Welcome & Opening Prayer

Good morning church!

I am Russell Clark and I am the senior pastor here at Azle Christian Church. May everyone here in this room and those joining us online know they are deeply loved by God and they are enthusiastically loved by the people here at this church!

We like for everyone to know a few things before we begin worship every week.

(1) First, if you are new to our church, we want you to see what we are doing and to be a part of our story! There is information in the bulletin about getting connected to our weekly eBlast newsletter or Realm, which is like our church social media. You may also fill out an information card so we can get to know you more and care for you.

(2) Second, we love our children here in worship and we always welcome them here. There is a kids corner in the back if your children need a space to move around. There is also a nursery available if you’d like.

(3) Finally, our liturgy is posted each week on the website if you would like to follow along with our service.

Now, may we take a moment to pray as we enter this time of worship.

Lord, be with us on this all saints day as we remember those we have lost in this past year. May we celebrate all the saints who have gone on before whose memory still lives on in us today. Amen.

May we take a moment before we get started to greet those next to us with a hug or high five.

*OPENING SONGS

This Is Amazing Grace

Rock of Ages #214

Litany of Faith – Emily Harden

One: Lord, your saints come from every nation and every tribe.

All: This is the beauty of your kingdom.

One: Every race and people are honored and recognized as being made in your image.

All: Help us live lives of peace and reconciliation that pay homage to the diversity of your great cloud of witnesses. Amen.

(from Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals)

Scripture Meditation

Our Scripture Meditation for today is 2 Corinthians 6:11-13 :

“Dear, dear Corinthians, I can’t tell you how much I long for you to enter this wide-open, spacious life. We didn’t fence you in. The smallness you feel comes from within you. Your lives aren’t small, but you’re living them in a small way. I’m speaking as plainly as I can and with great affection. Open up your lives. Live openly and expansively!”

One: This is the word of God for the people of God.

All: Thanks be to God.

More. There’s more to life than we realize. There’s more waiting for you if you allow God to move in your life.

Today we celebrate the saints who have gone before us but for those of who are still on this earth this means God is not through with you yet. There is more work to be done. There is more love to give. There is more life waiting for you.

If you’re here in this room today or watching us online, know this. Open up your lives and see there is more life around the corner waiting to be lived.

We’ll be talking about this more when we get to the sermon. For now let us reflect on this as we enter into our time of prayer.

Pastoral Prayer

The Lord be with you. And Also with you. Let us pray.

Lord, may we be reminded of the teachings we learned from our loved ones growing up.

May the wisdom of the saints fill our minds so we can fill the minds of future generations.

May the love we have felt from the saints who have gone before us in the love we show to others daily.

May the imperfections and the mistakes of the saints be a lesson to us to live our lives in a way that is more pleasing to you.

May the strength and resilience of the saints to endure suffering and hardship teach us how to endure and move on and move forward.

May the faith of the saints be an inspiration for us to trust in you, O Lord.

May we show gratitude for the lives of the ones we have lost. We thank you for the time we had with them, even though it will never seem like it was long enough.

Please comfort us because the grieving of someone we loved deeply never ends. May their memory inspire us to create something new to share their love – your love – with the world around us every day.

Show us how to create the world we wish to live in – a world the saints looking down on us would be proud of.

And Lord, hear us as we pray the prayer your son taught us:

Our Father, who art in heaven

Hallowed be thy name

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done

On earth as it is in heaven

Give us this day our daily bread

Forgive us our debts

As we forgive our debtors

And lead us not into temptation

But Deliver us from evil

For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

RESPONSIVE HYMN

I Was There to Hear Your Borning Cry #75

CHILDREN’S MOMENT

ANTHEM

SERMON - The Creativity Stage

All Saints Day Remembrance

2 Corinthians 6:11-13:

The reason I picked this scripture passage for today on All Saint’s Day is because I feel like this is what our loved ones – the saints – would say to us.

Open up your lives. Live bigger, better lives. Enter this wide-open spacious life.

And create something new for today. Be inspired to move forward. Be inspired to take your life back. Be inspired to create the world the saints would be proud of.

Bring honor to the memory of the saints who have gone before us. Let their memory live on in us today.

I am going to read the list of saints we have lost in the past year and then we will have a quiet reflection time and you may say out loud or in your heart other saints you have lost who inspire you to create something new for a new day. And you may come to the altar and light a candle in remembrance of them. When we are all finished I will say a prayer before we take communion.

Beth Porter

Linda Cannon

Andreas Davenport

Harry George Dekin

David McClure

Trelle Seeds

Mary Schlueter

Paul Reed

Richard Greeves

Jennifer Caughron

Terry Phipps

John Pastre

Randy Henges

Carol May

Sandra Jean Langston

Gloria Harrison

Mary Ann Lancaster

Ed Corzine

David Woodall

Raquel Gonzales

Guy Cudd

Viola Phipps

Betty Ruhlman

**QUIET REFLECTION**

Lord, we remember these saints who have gone before us this past year. May their memory be a blessing. May you comfort us here on this earth as we both mourn their loss and celebrate their reunion in heaven to be one with you in glory. May our lives be a reflection of the love the saints shared with us as we begin a new day honoring their memory. Amen.

COMMUNION MEDITATION

SONG

COMMUNION WORDS OF INSTITUTION

**Stewardship Moment – Sheila Foster

Sharing Our Resources

There are many ways to support the ministries of Azle Christian Church. You can give online on our website, on Venmo, use the QR code in your bulletin, or place it in the offering plate as the deacons come by during our final song. You can also put in a prayer request card or information card in the plate.

INVITATION

If you would like to dedicate your life to Christ or become a member of Azle Christian Church, you may come forward after the benediction or speak with me after worship.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

A few announcements for this week before our benediction:

You can find information about our weekly activities, such as Sunday School, our Ukulele Group, our Wednesday dinner and bible study, and our prayer group, on the back of your bulletin or on our website. Our calendar is found in the insert of your bulletin so you can transfer that to your personal calendars – or you can also add our calendar to your google calendar through our website.

This Thursday we have Thankful Thursday with a devotional at 11:30 and a light lunch at noon. Our devotional this week will be from Pastor Delbra from Wesley Chapel here in Azle.

This Wednesday will be the Disciples Mens Ministry Meeting at 7:15pm after dinner & bible study.

Please make sure all of our youth know about our game and craft night this afternoon at 4:30pm.

Next Sunday, we will have the installation service for your new senior pastor (me) and Dr. Steve Sprinkle will be preaching and we will have a thanksgiving meal following the service. A sign-up sheet for the thanksgiving meal will be passed around for everyone to sign-up to bring something.

Save the date: November 15 at our Wednesday night dinner we will have a Chili Cook Off! Anyone who wants to participate may do so!

If you or someone you know needs a visit OR has a prayer request OR would like home communion, you may contact the church office or contact me directly.

BENEDICTION:

Please rise in body and spirit for the benediction, the final song, and the doxology. Receive this blessing:

May you make space to grieve however it is appropriate for you. When you are ready, may you embrace the creativity stage and allow God to create something new through you. Open up your lives to all that is waiting for you as we honor the memory of the saints.

Amen.

** BENEDICTION RESPONSE

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS

We welcome Phil Armstrong as a new member of Azle Christian Church.

Phil was a member of our church years ago and he has decided to rejoin our church and we appreciate his presence and the delightful conversation he brings every time we see him.

In your hymnals page 341 is our congregation response or it is printed on our screen.

Reaffirming our own faith in Jesus the Christ,

We gladly welcome you into this community of faith,

Enfolding you with our love

And committing ourselves to your care.

In the power of God’s Spirit

Let us mutually encourage each other to trust God

and strengthen one another to serve others,

that Christ’s church may in all things stand faithful.

Welcome Phil to our church family!

*Doxology

Praise God from whom all blessing flow; praise God, all creatures here below; Praise God above, ye heavenly host: Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Amen.