All Saints Day (observed) November 5, 2017

First Reading: Revelation 7:2-17

Epistle: 1 John 3:1-3

Gospel: Matthew 5:1-12

The Theme of Today’s Liturgy  On All Saints Day we remember those who have gone before us in the faith, the ones who have “washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” and now stand before His throne with praise and worship (First Reading).  In the Beatitudes, our Lord lays out the promises of those who are blessed: the promises we have already received through the grace and mercy of the Father who sends his Son, and also those promises yet to be fulfilled on the last day (Gospel).  Even as we await the final consummation of all things when Christ returns, we know that our almighty and everlasting God has brought all of his saints together in one holy communion, and in the Divine Service we have a foretaste of the everlasting banquet that awaits (Collect).  We are indeed surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses as we hear His word and as we partake of the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, numbered with all of the blessed saints in all time past, present, and yet to come, who have received the redemption of the Cross (Introit).

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

%d bloggers like this: