Lectionary Readings — All Saints Day — November 1, 2026
Revelation 7:9-17; Psalm 34:1-10,22; 1 John 3:1-3; Matthew 5:1-12
Call to Worship (based on Revelation 7:9-17)
Leader: After this John looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count,
People: from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.
Leader: Robed in white, with palm branches in their hands, they cry out with a loud voice:
People: Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!
Leader: These are the ones who have come out of the great ordeal,
People: who have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
Leader: They will hunger no more and thirst no more,
People: for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd.
Leader: He will guide them to springs of the water of life,
People: and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.
All: Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever. We join the saints of every age in worship today, until the day we stand with them before the throne. Amen.
Opening Prayer (based on Psalm 34:1-10,22)
Let us pray:
Father,
We come this morning to bless you, and we want to bless you at all times. Let your praise be continually in our mouths, not only in this hour but through every hour of the week ahead. Magnify yourself among us as we exalt your name together.
On this All Saints Sunday we remember those who sought you and found that you answered. They cried out in their need, and you heard them and delivered them from their fears. They looked to you and were radiant, and their faces were never put to shame. Many of them now rest from their labors, and we give you thanks for the faith they lived before us and handed down to us.
We confess that we often look to other refuges first. We fear what we should not fear, and we forget to fear you. Let us taste once more and see that you are good. Teach us again how happy are those who take refuge in you. The young lions may go hungry, but those who seek you lack no good thing. Encamp around us, Lord, as you have promised, and keep us faithful until we join that great multitude around your throne.
You redeem the life of your servants, and none who take refuge in you will be condemned. We rest on that promise this morning. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, the Lamb who was slain and who reigns forever. Amen.
[NOTE to Paid subscribers — scroll down for the full manuscript sermon]
Sermon Outline: "A MULTITUDE NO ONE COULD COUNT"
Based on Revelation 7:9-17
I. The Countless Company (v. 9)
II. The Common Cry (vv. 10–12)
III. The Cleansed Clothing (vv. 13–14)
IV. The Comforting Care (vv. 15–17)
Full Manuscript Sermon Below for Paid Subscribers
