8:00 AM-- HOLY EUCHARIST, RITE I
 10:00 AM-- FESTIVE CHORAL EUCHARIST, RITE I
 11:15 AM-- COFFEE HOUR in the COMMON ROOM
 11:45 AM-- ADULT FORUM in the LORING ROOM
      
         OLD TESTAMENT: Daniel 7: 1-3, 15-18
         PSALM: 149
         NEW TESTAMENT: Ephesians 1: 11-23
         GOSPEL: Luke 6: 20-31

Almighty God, you have knit together your elect in one communion and fellowship in the mystical body of your Son Christ our Lord: 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.

This Sunday is All Saints Sunday. We give thanks for the lives of holy women and men, both from generations past as well as in our own lives, "the great cloud of witnesses." We celebrate Holy Eucharist at 8:00 and 10:00 am, and our choir leads a festive, sung service at the 10:00 Eucharist.

In the Hebrew Scriptures, we read from the prophet Daniel. Daniel was one of the last prophets of the Old Testament, and he saw many strange visions that are recorded for us. In this Sunday's reading, Daniel is troubled by the strangeness of his vision, but he is promised in it, "the holy ones of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and shall possess the kingdom forever."

In the New Testament, we read from the beginning of Ephesians. Paul encourages us to understand our own sainthood as an inheritance from Christ, received directly from him. The same power that raised Christ from the dead lives in us and equips us for service to God and to the world.

In Luke's gospel, we read from the Sermon on the Plain. Much like the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew's gospel, the Sermon on the Plain covers many of Jesus primary teachings about a life of faith. "Blessed are the poor. Blessed are those who hunger." You will notice how the Sermon on the Plain lacks the spiritual interpretation that Matthew offers, and Jesus' blessings and woes are more direct and more related to everyday situations and struggles. 

Memorial Garden prayers follow the 10:00 Eucharist on All Saints Sunday. Immediately following the dismissal, join the procession to the Memorial Garden where we will offer special prayers and thanksgivings for those who have gone before us.

Stewardship Season is upon us. Good Shepherd 20/20: "Where there is no vision, the people perish." In the coming weeks we will begin looking to the new year and the new decade, and we will ask you to commit to the work of Christ at Good Shepherd. We also ask the whole parish to join in the communal work of discernment, to understand prayerfully what God is calling us to do in the coming years. 

Adult Forum this week will take on an All Saints theme. We will look at the history of relics in Christianity, from scripture to early Christianity to the Medieval Church, both as tangible signs and as distractions. Please bring a relic from your own life, an item that belonged to or reminds you of someone who has gone before you.  

See you Sunday!


peace, Jay+