Hymn “Behold a Host, Arrayed in White” LSB# 676
1 Behold a host, arrayed in white, Like thousand snow-clad mountains bright!
With palms they stand; Who is this band Before the throne of light?
These are the saints of glorious fame, Who from the great affliction came
And in the flood Of Jesus' blood Are cleansed from guilt and shame.
They now serve God both day and night; They sing their songs in endless light.
Their anthems ring As they all sing With angels shining bright.
2 Despised and scorned, they sojourned here; But now, how glorious they appear!
Those martyrs stand, A priestly band, God's throne forever near.
On earth they wept through bitter years; Now God has wiped away their tears,
Transformed their strife To heav'nly life, And freed them from their fears.
They now enjoy the Sabbath rest, The heav'nly banquet of the blest;
The Lamb, their Lord, At festal board Himself is host and guest.
3 O blessed saints in bright array Now safely home in endless day,
Extol the Lord, Who with His Word Sustained you on the way.
The steep and narrow path you trod; You toiled and sowed the Word abroad;
Rejoice and bring Your fruits and sing Before the throne of God.
The myriad angels raise their song; O saints, sing with that happy throng!
Lift up one voice; Let heav'n rejoice In our Redeemer's song!
P: If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
C: But if we confess our sins, God, who is faithful and just, will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:8-9)
(We reflect on God’s Word and examine ourselves)
P: Let us then confess our sins to God our Father.
C: Most merciful God, we confess that we are by nature sinful and unclean. We have sinned against You in thought, word and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone. We have not loved You with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We justly deserve Your present and eternal punishment. For the sake of Your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. Forgive us, renew us, and lead us so that we may delight in Your will and walk in Your ways to the glory of Your holy name. Amen.
P: In the mercy of almighty God, Jesus Christ was given to die for us, and for His sake God forgives us all our sins. To those who believe in Jesus Christ He gives the power to become the children of God and bestows on them the Holy Spirit. May the Lord, who has begun this good work in us, bring it to completion in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
C: Amen.
Matins (sung)
P O Lord, open my lips,
C and my mouth will declare Your praise.
P Make haste, O God, to deliver me;
C make haste to help me, O Lord.
C Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Praise to You, O Christ, Alleluia. (Common response)
Psalmody (Psalm 95) (sung)
P: Blessed be God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
C: O come, let us worship Him.
O come, let us sing to the Lord.
Let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.
Let us come into His presence with thanksgiving,
Let us make a joyful noise to Him with songs of praise.
For the Lord is a great God and a great king above all gods.
The deep places of the earth are in His hands;
The strength of the hills is His also.
The sea is His, for He made it, and His hand formed the dry land.
O come, let us worship and bow down,
Let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker.
For He is our God, And we are the people of His pasture
And the sheep of His hand.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit;
As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
P: Blessed be God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
C: O come, let us worship Him.
Scripture Readings
First Reading (Revelation 7:9-17)
7 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” 11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”
13 Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” 14 I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
15 “Therefore they are before the throne of God,
and serve him day and night in his temple;
and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.
16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore;
the sun shall not strike them,
nor any scorching heat.
17 For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd,
and he will guide them to springs of living water,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
P: This is the Word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
Epistle Reading (1 John 3:1-3)
1 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 3 And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.
P: This is the Word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
P: The holy Gospel according to St. Matthew the 5th chapter.
C: (Sung) Glory to You, O Lord.
(Matthew 5:1-12)
5 Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
P: This is the Gospel of the Lord.
C: (Sung) Praise to You, O Christ.
Hymn of the Day “For All the Saints” LSB # 677
1 For all the saints who from their labors rest,
Who Thee by faith before the world confessed,
Thy name, O Jesus, be forever blest. Alleluia! Alleluia!
2 Thou wast their rock, their fortress, and their might;
Thou, Lord, their captain in the well-fought fight;
Thou, in the darkness drear, their one true light. Alleluia! Alleluia!
3 Oh, may Thy soldiers, faithful, true, and bold,
Fight as the saints who nobly fought of old
And win with them the victor's crown of gold! Alleluia! Alleluia!
4 Oh, blest communion, fellowship divine!
We feebly struggle, they in glory shine;
Yet all are one in Thee, for all are Thine. Alleluia! Alleluia!
5 And when the fight is fierce, the warfare long,
Steals on the ear the distant triumph song,
And hearts are brave again, and arms are strong. Alleluia! Alleluia!
6 The golden evening brightens in the west;
Soon, soon to faithful warriors cometh rest;
Sweet is the calm of paradise the blest. Alleluia! Alleluia!
7 But lo, there breaks a yet more glorious day;
The saints triumphant rise in bright array;
The King of glory passes on His way. Alleluia! Alleluia!
8 From earth's wide bounds, from ocean's farthest coast,
Through gates of pearl streams in the countless host,
Singing to Father, Son, and Holy Ghost: Alleluia! Alleluia!
Sermon
Te Deum (Sung)
We praise You, O God; we acknowledge You to be the Lord.
All the earth now worships You, the Father everlasting.
To You all angels cry aloud, the heavens and all the pow'rs therein.
To You cherubim and seraphim continually do cry:
Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Sabaoth;
heaven and earth are full of the majesty of Your glory.
The glorious company of the apostles praise You.
The goodly fellowship of the prophets praise You.
The noble army of martyrs praise You.
The holy Church throughout all the world does acknowledge You.
The Father of an infinite majesty; Your adorable, true, and only Son;
also the Holy Ghost, the Comforter. You are the king of glory, O Christ;
You are the everlasting Son of the Father.
When You took upon Yourself to deliver man,
You humbled Yourself to be born of a virgin.
When You had overcome the sharpness of death,
You opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers.
You sit at the right hand of God in the glory of the Father.
We believe that You will come to be our judge.
We therefore pray You to help Your servants,
whom You have redeemed with Your precious blood.
Make them to be numbered with Your saints in glory everlasting.
O Lord, save Your people and bless Your heritage.
Govern them and lift them up forever. Day by day we magnify You.
And we worship Your name forever and ever.
Grant, O Lord, to keep us this day without sin.
O Lord, have mercy upon us, have mercy upon us.
O Lord, let Your mercy be upon us, as our trust is in You.
O Lord, in You have I trusted; let me never be confounded.
Prayer of the Church
P: Lord, in Your mercy,
C: hear our prayer.
The Lord’s Prayer
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;
and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those
who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom
and the power and the glory
forever and ever. Amen
Benediction
P: The Lord bless you and keep you.
The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you.
The Lord look upon you with favor and + give you peace.
C: Amen.
Closing Hymn “Jerusalem the Golden” LSB #672
1 Jerusalem the golden, With milk and honey blest--
The promise of salvation, The place of peace and rest--
We know not, oh, we know not What joys await us there;
The radiancy of glory, The bliss beyond compare!
2 Within those halls of Zion Sounds forth the joyful song,
As saints join with the angels and all the martyr throng.
The Prince is ever with them; The daylight is serene;
The city of the blessed Shines bright with glorious sheen.
3 Around the throne of David, The saints, from care released,
Raise loud their songs of triumph To celebrate the feast.
They sing to Christ their leader, Who conquered in the fight,
Who won for them forever Their gleaming robes of white.
4 O sweet and blessèd country, The home of God's elect!
O sweet and blessed country That faithful hearts expect!
In mercy, Jesus, bring us To that eternal rest
With You and God the Father And Spirit, ever blest.