All Saints Sunday

Today is All Saints Sunday at our church (Upper Arlington Lutheran Church) and at each of our 9 services names of our family and friends we want to memorialize and church members who have died during the past year will be read. It's a beautiful service. "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus . . ." Hebrews 12:1

“We give thanks to you, O Lord our God, for all your servants and witnesses of time past: for Abraham, the father of believers, and for Sarah, his wife; for Moses the lawgiver, and Aaron, the priest; for Miriam and Joshua, Deborah and Gideon, Samuel and Hannah, his mother; for Isaiah and all the Prophets; for Mary, the mother of our Lord; for Peter and Paul and all the apostles; for Mary, Martha, and Mary Magdalene; for Stephen the first martyr, and all the saints and martyrs in every time and in every land. In your mercy, give us, as you gave them. the hope of salvation and the promise of eternal glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord.”  Lutheran Book of Worship, p. 46