Sunday Lectionary Readings

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The Collect

All Saints Day
Almighty God, you have knit together your elect in one communion and fellowship in the mystical body of your Son Christ our Lord: Give us grace so to follow your blessed saints in all virtuous and godly living, that we may come to those ineffable joys that you have prepared for those who truly love you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen
Preface of All Saints

Old Testament Reading

Ecclesiasticus 44:1-10,13-14
¹ Let us now praise famous men, and our fathers in their generations. ² The Lord apportioned to them great glory, his majesty from the beginning. ³ There were those who ruled in their kingdoms, and were men renowned for their power, giving counsel by their understanding, and proclaiming prophecies; ⁴ leaders of the people in their deliberations and in understanding of learning for the people, wise in their words of instruction; ⁵ those who composed musical tunes, and set forth verses in writing; ⁶ rich men furnished with resources, living peaceably in their habitations-- ⁷ all these were honored in their generations, and were the glory of their times. ⁸ There are some of them who have left a name, so that men declare their praise. ⁹ And there are some who have no memorial, who have perished as though they had not lived; they have become as though they had not been born, and so have their children after them. ¹⁰ But these were men of mercy, whose righteous deeds have not been forgotten; ¹³ Their posterity will continue for ever, and their glory will not be blotted out. ¹⁴ Their bodies were buried in peace, and their name lives to all generations. -- RSV

Psalm

Psalm 149
¹Praise the LORD!
Sing to the LORD a new song,
And His praise in the assembly of saints.

²Let Israel rejoice in their Maker;
Let the children of Zion be joyful in their King.

³Let them praise His name with the dance;
Let them sing praises to Him with the timbrel and harp.

⁴For the LORD takes pleasure in His people;
He will beautify the humble with salvation.

⁵Let the saints be joyful in glory;
Let them sing aloud on their beds.

⁶Let the high praises of God be in their mouth,
And a two-edged sword in their hand,

⁷To execute vengeance on the nations,
And punishments on the peoples;

⁸To bind their kings with chains,
And their nobles with fetters of iron;

⁹To execute on them the written judgment-
This honor have all His saints.
Praise the LORD!
-- NKJV

New Testament Reading

Revelation 7:2-4,9-17
²Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, ³saying, "Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads." ⁴And I heard the number of those who were sealed. One hundred and forty-four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed: ⁹After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, ¹⁰and crying out with a loud voice, saying, "Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!" ¹¹All the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, ¹²saying: " Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom, Thanksgiving and honor and power and might, Be to our God forever and ever. Amen." ¹³Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, "Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?" ¹⁴And I said to him, "Sir, you know." So he said to me, "These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. ¹⁵Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them. ¹⁶They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; ¹⁷for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes." -- NKJV

Gospel Reading

Matthew 5:1-12
¹And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. ²Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying: ³" Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ⁴Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted. ⁵Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth. ⁶Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled. ⁷Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy. ⁸Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God. ⁹Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God. ¹⁰Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ¹¹"Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. ¹²Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. -- NKJV

The Preface

All Saints
For in the multitude of your saints you have surrounded us with a great cloud of witnesses, that we might rejoice in their fellowship, and run with endurance the race that is set before us; and, together with them, receive the crown of glory that never fades away.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version.
(Unless otherwise noted.)
Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
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