만성절 예배

By Hwa-Young Chong

All Saints Day Service

All Saints Day is November 1. The church community gathers to remember the loved ones who passed away since the previous year’s All Saints Day. In worship, Christians give thanks to God for the divine love and grace they experienced through the loved ones who died. The theological background of All Saints Day is that all who died in faith are God’s saints. The Catholic Church has observed a three-day celebration for All Saints Day. On All Hallows’ Eve (October 31), the night before All Saints Day, family members and friends gather at the tomb of the deceased, light candles in memory of their loved one, and offer prayers of thanksgiving to God. Contemporary Halloween celebrations originate in this ritual of All Hallows’ Eve. On All Saints Day, people gather at the church for a public worship service, remembering all the members who passed away over the year. Churches today typically celebrate All Saints Day on the first Sunday after November 1, as it can be difficult to gather to worship during the week due to work schedules or family situations.

PREPARATION

Contact the families of church members who passed away since last year’s All Saints’ Day and ask them to bring photos of the departed.

PRELUDE

Play quiet music suitable for comforting those who are grieving.

WELCOME

In the name of Jesus Christ, I extend God’s love and welcome to all of you in this place. Today is All Saints Day. It is a day to remember our beloved members who left us this past year and have gone to heaven. We give thanks for God’s love and grace that we experienced through them. As we pray, reflect, and remember during this service, may the peace of our Triune God be with us all.

Please rise and join in the call to worship.

*CALL TO WORSHIP

Pastor: We live every day on the boundary between life and death.

Congregation: Lord, guide us at every moment to live according to your will.

Pastor: Through the resurrected Christ, we too receive the promise of eternal life.

Congregation: Lord, lead us into life everlasting

Pastor: As we remember our loved ones who have passed away in the Lord, we are grateful that they are with us from heaven today.

Congregation: Lord, help us to serve you faithfully until we join our loved ones in heaven.

All: We give thanks to the Lord!

After the welcome, the pastor goes to the back of the sanctuary to join the worship leader and the family members of the deceased members to begin the processional.

*PROCESSIONAL

During the prelude, the worship leader and the families holding the pictures await by the door or back of the sanctuary. During the processional hymn, they enter in the order of the worship leader, family members, and the pastor. The families place the pictures on a table at the front of the church or at a spot prepared in advance, and then return to their seats. The pastor waits until all the pictures are place and then goes to the pastor’s seat.

*PROCESSIONAL HYMN

“For All the Saints” (United Methodist Hymnal, 711)

UNISON PRAYER

Merciful God, we thank you for all the saints who have journeyed before us, especially those whom you have called home in the past year. Their lives are a testament to your enduring love and have guided us to your light of hope. Lord, Guide our journey of faith in the unfolding mystery of life, death, and resurrection. Strengthen us to trust the promise of eternal life through Christ in the tapestry of life woven with the threads of joy and sorrow. As we journey through this life, keep us every mindful of the great cloud of witnesses that surrounds us, cheering us on to finish the race with faithfulness and grace. May we, like them, persevere in faith, holding fast to the promise of resurrection and the life everlasting. In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.

SCRIPTURE READING

John 11:32-44

Other Revised Common Lectionary readings

Song of Solomon 3:1-9, Isaiah 25:6-9, Psalm 24, Revelation 21:1-6a

ANTHEM

SERMON

HYMN

“I Sing a Song of the Saints of God,” (United Methodist Hymnal, 712)

NAMING

The pastor reads the names of the deceased (usually in the order of the death dates) one by one in remembrance. When a person’s name is called, a candle is lit in memory of them. The worship leader or the family members may light the candle. The candles symbolize that the deceased has been resurrected. After the name is called, a bell may be rung to allow the congregation a moment of silence. This time of naming and remembrance may be creatively designed.

ALL SAINTS DAY PRAYER

Dear God, we thank you for giving us this community of love. Lead us to share your comfort and rest in this community. When there is sorrow, help us support one another. Where there is injury, empower us to be healers. Where there is loss, move us to share our tears with one another. We are grateful for all the saints who have gone before us, and when we too have finished the course of this life, grant us the glory of serving you as your citizens in heaven. We pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

OFFERING

HOLY COMMUNION

The Communion liturgy is from the order of the Great Thanksgiving for All Saints Day in the United Methodist Book of Worship.

HYMN 

“Hymn of Promise,” (United Methodist Hymnal, 707)

BENEDICTION

Blessed are we, as we follow in the saints’ hallowed steps, making every day an offering of service to the glory of our God. And now, go forth into the world in peace. Be of good courage; hold fast to that which is good; render to no one evil for evil. Strengthen the weak, support the downtrodden, help the afflicted, honor everyone. Love and serve the Lord, rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

* All Souls Day is the day after All Saints Day, a day to pray that those who are considered in purgatory may enter into heaven. The Protestant Church does not recognize a theology of purgatory and celebrates All Saints Day only.

Hwa Young Chong wrote this order of All Saints Day Service for a bilingual Korean-English congregation. This service may be used when the Korean-speaking and English-speaking members worship together, and it may also be used when each worships separately.

Rev. Dr. Hwa-Young Chong holds a BA in Christian Studies from Ewha Womans University in Seoul, Korea. She completed her M.Div. and Ph.D in Theological and Historical Studies from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois. She is an ordained elder in the Northern Illinois Conference of the United Methodist Church. She serves as the district superintendent for the Prairie North District of the Northern Illinois Conference.