All Hallows Evening Prayer for Saturday Evening (July 18, 2020)
Evening Prayer
The Service of Light
Jesus Christ is the light of the world.
A light no darkness can extinguish.
Joyous light of
glory of the immortal Father,
Heavenly, holy, blessed Jesus Christ,
We have come to the setting of the Sun
And we look to the evening light.
We sing to God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
You are worthy of being praised with pure voices forever.
O Son of God, O Giver of life,
The universe proclaims your glory.
Heavenly, holy, blessed Jesus Christ,
We have come to the setting of the Sun
And we look to the evening light.
We sing to God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
You are worthy of being praised with pure voices forever.
O Son of God, O Giver of life,
The universe proclaims your glory.
Thanksgiving
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
We praise 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 the 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.
Amen.
Psalm 141 is sung and incense may be burned.
Like
burning incense, O Lord,
let
my rise to you.
Like
burning incense, O Lord,
let
my prayer rise to you.
1
I call out to you,
Come
quickly to my aid.
My
song cries out to you,
O
listen to me now.
I
raise my hands in off’ring to you.
Like
burning incense, O Lord,
(Like
burning incense, O Lord,)
let
my prayer rise to you.
(let
my prayer rise to you.)
Like
burning incense, O Lord,
(Like
burning incense, O Lord,)
let
my prayer rise to you.
(let
my prayer rise to you.)
2
Let me speak your truth;
watch
over all I say.
Keep
my thoughts on you;
let
goodness rule my heart.
Keep
me far from those who do harm.
Like
burning incense, O Lord,
(Like
burning incense, O Lord,)
let
my prayer rise to you.
(let
my prayer rise to you.)
Like
burning incense, O Lord,
(Like
burning incense, O Lord,)
let
my prayer rise to you.
(let
my prayer rise to you.)
3
Never let me dine
with
those who seek to harm.
Keep
your holy ones
always
at my side.
Plant
your wisdom deep in my soul.
Like
burning incense, O Lord,
(Like
burning incense, O Lord,)
let
my prayer rise to you.
(let
my prayer rise to you.)
Like
burning incense, O Lord,
(Like
burning incense, O Lord,)
let
my prayer rise to you.
(let
my prayer rise to you.)
4
I look to you for help;
I
seek your loving eyes.
Guard
my life for you;
Spare
me from all wrong.
Keep
all evil far from my heart.
Like
burning incense, O Lord,
(Like
burning incense, O Lord,)
let
my prayer rise to you.
(let
my prayer rise to you.)
Like
burning incense, O Lord,
(Like
burning incense, O Lord,)
let
my prayer rise to you.
(let
my prayer rise to you.)
5
Glory be to God
and
to God’s only Son,
glory
to the Spirit,
three
in one,
now
and for ever. Amen.
Like
burning incense, O Lord,
(Like
burning incense, O Lord,)
let
my prayer rise to you.
(let
my prayer rise to you.)
Like
burning incense, O Lord,
(Like
burning incense, O Lord,)
let
my prayer rise to you.
(let
my prayer rise to you.)
Silence
is kept.
Let
the incense of our repentant prayer ascend before you, O Lord, and let your
loving kindness descend upon us, that with purified minds we may sing your
praises with the Church on earth and the whole heavenly host, and may glorify
you forever and ever. Amen.
The Psalms
Praise
the Lord! Praise the Lord!
All
you nations.
Extol
him! Extol him!
All
you peoples.
For
great is his love toward us,
and
the faithfulness of the Lord
endures
forever.
Praise
the Lord! Praise the Lord!
All
you nations.
Extol
him! Extol him!
All
you peoples.
For
great is his love toward us,
and
the faithfulness of the Lord
endures
forever.
Silence
is kept.
Gracious
God,
we
praise you for your faithfulness
and
pray that every nation may find your blessing
in
the face of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
The Proclamation of the Word
The Reading
The Holy Gospel of our
Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke
Glory to you, Lord Jesus
Christ.
In everything do to others as you would have them do to
you; for this is the law and the prophets.
The Gospel of Christ
Praise to you, Lord
Jesus Christ.
Homily
A
Template for God’s Grace
In this teaching Jesus expands two commandments found in
the Old Testament. They are found at Leviticus 19:18 and Leviticus 19:34. The
first is, “ You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of
your people, but you shall love your neighbour as yourself: I am the Lord.”
The second is, “The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen
among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the
land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.”
It is recorded in the Babylonian Talmud that the famous
rabbi, Hillel the Elder, had a similar teaching, which was also based upon Leviticus
19:18. It is, “What is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow: this is the
whole Torah; the rest is the explanation; go and learn.”
Jesus’ teaching, “In everything do to others as you would
have them do to you,” is often called “the Golden Rule.” It is an important
teaching on how we should treat others. It can be interpreted in three different
ways. Treat others as you would like them to treat you. Do not treat others in
ways that you would not like to be treated. It can be also applied to what we
wish upon others. We should avoid wishing upon others what would not want to
wish upon ourselves.
This teaching lies at the heart of the first rule and
second rule of John Wesley’s “Three Simple Rules.” They are, “Do No Harm, Do
Good, and Attend to the Ordinances of God.”
As useful as these teachings are in guiding how we should
live our lives and treat others, I want to talk about something other than
rule-keeping.
I am a vegetarian and sometimes vegan and when I was younger,
I frequented a number of vegetarian and vegan online forums. Those who
frequented these forums included Christians like myself, agnostics, atheists,
and practitioners of other faiths. One criticism that was leveled at
Christianity is that “it is all about rules.” This criticism has some validity.
A second criticism was that Christians expected others to follow their rules
but did not follow them themselves. This criticism also has some validity. One
of the reasons non-Christians may have this perception of Christianity and
Christians is that we have the same perception of our faith and our selves.
In his sermon on the mountain Jesus also told his
disciples, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” He
offers this advice at the conclusion of teaching the disciples about their
relationship to others. In other words, we should be like God. We should show
the same kind of forgiveness, kindness, mercy, and patience toward others that
God shows towards us. God’s forgiveness, kindness, mercy, and patience are manifestations
of his grace--his love and goodwill toward us which is free and undeserved. God
not only shows his grace directly toward us but he also shows it through us to
others. As Paul reminds the church at Philippi, God is at work in us, enabling us
both to will and to work for his good pleasure. As Jesus repeatedly pointed to the
attention of his disciples and those who gathered to hear him, being forgiving,
kind, merciful and patient, being gracious like God, is what is pleasing to
God. It is his good pleasure.
“In everything do to others as you would have them do to
you,” can be thought of as a way of templating God’s manifestation of his grace
toward others through us. It is not the only way which that grace may be shown
but it is an important one. When we apply such a template, we not only show
that we are truly disciples of Jesus, closely following his teachings and
example, we also give expression to our love for Jesus. As Jesus told Judas
(not Iscariot), those who love him keep his word.
Silence is kept.
The Gospel Canticle
My
soul proclaims the Lord my God.
My
spirit sings God’s praise,
Who
looks on me, and lifts me up,
That
gladness fills my days.
All
nations now will share my joy;
For
gifts God has outpoured.
This
lowly one has been made great.
I
magnify the Lord.
For
those who fear the Holy One,
God’s
mercy will not die.
Whose
strong right arm puts down the proud,
And
lifts the lowly high.
God
fills the hungry with good things,
And
sends the rich away;
The
promise made to Abraham
Is
filled to endless day.
Then
let all nations praise our God,
The
Father and the Son,
The
Spirit blest, who lives in us,
While
endless ages run.
Intercessions
Let us complete our evening prayer to the
Lord.
Lord have mercy.
For peace from on high and for our salvation, let
us pray to the Lord.
Lord have mercy.
For the welfare of all churches and for the
unity of the human family, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord have mercy.
For (name), our bishop, and (name),
our pastor, and for all ministers of the Gospel, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord have mercy.
For our nation, its government, and for all
who serve and protect us, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord have mercy.
For this city (town, university, monastery…).
For every city and community, and for all those living in them, let us pray to
the Lord.
Lord have mercy.
For the good earth which God has given us and
for the wisdom and will to conserve it, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord have mercy.
For the safety of travelers, the recovery of
the sick, the care of the destitute and the release of prisoners, let us pray
to the Lord.
Lord have mercy.
For an angel of peace to guide and protect
us, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord have mercy.
For a peaceful evening and a night free from
sin, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord have mercy.
For a Christian end to our lives and for all
who have fallen asleep in Christ, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord have mercy.
In the communion of the Holy Spirit (and of
all the saints), let us commend ourselves and one another to the living God
through Christ our Lord.
To you, O Lord.
Free
Prayer
In silent or spontaneous prayer all bring before God the
concerns of the day.
The
Collect
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
And now, as our Saviour
has taught us,
we are bold to say,
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.
Dismissal
What
the dew is to the flower,
Gentle
words are to the soul,
and
a blessing to the giver,
and
so dear to the receiver,
we
should never withhold.
Gentle
words kindly spoken
often
soothe the troubled mind,
while
links of love are broken
by
words that are unkind.
Then
O, thou gentle spirit,
my
constant guardian be,
"Do
to others," be my motto,
"as
I'd have them do to me."
Text
and tune: Sister Polly M. Rupe,
Pleasant
Hill, Kentucky, c. 1867
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
The Lord bless us and keep us.
The Lord make his face to shine upon us
and be gracious to us.
The Lord lift up his countenance upon us
and give us peace. Amen
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