Worship & Sermon Resources > Worship Resources > All Saints Day Prayers of Intercession
Summary
All Saints Sunday occurs on the first Sunday of November each year. Here are three prayers of intercession for the day: one giving thanks for the cloud of witnesses, one for the church and the world, and one for the hope of glory. Each can be prayed by a single leader or divided among several voices.
Praying with the Saints
All Saints Day invites us to remember those who have gone before us in faith, not as perfect people but as witnesses whose lives reflected the grace of God. Their stories remind us that the church is both earthly and eternal, gathered across generations in the presence of Christ. John saw that church in his vision of the great multitude in white robes, people from every nation standing before the throne.
These prayers may be used in worship, at the communion table, or during a time of remembrance, as we give thanks for the saints and pray for the world Christ came to redeem. Please feel free to use them in your congregation. Drop a comment and let me know where they were prayed.
Prayer of Intercession 1: For the Cloud of Witnesses
Eternal God, we give you thanks for the great cloud of witnesses who have finished their race and rest in your peace. We remember before you the faithful of every age, apostles and reformers, teachers and servants, those whose names we know and those known only to you. Grant that we, too, may run with perseverance, laying aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely. Strengthen your church, that we might reflect their faith and courage in this time and place. Keep us steadfast in hope until we join them at your table of joy and resurrection. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
This prayer draws on Hebrews 12:1-2. The apostles it remembers carried the gospel outward in the Book of Acts, the first chapter in the long story of the saints.
Prayer of Intercession 2: For the Church and the World
God of all generations, you knit your people together in every time and place. We thank you for those who showed us how to live in faith, for pastors and parents, teachers and friends, whose quiet witness drew us nearer to you. We pray for your church on earth: for unity in mission, humility in service, and compassion for those who suffer. Comfort the grieving, strengthen the weary, and make us instruments of your peace. We pray through the same Christ who wept at the tomb and promises new life to all who believe. Amen.
Jesus wept at the tomb of Lazarus before calling him out (John 11:35-44), the Gospel reading for All Saints Sunday in Year B. Read more in our Gospel of John Bible study, and see what the Bible means by peace in What Does Shalom Mean in the Bible?
Prayer of Intercession 3: For the Hope of Glory
Almighty God, you are the beginning and the end, the one who makes all things new. On this All Saints Day, we remember your faithfulness through every generation. We pray for the world you love: for leaders seeking justice, for communities divided by fear, for those burdened by loss or loneliness. Grant us the courage to follow in the path of the saints, to love what is good, to stand firm in truth, and to walk humbly with you. Gather us, with all your people, into the joy that has no end, through Jesus Christ, the risen Lord of all. Amen.
The opening lines echo Revelation 21:5-6, and the closing petitions echo Micah 6:8. For the hope behind this prayer, read What Is the New Heaven and the New Earth?
How to Use These Prayers
Place a prayer of intercession after the sermon or before the Lord's Supper. On All Saints Sunday, many congregations pause within the first prayer to read the names of members who died in the past year, sometimes lighting a candle or ringing a bell for each name. The second and third prayers can be divided between two readers, with the congregation answering each petition with "Lord, hear our prayer."
