"WHEN THE SAINTS GO MARCHING IN"

INTRODUCTION The title of today's sermon is taken from that familiar song:

"0 when the saints go marching in, 0 when the saints go marching in, 0 Lord, I want to be in that number, When the saints go marching in!"

Today, the Saints have their day. Since the 8th century Christians have called the first day of November All Saints' Day. For something like 1,130 years Christians have paused on this day to pay tribute to the men and women across the centuries who have loved Christ and tried to walk in His way. Several years ago, after preaching a meditation on All Saints' Day, a member of the church sent me this little card entitled, 11Why Were the Saints, Saints?". I like what it says; let me share it with you:

"Why were the saints, saints? Because they were cheerful when it was difficult to be cheerful; patient when it was difficult to be patient; and because they pushed on when they wanted to keep still, and kept silent when they wanted to talk, and were agreeable when they wanted to be disagreeable. That was all. It was quite simple, and always will be".

I wonder how many of us would be able to qualify.

Several weeks ago right in the middle of the sermon, a handsome young man came in here, walked down the side aisle, took a seat down here near the front. Several minutes later, he got up and walked out. Hair down to his shoulders, an American flag on his forehead, in casual, hippie dress, he said to the usher who greeted him as he came in, "Don't you think that Martin Luther King is a Saint?" And as he departed, he said to another usher, referring to the man in the pulpit, "He reminds me of Fulton Sheen". Now, I go with him on the first count, and I appreciate his gracious remark on the second. Certainly, Martin Luther King was an "honor student" of the faith, a man who ranked high in these mattersoof the Christian life and faith. In a sense, the saints were the "A" students, the honor students of the Faith.

DEVELOPMENT On this particular day we are reminded of a fellowship which was chartered back there at Caesarea Phillipi when our Lord established

a communion of people - "set apart for God's use" - against which even death could not triumph. This is the day when we celebrate the prevailing fellowship •••• the communion of the saints.

As we do this, it is well for us to remember, in the first place, that it is Christ himself who is at its heart. It is not Peter or any of the other disciples. It is the Master himself. The dynamic of the church is not found in its tradition, its Sacraments, its clergy, its bishops, its Pope. It is Jesus Christ - Lord, Master and Saviour.

We need to reminded that it is out of loyalty to Him that men down the years have given their lives and spilled their blood for others. It is because of Him that men and women -you and I -have gathered to proclaim our hopes and sing our gratitude. It is the power of Christ which has enabled countless numbers to live in courage and to die in trust. It is because of Him that men have joined the struggle for justice; that others have gone from riches to rags; that still others have delivered their talents in jungle huts and back city streets.

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Our gatherings, our liturgies, our doctrines, our ways of doing His things are not permanent. They are perishable. They are not the treasure, but the vessel, and we may become idolators in our confusion. Our faith lies not in the word we have used to describe God, or in the ways he have tried to make Him known to men - our faith is in the Word - Christ himself, whose liffe proclaimed to us that, in a world where force holds sway, self-giving love has the final say.

FINAL WORD Our table is set this morning with bread and wine - perishables, but reminders of Him. The action of this Sacrament - the breaking

and the pouring, the eating and the drinking are momentary, but they point to.<ayway of lifeij which in faith we believe to be eternal.

As we celebrate our common life together in these moments, we proclaim that ours is a fellowship spanning generations - a fellowship against which the gates of death cannot prevail. The great men and women of the faith have gone on to the world beyond this. You and I are surrounded by these witnesses tho have lived in obedience to the will of God, regardless of the cost. Their influence is still felt today and they are saying to us something like this:

"Refuse to accept defeat. It can be done. We have done it. You can do it, too. Keep your eyes on Him. Keep close to Christ. This is what we did".

I would close with that beautiful prayer, written centuries ago by Francis - St. Francis of Assisi:

LET US PRAY

Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy.

0 Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love; for it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

In the spirit of Christ, we pray.

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He is.· the ·One around whom we date our calendar - the One against whom non­Christians measure us! Because men have loved Jesus, they have hoped against hope; sung when they should have wept; toppled tyrannies; loved the unloveable; proclaimed their faith when it seemed all around them there was no God. The church prevails for Christ's sake and no other reason!

FAITH IN HIM SUSTAINS THAT FELLOWSHIP We came into the service singing:

"For all the saints, who from their labors rest, Who thee by faith before the world confessed, Thy Name, 0 Jesus, be forever blest".

And we shall depart from here singing:

"The church's one foundation is Jesus Christ, Her Lord".

But one of the temptations on the part of Christians is to forget that our faith in him sustains our fellowship. Frequently we are tempted to put our trust in less durable goods. As the New Testament indicates, we have this treasure of Christ's Gospel mediated through earthen vessels. However, at times we are guilty of mis­taking the vessel for the treasure, the perishable for the permanent.

Take the parish church, for example. It is a gathering of people which took its present shape in the Middle ages when people lived in the same place where they worked; where food was grown in the back yard; where a son learned his trade by his father's knee. The home was the prime s0cial, educational and economic unit of medieval culture and the church and its steeple were placed right at the heart of that culture.

But times have changed and the medieval culture is no longer with us. We are mobile people - born in one place, live in another, go to school in another, have a trade or profession which belonged to neither of our parents. And probably most of the time we spend at home is spent in bed. The parish church which had its genesis in medieval culture is feeling the strains of this. And as remarkable an institution as it has been, many are finding it ill-equipped to match the needs and the changing perceptions and patteras of the 20th century.

The parish church, I assure you, is a time honored vessel which has carried the treasure of Christ for centuries, and I remain firm in my commitment to it, for I feel it continues, in spite of its inadequacies, to render a significant service in the name of Christ to many persons. But you and I know that for some people the parish church has worn out, that it has become something of a "leaky vessel", that in some situations it may be tragically void of meaning and empty of people. Because of the inadequacy of the vessel, many have written off Christ himself. However, Christ's promise is that his healing and reconciling ministry to mankind will find other vessels through which to work His ways with us. Our parish churches are but vessels, and like all human vessels they can perish for lack of concern and support on the part of people.

Perhaps we feel this more severely in the city where the tide flowing against us is strong. Business is bad in some churches, and it may get even tougher for us to survive. It seems that a man who hadn't been to church for some time decided one Sunday morning to go to church. He felt right with the world, right with the Lord, and wanted to go sing the hymns, say the prayers, hear the Word. He called up a church and asked to speak to the minister. 11 ill;_want to come to church." he said. "What time is the service?" To which the minister replied, "Why whenever you get here, we'll hold the service1"

SACRAMENT OF BAPTISN

The infants being baptized today are David John Boland, son of Hr. and l'Irs. John Boland; Druce Mark Vertes and Vivian Ingrid Vertes, child­ren of Hr. and Hrs. Aristide Vertes.

NEH NE!'IBERS TO JOIN

New members will be received into the fellm.rship of this church next Sunday morning, November 21. Persons who are interested in learning about the steps that lead to member­ship are invited to attend "Conversations in Hembershiprr scheduled for tonight at 7-:30 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall.

THE CHRISTHA.S FAIR AND DINNER

Tickets to the Christmas Fair and Dinner of our church are now on sale. This event is scheduled for Friday, December 3, and Saturday, December 4. Plan to get your ticket early in order not to miss out on this event in the life of our church. Contributions to the various tables are now being received--white elephant table, handii-mrk table, and food table.

METHODIST CHURCH HO~ffi

Tickets to the Fair and Dinner of the Methodist Church Home are also available. This event will be held this coming Thursday and Fri­day, November 18 and 19. Call the church office if you would like a ticket.

STUDY GROUP

The fourth and final discussion session dealing with the book THE SECULJLB. CITY will be held this o n .f' 1

PARK AVENUE METHODIST CHURCH

106 East 86th Street

New York, N.Y. 10028

AT 9·6997

CHURCH DIRECTORY

Rev. Philip A. C. Clarke ... ... ...... ..... ... .... .. ..... ....... Minister Dr. H arold C. Metzner ........ Associate Minister, Emeritus Mr. George P. Ridout .... ........ ...... ....... ... Student Assistant Mr. Peter H. Hobbs ..... ...... ... .. ..... ... .... ... . Student Assistant Mr. Mark A. Else ........................................ Choir Director Mr. J. Earl Weatherford .. .. ... ........................... .... Organist Mrs. George Leech .... ...... .. ... .... ......... Day School Director Miss Linda Jean Jones ............ .. ............ .. Church Secretary Miss Ruth C. Stadler.. .... .. ........ .... ........ Financial Secretary Miss Vivian M. Taylor ........ .. ............ .. .... ...... .. .... Treasurer Mrs. Christopher Greenough ............ .. .... .. Church Hostess Mr. Julius Deal... ......... ....... ............... ...... .... ... ..... Custodian

GENERAL OFFICERS

Lay Member, Annual Conference .. .. Mr. Paul R. Russell Lay Leader, The Church .. .. ............... .. ... Mr. Mark A. Else President, Board of Trustees .. .......... Mr. Paul R. Russell President, Woman's Society .... Mrs. James D. McDonald Head Usher .. ... .. .. .... .. .. ...... ... ........ .. Mr. Robert A. Raeburn Education Commission Chairman .. Miss Donna Ferguson Finance Commission Vice-Chairman .. Mr. Robert Johnson Membership Commissio~ Chairman .. ... ..... (To be filled) Missions Commissions Chairman ................ (To be filled) Social Concerns Commission Chr .. ..... Miss Nancy Curtis

INFORMATION FOR THE MINISTER

Name---------------------------------------

Address'------ -------------(Please check reason for giving name)

0 Desire minister to call 0 Change of address

0 Desire to join church O Sickness

PARK AVENUE

METHODIST CHURCH

TWENTY-SECOND SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY November 14, 1965 ~

7~ g ORDER OF WORSHIP

11 a.m.

ORGAN 11 Pastorak" F. de la Tombelle CALL TO 1NORSHIP HYHN NO. 37 "At Thy feet, our God and Father" PRAYER OF CONFESSION (Seated)

Most merciful Father, we have done little to forward thy kingdom in this world, to foster the brotherhood of man, and to establish love as the law of life. We have allowed self to blind us, pains to embitter us. Pardon our shortcomings; forgive our neglect; give us a pure heart intent on pleasing Thee. Help us in all our seeking to seek first thy kingdom and thy righteousness. And make us to come, as came Thy Son, not to be ministered unto, but to minister. We ask this in the spirit of Jesus Christ. Amen.

SILENT MEDITATION - WORDS OF ASSURANCE - LORD'S PRAYER

SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM

ANTHEM 11We Praise Thee" Gretchaninoff-Cain SCRIPTURE Isaiah 40: 28 - 31 VERSICLES AND RESPONSES PASTORAL PRAYER ANNOUNCEHENTS OF CONGREGATIONAL CONCERN STATEMENT CONCERNING THE 1966 BUDGET OFFERTORY SOLO "Every Valley"

Choral Amen

Mr. Johnson Handel

(John White, Tenor) PRESENTATION OF THE OFFERING WITH THE DOXOLOGY HYMN NO. 462 "From Thee all skill and science flow" SERMON "When the Power Fails" Mr. Clarke HYMN NO. 282 "Soldiers of Christ, ar;i..se 11

BENEDICTION ORGAN "Toccata"

~HH~ Interval for ushering

Choral Amen T. T. Noble

AN INVITATION

Coffee and tea will be served in Fellowship Hall after the service. Hostesses today are t1iss Curtis, · Firs. Davis, Niss Grether, :tvliss Carter, Miss Parks, and Mrs. Stubbs.

USHERS

The ushers for today' s service are t1r. Raeburn, Mr. Bush, Mr. Drake, Dr. Hull, Mr. Insley, Mr. Siddle, Mr. Thompson, Mr. Weber, and Mr. ~velsh.

ALTAR FLO\rJERS

The altar flowers are the gift of Hiss Harriet Robinson, given in loving memory of her mother, Harriet A. Robinson.

CHURCH SCHOOL SESSIONS

Classes for children and young people from the fourth grade up meet on Sunday morning at 9 :1+5 a.m. Sessions for pre-school through third grade meet from ll a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on the third and fourth floors. A class for young adults me ets on the third floor from 9:45 to 10:30 a.m.

YOUNG ADULT FELLOWSHIP

The Young Adults will meet in the fourth floor lounge at 7 p.m. this evening. All yo~g adults are invited to come and Share in a discussion.

NEXT SUNDAY

Next Sunday is Thanksgiving Sunday. Again this year, we celebrate Thanksgiving as "Dedication Sunday." What better time to dedicate ·our gifts to the church for the coming year than on this Sunday when we remember the past year's blessings. A special Thanksgiving offering will be r ocoivcd as a part of the service.