All Saints' Day: Saints Are Blessed in the Eternal Presence of Christ

Rev. 7:2-17; 1 John 3:1-3; Matt. 5:1-12; Psalm 149

Exegesis of the LectionaryStudying, expounding, and interpreting the Bible readings through the Church Year

Saints

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bible to reflect on. Give thanks for the

saints. P raise

R epentanceA ppreciationY ouE veryoneR esolve

Prayer Activity

       

In peace, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy. For an increased appreciation of the communion of saints to which Christ has called us; for strength in our daily life of faith, that we may ever live with the sure and certain hope of everlasting life; and for a blessed end, that we may join those who have gone before us in the faith, rejoicing with them in the salvation Christ has won and given to His holy people; let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy. For the holy Christian Church throughout the world, that she be preserved from false teaching, deceptive doctrines and every temptation that would destroy body or soul; that she be upheld and strengthened in every good deed, so that Christ’s name would be reverently honored and His people

and creation lovingly served; and that her life and witness would ever testify to the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father and the communion of the Holy Spirit; let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy. For the merciful, that by His grace they may manifest the mercy of Christ, whose tender mercy prevailed even when He was cruelly mocked; for the peacemakers, that they may make known the peace of Christ in word and deed in matters both temporal and eternal; for those who are persecuted for their confession of Christ, that they may gracefully endure their afflictions, faithfully testify to the Lord who bore the cross for us all and trustingly remain in Christ Jesus; let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy. 

Use your prayer notes. Use a verse from the

bible to reflect on. Give thanks for the

saints. P raise

R epentanceA ppreciationY ouE veryoneR esolve

Prayer Activity

       

For the sick, the homebound, those who mourn and all for whom our prayers are desired, [especially ______________,] that they may be supported in their suffering, loneliness and grief with the strength of Christ who endured the cross and the grave; for the comfort of all the afflicted, that through the compassion of Christ, He would gird them in the true faith until He gives them final deliverance, health and peace; and for us all, that neither sickness nor health, prosperity nor loss, life nor death may tear us from confidence in Christ, our Savior; let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy. 

All these things and whatever else You know that we need, heavenly Father, grant us for the sake of Your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave Himself into death for our trespasses and rose again for our justification that we might live together with all Your saints in Him, who with You and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns one God, now and forever. Amen.

LSB 656

1 For all the saints who from their labors rest,who thee by faith before the world confessed,thy name, O Jesus, be forever blest.Alleluia! Alleluia!

2 Thou wast their rock, their fortress, and their might;thou, Lord, their captain in the well-fought fight;thou, in the darkness drear, their one true light.Alleluia! Alleluia!

3 O blest communion, fellowship divine!We feebly struggle; they in glory shine;yet all are one in thee, for all are thine.Alleluia! Alleluia!

4 And when the strife is fierce, the warfare long,

steals on the ear the distant triumph song,and hearts are brave again, and arms are strong.Alleluia! Alleluia!

5 From earth's wide bounds, from ocean's farthest coast,through gates of pearl streams in the countless host,singing to Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,Alleluia! Alleluia!

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Group TimeSaints Are Blessed in the Eternal Presence of Christ

Revelation 7:2-172 Then I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, with the seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm earth and sea, 3 saying, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the servants[a] of our God on their foreheads.” 4 And I heard the number of the sealed, 144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel:5 12,000 from the tribe of Judah were sealed,12,000 from the tribe of Reuben,12,000 from the tribe of Gad,6 12,000 from the tribe of Asher,12,000 from the tribe of Naphtali,12,000 from the tribe of Manasseh,7 12,000 from the tribe of Simeon,12,000 from the tribe of Levi,12,000 from the tribe of Issachar,8 12,000 from the tribe of Zebulun,12,000 from the tribe of Joseph,12,000 from the tribe of Benjamin were sealed.A Great Multitude from Every Nation9 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out

with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” 11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”13 Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?”14 I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.15 “Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat.17 For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water,and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

1 John 3:1-33 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Beloved, we are God's children

now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears[a] we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 3 And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.

Matthew 5:1-12The Sermon on the Mount5 Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.The Beatitudes2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, fortheirs is the kingdom of heaven.4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.6 “Blessed are those who hunger andthirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.7 “Blessed are the merciful,

for they shall receive mercy.8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons[a] of God.10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Psalm 149Sing to the LORD a New Song149 Praise the LORD!Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise in the assembly of the godly!2 Let Israel be glad in his Maker; let the children of Zion rejoice in their King!3 Let them praise his name with dancing, making melody to him with tambourine and lyre!4 For the LORD takes pleasure in his people; he adorns the humble with salvation.5 Let the godly exult in glory; let them sing for joy on their beds.6 Let the high praises of God be in their throats and two-edged swords in their hands,

7 to execute vengeance on the nations and punishments on the peoples,8 to bind their kings with chains and their nobles with fetters of iron,9 to execute on them the judgment written! This is honor for all his godly ones.Praise the LORD!

Share Time: ALL SAINTS’ DAY (November 1)(observed the first Sunday in November) Revelation 7:(2–8) 9–171 John 3:1–3Matthew 5:1–12 Saints Are Blessed in the Eternal Presence of Christ  “A great multitude from all tribes and peoples and languages,” cry out “salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne” (Rev. 7:9–17). Faith-filled saints from every place and time with unified voices eternally magnify the Lamb of God. As His beloved children, we too, “shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:1–3). Joined with the throng of angels and a myriad of saints, we shall “serve him day and night in his temple” (Rev. 7:9–17). In our earthly tension vacillating between saint and sinner, faith and doubt, sacred and profane, we earnestly seek Jesus to calm our fears, comfort our spirits, and forgive our sins. The Holy Spirit, through faith in Christ propels us forward, fortifying us in Word and Sacrament, to our eternal home. In the midst of our constant struggle as believers, we need to be blessed. And so we are. The poor in spirit, the meek, the hungry, the thirsty, the merciful, the pure, and the persecuted are all blessed and we will most certainly inherit the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 5:1–12).

24th Sunday After Trinity: The Strength of the Lord Is Our Salvation from Sin, Death, and Darkness

Is. 51:9-16 The Lord’s Comfort for Zion

Col. 1:9-14 Thanksgiving and Prayer

Matt. 9:18-26 A Girl Restored to Life and a Woman Healed

Psalm 126 Restore Our Fortunes, O Lord

Next Week…

Is. 51:9-16; Col. 1:9-14; Matt. 9:18-26; Psalm 126

Isaiah 51:9-169 Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the LORD;awake, as in days of old, the generations of long ago.Was it not you who cut Rahab in pieces, who pierced the dragon?10 Was it not you who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep,who made the depths of the sea a way for the redeemed to pass over?11 And the ransomed of the LORD shall return and come to Zion with singing;everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.12 “I, I am he who comforts you; who are you that you are afraid of man who dies, of the son of man who is made like grass,13 and have forgotten the LORD, your Maker, who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth,and you fear continually all the day because of the wrath of the oppressor,when he sets himself to destroy? And where is the wrath of the oppressor?14 He who is bowed down shall speedily be released; he shall not die and go down to the pit, neither shall his bread be lacking.15 I am the LORD your God, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar— the LORD of hosts is his name.

16 And I have put my words in your mouth and covered you in the shadow of my hand,establishing[a] the heavens and laying the foundations of the earth, and saying to Zion, ‘You are my people.’”Colossians 1:9-149 And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him,bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. 11 May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patiencewith joy, 12 giving thanks[a] to the Father, who has qualified you[b] to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. 13 Hehas delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Matthew 9:18-26A Girl Restored to Life and a Woman Healed18 While he was saying these things to them, behold, a ruler came in and knelt before him, saying, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.”19 And Jesus rose and followed him, with his disciples. 20 And behold, a woman who had suffered from a discharge of blood for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, 21 for she said to herself, “If I only touch his garment, I will be made well.” 22 Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you

well.”And instantly[a] the woman was made well. 23 And when Jesus came to the ruler's house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion, 24 he said, “Go away, for the girl is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him. 25 Butwhen the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose. 26 And the report of this went through all that district.

Psalm 126Restore Our Fortunes, O LORDA Song of Ascents.126 When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream.2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy;then they said among the nations, “The LORD has done great things for them.”3 The LORD has done great things for us; we are glad.4 Restore our fortunes, O LORD, like streams in the Negeb!5 Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy!6 He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing,shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.