All Hallows Vespers for Saturday Evening (June 27, 2020)
Open this link in a new tab to hear Stephanie Immordino's instrumental arrangement of “Come Thou Fount” for violin and piano.
The Blessing of the
Light
A lamp or candle may
be lit.
You, O Lord, are my lamp;
my God, you make my darkness bright.
The light and peace of Jesus Christ be with
you
and also with you.
This, or a seasonal
prayer of thanksgiving, is said
Blessed
are you, O Lord our God, ruler of the universe!
Your word brings on the dusk of evening, your wisdom creates both night
and day. You determine the cycles of
time, arrange the succession of seasons, and establish the stars in their
heavenly courses. Lord of the starry
hosts is your name. Living and eternal
God, rule over us always. Blessed be the
Lord, whose word makes evening fall.
Blessed
be your holy name forever.
1. O gracious Light,
pure brightness of the
everliving Father in heaven.
O Jesus, Christ, holy and blessed!
pure brightness of the
everliving Father in heaven.
O Jesus, Christ, holy and blessed!
2. Now as we come to the setting of the sun,
and our eyes behold the vesper light,
we sing thy praises, O God:
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
and our eyes behold the vesper light,
we sing thy praises, O God:
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
3. Thou art worthy at all times
to be praised by happy voices,
O Son of God, O Giver of life,
and to be glorified through all the worlds.
to be praised by happy voices,
O Son of God, O Giver of life,
and to be glorified through all the worlds.
Psalm 141 is sung and incense may be burned.
PSALM 141
O Lord, let my
prayer rise before you like incense,
my hands like an
evening offering.
1. Lord, I am
calling:
hasten to help me.
Listen to me as I
cry to you.
Let my prayer rise
before you like incense,
my hands like an
evening offering.
O Lord, let my
prayer rise before you like incense,
my hands like an
evening offering.
2. Lord, set a guard
at my mouth,
keep watch at the
gate of my lips.
Let my heart not
turn to things that are wrong,
to sharing the evil
deeds done by the sinful.
No, I will never
taste their delights.
O Lord, let my
prayer rise before you like incense,
my hands like an
evening offering.
3. The good may
reprove me,
in kindness chastise
me,
but the wicked shall
never anoint my head.
Ev’ry day I counter
their malice with prayer.
O Lord, let my
prayer rise before you like incense,
my hands like an
evening offering.
4 To you, Lord, my
God, my eyes are turned:
in you I take
refuge;
do not forsake me.
Keep me from the
traps they have set for me,
from the snares of
those who do evil.
O Lord, let my
prayer rise before you like incense,
my hands like an
evening offering.
5 Praise to the
Father, praise to the Son,
all praise to the
life-giving Spirit.
As it was, is now
and shall always be
for ages unending. Amen.
O Lord, let my
prayer rise before you as incense,
my hands like an evening offering.
Silence is kept.
As our evening prayer rises before you, O
God,
so may your mercy come down upon us
to cleanse our hearts
and set us free to sing your praise
now and for ever.
Amen.
The
Word of God
Psalmody
This psalm or some other suitable psalm (click here) is
sung.
PSALM 121
I lift my eyes unto the hills,
the hills from where my help is come.
My help, it cometh from the Lord
Who made heaven,
heaven and earth.
I lift my eyes unto the hills,
the hills from where my help is come.
My help, it cometh from the Lord
Who made heaven,
heaven and earth.
He will not suffer thy foot to be moved,
Neither will He sleep.
The Lord is thy keeper,
The Lord is thy shade.
The sun shall not smite thee by day;
the moon shall not smite thee by night.
The Lord shall protect thee from ev’ry evil.
He shall preserve thy soul,
The Lord shall protect thee from ev’ry evil.
He shall preserve thy soul
for-ever, for-ever,
for-ever, for-ever,
for-ever
He will preserve thy soul.
I lift my eyes unto the hills,
the hills from where my help is come.
My help, it cometh from the Lord
My help, it cometh from the Lord
My help, it cometh from the Lord
Who made heaven,
heaven and earth.
Amen, Amen.
Silence is kept.
Lord,
ever watchful and faithful,
we
look to you to be our defence
and
we lift our hearts to know your help;
through
Jesus Christ our Lord.
The Gloria in Excelsis (Glory to God) is sung.
GLORIA IN EXCELSIS
Glory to God in the highest,
Glory to God in the highest
and on earth peace to people of
good
will.
We praise you,
we bless you,
we adore you,
we glorify you,
we give you thanks for your great glory,
Lord God, heavenly King,
O God, almighty Father.
we bless you,
we adore you,
we glorify you,
we give you thanks for your great glory,
Lord God, heavenly King,
O God, almighty Father.
Glory to God in the highest,
Glory to God in the highest
and on earth peace to people of
good
will.
Lord Jesus Christ, Only Begotten Son,
Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the
Father,
you take away the sins of the world,
have mercy on us;
you take away the sins of the world,
receive our prayer;
you are seated at the right hand of
the Father, have mercy on us.
Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the
Father,
you take away the sins of the world,
have mercy on us;
you take away the sins of the world,
receive our prayer;
you are seated at the right hand of
the Father, have mercy on us.
Glory to God in the highest,
Glory to God in the highest
and on earth peace to people of
good
will.
For you
alone are the Holy One,
you alone are the Lord,
you alone are the Most High,
Jesus Christ,
with the Holy Spirit,
in the glory of God the Father. Amen.
you alone are the Lord,
you alone are the Most High,
Jesus Christ,
with the Holy Spirit,
in the glory of God the Father. Amen.
Glory to God in the highest,
(Amen)
Glory to God in the highest
(Amen)
and on earth peace to people of
good
will.
(Amen)
Scripture Reading
A Reading from the Gospel According to Luke
Now all the tax-collectors and sinners were coming near to
listen to him. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and
saying, ‘This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.’
So he told them this parable: ‘Which one of you,
having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine
in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? When
he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. And when he
comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbours, saying to them,
“Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.” Just so,
I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than
over ninety-nine righteous people who need no repentance.
‘Or what woman having ten silver coins, if she loses one of
them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she
finds it? When she has found it, she calls together her friends and
neighbours, saying, “Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had
lost.” Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of
God over one sinner who repents.’
Silence is kept.
This
is the Word of the Lord.
Thanks
be to God.
The Lord is my light, my help, my salvation.
Why should I fear? With God I fear no one.
God protects me all my life.
With the Lord what should I dread?
Why should I fear? With God I fear no one.
God protects me all my life.
With the Lord what should I dread?
The Lord is my light, the Lord is my help,
The Lord is my salvation.
The Lord is my salvation.
There is one thing I ask, of the Lord that I
long for:
All of my days with God to be dwelling.
Gazing with awe at the beauty of God,
And in wonder look on God's house.
All of my days with God to be dwelling.
Gazing with awe at the beauty of God,
And in wonder look on God's house.
The Lord is my light, the Lord is my help,
The Lord is my salvation.
The Lord is my salvation.
I know I will live to see the Lord's goodness;
Now, in this life, I'm sure I will see it.
Trust in the Lord, be strong and be brave;
Wait in hope for God, our salvation.
Now, in this life, I'm sure I will see it.
Trust in the Lord, be strong and be brave;
Wait in hope for God, our salvation.
The Lord is my light,
the Lord is my help,
The Lord is my salvation.
The Lord is my salvation.
Heaven’s
Joy
The people of the Mid-East set great store in hospitality. For
the Jews of the time of Jesus’ earthly ministry as for the people of the
Mid-East in our time eating with someone, meant that you accepted them. The act
of breaking bread together conveyed the message that you were friends. To
refuse someone’s hospitality was to refuse their friendship.
It blew the minds of the Pharisees and the scribes that
Jesus ate with tax-collectors and sinners. To the Pharisees and the scribes,
they were not just scum—the lowest of the low, being even in their shadow might
pollute you, make unclean where you could not carry out your religious duties
as a devote Jew. You would have to go through the rites of purification before
you could resume these duties. It was as bad as touching a dead body—even worse.
In their minds a truly religious person would not do it!
Yet here was Jesus not only talking to tax collector and sinners but eating
with them. He was accepting their hospitality and going to their homes.
Now the Pharisees and scribes recognized that something was
different about Jesus. Otherwise, they would have written him off as another
sinner. They would not have found anything unusual in a sinner hanging out with
other sinners.
Jesus heard them grumbling and complaining about how he
welcomed and eat with tax-collectors and sinners. He knew what was going
through their minds. He told them three parables. In today’s reading we get to
hear only two of them.
The first parable is about a shepherd who has a flock of
100 sheep, discovers that one sheep is missing, and goes in search of the
missing sheep until he finds it. When he returns home, he calls his friends and
neighbours together and celebrates his recovery of the missing sheep with them.
You will sometimes hear preachers go on and on about the 99
sheep the shepherd left behind him in the wilderness. But it is not an uncommon
practice for the people of the Mid-East to graze their sheep in the less arable
land, leaving the more arable land for the planting of crops. If they must
leave their flock to search for a missing sheep, they will construct a simple fold
of thorn brush, lead the sheep into the fold, and close the entrance with thorn
brush. Sheep do wander away from the flock. They are not very bright creatures
and they do get themselves into all kinds of fixes.
In this parable Jesus is appealing to what his listeners
would have considered the behavior of a righteous man. In his teaching Jesus
often alludes to Proverbs 12:10, “The righteous know the needs of their animals, but the mercy of the
wicked is cruel.” We miss the allusions but his listeners would have
recognized them. The actions of the shepherd in going in search of his missing
sheep was the actions of a righteous man. By inference Jesus’ actions in
welcoming and eating with sinners are the actions of a righteous God. If they would call their friends and neighbours together to celebrate the recovery of one sheep,
would not heaven—God and his angels—celebrate the recovery of one of his flock.
Jesus
reinforces the first parable with a second one. In the second parable a woman
loses one of her 10 silver coins. The missing coin was a drachma, the equivalent
of a day’s wages. The 10 coins were likely the woman’s dowry. The houses in the
ancient Mid-East had few if any windows and they were quite dark even in
daytime. The lamp that she lit would fit on the palm of your hand and does not
cast much light. So she would likely put a great deal of effort into finding
the coin. Jesus’ listeners would not have thought that it was unusual for her to
celebrate finding her lost coin with her friends and neighbors any more than
they would have thought that the shepherd celebrating finding his lost sheep
with his friends and neighbours was unusual. These were common occurrences in
their lives.
Jesus’s point
was that if was not unusual for the shepherd and the woman to go to great
effort to find what they had lost, why was it unusual for a servant of God, and
by implication, God himself, to go to such effort, even to go as far welcoming
and eating with tax collectors and sinners.
When Jesus
talks about heaven celebrating the repentance of a sinner, he is likely
alluding to Ezekiel 18:23, “Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked,
says the Lord God, and not rather that they should turn from their ways and
live?” His listeners would have recognized the allusion. If God does not
take any pleasure in the death of the wicked, it logically follows that he
would delight in their repentance. As Jesus points to his listeners’ attention,
his delight would be greater than theirs over finding a missing sheep or a
missing coin. Just as a sheep or a coin is valuable to them, sinners are
valuable to God. Even more so.
Preachers like to speculate
who were the “sinners” whom Jesus welcomed and with whom he ate. It is
sometimes suggested that they were prostitutes and petty criminals. They were
likely individuals—men and women—who did not observe all the requirements of
the Law and therefore were considered ritually unclean. While they may have
included prostitutes and petty criminals, those whom the Jews of the time
regarded as “sinners” was a very broad category. Gentiles, like ourselves,
would have been considered “sinners.”
What then are the implications
of this reading for us? A disciple is someone who follows the teaching and the
example of the one whom he or she calls teacher or master. The term “master”
has fallen out of favor here in the West due to its associations with slavery
in some people’s minds However, when
used in the conjunction with the word, “disciple,” it refers to someone who is
revered as a religious leader. Jesus was called both teacher and master.
If we are truly Jesus’
disciples, we cannot shun “sinners” like the Pharisees and scribes did. We also
cannot ignore Jesus’ purpose for welcoming “sinners” and eating with them. He
was not simply demonstrating God’s acceptance of them. His purpose in welcoming
them and eating with them was to bring about their repentance.
Repentance is turning away
from whatever may be alienating us from God and turning to God. Those of us who
have experienced God’s grace have an obligation and duty to help others to come
to experience God’s grace. God works in each of us to will and do what is
pleasing him. But he also works through us to lead others into a
life-transforming relationship with him. As Jesus tells us in the two parables
that we heard today, heaven rejoices every time someone who has become
alienated from God turns from their ways and lives.
Gospel Canticle
The Magnificat (The
Song of Mary) is sung. It is customary to make the sign of the cross at the
beginning of the Magnificat.
MAGNIFICAT
My soul gives glory to
my God.
My heart pours out its
praise.
God lifted up my
lowliness
in many marvelous ways.
My God has done great
things for me:
yes, holy is the name.
All people will declare
me blessed,
and blessings they shall
claim.
From age to age, to all
who fear,
such mercy love imparts,
dispensing justice far
and near,
dismissing selfish
hearts.
Love cases the mighty
from their thrones,
promotes the insecure, l
eaves hungry spirits
satisfied,
the rich seem suddenly
poor.
Praise God, who loving covenant
supports those in
distress,
remembering past
promises
with present
faithfulness.
Prayers
Thanksgivings may be said for the day.
Intercessions are offered.
That this evening may be holy, good and
peaceful:
we entreat you, O Lord.
That your holy angels may lead us in the
paths of peace and goodwill:
we
entreat you, O Lord.
That we may be pardoned and forgiven for our
sins and offences:
we
entreat you, O Lord.
That there may be peace in your Church and
for the whole world:
we
entreat you, O Lord.
That we may be bound together by your Holy
Spirit,
in communion with the ever-blessed Virgin
Mary and with all your saints,
entrusting one another and all our life to
Christ:
we entreat you, O Lord.
Let us commend ourselves, and all for whom we
pray,
to the mercy and protection of God.
Open prayer may be
offered and silence is kept.
The following is
said.
Lighten our darkness,
Lord, we pray,
and in your great mercy
defend us from all perils and dangers of this
night,
for the love of your only Son,
our Saviour Jesus Christ.
Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer is said
Gathering
our prayers and praises into one,
Let us
pray with confidence as our Saviour has taught us
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,
the power, and the glory
for ever and ever.
Amen.
The Conclusion
The service ends
with one of the following, or another blessing or ending.
The Blessing
The
Peace of the Earth
The
peace of the earth be with you,
the
peace of the heavens too;
the
peace of the rivers be with you,
the
peace of the oceans too.
Deep
peace falling over you.
God’s
peace growing in you.
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