Happy Halloween!
Gathering Music
“Every Praise”
“Only Love Can Do That”
Call to Prayer
Dr. Kate Ott
One:
Today we join to commemorate all the faithfully departed in our lives. Today especially, we remember those lives stolen this week in Pittsburgh and Kentucky. Today we gather to pray and to remember, to offer blessings and hope for peace. Please join in the following prayer:
Many:
Spirit of Life, whom we know best in our own loving and being loved, hold us as we remember those we have loved, and those who have loved us. May our gratitude sparkle in our lives, may our tears lubricate our souls. Amen.
Sung Evening Confession
“Come Out, Come Out”
Scripture
Janelle Gayle
Revelation 21:1-7
1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,
“See, the home of God is among mortals.
God will dwell with them;
they will be God’s peoples,
and God will be with them;
4 God will wipe every tear from their eyes.
Death will be no more;
mourning and crying and pain will be no more,
for the first things have passed away.”
5 And the one who was seated on the throne said, “See, I am making all things new.” Also the Lord said, “Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.” 6 Then the one on the throne said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life. 7 Those who conquer will inherit these things, and I will be their God and they will be my children.
Sung Response
“Ayudanos O Dios”
Blessing of the Oferenda
One:
The items on this altar remind us of the moments of life we share with those around us. They remind us of the time we have spent with one another – times of joy and times of challenge, moments spread across the years and through different seasons. As we name each item together we invite you to consider it a blessing upon those with whom you have shared your life.
One: Today we offer bread and drink,
Many: We give thanks for the meals we have shared.
One: Today we offer shoes,
Many: We remember the many journeys we have taken together.
One: Today we offer a tambourine,
Many: We give thanks for the music we have shared.
One: Today we offer the image of angels,
Many: We remember those who seem to us to be the very messengers and presence of God.
One: Today we offer our hearts,
Many: We give thanks for the love that we have given and received.
Reflection
Dr. Kate Ott
We invite you to add the names of your loved ones to the altar by writing their names on the paper provided.
Sung Response
“Hymn of Promise”
Prayers of the People
God you have been with us throughout the ages.
You have bore witness to the ways in which the story of us – of all that has come into being – has been woven together piece by piece, life by life.
We recognize, today, that it is because of the saints who have gone before us, that we are. Those who have struggled for justice, who have given so that others may live more freely – we would not be, if not for them.
Because of those who have loved us – those who have nurtured us, embraced us, celebrated us, or supported us. We are because they were. In remembrance and gratitude, we name the saints who have shaped our lives and being.
(community names individuals)
We also hold in remembrance the ones whose lives were taken by injustice, the ones who never knew their own belovedness, the ones who passed on our faith, the ones who gave us art, gave us song, gave us poetry. We are because they were.
Like us, we know they were imperfect too. There is no life that is not messy and contradictory, often betraying the very justice and love we seek to embody. And yet, you, O God, promise that our labor to Love is never made in vain.
Help us to lean on the witness of those who have gone before us, drawing on the love, justice, community, and faith that weaves us together, generation after generation – past, present, and future.
With gratitude and in remembrance we pray, Amen.
Blessing
Dr. Kate Ott
Spirit of Life, help us to know that we are not alone in our grieving, and help us also to come to that peaceful place in which we can take what we learned from those who have gone before us into our own lives. Remind us that we, too, are mortal; and that the only enduring legacy we leave is the love that shines through our lives. Amen.
Sending Forth
“I Will Remember You” by Sarah McLachlan
I will remember you,
Will you remember me?
Don’t let your life pass you by
Weep not for the memories
Worship Notes:
Call to Prayer and Blessing: Rev. Robinson, UUA
Prayers of the People: https://enfleshed.com/pages/all-saints-prayer
