1. INTRODUCTION

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All Saints Day was November 1st.

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2. SH’MA

Deuteronomy 6:4-5 Hebrew: Sh’ma yis’rael adonai eloheinu adonai echad. Baruch shem k’vod malchuto, l’olam va’ed. V’ahavta et adonai elohecha, b’chol l’vavcha, u’vchol nephshecha, u’vchol ma’odecha.

English: Hear Israel, The LORD* (YHWH) our God the LORD (YHWH) is one. Blessed be the name of His glorious Kingdom forever and ever. And love the LORD (YHWH) your God with all your heart, and all your soul, and all your strength.

*When LORD is spelled with all caps it means that in Hebrew it is referencing the name of God which is YHWH. We believe from sufficient scholarly research the best way to pronounce the name is Yahweh. Many Jews and some Christians have refrained from using the name at all so as to not misuse the name (Exodus 20:7). If you don’t feel comfortable pronouncing the name YHWH, we say Adonai (Lord) to replace it in Hebrew. Many also call YHWH “HaShem” which means “The Name.” 

3. EXAMEN 

About this practice: The examen was started by St. Ignatius who was a Spanish Priest who lived in the 16th century and who founded the Jesuit order. According to Ignatian Spirituality, “St. Ignatius thought that the Examen was a gift that came directly from God, and that God wanted it to be shared as widely as possible. One of the few rules of prayer that Ignatius made for the Jesuit order was the requirement that Jesuits practice the Examen twice daily—at noon and at the end of the day. It’s a habit that Jesuits, and many other Christians, practice to this day.”

Take a few moments to get comfortable and become attentive to God’s presence.

● Pay attention to some of the emotions you’ve felt throughout the last 24 hours.

● Reflect on things you’re grateful for today.

● How has God been working in your life these last 24 hours? 

● Take a moment to think about the rest of this day or tomorrow. Is there something you need to give to God to handle? Or is there an area when you’ll need to be more reliant upon the Holy Spirit for guidance?

4. HYMN 

Hymn: O God Our Help In Ages Past

1. O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal home.

2. Under the shadow of thy throne,
Still may we dwell secure.
Sufficient is thine arm alone,
And our defense is sure.

3. Before the hills in order stood,
Or earth received her frame,
From everlasting thou art God,
To endless years the same.

4. A thousand ages in Thy sight
Are like an evening gone;
Short as the watch that ends the night
Before the rising sun.

5. O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Be Thou our guard while life shall last,
And our eternal home.

Video Courtesy of Jason Martin
(Pennsylvania, USA)

“O God Our Help In Ages Past”
Isaac Watts, 1709

5. CANDLE LIGHTING

Matthew 5:14-16: “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

Candle Blessing – ALL: “Blessed are you, LORD our God, King of the Universe, who sanctified us in his commandments, and commanded us to be a light to the nations, and who gave to us Jesus our Messiah, Light of the World.”

Let’s pray together: LORD we pray that the lights we now kindle will inspire us to use our lives to heal, and not to harm. To help, and not to hinder. To bless, and not to curse. We ask that You would free us from the selfishness and bitterness that keep us from loving you with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. Release us from the pride that keeps us from loving our neighbors as ourselves. As we walk into this world as the light of the world, we ask that you would guide our footsteps, protect us from the enemy, and that we would use your light to share your lovingkindness, with the world! Amen.

6. WORD STUDY

Isaiah 40:31: “But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

Eagles in the Bible: Figurative: Strength, loving, kindness, the LORD delivering His covenant people. To wait in anticipation for God to deliver us.

Four things we can learn from eagles:

1. Eagles are born with large, heavy wings.

2. To go airborne they have to wait for wind thermals.

3. Eagles will seek out a storm rather than avoid it.

4. If an eagle flaps unnecessarily, they may not make it.

7. All Saints Day Liturgy

“May his/her memory be a blessing.”
Zichrono(a) l’bracha ז״ל

Liturgy Taken From The United Methodist Church

ALL: We give you thanks, O God, for all the saints who ever worshiped you
Whether in brush arbors or cathedrals,
Weathered wooden churches or crumbling cement meeting houses
Where your name was lifted and adored.

We give you thanks, O God, for hands lifted in praise:
Manicured hands and hands stained with grease or soil,
Strong hands and those gnarled with age
Holy hands used as wave offerings across the land.

We thank you, God, for hardworking saints;
Whether hard-hatted or steel-booted,
Head ragged or aproned,
Blue-collared or three-piece-suited
They left their mark on the earth for you, for us, for our children to come.

Thank you, God, for the tremendous sacrifices made by those who have gone before us.
Bless the memories of your saints, God.
May we learn how to walk wisely from their examples of faith, dedication, worship, and love.

If you’d like, take a moment to reflect on the memories of loved ones.

8. COMMUNION 

You will need the elements at this point if you’re wanting to participate. Please know you do not have to participate if you would rather not. Click here to learn more about communion.

Why do we take communion every week? Because it’s a reminder of what Jesus accomplished for us both on the Cross and in the Resurrection: Forgiveness of sins, reconciliation to our Creator, and new life in the resurrection.

Click here to view the different views on communion.

We do not take communion lightly. We do believe that Jesus actually meets us here in this sharing of the bread and cup. Please make sure to take time and answer the questions below before participating.

Scriptures To Consider:

Isaiah 53:4-5
Acts 2:42-47
1 Corinthians 5:6-8
Mark 14:22-26
Luke 22:14-20
John 6:52-58 (See article here for more insight)
1 John 1:8-9

9. HOMILy 

Luke 9:59-60

“Jesus said to another man, ‘Follow me.’ But the man replied, ‘Lord, first let me go and bury my father.’ Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the Kingdom of God.”

Luke 9:58

“Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”

Hermeneutics

“Biblical hermeneutics is the study of the principles and methods of interpreting the text of the Bible.”

Important Questions

● Who was Luke writing to and what was his main point overall?

● What is the purpose of this particular section or pericope in Luke?

● Are there any cultural practices in this text we should be aware of?

Luke’s Background

● Luke was a Gentile physician and was Paul’s travel companion and Luke wrote about those travels in Acts.

● Wrote to a person named Theophilus – likely a high-ranking official.

● Luke-Acts forms as a sort of legal brief to defend Paul and Christianity from charges of insurrection or that it was an anti-Roman or illegal religion.

● Jesus is the Messiah and that through him salvation is made available to all people, not just the Jews.

● Most likely completed between 60-80 AD.

An Overview of Luke 9-10:23

1-9: Jesus sends out the 12
10-17: Jesus feeds the 5,000
18-20: Peter declares Jesus is the Messiah
21-27: Jesus predicts His death
28-36: The Transfiguration
37-43: Jesus heals a demon-possessed boy
44-50: Jesus predicts his death again
51-56: The Samaritans get in the way
57-62: There is a cost to follow Jesus
10:1-23: Jesus sends out the 72.

Was/Is Jesus Cruel?

1. It’s most likely Jesus is referring to this second burial.

2. We need to take into account the purpose of what Luke is communicating here – the cost of following Jesus. (See Also Exodus 20:12; Luke 14:25-27)

Hyperbole: “An extravagant, obvious, or intentional exaggeration and figure of speech to make a point – not to be taken literally.”

3. Wash Jesus actually reaching out to this man in compassion?

Overview of Luke 9:57-62

57-58: A man tells Jesus he will follow Him wherever he goes.

59-60: Jesus says to another man, “Follow me.” This person said he had to bury his father.

61-62: Another man said, “I will follow you, Lord, but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.”

How will my memory be a blessing to future generations?

Take a few moments to think about your legacy and write down any thoughts you may have.

10. BLESSING

Blessing (Numbers 6:22-27 + Justin’s Addition):

“May the LORD bless you and keep you. May the LORD turn His face toward you and shine upon you and give you grace and peace as you go throughout your week. And may you always remember, no matter how dark it gets, Jesus will always be there when you need him. No matter what. Jesus will always dwell by your side.”

Want To Get Involved?

Thank you so much for being a part this week! If you’d like to help us out, here’s what was need: 

1. We’re in need of people who love worshipping and can record worship music. Or have their own music already recorded that they would be willing to let us use in these sessions.

2. We’d love for you to lead some of the sections (For example, you would film yourself using your phone blessing and lighting the candle, or saying the Lord’s prayer. And we’re open to other spiritual practices that help you grow with Jesus).

3. If you know how to edit videos, use WordPress sites, and/or love social media and would like to help out, please reach out!

You can email us at [email protected] or use the form on the website here.

Would you be willing to share your feedback? It’s completely anonymous and will help us make these sessions better in the future. It should only take a minute or two and you can fill it out here.