Worship Service for October 31, 2021
WELCOME
Good day, welcome and thanks for joining CrossPointe Community Church’s online worship presentation. Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Our leaders have authorized the opening of a fund for the purpose of purchasing and installing the equipment needed for us to be able to live-stream our worship services. That means you will be able to see from your internet connected devices the entirety of our worship as it happens in real time. If you are interested in contributing to this fund, please mark your check with the words, “live stream.”
Today we have the opportunity to participate in two Gather to Scatter projects. We are collecting food items for the Church-at-the-Lake Food Pantry, and traveling to Ron and Rena Thomas’ home in Lodi to help them with a couple of outdoor prepare for winter tasks.
CALL TO WORSHIP
It was in the year King Uzziah died that I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of his robe filled the Temple. Attending Him were mighty seraphim, each having six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. They were calling out to each other, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies! The whole earth is filled with his glory!”
Their voices shook the Temple to its foundations, and the entire building was filled with smoke. Then I said, “It’s all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have filthy lips, and I live among a people with filthy lips. Yet I have seen the King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.”
Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal he had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. He touched my lips with it and said, “See, this coal has touched your lips. Now your guilt is removed, and your sins are forgiven.”
Isaiah 6:1-6
OPENING WORSHIP SONGS
Holy, Holy, Holy
Dykes, John B./Heber, Reginald
Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty!
Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee.
Holy, holy, holy! Merciful and mighty!
God in three Persons, blessed Trinity!Holy, holy, holy! All the saints adore Thee,
Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea;
Cherubim and seraphim, falling down before Thee,
Which wert, and art, and evermore shall be.Holy, holy, holy! Though the darkness hides Thee,
Though the eye of sinful man Thy glory may not see.
Only Thou art holy; there is none beside Thee.
Perfect in power, in love, in purity.Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
Public Domain
All Thy works shall praise Thy name in earth, and sky, and sea.
Holy, holy, holy! Merciful and mighty!
God in three Persons, blessed Trinity.
CCLI License No. 1843349
God of Wonders
Byrd, Marc/Hindalong, Steve
Lord of all creation,
Of water, earth and sky
The heavens are Your tabernacle,
Glory to the Lord on high.God of wonders beyond our galaxy,
You are holy, holy;
The universe declares Your majesty
You are holy, holy;Lord of heaven and earth.
Lord of heaven and earth.Early in the morning,
I will celebrate Your light.
And as I stumble in the darkness,
I will call Your name by night.God of wonders beyond our galaxy,
You are holy, holy;
The universe declares Your majesty
You are holy, holy;Lord of heaven and earth.
Lord of heaven and earth.Hallelujah!
To the Lord of heaven and earth
Hallelujah!
To the Lord of heaven and earth
Hallelujah!
To the Lord of heaven and earth.God of wonders beyond our galaxy,
You are holy, holy;
Precious Lord, reveal your heart to me
Father hold me, hold me
The universe declares Your majesty
You are holy, holy, holy, holyHallelujah!
©2000 Meaux Mercy/Blue Raft Music
To the Lord of heaven and earth
Hallelujah!
To the Lord of heaven and earth
Hallelujah!
To the Lord of heaven and earth.
Hallelujah!
To the Lord of heaven and earth.
CCLI License Number 1843349
All Creation Worships You
Dearman, Kirk/Mills, Jim
You are God and we praise You.
©1988 Integrity’s Hosanna! Music (c/o Integrity Music, Inc.)
(And we praise You).
You are Lord, we acclaim You.
(We acclaim You).
You are eternal Father,
All creation worships You.
All creation worships You.
Amen.
CCLI License No. 1843349)
OPENING PRAYER
Lord God, Creator of all that is, You are God and we are not. You are holy, holy, holy and we are not. And yet, in a shocking turn of events, You have granted us through Your grace, the unspeakable gift of Your righteousness. As it happened to Isaiah, so it has with us. And so we thank You that our guilt is removed and our sins are forgiven. We; therefore, join all creation in worshiping You. How could we not? You are God and we praise You. Accept, O Lord, the gift of our worship for we humbly ask this in the name of the Christ. Amen.
OFFERING
If you would like to send your offering through the mail, our mailing address is:
P O Box 126
Chippewa Lake, OH 44215
I thank God for you and for your continued faithfulness in giving. What the Apostle wrote to the church at Corinth is coming true at the church at CrossPointe.
Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed.
II Corinthians 9:7-8
Speaking of God’s grace abounding to us, as we prepare to pray this morning, let us be reminded once again of God’s marvelous grace.
OFFERING/PRAYER SONG
Grace Greater than Our Sin
Johnston/Towner
Marvelous grace of our loving Lord,
Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt,
Yonder on Calvary’s mount outpoured,
There where the blood of the Lamb was spilt!Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within!
Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that is greater than all our sin!Sin and despair like the sea waves cold,
Threaten the soul with infinite loss;
Grace that is greater, yes grace untold
Points to the refuge, the mighty cross.Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within!
Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that is greater than all our sin!Dark is the stain that we cannot hide,
What can avail to wash it away?
Look! There is flowing a crimson tide;
Whiter than snow you may be today.Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within!
Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that is greater than all our sin!Marvelous, infinite, matchless grace,
Freely bestowed on all who believe;
You that are longing to see his face,
Will you this moment His grace receive?Grace, grace, God’s grace,
©Public Domain
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within!
Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that is greater than all our sin!
CCLI License No. 1843349
MORNING PRAYER
O Lord, our God, we acknowledge that You, You are without origin. You have always been and always will be, the alpha and omega, the beginning and the end. You are infinite, immutable, all powerful, all-knowing and everywhere present. You are the holy One. And though You didn’t need us for anything, You created human beings in Your likeness by giving us the choice to believe in and worship You.
And how could we not? For You are glorious, true, and wise. And You have revealed Yourself to us in Jesus, Your Son, who Himself is all-loving, compassionate, faithful, forgiving, good, gracious, kind and merciful.
And beyond all this, You have dispatched Your Holy Spirit to come near to us, to comfort us in our afflictions and our pain. We thank You, O Lord, that with You by our side, even when the chips are down, we can be more than conquerors through Christ who loves us. Great is the measure of Your love.
Hear us, our Heavenly Father, as we pray for our friends and loved ones who are in need of your grace.
We thank You O Lord, for prayers answered as well as unanswered prayers for they provide us with the opportunity to trust You more. And as He taught us to, we pray in the name of Jesus, amen.
SCRIPTURE
Tomorrow, November 1st, is All Saint’s Day on the church calendar. All Saints Day was designed and first celebrated in the 8th century to remember and honor those who had died believing in the Lord Jesus.
The imagery of the saints in heaven comes from the Book of Revelation, which refers to them 12 times; (Rev 8:4, 11:18, 13:7, 13:10, 14:12, 16:6, 17:6, 18:20, 18:24, 19:8, 20:6, 20:9) as in, 11:18 which says, “It is time to judge the dead and reward Your servants, the prophets, as well as Your saints, all who fear Your name from the least to the greatest.”
Reginald Heber used this imagery in the 2nd verse of his 1826 hymn, ‘Holy, Holy, Holy, all the Saints adore Thee.’
Christians so looked forward to celebrating All Saints Day, that about 100 years after the first All Saints Day, they decided to begin their celebration the evening before and created All Hallowe’ens; where ‘hallow’ means ‘holy,’ as in ‘hallowed by Thy name,’ and ‘ene,’ of course is the old English word for ‘eve.’
So, before there was ever a ‘Halloween’ as we know it, with its costumes and candies, spooks and goblins; there was All Hallowe’ens.
All Saints Day not only has its roots in the Book of Revelation, but also in Paul’s letters, where in 6 of his 9 letters to various churches, Paul addresses his recipients as, ‘saints.’ But wait a minute, how can those people be saints if they are still alive, and All Saints’ Day was created to honor those who had died? We’ll see if we can clear this up after I read the scriptures for today.
I chose Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians because it is one of those six in which the apostle uses the word, ‘saints’ as he both opens and closes the letter.
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God, and Timothy our brother, unto the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints that are in the whole of Achaia: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
II Corinthians 1:1-2
Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfected; be comforted; be of the same mind; live in peace: and the God of love and peace shall be with you. Salute one another with a holy kiss. All the saints salute you. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.
II Corinthians 13:11-14
And I am reading from Hebrews chapter 11, where, although the writer doesn’t employ the word ‘saints’ until his final greetings as did Paul in Corinthians, he certainly describes them.
How much more do I need to say? It would take too long to recount the stories of the faith of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and all the prophets. By faith these people overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what God had promised them. They shut the mouths of lions, quenched the flames of fire, and escaped death by the edge of the sword. Their weakness was turned to strength. They became strong in battle and put whole armies to flight. Women received their loved ones back again from death. But others were tortured, refusing to turn from God in order to be set free. They placed their hope in a better life after the resurrection. Some were jeered at, and their backs were cut open with whips. Others were chained in prisons. Some died by stoning, some were sawed in half, and others were killed with the sword. Some went about wearing skins of sheep and goats, destitute and oppressed and mistreated. They were too good for this world, wandering over deserts and mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground. All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised. For God had something better in mind for us, so that they would not reach perfection without us.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting Him, He endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now He is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.
Hebrews 11:32-12:2
MESSAGE
For All the Saints
Randy K’Meyer
Dwight Moody, that great evangelist of the last century, was passing through Cleveland on his way to a meeting in NYC. One of Moody’s old friends was pastor of a church in Cleveland, and asked Moody if he would stop over on his way and preach in his church. After Moody arrived in town, this pastor warned his friend that many in his congregation were in the habit of walking out on the hour, regardless of whether the sermon was finished or not. But Moody told him to not worry, he was sure that he would be able to hold them till the end.
On Sunday, Moody stood in the pulpit and began with these thoughtful words:
“The first half of this sermon is directed to the sinners in this congregation and the last half to the saints.”
You don’t have to worry about that today, as this entire message is directed to the . . . saints.
How many of you think of yourself as a saint? Most of us would admit we have a long way to go before we ever get our halo. None of us would dare place ourselves in the same category as Saint Augustine, or Saint Mother Teresa or Saint John Paul. And when we understand that the word translated ‘saints’ means ‘holy ones,’ we are even more reticent to consider ourselves saintly.
However; a saint is anyone who has participated in the great transaction; where by faith, we exchange our sinfulness for Christ’s righteousness. Holy ones, saints, are not holy due to their own goodness, but rather, due to the holiness of Christ. I chose today’s music to emphasize both the holiness of God and His grace, that is ‘greater than all our sin.’
Perhaps Paul says it best in II Corinthians 5:21: “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
So anyone who is a Christian can rightly claim the moniker, ‘saint.’
A pastor who had recently moved to a new church was giving his little boy a tour of the building on a bright, sunny day. The sun was shining through the numerous stained glass windows. The father said to his little boy, “Those windows show pictures of the saints. Do you know who the saints are?”
The little boy, looked up at the beautiful windows, and said, “Yes dad, the saints are the ones who the sun shines through.”
He was right you know; saints are the ones who the Son shines through. I’m talking about you and me. Sounds pretty good, doesn’t it? Saint Randy? No, Saint Randolph.
Saints; therefore, encompasses both the living and the dead.
The church for centuries has divided the saints between the saints triumphant, those who inhabit heaven; and the saints militant, who still live on earth. The church triumphant, we get it, they are safe forever in heaven.
But why militant? Because the church is still in this struggle, this fight against sin and the devil. Paul writes, “For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12).
What is the relationship between the church triumphant and the church militant?” Those of us still engaged in the battle, fighting for the Lord and His Kingdom are to be encouraged by the saints triumphant who battled valiantly before receiving their heavenly reward.
That’s why in 1864, Anglican Bishop, William How, penned, For All the Saints. It originally had eleven verses. Of the six that we will sing today, the first and the last speak of the saints triumphant who are with the Lord, while the other four speak of us, the saints militant, doing battle on the Lord’s behalf here on earth. The song was written to honor them, and to inspire us to follow them.
This is why Paul closes his second letter to the Corinthians with, “All the saints salute you!” Wow! From every century and from the furthest reaches of planet earth, and from the mysterious regions beyond the grave, “All the Saints salute you!”
It was meant to inspire them to remain steadfast, true and bold to the cause.
In his book, Run with the Horses, Eugene Peterson, author of The Message, writes,
For a long time all Christians called each other ‘saints.’ They were all saints regardless of how well or badly they lived, of how experienced or inexperienced they were. The word saint did not refer to the quality or virtue of their acts, but to the kind of life to which they had been chosen, life on a battlefield. 1
By faith these people overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what God had promised them. They shut the mouths of lions, quenched the flames of fire, and escaped death by the edge of the sword. Their weakness was turned to strength. They became strong in battle and put whole armies to flight. But others were tortured, refusing to turn from God in order to be set free. They placed their hope in a better life after the resurrection.
Hebrews 11:33-35
Now it is probably true that the saints we will salute in a few moments did not have to endure the hardships that those Hebrew Christians did.
But I can tell you this about them.
Many of them were part of what sociologists call ‘The Greatest Generation,’ and grew up either experiencing firsthand, or at least hearing about how our country pulled together and persevered to win the fight against the forces of evil in WWII. They knew what it was to sacrifice for a just cause. And that kind of resolve easily translated to the cause of Christ.
That’s why they were dedicated, devoted, faithful, loyal, reliable, steadfast, in many cases, you could say that they were sold out to the cause of Christ. They were very committed to coming to worship every Sunday; there was no question about it. They made sacrifices on behalf of CrossPointe because they believed in our cause of sharing God’s grace. So they gave their time, their energy, and their money to our cause. And they prayed and they prayed and they prayed that God’s will would be done on earth as it is in heaven. They kept faith, and worked toward the day when their faith would be sight. And their efforts, to a large degree, have made CrossPointe what it is today.
We must not only remember them, we must emulate them. For we too are in the midst of a great battle. We may not always be aware of it; but the battle rages nonetheless. It’s a spiritual battle for the very souls of humankind. And the church is at the forefront of the battle. As goes the church militant, so goes the battle. As go the saints at CrossPointe, so goes the battle for peoples’ souls in Chippewa Lake.
So let us emulate the saints who have gone before us as they continue to demonstrate “from afar” how to run with perseverance the race that is set before us by looking to Jesus, the Pioneer and the Perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). They have received their heavenly reward. And they have heard those precious words that we all long to someday hear: “Well done though good and faithful servants” (Matthew 25:21).
There was a Catholic Archbishop named Romero. It was his practice on “All Saint’s Day” to read the names of those persons who had been called from this world to the Church Triumphant. And as the names of those now departed saints would be lifted up, one after the other, the congregation would respond to each name by boldly proclaiming ‘Present!’
What a bold proclamation of faith that was, as that congregation took to heart those precious words of Hebrews 12:1, “Since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses.”
I will read their names followed by the date on which they went to be with the Lord. And after I give the date, if you would like to boldly proclaim, “Present,” please feel free.
Betty Gunkelman (9/9/05),
Esther Hutton (8/8/07),
Mona Lemmon (12/3/07),
Dan Cantlin (3/7/08),
Richard Wilson (8/4/08),
Shelley Jones (7/5/10),
Ralph Gunkelman (1/7/11),
Janis Thomas (1/17/11),
Jackie Wills (7/6/11),
Tom Schuster 10/21/11,
Sara Webb (12/29/11),
Bob Reed (10/2/12),
Jim Wilson (3/23/13),
Laverne Newmoyer (3/13),
Marty McMahon (6/8/13),
Kevin O’Shea (5/16/14),
Marty Dolan (6/12/14),
Bob Taylor (4/28/15),
Ken Jones (7/23/17),
Frank Riser (8/6/17),
Sharon Petruna (10/17/17),
Marie Kehoe (3/13/18),
Mike Stuver (5/29/18),
Jennie Berniece Robbins (10/11/18),
Jacob Hannahs (5/23/20),
Barb Ashworth (8/21/20),
Chrissy Nelson (4/22/21),
Sue Winter (7/12/21),
Gary Mennell (9/6/21).
And so, we give thanks to God for the lives and deaths and memories of those who at one time participated in the body of Christ known as CrossPointe Community Church.
Although they have preceded us in death, they still live in our hearts, inspiring us to join them in, “fighting the good fight, finishing the course, keeping the faith and receiving the crown of righteousness given to all who love His appearing” (II Timothy 4:7-8).
And so, in their honor, we will fight on, ‘faithful, true, bold.’
As these saints salute us, so we salute them!
CLOSING PRAYER
[I encourage you to pray as you feel led by the Spirit of God].
CLOSING SONG
For All the Saints
How, William Walsham
For all the saints … who from their labors rest,
Who Thee … by faith before the world confessed,
Thy name, O Jesus, be forever blessed
Alleluia, Alleluia!Thou wast their rock, their fortress and their might;
Thou, Lord, their captain, in the well fought fight.
Thou, in the dark … ness drear, their one true Light.
Alleluia, Alleluia!O may Thy sol…diers, 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!O blest commun…ion, fellowship divine!
We feebly strug…gle, they in glory shine;
Yet all are one in Thee for all are Thine.
Alleluia, Alleluia!And when the strife … is fierce, the warfare long
Steals on the ear the distant triumph song
And hearts are brave again, and arms are strong
Alleluia, Alleluia!From earth’s wide bounds, from ocean’s farthest coast,
©Public Domain
Through ga…tes of pearl stream in the countless hosts
Singing to Fa…ther, Son and Holy Ghost:
Alleluia, Alleluia
CCLI License No. 1843349
BENEDICTION
May Christ dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Ephesians 3:17-19
1 Eugene H. Peterson, Run with the Horses, ©2009, 2019 Used by permission of InterVarsity Press, P.O. Box 1400, Downers Grove, IL 60515-426. www.ivpress.com
https://thepastorsworkshop.com/sermon-illustrations-on-saints/