Patrick Comerford
Next Sunday, 4 November 2018, is the Fourth Sunday before Advent, with the Liturgical Provisions for Proper 26.
This Sunday may also be observed as All Saints’ Day.
The readings in the Revised Common Lectionary as adapted for use in the Church of Ireland for Sunday as the Fourth Sunday before Advent are:
Continuous Readings: Ruth 1: 1-18; Psalm 146; Hebrews 9: 11-14; Mark 12: 28-34.
Paired Readings: Deuteronomy 6: 1-9; Psalm 119:1-8; Hebrews 9: 11-14; Mark 12: 28-34.
Second Service: Psalm 145 or Psalm 145: 1-9; Daniel 2: 1-48 or Daniel 2: 1-11, 25-48; Revelation 7: 9-17; Matthew 5: 1-12.
There is a link to the readings HERE
The Church of Ireland Directory says: ‘The Readings for All Saints’ Day may be preferred.’ Many editions of the Revised Common Lectionary note the ‘Sunday between 30 October and 5 November’ may be observed as ‘All Saints’ Sunday.’
The readings for All Saints’ Day are:
Holy Communion: Wisdom 3: 1-9 or Isaiah 25: 6-9; Psalm 24; Revelation 21: 1-6a; John 11: 32-44.
Morning Prayer: Psalm 15, 84, 149; Isaiah 65: 17-25; Luke 9: 18-27.
Evening Prayer: Psalms 148, 150; Sirach 44: 1-15 or Isaiah 40: 27-31; Hebrews 11: 32 to 12: 2.
These resources are divided into two parts: Part 1 looks at Sunday 4 November, the Fourth Sunday before Advent; Part 2 looks at All Saints’ Day.
Part 1: Sunday 4 November 2018, the Fourth Sunday before Advent
Introducing the Readings:
Ruth is a story about migrants, women, and those on the margins. Ruth moves with her mother-in-law, and works on the margins of Boaz’s field, so that she is on the margins in many ways. Yet she becomes central to story of God’s salvific plan.
Psalm 146 reminds us how God loves those who follow his ways, cares for the stranger in the land, looks after the orphan and the widow, and upsets the plans of the wicked.
In the Gospel reading, Christ is teaching in the Temple, when a Scribe challenges him but finds they agree that at the heart of religion and faith are the love of God and the love of our neighbour.
Ruth 1: 1-18
For two consecutive Sundays, the lectionary provides an edited summary of the Book of Ruth. However, as the following Sunday is Remembrance Sunday, this may be the only opportunity for a congregation to hear the story of Ruth.
This story is set ‘in the days when the judges ruled,’ before the institution of the monarchy. Although Boaz, Ruth’s husband, and Naomi, Ruth’s mother-in-law, may be the principal characters in this story, Ruth becomes a strong female figure in the Old Testament, not only because she becomes the great-grandmother of David, but because of her humility and her kindness too.
Ruth was born in the land of Moab, a border nation and a frequent enemy of Israel. Her name means ‘female friend.’ Ruth emerges as a chaste woman, and provides a welcome contrast to the ugly behaviour in the Book of Judges, which comes before this.
Because of a famine in Judah, Elimelech and his family become migrants and move to Moab, to the east of the Dead Sea. His two sons marry local women, but then die, so now there are three widows who are powerless and destitute when news arrives that the famine is over. They set out to return to Judah, but Naomi suggests they go back. Naomi has no more sons to marry Orpah and Ruth. But Ruth remains constant.
Out of love and loyalty to her mother-in-law, Ruth travels back to Bethlehem with Naomi, while Orpah stays in Moab.
This reading concludes with a memorable song or poetic passage:
Where you go, I will go;
where you lodge, I will lodge;
your people shall be my people,
and your God my God.
Where you die, I will die—
there will I be buried.
May the Lord do thus and so to me,
and more as well,
if even death parts me from you! (Ruth 1: 16-17)
When they arrive back, Naomi steers Ruth towards a relationship with a distant relative, Boaz. He marries Ruth, and she is rescued from the sad life she faced as a widow. Ruth abandons her home and her traditional religion, and she becomes a Jew by choice.
Ruth is marked by her kindness and loyalty, she is a woman of integrity who maintains high morals, and she is also a hard worker in the fields, gleaning leftover grain for Naomi and herself. Ruth’s deep love for Naomi was rewarded when Boaz marries Ruth and she finds love and security.
Ruth’s life seems to be a series of timely coincidences, but is really about the providence of God, leading towards the birth of David, then from David to the birth of Jesus. She plays a key role in the coming of the promised Messiah, and the Gentile ancestors of Jesus include Ruth. Ruth and Boaz are the parents of Obed, who is the father of Jesse, and Jesse is fathered David, Israel’s greatest king. She is one of only five women mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus, along with Tamar, Rahab, Bathsheba and Mary (see Matthew 1:1-16).
Psalm 146:
The psalmist will praise God throughout his life. We should not look to powerful people for security and help because they are finite: when they die, so do their plans.
But God is to be trusted, for he is creator, and he keeps his promises forever. He gives justice to those who suffer, bread to those who hunger, freedom to the prisoner, sight to the blind, hope to the oppressed.
He loves those who follow his ways, cares for the stranger in the land, looks after the orphan and the widow, upsets the plans of the wicked.
This is the God who shall reign for ever.
Hebrews 9: 11-14:
Earlier in this chapter in the Letter to the Hebrews, the writer describes the Temple practice in Israel. Before the Temple was built, there was a tent known as the Holy Place. Inside this tent, a second tent was known as the Holy of Holies, and this was seen as the place where God dwelt.
Each year, on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, the high priest alone went into this second tent, the Holy of Holies, to sacrifice goats and calves to redeem unintentional sins. This ritual continued year after year.
The writer tells us Christ has offered the perfect sacrifice with his blood and has entered the eternal Holy Place and the eternal Holy of Holies, so that our consciences are purified, and we are free to ‘worship the living God.’
Mark 12: 28-34:
In the Gospel reading on the previous Sunday (28 October 2018, the Fifth Sunday before Advent), Jesus sets out on the road from Jericho to Jerusalem (see Mark 10: 46-52).
In the interval, the narrative of Saint Mark’s Gospel continues with Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem (Mark 11: 1-11), which we read this year on Palm Sunday (25 March 2018).
The lectionary skips over the Palm Sunday story this week, and the cleansing of the Temple (Mark 11: 12-19).
The setting for this reading on this Sunday morning is the Temple in Jerusalem, where Jesus is teaching in the Temple in Holy Week, where the Chief Priests, the scribes and the elders have challenged his authority to teach (Mark 11: 27-33), where he has been challenged by some Pharisees and Herodians (Mark 12: 13-17), and where some Sadducees question him also (Mark 12: 18-27).
Now it is the turn of Scribes. A scribe who has overheard all these questions, answers and arguments. He is impressed by Jesus’s answers and the way in which he has avoided falling into the traps. This scribe has a question of his own, but he is asking genuinely without seeking to set another trap for Jesus.
The scribes pay attention to the law and have intimate knowledge of its content. They are responsible for making copies of the law and teaching it to others (see Ezra 7: 6; Ezra 7: 10-12; Nehemiah 8: 1, 4, 9, 13. For example, Ezra ‘was a scribe skilled in the Law of Moses’ (Ezra 7: 6).
In New Testament times, the scribes are usually Pharisees, although not all are Pharisees (see Matthew 5: 20, Matthew 12: 38). They support but sometimes also supplement the written law with their traditions (see Matthew 23: 2). In the Gospels, the titles ‘scribes’ and ‘lawyers’ are often interchangeable (see Matthew 22: 35; Mark 12: 28; Luke 20: 39). They are the public teachers of the people, and frequently come into collision with Christ. Later, many scribes are hostile to the apostles (see Acts 4: 5; Acts 6: 12).
They are teachers of the people (Mark 1: 22) and interpreters of the Law. They are widely respected by the community because of their knowledge, dedication, and law-keeping.
The scribes act responsibly and seriously in their task of preserving Scripture, and are faithful in the study of Scripture, particularly the Law and how it should be followed. They copy and recopy the Bible meticulously, even counting letters and spaces to ensure each copy is correct.
They are professional at spelling out the letter of the Law, but in the Gospels are often charged with ignoring the spirit behind the law, so that the regulations and traditions added to the Law become more important than the Law itself. They know the Law and they teach it to others, but do not always honour the spirit of the Law.
There is a contrast in the passages immediately before this reading: while Jesus teaches with personal authority (see Mark 11: 27-33), no Scribe ever gave an independent judgment or a decision on his own, but would begin, ‘There is a teaching that …’
The scribe in this reading asks Jesus in the Temple, ‘Which commandment is the first of all?’ (Mark 12: 28).
There are 613 commandments, precepts or mitzvot in Jewish law. They include positive commandments, to perform an act (mitzvot aseh), and negative commandments, to abstain from certain acts (mitzvot lo taaseh). The negative commandments number 365, which coincides with the number of days in the solar year, and the positive commandments number 248, said to be the number of bones and main organs in the human body (Babylonian Talmud, Makkot 23b–24a).
The number of tzitzit or knotted fringes of the tallit or prayer shawl worn by pious Jews at prayer is connected to the 613 commandments: the Hebrew numerical value of the word tzitzit is 600; each tassel has eight threads (when doubled over) and five sets of knots, totalling 13; the sum of these numbers is 613. This reflects the idea that donning a tallit or prayer shawl with tzitzit reminds its wearer of all 613 Torah commandments.
Later in this chapter, in the reading provided for the following Sunday (Mark 12: 38-44), Christ refers to the fashion of the Scribes walking around in long robes (Mark 12: 38), perhaps a reference to an ostentatious display of prayer shawls that indicate a claim to observing each and every one of the 613 commandments.
But this scribe wants to know which of one of these 613 is the most important.
In his reply, Christ offers not one but two commandments or laws. But it is interesting to notice how neither is quoted from the Ten Commandments (see Exodus 20: 1-17 and Deuteronomy 5: 4-21). Instead, Christ steps outside the Ten Commandments and quotes from Deuteronomy 6: 4-5, and Leviticus 19: 18.
The first command Christ quotes is the shema, ‘Hear, O Israel, ...’ (verse 29), recited twice daily by pious Jews. The shema became a prayer composed from Deuteronomy 6: 4-9 and 11: 13-21, and to this day it is recited twice a day in Jewish practice.
Christ links this first commandment to a second, ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself’ (verse 31). Once again, he is not quoting from the Ten Commandments; instead, here he is quoting Leviticus 19: 18.
Christ combines these two precepts into a moral principle, linked by love. But he is not the first, nor is he the last, to do this, and the combination is not unique for the scribes or the Pharisees.
Hillel the Elder (ca 110 BC to 10 AD), who was asked a similar question, cited this verse as a most important message of the Torah for his teachings. Once, Hillel was challenged by a gentile who asked to be converted on condition that the Torah was explained to him while he stood on one foot. Hillel accepted him as a candidate for conversion to Judaism but, drawing on Leviticus 19:18, told the man: ‘Do not do to anyone else what is hateful to you: this is the whole Torah; the rest is the explanation; go and learn’ (Babylonian Talmud, Shabbath 31a).
The scribe agrees with Jesus and elaborates. Both precepts are much more important than all the burnt-offerings and sacrifices in the Temple (verses 32-33).
For responding in this way, Christ tells this scribe that he has answered wisely and is near the kingdom of God (verse 34).
And that silenced everyone who was listening, and it put an end to the debates … for the moment.
The ‘Golden Rule,’ the principle of treating others as one would wish to be treated by others, is a maxim found in many religions and cultures. The Golden Rule may have been first codified in Babylon in the Code of Hammurabi stele and tablets (ca 1754 BC). A partial copy exists on a 2.25 metre stone stele, now in the Louvre in Paris, and a copy is on display in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin.
The term ‘Golden Rule’ or ‘Golden Law’ began to be used widely in the early 17th century in England by Anglican theologians and preachers. The earliest known usage is that of Anglicans Charles Gibbon and Thomas Jackson in 1604.
It is interesting that on three occasions Saint Paul presents the second of these commandments, and not the combination of the two, as the summary of the Law:
‘… for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law’ (Romans 13: 9); ‘love is the fulfilling of the law’ (Romans 13: 10); and, ‘For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, “You shall love your neighbour as yourself”’ (Galatian 5: 14).
Saint James offers the same emphasis, ‘You do well if you really fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, “You shall love your neighbour as yourself”’ (James 2: 8).
Mark 12: 28-34 (NRSV):
28 One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, he asked him, ‘Which commandment is the first of all?’ 29 Jesus answered, ‘The first is, “Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; 30 you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.” 31 The second is this, “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” There is no other commandment greater than these.’ 32 Then the scribe said to him, ‘You are right, Teacher; you have truly said that “he is one, and besides him there is no other”; 33 and “to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength”, and “to love one’s neighbour as oneself”, – this is much more important than all whole burnt-offerings and sacrifices.’ 34 When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, ‘You are not far from the kingdom of God.’ After that no one dared to ask him any question.
Liturgical Resources:
Liturgical Colour: Green
The Collect:
Almighty and eternal God,
you have kindled the flame of love in the hearts of the saints:
Grant to us the same faith and power of love,
that, as we rejoice in their triumphs,
we may be sustained by their example and fellowship;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
The Post-Communion Prayer:
Lord of heaven,
in this Eucharist you have brought us near
to an innumerable company of angels
and to the spirits of the saints made perfect.
As in this food of our earthly pilgrimage
we have shared their fellowship,
so may we come to share their joy in heaven;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Suggested Hymns:
The hymns suggested for this Sunday in Sing to the Word (2000) edited by Bishop Edward Darling include:
Ruth 1: 1-18:
592, O Love that wilt not let me go
Psalm 146:
4, God, who made the earth
125, Hail to the Lord’s anointed
92, How sweet the name of Jesus sounds
357, I’ll praise my maker while I’ve breath
97, Jesus shall reign where’er the sun
99, Jesus, the name high over all
535, Judge eternal, throned in splendour
363, O Lord of heaven and earth and sea
708, O praise ye the Lord! Praise him in the height
712, Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord
8, The Lord is King! Lift up your voice
376, Ye holy angels bright
Deuteronomy 6: 1-9:
381, God has spoken – by his prophets
649, Happy are they, they that love God
543, Lord of the home, your only Son
229, My God, I love thee; not because
Psalm 119: 1-8:
630, Blessed are the pure in heart
649, Happy are they, they that love God
601, Teach me, my God and King
Hebrews 9: 11-14:
411, Draw near and take the body of the Lord
220, Glory be to Jesus
417, He gave his life in selfless love
418, Here, O my Lord, I see thee face to face
671, Jesus, thy blood and righteousness
439, Once, only once, and once for all
528, The Church’s one foundation
9, There’s a wideness in God’s mercy
291, Where high the heavenly temple stands
Mark 12: 28-34:
515, ‘A new commandment I give unto you’
11, Can we by searching find out God
349, Fill thou my life, O Lord my God
520, God is love, and where true love is, God himself is there
649, Happy are they, they that love God
523, Help us to help each other, Lord
358, King of glory, King of peace
229, My God I love thee; not because
Part 2: All Saints’ Day (1 November) or All Saints’ Sunday (4 November 2018):
The readings for All Saints’ Day are:
Holy Communion: Wisdom 3: 1-9 or Isaiah 25: 6-9; Psalm 24; Revelation 21: 1-6a; John 11: 32-44.
Morning Prayer: Psalm 15, 84, 149; Isaiah 65: 17-25; Luke 9: 18-27.
Evening Prayer: Psalms 148, 150; Sirach 44: 1-15 or Isaiah 40: 27-31; Hebrews 11: 32 to 12: 2.
There is a link to the readings for Holy Communion HERE.
All Saints’ Day is one of the 12 Principal Feasts of the Church. From the third century, there is evidence of celebrations of All Martyrs. The Eastern Church continues a fourth century tradition of the ‘Sunday of All Saints’ being celebrated on the Sunday after Pentecost.
In the early seventh century, the Pantheon in Rome, which had been closed for over a century, was dedicated to Saint Mary and All Martyrs. By the eighth century, 1 November was growing in popularity for the celebration of All Saints, possibly originating in Ireland. By the ninth century, the date had reached Rome and then the Holy Roman Empire.
Wisdom 3: 1-9:
The Wisdom of Solomon as one of the Apocryphal books in the Old Testament, is seldom appointed for readings in the Church of Ireland. But, while Jewish authorities rejected it, it is quoted in the New Testament and has been used by the Church since the earliest times.
This reading says the souls of the righteous are in hand of God, and that after death they will not suffer. To the foolish, it may seem they have simply ceased to exist. But actually they are at peace, and while it may appear that they have been punished, their hope is in life eternal.
Psalm 24:
This psalm is a hymn of praise to God, and talks about those who can enter the presence of God.
The response provided in the Lectionary is a quotation from the first reading, Wisdom 3: 1:
The souls of the righteous are in the hand of God
no torment will ever touch them.
Revelation 21: 1-6a:
In this reading from the Book of Revelation, Saint John sees the new creation, with a new heaven and a new earth, and the holy city, the New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven.
The home of God is now among mortals, but sorrow, pain and death and pain are wiped away, and God on the throne makes all things new.
John 11: 32-44
Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha, has died. Martha has told Jesus that he would not have died had Jesus been present. Touched by the pain of those he loves, Jesus weeps and shares their pain. Martha tries to restrain Jesus from viewing the decomposing body of his friend. But Jesus reminds her: ‘Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?’
Christ prays to his Father, and it is God, Father and Son, who bring Lazarus back to life, and he emerges from the grave, still wrapped in burial cloths.
A short reflection on the readings:
The Reformers in 16th century England followed German reformers producing a calendar with only New Testament saints and this festival. There was no distinction between ‘All Saints’ and ‘All Souls.’
So, who is your favourite saint?
Saints do not have to be martyrs. But in recent weeks Oscar Romero was canonised by the Pope in Rome, and last year there was a major commemoration in Westminster Abbey of Oscar Romero, a very modern martyr, to mark his 100th birthday.
Saints do not have to be canonised. Modern martyrs may include Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Martin Luther King, or Heather Heyer, the civil rights activist killed by far-right neo-Nazis and racists in Charlottesville, Kentucky, last year.
Saints do not have to be canonised. Many of us we know of people who handed on the faith to us from previous generations – teachers, grandparents, perhaps neighbours – even though they may be long dead by now, are still part of our vision of the Communion of Saints.
Saints do not have to live a perfect life … none of us is without sin, and none of us is beyond redemption. Some of the saints carved on the West Front of Westminster Abbey might have been very surprised to know they were going to appear there. But their lives in sum totals are what we are asked to think about.
And saints do not have to be shrouded in superstition. Yes, there are popular saints in working-class Dublin, including Saint Blaise for blessing sore throats and the reverence shown to Saint Valentine in Whitefriar Street Church, particularly in the run-up to Saint Valentine’s Day. But saints, instead, are supposed to be examples of holy living.
Some years ago, I asked students to come along with stories of their favourite ‘saints and heroes.’ And they included an interesting array of people, some of them still living.
In the back-page interviews in the Church Times, people are sometimes asked who they would like to be locked into a church with for a few hours.
Who are your favourite saints?
Who would you like to learn from a little more when it comes to living the Christian life?
Some years ago, Father Brian D’Arcy quipped in a radio interview how Dorothy Day once spoke of how her fellow Roman Catholics went to confession regularly and confessed to ‘breaking’ one of the Ten Commandments, but she wondered how often they confessed to ‘breaking’ one of the Eight Beatitudes.
To this we might add how people might never confess to breaking the second of the great commandments referred to by Christ in the main Gospel reading in the Lectionary provisions for this Sunday: ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself’ (Mark 12: 31).
John 11: 32-44 (NRSV)
32 When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. 34 He said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Jesus began to weep. 36 So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” 37 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”
38 Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. 39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days.” 40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” 41 So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, “Father, I thank you for having heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me.” 43 When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”
Liturgical resources:
Liturgical colour: White
Penitential Kyries:
Lord, you are gracious and compassionate.
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
You are loving to all,
and your mercy is over all your creation.
Christ, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Your faithful servants bless your name,
and speak of the glory of your kingdom.
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
The Collect:
Almighty God,
you have knit together your elect
in one communion and fellowship
in the mystical body of your Son Christ our Lord:
Grant us grace so to follow your blessed saints
in all virtuous and godly living
that we may come to those inexpressible joys
that you have prepared for those who truly love you;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
This collect wonderfully expresses the doctrine of the whole church as the ‘mystical body of Christ’ (see Roman 12: 5, I Corinthians 12: 27; Colossians 1: 24; Ephesians 1: 23, 4: 12, 5: 30-32). The collect concludes by alluding to I Corinthians 2: 9. Thomas Cranmer composed this collect for the 1549 Book of Common Prayer:
Almkightie God,
whiche haste knitte together thy electe in one Communion and felowship,
in the misticall body of thy sonne Christe our Lord;
graunt us grace so to folow thy holy Saynctes in all virtues, and godly livyng,
that we maye come to those inspeakeable joyes,
whiche thou hast prepared for all them that unfaynedly love thee;
through Jesus Christe
The 1662 version substituted ‘blessed’ for ‘holy,’ and ‘in all virtuous and godly living’ replaced ‘in all virtues, and godly livyng.’ ‘Unspeakable’ has clearly changed its meaning, and here becomes ‘inexpressible.’
Introduction to the Peace:
We are fellow citizens with the saints
and the household of God,
through Christ our Lord,
who came and preached peace to those who were far off
and those who were near (Ephesians 2: 19, 17).
The Preface:
In the saints
you have given us an example of godly living,
that rejoicing in their fellowship,
we may run with perseverance the race that is set before us,
and with them receive the unfading crown of glory ...
Post-Communion Prayer:
God, the source of all holiness
and giver of all good things:
May we who have shared at this table
as strangers and pilgrims here on earth
be welcomed with all your saints
to the heavenly feast on the day of your kingdom;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Blessing:
God give you grace
to share the inheritance of all his saints in glory ...
Some suggestions for Prayers:
God of the past,
on this feast of All Saints
we remember before you, with thanks,
the lives of those Christians who have gone before us:
the great leaders and thinkers,
those who have died for their faith,
those whose goodness transformed all they did;
Give us grace to follow their example and continue their work.
God of love
grant our prayer.
God of the present,
on this feast of All Saints
we remember before you
those who have more recently died,
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 of violence and persecution.
God of love
grant our prayer.
God of the future,
on this feast of All Saints
we remember before you the newest generation of your saints,
and pray for the future of the church
and for all who nurture and encourage faith.
God of love
grant our prayer.
We give you thanks
for the whole company of your saints
with whom in fellowship we join our prayers and praises
in the name of Jesus Christ
Amen.
Suggested Hymns:
The hymns suggested for All Saints’ Day by Bishop Edward Darling in Sing to the Word (2000) include:
Wisdom 3: 1-9 :
459, For all the saints, who from their labours rest
461, For all thy saints, O Lord
463, Give us the wings of faith to rise
467, How bright those glorious spirits shine!
468, How shall I sing that majesty
474, Such a host as none can number
475, Who are these like stars appearing
476, Ye watchers and ye holy ones
Isaiah 25: 6-9:
251, Alleluia! Allelulia! Hearts to heaven and voices raise
254, At the Lamb’s high feast we sing
264, Finished the strife of battle now
512, From you all skill and science flow
466, Here from all nations, all tongues, and all peoples
467, How bright those glorious spirits shine!
270, I know that my Redeemer lives
553, Jesu, lover of my soul
135, O come, O come, Emmanuel
280, Our Lord Christ hath risen
Psalm 24:
40, God in his love for us lent this planet
266, Hail the day that sees him rise
337, Lift up your heads, O ye gates
131, Lift up your heads, you mighty gates
134, Make way, make way, for Christ the King
284, The golden gifts are lifted up
Revelation 21: 1-6a:
326, Blessed city, heavenly Salem (Christ is made the sure foundation)
512, From you all skill and science flow
646, Glorious things of thee are spoken
466, Here from all nations, all tongues, and all peoples
300, Holy Spirit, truth divine
670, Jerusalem the golden
553, Jesu, lover of my soul
425, Jesu, thou joy of loving hearts
592, O love that will not let me go
473, Síormholadh is glóir duit, a Athair shíoraí (All glory and praise to you, Father, above
369, Songs of praise, the angels sang
138, Soon and very soon we are going to see the King
528, The Church’s one foundation
681, There is a land of pure delight
144, Word of justice, alleluia
292, Ye choirs of new Jerusalem
John 11: 32-44:
569, Hark, my soul, it is the Lord
226, It is a thing most wonderful
671, Jesus, thy blood and righteousness
104, O for a thousand tongues to sing
308, Revive you Church, O Lord
Also suitable:
650, In Christ, our humble head
469, In our day of thanksgiving, one psalm let us offer
471, Rejoice in God’s saints, today and all days!
An extra note on some hymns:
Church Hymnal, 459: One of the great hymns celebrating this day is ‘For all the saints, who from their labours rest,’ which was written by Bishop William Walsham How (1823-1897) as a processional hymn for All Saints’ Day.
The saints recalled in this hymn are ordinary people in their weaknesses and their failings. In its original form, it had 11 verses, although three are omitted from most versions – the verses extolling ‘the glorious company of the Apostles,’ ‘the godly fellowship of the prophets’ and ‘the noble army of martyrs’ were inspired by the 1662 Book of Common Prayer version of the canticle Te Deum.
The tune Sine Nomine (‘Without Name,’ referring to the great multitude of unknown saints) was written for this hymn by Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) while he was editing the English Hymnal (1906) with Percy Dearmer.
When he wrote this hymn, Walsh How was Rector of Whittington, Shropshire. At the time, this was part of the Diocese of St Asaph, but following the disestablishment of the Church in Wales in 1920, the parish was transferred to the Diocese of Lichfield in the Church of England.
He became a canon St Asaph Cathedral, and spent time in Rome as chaplain of the Anglican Church there, All Saints’ Church, before returning to England.
While he was Bishop of Bedford, Walsham How became known as ‘the poor man’s bishop.’ He became the first Bishop of Wakefield, and died in Leenane, Co Mayo, in 1897 while he was on holiday in Dulough.
The hymn vibrates with images from the Book of Revelation. The saints recalled by ‘the poor man’s bishop’ in this hymn are ordinary people who, in spite of their weaknesses and their failings, are able to respond in faith to Christ’s call to service and love, and who have endured the battle against the powers of evil and darkness.
In its original form, this hymn had 11 verses, although three are omitted from most versions: the verses extolling ‘the glorious company of the Apostles,’ ‘the godly fellowship of the prophets’ and ‘the noble army of martyrs’ were inspired by the 1662 Book of Common Prayer version of the canticle Te Deum.
But the heart of the hymn is in the stanza in which we sing about the unity of the Church in heaven and on earth, ‘knit together in one communion and fellowship, in the mystical body of … Christ our Lord.’ Despite our ‘feeble struggles’ we are united in Christ and with one another in one ‘blest communion’ and ‘fellowship divine.’
Church Hymnal, 464: ‘God, whose city’s sure foundation’ was written by Cyril A Allington (1872-1955), a former headmaster of Eton, while he was Dean of Durham for a service of the Friends of Durham Cathedral. The hymn is generally sung to the majestic tune ‘Westminster Abbey’ by Henry Purcell (ca 1659-1695), the first official Organist of Westminster Abbey. Until the arrival of Edward Elgar, he was regarded as the greatest English composer.
Thanks & Praise, 23: ‘Christ is surely coming, bringing his reward’ is by the Revd Christopher Idle, who has written hundreds of hymns and now lives in retirement in Bromley. The tune ‘Land of hope and glory’ is by Sir Edward Elgar (1857-1934) and is arranged by Derek Verso.
Thanks & Praise, 43: ‘God everlasting, wonderful and holy’ is by Harold Riley (1903-2003). The tune Coelites plaudant is a melody from the Rouen Antiphoner (1728) that was harmonised by Vaughan Williams, originally for ‘Christ, the Fair Glory of the Holy Angels’ by Athelstan Riley in the English Hymnal, co-edited by Vaughan Williams and Percy Dearmer.
Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition copyright © 1989, 1995, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. http://nrsvbibles.org
