,comfort for the lonely and strength to the faint-hearted.
God of love, hear our prayer.
Faithful God
we pray for those who have died in the faith,
giving thanks for their lives and example, and for all that they have meant
to us.
We pray for those who grieve,
and for all who suffer throughout the world:
for the hungry, the sick, the victims violence and natural disaster.
We bring before you, and their patron saints,
the people of Greece, Turkey and France
who are in mourning at this time. May they be comforted.
God of love, hear our prayer.
In joy, Faithful God,
we give you thanks for the whole company of your saints
with whom we join our prayers and praises:
with Mary Magdalene (Apostle to the Apostles),
and St Andrew (Apostle and Martyr),
and in the name of Jesus, the Christ, we pray, saying.
God of love, hear our prayer.
Greeting of Peace
We are the body of Christ.
God’s Spirit is with us.
The peace of the Lord be always with you.
And also with you.
Communion Rite
As our Saviour Christ has taught us, we are confident to pray:
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done, on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins,
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial
and deliver us from evil.
Deliver us, Lord, we pray, from every evil,
graciously grant peace in our days,
that, by the help of your mercy,
we may be always free from sin and safe from all distress,
as we await the blessed hope
and the coming of our Saviour, Jesus Christ.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours,
now and for ever. Amen.
My Jesus, I believe that you are present in the most Blessed Sacrament. I love you above all things and I desire to receive you into my soul. Since I cannot now receive you sacramentally, come spiritually into my heart. I embrace you as if you were already there, and unite myself wholly to you. Never permit me to be separated from you. Amen.
Hymn after communion
- For all the saints who’ve shown your love,
in how they live and where they move.
For mindful women, caring men,
accept our gratitude again. - For all the saints who loved your name,
whose faith increased the Savior’s fame.
Who sang your songs and shared your word,
accept our gratitude, good Lord. - For all the saints who named your will,
and showed the kingdom coming still.
Through selfless protest, prayer and praise,
accept the gratitude we raise. - Bless all whose will or name or love
reflects the grace of heaven above.
Though unacclaimed by earthly powers,
your life through theirs has hallowed ours.
John Bell
Morning tea this week becomes a little more grand as we share gourmet sandwiches, delicious chewy brownies, cakes and conversation in the parklands.
