Rev. Horton J. Scott,  Celebrant          

Frank Waiters Jr., Senior Warden,

Louise Meggett, Junior Warden

Forrest Drennen, Organist 

E-mail stbarnabas1.1@juno.com

  
October 30, Twenty-fourth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 26):

Psalm 43;
Micah 3:5-12; 1 Thessalonians 2:9-13,17-20; Matthew 23:1-12

You have but one Father in heaven and one master, the Christ. Mt 23:9b,10b

It’s the Twenty-fourth Sunday after Pentecost, the Fourth Sunday before Advent, This week the church celebrates All Hallows' Eve [popularly called "Hallowe'en" or "Halloween"] , the Festival of All Saints and All Souls day, a tridium (a three-day celebration) of commemorations of the dead dating back to pre-Christian eras. The BOS (Book of Occasional Services) provides a form for a service on All Hallows' Eve(Oct 31). This service begins with the Prayer for Light, and it includes two or more readings from scripture. The options for the readings include the Witch of Endor (1 Sm 28:3-25),the Vision of Eliphaz the Temanite (Jb 4:12-21), the Valley of Dry Bones (Ez 37;1-14), and the War in Heaven (Rv 12:[1-6]7-12). All Saints Day is one of the seven principal festivals of the church year instituted to honor all the saints, known and unknown, and, to supply any deficiencies in the faithful's celebration of saints' feasts during the year. All Saints day is celebrated on Nov. 1.The last day of this Christianized commemoration of the dead is known as All Soul’s Day, falling on November 2nd. On this day, the Church remembers all of the faithful departed who died peaceable deaths with the expectation of Christ’s promises of eternal life. Together this tridium celebrates the Communion of Saints - a fellowship of the Holy Spirit encompassing the living and the dead. The Prayer Book provides for All Saints’ Day to be celebrated on the Sunday after Nov. 1, therefore we will celebrate all saints on Nov. 6.

Let us pray for: peace in our world, all those affected by the destructive earthquake in Pakistan and India and devastating floods in Central America. The famine stricken African countries of Niger, Mali, Mauritania and Burkina Faso, the troubled lands of Africa (especially Liberia, Cote d’Ivoire [former : Ivory Coast ] and Sudan) and the people of Guyana. We also pray for Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold, Diocesan Bishop John Croneberger, his wife, and assistant Bishop Carol Gallagher. We remember in prayer Hazel Carter, Francis Coleman, Carolyn Goodwin, Eula Jefferson, Louise Meggett, Janice Nugent, Rudolph Perry, Tony Pina, Victoria Sawyer, Amanda Scott, Rev. Mildred J. Solomon, and Aquinda Toppins. Finally, we pray for all congregations in our diocese and for the safety of our troops.