Liturgy for All Saints Sunday, Year C (Luke)
Date: November 2, 2025
Suggested Scriptures:
Isaiah 25:6–9
Psalm 24
Revelation 21:1–6a
John 11:32–44
Welcome and Invitation to Worship
One: Today we gather with the saints of every age—
those who walked before us, those who walk beside us, and those who will come after us.
All: We come to remember, to give thanks, and to hope.
One: In life and in death, we belong to God.
All: Let us worship the Lord of life, who calls us each by name.
Call to Worship
One: Blessed are you, O Lord our God,
for you have set before us a great cloud of witnesses.
All: We praise you for the saints who taught us faith, who showed us love, and who now rest in you.
One: You have wiped away every tear from their eyes;
you make all things new.
All: We lift our eyes to you,
the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.
One: Come, let us worship the God of resurrection hope.
Opening Prayer
Eternal God,
before whom generations rise and pass away,
we praise you for all your servants who, having lived this life in faith,
now live eternally with you.
We thank you for their witness—
for words spoken and deeds done,
for quiet acts of kindness and courage,
for the light they carried that still shines in us.
Give us grace to follow their example
in faith and patience, in humility and hope.
May our worship today honor not only their memory
but also your promise that nothing—not even death—can separate us from your love.
Through Jesus Christ, our Lord, Amen.
Call to Confession
Even as we remember those who ran the race before us,
we confess that our steps sometimes falter.
Let us come honestly before the God of mercy and grace.
Prayer of Confession
God of all generations,
you call us to be your saints,
but we are often slow to answer.
We cling to comfort instead of courage,
to fear instead of faith.
We grieve as those without hope,
forgetting your promise of resurrection.
Forgive us.
Renew our hearts by your Spirit.
Set our eyes not on what is lost,
but on what is eternal—
the life we share in Christ Jesus,
who conquered death and holds us fast.
Amen.
Assurance of Pardon
One: Hear the good news:
The one who raised Jesus from the dead also raises us to new life.
In Christ, we are forgiven, renewed, and made whole.
All: Thanks be to God!
Death has been swallowed up in victory.
Prayer for Illumination
Holy God,
your Word calls us by name and brings life where there was death.
Open our hearts now to your voice.
Help us hear the promise of resurrection anew—
that we may live as your saints in this world,
bearing witness to your light until all is made new.
Amen.
Scripture Suggestions
First Reading: Isaiah 25:6–9 – “He will swallow up death forever.”
Psalm: Psalm 24 – “Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?”
Epistle: Revelation 21:1–6a – “See, the home of God is among mortals.”
Gospel: John 11:32–44 – “Lazarus, come out!”
Litany of Remembrance
One: Let us remember the saints who have gone before us—
those who shared our laughter, our tables, our tears.
All: We remember them with gratitude.
One: Let us remember the saints who shaped our faith—
parents and grandparents, teachers and friends,
pastors and prophets, believers of every time and place.
All: We remember them with thanksgiving.
One: Let us remember the saints of this congregation—
those who once worshiped among us,
whose voices joined ours in praise,
whose absence we still feel.
(Names may be read aloud or projected.)
All: We remember them with love.
One: Holy God, by your grace they are now at rest.
By your Spirit, we are united with them in one communion and one hope.
All: Keep us faithful until we join them in glory,
through Jesus Christ, our risen Lord. Amen.
Affirmation of Faith
We believe in God,
whose love is stronger than death,
whose light no darkness can extinguish.
We believe in Jesus Christ,
the resurrection and the life,
who calls us from the tombs of fear and loss
into the joy of everlasting life.
We believe in the Holy Spirit,
the breath of renewal,
who makes us one with all the saints—
past, present, and yet to come.
Amen.
Prayers of the People
Eternal God,
we thank you for the faithful who have finished their race.
We remember their courage in hardship,
their faith in trial,
their joy in serving you.
Comfort all who mourn.
Speak peace to the grieving,
and kindle hope in those weighed down by sorrow.
Renew your church, that we may live as your saints—
bearing witness to your kingdom in acts of mercy and love.
We pray for your world:
for peace where there is conflict,
for justice where there is oppression,
for compassion where there is suffering.
And we pray for ourselves—
that we might live faithfully now,
until the day when we see you face to face
and join the song of all the saints in glory.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Invitation to the Table (optional)
One: This is not a table of the perfect but of the forgiven.
Here the saints of every age gather with us—
the living and the departed, the seen and the unseen.
All: In this meal, we are one body, one family, one faith.
One: Come, for all is ready.
Sending and Benediction
One: Go now in the company of the saints,
to love and serve the Lord with gladness.
All: We go, surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses,
strengthened by the Spirit of Christ.
One: And may the blessing of God—
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—
be upon you and remain with you always.
All: Amen.
