THE EPISTLE LESSON Hebrews 12:1-3
THE GOSPEL LESSON John 11:32-44
SERMON "Unbound"
WORSHIP NOTES
Welcome to worship at Westminster on this All Saints Sunday. The first Sunday in November is reserved for our remembrance and celebration of those who have gone from our lives and who have join the communion of saints with our Lord God in heaven.
The focus of this service is not on the experience of death and loss, but rather on the celebration of life and the witness to the resurrection. Those "saints" whom we remember by name in worship today are individuals from this congregation who have died since last All Saints Sunday in November 2011. As the name of each person is read aloud, a bell is tolled, and a family member or designee take light from the Christ Candle to light another candle, which is a visible reminder of the presence of the deceased who gather with us at the table for the communion of the saints. As we worship, we recall the ways in which we, like these individuals, live out our response to God's call upon our lives within this community and in mission to Christ's church and the wider world.
Communion today will be received by intinction. After coming forward to receive the elements, you may wish to step behind the communion table to light a candle in celebration of the memory of someone from your life who is now among the communion of saints.
