Allen F. Tess
November 11, 1938
January 29, 2023
Allen F. Tess, MD passed away at Emory Johns Creek Hospital peacefully surrounded by his family. Allen (son of Melvin and Frances, brother of Ronald) lived most of his life in the St. Louis, MO area, attending Beaumont High School, Washington University, and St. Louis University School of Medicine. He spent his career as an ophthalmologist, predominantly at Christian Hospital Northwest in Florissant, MO, where he also served as Chief of Staff. After retirement, he moved to Alpharetta, GA, where he has lived for the past 20 years. He is survived by his wife of 61 years Mary Drews Tess; 3 children: Dan (spouse Tricia), Beth (spouse Steven), and Chris (spouse Anjala); and 6 grandchildren: Christopher, Andrew, Tess, David, Amiya, and Nadia. He is now reunited in heaven with his daughter Melanie. Allen loved spending time with his family and friends, traveling, fine dining, smoking his pipe, reading, playing bridge and Sequence, collecting stamps, playing tennis, and telling and hearing jokes (both good and bad ones). He was a steadfast fan of the St. Louis Cardinals, Steak ‘n Shake, and Pepsi.
PRELUDE GATHERING
Welcome in the name of Jesus the Savior, who died and was raised to new life by the grace of God. We are gathered here to worship, to remember before God our brother, Allen Tess, to give thanks for his life, to commend him to our merciful redeemer, and to comfort one another in our grief.
THANKSGIVING FOR BAPTISM
When we were baptized in Christ Jesus, we were baptized into his death. We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live a new life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.
ACCLAMATION
Eternal God, maker of heaven and earth, who formed us from the dust of the earth, who by your breath gave us life, we glorify you.| We glorify you.
Jesus Christ, the resurrection and the life, who suffered death for all humanity, who rose from the grave to open the way to eternal life, we praise you. | We praise you.
Holy Spirit, author and giver of life, the comforter of all who sorrow, our sure confidence and everlasting hope, we worship you. | We worship you.
To you, O blessed Trinity, be glory and honor, forever and ever. | Amen.
Standing
HYMN 856
How Great Thou Art
GREETING
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. | And also with you.
PRAYER OF THE DAY
O God of grace and glory, we remember before you today our brother, Allen. We thank you for giving him to us to know and to love as a companion in our pilgrimage on earth. In your boundless compassion, console us who mourn. Give us faith to see that death has been swallowed up in the victory of our Lord Jesus Christ, so that we may live in confidence and hope until, by your call, we are gathered to our heavenly home in the
company of all your saints; through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. | Amen.
Seated SCRIPTURE READINGS
2 Corinthians 4:16-18
Chris Tess, son
So we do not lose heart. Eventhough our outer natureis wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary afflictionis preparing usfor an eternal weight of glorybeyond all measure, because we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal.
ANTHEM O Shall I Raise My Eyes Arthur Honegger
The
Redeemer ChoirO shall I raise my eyes unto the mountains, from whence shall come my help? The Lord shall guide thy steps going and coming, from henceforth, evermore. He shall not suffer thy foot to be moved, for he is on high, watching and waiting. The Lord who is thy keeper neither slumbers nor sleeps.
Psalm 121
Revelation 21: 2-4
Beth Bigman, daughter
And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more;
mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away."
Standing
THE HOLY GOSPEL John 14:1-6
The Holy Gospel according to St. John the 14th chapter | Glory to you, O Lord.
Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare aplacefor you,I will come againandwill takeyoutomyself,sothat where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way to the place where I am going." Thomas said to him, "Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?" Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
The Gospel of the Lord. | Praise to You, O Christ.
Seated SERMON Pastor Jenny McLellan
Standing HYMN 785 When Peace Like a River
APOSTLES' CREED
God has made us his people through our Baptism into Christ. Living together in trust and hope, we confess our faith.
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
Kneeling or seated PRAYERS
Let us pray.
Almighty God, in holy baptism you have knit your chosen people together into one communion of saints in the body of Christ. Give to your whole church in heaven and on earth your light and your peace. God of mercy, | hear our prayer.
Grant that all who have been baptized into Christ’s death and resurrection may die to sin and rise to share the new life in Christ.
God of mercy, | hear our prayer.
Give courage and faith to all who mourn, and a sure and certain hope in your loving care, that, casting all their sorrow on you, they may have strength for the days ahead. God of mercy, | hear our prayer.
Grant to us who are still in our pilgrimage, and who walk as yet by faith, that, where this world groans in grief and pain, your Holy Spirit may lead us to bear witness to your light and life. God of mercy, | hear our prayer.
Help us, in the midst of things we cannot understand, to believe and trust in the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, and the resurrection to life everlasting. God of mercy, | hear our prayer.
God of all grace, we give you thanks becauseby his death our Savior Jesus Christ destroyed the power of death and by his resurrection he opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers. Make us certain that because he lives we shall live also, and that neither death nor life, nor things present nor things to come, will be able to separate us from your love in Christ Jesus our Lord, who lives and reigns with you andthe Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. | Amen.
Standing PEACE
The peace of Christ be with you always. | And also with you.
Please share a sign of blessing with your fellow worshipers in whatever way is comfortable for you.
ANTHEM Pie Jesu
Andrew Lloyd Webber
Tess Luman, Amiya Tess and Nadia Tess, granddaughters
The Redeemer Choir
Sung in Latin
Merciful Jesus, give them rest.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, give them everlasting rest.
from the Requiem mass
It is indeed right, our duty and our joy, that we should at all times and in all places give thanks and praise to you, almighty and merciful God, through our Savior Jesus Christ, who rose from the dead, and in whom our hope of resurrection dawns. The sting of death has been removed by the glorious promise of his risen life.
And so, with all the choirs of angels, with the church on earth and the hosts of heaven, we praise your name and join their unending hymn:
You are holy, O God of majesty, and holy is your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. He lived as one of us, and knew our joy, our pain and sorrow, and our death.
By his death on the cross you revealed that your love has no limit. By raising him from death you conquered the last enemy, crushed all evil powers and gave new life to the world.
In the night in which he was betrayed our Lord Jesus took bread, and gave thanks; broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying: Take and eat; this is my body given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me.
Again, after supper, he took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it for all to drink, saying: This cup is the new covenant in my blood, shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sin. Do this for the remembrance of me.
Remembering your gracious acts in Jesus Christ, we take from your creation this bread and wine and joyfully celebrate his death and resurrection, as we await the day of his coming.
Gracious God, pour out your Holy Spirit upon us, and upon these gifts of bread and wine, that the bread we break and the cup we bless may be the communion of the body and blood of Christ. By your Spirit unite us with the living Christ and with all who are baptized in his name.
Remember our brother Allen, whose baptism is now complete in death. Bring him into your eternal joy and light, together with all who have died in the peace of Christ; through whom, and with whom, and in whom, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours, almighty God, now and forever. Amen.
Gathered into one by the Holy Spirit, let us pray…
LORD’S PRAYER
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.
INVITATION TO COMMUNION
The risen Christ dwells with us here. All who are hungry, all who are thirsty, come.
Seated
HYMN DURING COMMUNION
HYMN 733 Great is Thy Faithfulness
Standing
POST COMMUNION PRAYER
The body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ strengthen you and keep you in his grace. | Amen
Let us pray. | Almighty God, we thank you that in your great love you have given us a foretaste of your heavenly banquet. Grant that this sacrament may be to us a comfort in affliction and a pledge of our inheritance of life eternal where there is no death, neither sorrow nor crying, but the fullness of joy with all your saints; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. | Amen.
COMMENDATION
Into your hands, O merciful Savior, we commend your servant, Allen Tess. Acknowledge, we humbly beseech you, a sheep of your own fold, a lamb of your own flock, a sinner of your own redeeming. Receive him into the arms of your mercy, into the blessed rest of everlasting peace, and into the glorious company of the saints in light. Amen.
HYMN 629 Abide with Me
BENEDICTION The Lord Bless You and Keep You Peter C. Lutkin The Redeemer Choir
DISMISSAL
Let us go forth in peace. | In the name of Christ. Amen.
Liturgy from Sundays and Seasons.com. Copyright 2013 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission under Augsburg Fortress Liturgies Annual License #21979.
Following the service please join the family for a light reception in the Sims Atrium.
The family invites you to leave comments and memories at the following link: https://www.forevermissed.com/allen-tess/
Officiants: The Rev. Jenny McLellan, The Rev. Mark H. Larson
Organist: Kira Garvie