Sample Liturgy for All Saints’ Day

On the Liturgy

Artwork for Bulletins/Slideshows

The Liturgy

THE PROCESSIONAL

THE ACCLAMATION

Worthy is the Lord our God,
To receive glory and honor and power.

CALL TO WORSHIP

The following Call to Worship is adapted in part from the Companion to the Book of Common Worship (Geneva Press, 2003, 150–151).

Good morning, brothers and sisters, and grace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!

Today is a very special day in the Church Calendar. It is “All Saints’ Day,” a day to celebrate all who have walked the narrow way and died in the faith of Christ.

“All Saints’ Day” is like the “Memorial Day” of the Christian year, except we know that those who have died in Christ are alive with God in heaven, and still united to us in the mystical body of Christ.

Hebrews 12 reminds us that through Christ we “have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect” (12:22–24). We have come to “the communion of saints.”

Like David in Psalm 16, we rejoice that the saints are the excellent ones, in whom is all our delight. Not just “big name” saints like Ignatius or Augustine or Gregory, but all the saints—even those in our own local church who have rested from their labors and joined the Church victorious.

All Saints’ Day is a much-needed reminder that we are part of one continuing, living communion of saints. It is a call to reclaim our kinship with the “glorious company of apostles … the noble fellowship of prophets … the white-robed army of martyrs” (Te Deum). It is a time to express our gratitude for all who in ages of darkness kept the faith, for those who have take the gospel to the ends of the earth, for prophetic voices who have called the church to be faithful in life and service, for all who have witnessed to God’s justice and peace in every nation.

When we rejoice with all the faithful of every generation, it expands our awareness of a great company of witnesses above and around us like a cloud (Heb. 12:1). It lifts us out of a preoccupation with our own immediate situation and the discouragements of the present. In the knowledge that others have persevered, we are encouraged to endure against all odds (Heb. 12:1–2). Reminded that God was with the faithful of the past, we are reassured that God is with us today, moving us and all creation toward God’s end in time.

Let us pray.

OPENING PRAYER

Adapted from the Collect to Purity.

Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hidden. Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may be saints not only in name but in word and deed, following in the footsteps of those who have gone before us: through Christ our Lord. Amen.

THE SUMMARY OF THE LAW

Hear what our Lord Jesus Christ says:
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.

THE KYRIE AND/OR TRISAGION

Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.

Holy God, holy and mighty,
Holy Immortal One,
Have mercy upon us.

THE GLORIA PATRI

Glory be to the Father
and to the Son
and to the Holy Ghost,
as it was in the beginning,
is now and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

HYMN OF PRAISE

Te Deum Laudamus (below) may be said or sung. It is included as a responsive reading in the hymnal Our Great Redeemer’s Praise (699).

We praise you, O God: we acknowledge you to be the Lord. All the earth worships you, the Father everlasting. To you all angels cry aloud: the heavens, and all the powers therein. To you cherubim and seraphim continually cry, “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hosts, heaven and earth are full of the majesty of your glory.” The glorious company of the apostles praise you. The noble fellowship of the prophets praise you. The white-robed army of martyrs praise you. The holy Church throughout all the world does acknowledge you: the Father of an infinite majesty; your honorable, true, and only Son; also the Holy Spirit, the Comforter.

You are the King of glory, O Christ; you are the everlasting Son of the Father. When you took it upon yourself to deliver man, you did not abhor the Virgin’s womb. When you had overcome the sharpness of death, you opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers. You sit at the right hand of God, in the glory of the Father. We believe that you shall come to be our Judge. We therefore ask you, help your servants, whom you have redeemed with your precious blood. Make us to be numbered with your saints in glory everlasting.

O Lord, save your people, and help your heritage. Govern us, and lift us up forever. Day by day we magnify you; and we worship your name forever, world without end. Graciously grant, O Lord, to keep us this day without sin. O Lord, have mercy upon us; have mercy upon us. O Lord, let your mercy lighten upon us, as our trust is in you. O Lord, in you have I trusted: let me never be confounded.

Or, another fitting hymn may be sung.

  • O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing (OGRP 1) — especially verse 9 in OGRP, “To God all glory, praise, and love be now and ever given by saints below and saints above, the Church in earth and heaven.”
  • Or, Sing with All the Saints in Glory (OGRP 258; same tune as “Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee”) — recommended for use between the first and second Scripture lessons, but also fitting here as it introduces the themes of the lessons

PRAYER BEFORE THE LESSONS

The Lord be with you.
And with your spirit.
Let us pray.

Almighty God, you have knit together your elect in one communion and fellowship in the mystical Body of your Son: Give us grace so to follow your blessed saints in all virtuous and godly living, that we may come to those ineffable joys that you have prepared for those who truly love you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

THE FIRST LESSON: REVELATION 7:9–17

A reading from the Book of Revelation, Chapter 7, at the 9th verse:

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.”

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

THE GRADUAL: PSALM 34:1–10, 22

The psalm may be said responsively (below) or sung in metrical form.

I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2 My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad.
3 Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together!
4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed.
6 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them.
8 Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!
9 Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack!
10 The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing. …
22 The Lord redeems the life of his servants; none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

HYMN

  • Sing with All the Saints in Glory (OGRP 258; same tune as “Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee”) — works especially well as a bridge between the first and second lessons
  • Or, Behold a Host Arrayed in White — especially fitting after Revelation 7
  • Or, Faith of Our Fathers (not in OGRP)

THE SECOND LESSON: 1 JOHN 3:1–3

A reading from the First Letter of John, Chapter 3, at the first verse:

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 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.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

HYMN

  • The Church’s One Foundation — “yet she on earth has union with God the three in one, and mystic, sweet communion with those whose rest is won”; also fitting during the distribution of communion (“partakes one holy food”)
  • Or, A Glorious Church (OGRP 397)

THE GOSPEL: MATTHEW 5:1–12

Please stand for the reading of the Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew, Chapter 5, at the first verse:

Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: 3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs 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 and thirst 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 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.

The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, Lord Christ.

THE SERMON

A shorter sermon/homily (e.g., 15 minutes) is fitting on this day. The sermon expounds the readings. Several themes run through them. For example, the promises to the saints on earth have already begun to be enjoyed by the saints in heaven. Those who are persecuted are promised heavenly reward (Mt. 5:10–12); the white-robed saints in heaven are “the ones coming out of the great tribulation” (Rev. 7:14). Those who mourn are promised comfort (Mt. 5:4); the saints in heaven are assured that “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes” (Rev. 7:17). Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness are promised satisfaction (Mt. 5:6); the saints in heaven “shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore” (Rev. 7:16). The pure in heart shall see God (Mt. 5:8); the saints in heaven surround the throne of God, serve him in his temple, and are sheltered with his presence (Rev. 7:15). And so on. The victory of the saints in heaven inspires us to live as saints on earth, purifying ourselves as Christ is pure, so that when Christ returns, we and all the saints may be like him and see him as he is (1 Jn. 3:2–3).

THE CREED

The Nicene Creed is usually said and is especially fitting on this day, since it is the most ecumenical statement of the Church’s faith. However, the Apostles’ Creed, which confesses “the communion of saints,” is also fitting, especially if there are baptisms on this day.

The Church is a pillar and buttress of the truth, called to “contend for the faith once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 1:3). Let us confess our faith with all the saints in the words of the Apostles’ Creed:

I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth: And in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord: Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary: Suffered under Pontius Pilate; was crucified, died, and was buried: He descended to the dead: On the third day he rose again from the dead: He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father: From there he will come to judge the living and the dead: I believe in the Holy Spirit: the holy catholic church: the communion of saints: The forgiveness of sins: The resurrection of the body: And the life everlasting. Amen.

THANKSGIVING FOR THE SAINTS

A time of thanksgiving for the saints may be offered at any fitting time in the service. Saints from the local church who have died in the past year (or years) may be mentioned. The congregation may be invited to call out the name of a saint who has impacted their lives, completing the prompt: “I thank God for the godly example of ____________” (e.g., “my grandfather George”).

THE PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE

See “The Prayers of the People,” which includes the following prayer.

We remember before you all your servants who have departed this life in your faith and fear, [especially _____________,]; and we ask you to give us grace to follow the good examples of [N., and] all your saints, that we may share with them in your heavenly kingdom.

THE INVITATION

As saints on earth, we express our unity in many ways, such as when we sing with one voice or confess our faith in unison. But there is nowhere that our unity is more profoundly expressed than at the Lord’s Table. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 10 that because we all participate in Christ in the one bread of the Lord’s Table, we are one body. In this holy Supper, we show that we are one body, not only with the members of this local congregation, but with the saints throughout the world and in heaven above. This sacred meal is a holy communion—a communion in Christ and a communion of saints.

If you truly repent of your sins, and have joined Christ’s holy Church through baptism, draw near with faith, and take this holy sacrament to your comfort, and make your humble confession to Almighty God.

THE CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION

The Prayer of Confession normally used at Compline (BCP 2019) is used below because of its emphasis on confession being not only to God but in the presence of the saints below and above (James 5:16).

Almighty God and Father, we confess to you, to one another, and to the whole company of heaven, that we have sinned, through our own fault, in thought, and word, and deed, and in what we have left undone. For the sake of your Son our Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy upon us, forgive us our sins, and by the power of your Holy Spirit raise us up to serve you in newness of life, to the glory of your Name. Amen.

Almighty God, our heavenly Father, in your great mercy you have promised forgiveness to all who turn to you with sincere repentance and true faith. Have mercy upon us; pardon and deliver us from all our sins, confirm and strengthen us in all goodness, and bring us to everlasting life, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

THE COMFORTING WORDS AND THE PEACE

Our Savior speaks comforting words to all who truly turn to him: Come unto me, all you that are burdened and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest (Mt. 11:28). “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (Jn. 3:16).

Peace be with you.
And also with you.

The people may greet one another in the name of the Lord while a fitting song is sung or played.

  • “The Family of God” (SB 60)

THE OFFERTORY

THE SURSUM CORDA AND THE SANCTUS

Brothers and sisters, lift up your hearts.
We lift them up unto the Lord.
Let us give thanks unto our God.
It is fitting and right to do so.

O Lord, Holy Father, Almighty, Everlasting God, it is very fitting, right, and our bounden duty, that we should at all times, and in all places, give thanks unto you. For in the multitude of your saints, you have surrounded us with so great a cloud of witnesses that we, rejoicing in their fellowship, may run with patience the race that is set before us, and, together with them, may receive the unfading crown of glory. (BCP 2019)

Or,

O Lord, Holy Father, Almighty, Everlasting God, it is very fitting, right, and our bounden duty, that we should at all times, and in all places, give thanks unto you. For today by your gift we celebrate the festival of your city, the heavenly Jerusalem, our mother, where the great array of our brothers and sisters already give you eternal praise. Towards her, we eagerly hasten as pilgrims advancing by faith, rejoicing in the glory bestowed upon those exalted members of the Church through whom you give us, in our frailty, both strength and good example. (RM 2011, adapted)

Therefore with angels and archangels, and with all the company of heaven, we laud and magnify your glorious name, evermore praising you, and saying,
Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hosts, heaven and earth are full of your glory. Glory be to you, O Lord most high. Amen.

HYMN

  • Holy Forever — “A thousand generations falling down in worship / To sing the song of ages to the Lamb / And all who’ve gone before us, and all who will believe / Will sing the song of ages to the Lamb.”
  • Or, Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty — “all the saints adore thy name”

THE PRAYER OF CONSECRATION

Almighty God, our heavenly Father; of your tender mercy, you gave your only Son, Jesus Christ, to suffer death upon the cross for our redemption. By once offering himself there, he made a full, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice, offering, and satisfaction for the sins of the whole world.

So now, most merciful Father, we humbly ask you to bless and sanctify, with your Word and Spirit, these gifts of bread and wine; and grant that we may receive them according to the holy institution of your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ, in remembrance of his death and passion, and be partakers of his most blessed Body and Blood.

In the same night that he was betrayed, he took* bread; and when he had given thanks, he brake* it; and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take, eat; this* is my Body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”

Likewise after Supper he took* the Cup; and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink you all of this; for this* is my Blood of the New Testament, which is shed for you, and for many, for the remission of sins: Do this as often as you shall drink it, in remembrance of me.”

Therefore we proclaim the mystery of faith:

Christ has died;
Christ is risen;
Christ will come again.

THE LORD’S PRAYER

Let us pray.

Our Father, who is in heaven, hallowed be your name; your kingdom come; your will be done; on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. For yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

THE MINISTRATION

Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world.
Have mercy on us, and grant us your peace.
Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us;
Therefore, let us keep the feast.
The gifts of God for the people of God.
Thanks be to God.

The Ministers receive the Bread and Cup, and then invite the people to come forward to partake. When delivering the bread to each person, one of the following may be said:

  • The body of our Lord Jesus Christ, which was given for you.
  • The body of Christ, preserve your body and soul unto everlasting life.
  • The body of Christ; take and eat this in remembrance that Christ died for you.
  • The body of Christ; feed on him in your heart by faith, with thanksgiving.
  • The body of Christ, the bread of heaven.

When delivering the cup to each person, one of the following may be said:

  • The blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, which was shed for you.
  • The blood of Christ, preserve your body and soul unto everlasting life.
  • The blood of Christ; drink this in remembrance that Christ’s blood was shed for you, and be thankful.
  • The blood of Christ, the cup of salvation.

A fitting song may be played or sung in the background during the distribution.

  • We Will Feast in the House of Zion
  • Or, The Church’s One Foundation — “One Lord, one faith, one birth; one holy name she blesses, partakes one holy food.”

THE POST COMMUNION PRAYER

O God, we adore you, who alone are holy and wonderful in all your Saints, and we implore your grace, so that coming to perfect holiness in the fullness of your love, we may pass from this pilgrim table to the banquet of our heavenly homeland. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. (RM 2011, adapted)

SONG OR CHORUS

  • Find Us Faithful (SB 34)

THE DOXOLOGY

Praise God from whom all blessings flowPraise him all creatures here belowPraise him above, you heavenly hostPraise Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

It is fitting that a fellowship meal of celebration should follow the service on All Saints’ Day.

THE BLESSING AND SENDING

The Grace (2 Cor. 13:14) is used for the benediction because of its reference to “the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.”

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.

Let us go forth in the name of Christ.
Thanks be to God.