October 29, 2019
Family,
November 3rd is not only Time Change Sunday (Clocks back one hour), it is also All Saints Sunday. In the Bible saints are “holy ones” who work with God to accomplish God’s purposes. The saints are not always perfect, in fact they are always imperfect, but if they are aligned with the work of God they are deemed worthy of the name.
Historian Guy D. Nave Jr. writes – Remembering the saints and martyrs has been a Christian tradition since the 4th century CE. In 837 CE, Pope Gregory IV designated November 1 as the day for Christians to remember all saints and martyrs throughout Christian history. Pope John Paul II declared that All Saints Day “invites us to turn our gaze to the immense multitude of those who have already reached the blessed Homeland, pointing us to the road which leads to that destination.”
We will sing “For All the Saints,” read Luke 6:20-31, celebrate Communion, place pictures and mementos from our deceased loved ones on the Day of the Dead altar (everyone is invited to bring something for the altar), and lovingly recall the saints that have blessed our lives at Lakeshore Avenue Baptist Church.
Prayers of the Congregation
Beverly Jeffery for those in emotional and physical distress; Thanksgiving with Paige Bence for a wonderful trip; Pastor Allison for our teens and young adults; Karen Hopkins for her nephew; Margaret Oladoja seeking direction for herself and her family; Yvonne Young as she mourns the death of a cousin; Anne MacMillan for a co-worker; Carolyn Person for her family; Gloria Meads for her family; Mary Karne for the United States; Lola Alofoyan for Nigeria; Julio Cash for Esmerelda and Brandy; Thanksgiving with Amber Picou-Broadnax for a vacation; Rick McKillop for his sister who has had to evacuate her home in Sonoma County; Jan Scott for all who live with depression and anxiety; George Harper for the people of Mississippi; Rita Jennings recuperating from surgery; Katrina Lau; Joel Reyes for his aunt; Jewelle and James Gibbs; Rae Rita Thompson for her dad; John Thane as he mourns the death of his mother-in-law
A Prayer For Now
Oh God of all Creation, we call on you in our time of fear and danger to quieten our minds, activate our loving, and to help us to cast our nets ever wider to assist your children placed in harm’s way. We pray for the families, businesses, livestock, and people who have lost their homes and livelihoods and for those still in the path of danger. We pray for all living beings who call these places home. We ask your blessing on fire crews, first responders, municipal governments, nonprofits, and medical personnel who attend to the immediate and long-term needs of our friends and neighbors. And we pray for rain and favorable wind to quench the fires and bring healing to our scarred land. In all things may we continually give thanks for all your hands have made, in the name of Jesus, the One whose outstretched hands invite us into compassionate community. Amen.
The Rev Canon Abbott Bailey via The Rev Tripp Hudgins