All Hallows Vespers for Sunday Evening (June 28, 2020)
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.
Blessed are you, Sovereign God,
our light and
our salvation,
eternal
creator of day and night,
to you be
glory and praise for ever.
Now, as
darkness is falling,
hear the
prayer of your faithful people.
As we look for
your coming in glory,
wash away our
transgressions,
cleanse us by
your refining fire
and make us
temples of your Holy Spirit.
By the light
of Christ,
dispel the
darkness of our hearts
and make us
ready to enter your kingdom,
where songs of
praise for ever sound.
Blessed be
God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Blessed be God for ever.
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.
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 is sung.
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 defense
and
we lift our hearts to know your help;
through
Jesus Christ our Lord.
The Dignus es (Song to the Lamb) or some other New Testament
canticle is sung.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Christopher Walker’s choral setting of “How Worthy Is the Lamb.”
How worthy is the Lamb,
who was slain,
to receive power
to receive power and divinity,
and wisdom and strength
and honour.
To him belong glory and power
for ever and ever,
glory and power
for ever. Amen.
For ever more.
Scripture Reading
A Reading from the First Letter of Peter
And all of you must clothe yourselves with humility in your
dealings with one another, for
‘God opposes the proud,
but gives grace to the humble.’
but gives grace to the humble.’
Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God,
so that he may exalt you in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him,
because he cares for you. Discipline yourselves; keep alert. Like a
roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to
devour. Resist him, steadfast in your faith, for you know that your
brothers and sisters throughout the world are undergoing the same kinds of
suffering. And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all
grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore,
support, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the power for ever and
ever. Amen.
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.
Cast Your Cares on God
“Cast all your anxiety on him, because he
cares for you.” Cast all your anxiety on God, because God cares for you. As I
read today’s epistle, this verse caught my eye. We are living in a
time of great anxiety, are we not?
A
pandemic is raging across our land. Florida and Texas report unprecedented
surges in COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths. Thirty-six more states
report increases in their number of cases, hospitalizations, and deaths,
increases that cannot be accounted for by increased testing.
Hundreds
of thousands of workers have been furloughed or laid off or otherwise are
unemployed. States and counties are struggling to revive their economies, only
to see COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths go up when they relax
restrictions on businesses. Families do not know how they are going to make ends
meet.
Yes,
we are living in a time of great anxiety.
Some
people are reacting to what is happening with anger and disbelief. They cannot
bring themselves to come to terms with what is going on. They grasp for straws—anything
that helps them avoid facing the painful reality that confront us all. Without
meaning to, they are adding to the anxiety of the time.
Others
are reacting with fear and dread to the uncertainty of the future. Having lost
their jobs, they struggle with a host of worries. If they become seriously ill
or die, who will take care of their children is a thought foremost in the minds
of many parents.
In
such a time as this one the devil who prowls around like a lion looking for
prey finds easy victims. He stirs up anger and disbelief, fear and dread. He
seeks to exploit the pandemic to cause as much suffering and death as he can. He
urges young people to ignore precautionary measures like social distancing and
face masks, to hold large gatherings, and to jeopardize the health and safety
of their older relatives and the older relatives of their friends. He
encourages displays of bravado that endanger the lives of others. He appeals to
our worst tendencies.
The
devil sows doubts in our minds. “Does God really care for you,” he asks us. “Can
you really trust God?”
As
well as warning us to be alert, to be vigilant, to not fall for the devil’s
snares, for the traps that he sets for us, Peter reminds us that God indeed cares
for us. He has not forgotten us. We should cast our cares on God.
Peter
knows from experience what it was like to be sifted by the devil. Three time he
denied his Lord. Even though he abandoned his Lord, Jesus did not abandon him.
Despite his repeated denial of his Lord Jesus forgave him. He did not turn his
back on Peter. He did not write him off. Rather he charged Peter to be a
shepherd to his sheep. “Feed my sheep,” he told him.
Peter
experienced for himself the grace of God. He experienced God’s steadfast loving
kindness. The Jesus Peter knew, the Jesus who loved him, the Jesus who did not
spurn him is the God whose grace he experienced. Jesus is the God whose steadfast
loving kindness Peter experienced.
Jesus
is the same God who extend to us his grace, his steadfast loving kindness. Remember
the devil was a liar from the very beginning. We should not listen to his lies.
We can trust God. We can put our full confidence in him. He will not forsake
us. We can cast our cares on him.
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.
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,
leaves 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
A hymn may be sung.
1 Lord of all hopefulness, Lord of all joy,
whose trust, ever childlike, no cares could destroy:
Be there at our waking, and give us, we pray,
your bliss in our hearts, Lord, at the break of the day.
whose trust, ever childlike, no cares could destroy:
Be there at our waking, and give us, we pray,
your bliss in our hearts, Lord, at the break of the day.
2 Lord of all eagerness, Lord of all faith,
whose strong hands were skilled at the plane and the lathe:
Be there at our labors, and give us, we pray,
your strength in our hearts, Lord, at the noon of the day.
whose strong hands were skilled at the plane and the lathe:
Be there at our labors, and give us, we pray,
your strength in our hearts, Lord, at the noon of the day.
3 Lord of all kindliness, Lord of all grace,
your hands swift to welcome, your arms to embrace:
Be there at our homing, and give us, we pray,
your love in our hearts, Lord, at the eve of the day.
your hands swift to welcome, your arms to embrace:
Be there at our homing, and give us, we pray,
your love in our hearts, Lord, at the eve of the day.
4 Lord of all gentleness, Lord of all calm,
whose voice is contentment, whose presence is balm:
Be there at our sleeping, and give us, we pray,
your peace in our hearts, Lord, at the end of the day.
whose voice is contentment, whose presence is balm:
Be there at our sleeping, and give us, we pray,
your peace in our hearts, Lord, at the end of the day.
The Lord bless us with every spiritual gift
as we wait for
our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed.
Amen.
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
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