*image by Zac Frith on Pexels.com
I wrote this prayer for usage for All Saints’ Sunday. If this prayer is meaningful to you, you are invited to use it. Attribution is nice, but if you are using it in worship, please don’t feel the need to read my name aloud before the prayer. I wrote it to conclude with the Lord’s Prayer, as is the custom in my congregation. This prayer is also unique because it addresses the United States election, which is happening this week. Should you come across this prayer on a non-election year, please feel free to omit or modify this section of the prayer.
God of all creation,
In the first moments of humanity, you drew near to us,
created us lovingly and in your image,
and gave us a purpose to till and keep
your beautiful creation.
You drew near to us
and walked with us in the garden
in the cool of the day,
and even in our sin, you took care of us.
You clothed us and were heartbroken for us.
On this All Saints’ Sunday,
we draw near in our memories
to all those who have gone before us.
We draw near in our memories
to our beloved family members, friends, neighbors,
co-workers, and all others who have crossed our paths
and left their imprints on our hearts.
We pause in this moment to draw near to our grief,
And to ask you to bring to our minds
the beautiful moments, the kind moments, the loving moments
that shaped us and those around us into the people we have become.
May their memories shine like candles in this dark world.
We also pause on this day to draw near to the needs in our world.
We offer before you this contentious election season.
We ask for wisdom and guidance, for your compassion and care,
and that we might be rooted in the confidence that regardless of the outcome,
you are still Lord.
We draw near to those who are suffering, from natural disasters,
from acts of violence,
from new diagnoses and difficult situations.
In your Word, we read that you draw near to those who are brokenhearted.
Draw near to all those who are in need this day.
Draw near to each of us, O Lord, and meet us in this place.
Remind us that whether we face joy or sorrow,
we do not face them alone, for you are with us.
We offer all of these things to you in the name of Jesus who taught us to pray, saying,
“Our Father…”
A few years ago, I came across the beautiful children’s book A Little Blue Bottle, written by Jennifer Grant and illustrated by Gillian Whiting. This book is about the story of a little girl experiencing grief at the loss of her neighbor. As she grapples with what it means to hold this kind of sadness, she is told about Psalm 56:8, which reads in the New Living Translation, “You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.”
This image of all my tears in God’s bottle has stayed with me ever since. Is it possible that God cares about our sorrows so much that God holds them close and keeps them for us? I’d like to think so.
For this Sunday (November 3), we will acknowledge All Saints as a congregation. As part of that practice, I have invited people to take a small glass stone and place it into the baptismal font in memory of a loved one who has died. While they do so, they may offer this prayer, if they so choose:
O, Lord, I place this stone in memory of <name>.
Stir up in my mind beautiful memories of <name> today.
We know that you hold all of our sorrows, and that as I remember the ones I miss,
I am not alone and you are with me. Amen.
This practice could be easily adapted for home use. You could place stones you find outside into a small container as you remember each person you are missing. Or, if stones are unavailable to you, you could use anything you can find: leaves, grains of rice, drops of water. As you do this, may God bring to mind beautiful memories and also reassure you that you do not hold this grief alone.
Do you have any traditions for All Saints’ Day, either personally or in your worshiping community? I would love to hear about them. If you use either the prayers of the people or interactive prayer station from this post, I would love to hear how it goes.