All Hallows Evening Prayer for Saturday Evening (August 8, 2020)
Evening Prayer
The Service of Light
Jesus
Christ is the light of the world.
A
light no darkness can extinguish.
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.
Thanksgiving
Let
us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It
is right to give our thanks and praise.
God
our Father, we give you thanks
for
all your gifts freely bestowed upon us;
for
the beauty and wonder of your creation,
in
earth and sky and sea; for all that is gracious
in
the lives of men and women, revealing the light of Christ;
for
minds to muse and hearts to love and hands to serve;
for
health and strength to work,
for
leisure to rest and play;
for
communion with your saints,
in
all times and places,
and
above all for the great promises and mercies
given
to us in Christ Jesus our Lord.
To
him be praise and glory,
with
you and the Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen.
Psalm 141 is sung and incense may be burned.
Open
this link in a new tab to hear Will Chiles’ choral arrangement of Psalm 141, “O
God, My Lord, on Thee I Call,” from the Bay Psalm Book.
O
God, my Lord, on thee I call,
do
thou make hast to me:
and
hearken thou unto my voice,
when
I cry unto thee.
And
let my prayer directed be
as
incense in thy sight:
my
hands uplifted unto thee
as
sacrifice at night.
Jehovah,
oh that thou would’st set
a
watch my mouth before:
as
also of my lips with care
O
do thou keep the door.
Bow
not my heart to evil things;
to
do the wicked deed
with
wicked workers: and let not
me
of their dainties feed.
Like
unto one who on the earth
doth
cut and cleave the wood,
even
so our bones at the graves mouth
are
scatter’d all abroad.
But
unto thee O God, the Lord
directed
are mine eyes;
my
soul, O leave not destitute,
on
thee my hope relies.
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
Refrain:
O
Lord, our God, how wonderful your name,
how
wonderful your name,
in
all the earth!
When
I behold your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars which you set in place -
What is man that you should be mindful of him,
or the son of man that you should care for him? [Refrain]
the moon and the stars which you set in place -
What is man that you should be mindful of him,
or the son of man that you should care for him? [Refrain]
You
have made him little less than the angels,
and crowned him with glory and honor.
You have given him rule over the works of your hands,
putting all things under his feet: [Refrain]
and crowned him with glory and honor.
You have given him rule over the works of your hands,
putting all things under his feet: [Refrain]
All
sheep and oxen,
yes, and the beasts of the field,
The birds of the air, the fishes of the sea,
and whatever swims the paths of the seas. [Refrain]
yes, and the beasts of the field,
The birds of the air, the fishes of the sea,
and whatever swims the paths of the seas. [Refrain]
Silence
is kept.
We
bless you, Master of the heavens,
for
the wonderful order which enfolds this world;
grant
that your whole creation
may
find fulfilment in the Son of Man,
Jesus
Christ our Savior. Amen.
The Proclamation of the Word
The
Reading
A reading from Paul’s Letter to the Romans.
Moses
writes concerning the righteousness that comes from the law, that ‘the person
who does these things will live by them.’ But the righteousness that comes from
faith says, ‘Do not say in your heart, “Who will ascend into heaven?”’ (that
is, to bring Christ down) ‘or “Who will descend into the abyss?”’ (that
is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say?
‘The
word is near you,
on your lips and in your heart’
on your lips and in your heart’
(that
is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because if you confess with
your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from
the dead, you will be saved. For one believes with the heart and so is
justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. The scripture
says, ‘No one who believes in him will be put to shame.’ For there is no
distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous
to all who call on him. For, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the
Lord shall be saved.’
But
how are they to call on one in whom they have not believed? And how are they to
believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without
someone to proclaim him? And how are they to proclaim him unless they are
sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good
news!’
The
Word of the Lord.
Thanks
Be to God.
The
Homily
Beautiful Feet
When
I read these passages from Paul’s letter to the Romans, and I reflect on how the different
theological traditions in the Christian Church interpret them, my thoughts turn
to a passage from Matthew’s gospel “But
woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you lock people out of the
kingdom of heaven. For you do not go in yourselves, and when others are going
in, you stop them….” I am prompted to wonder if we do the same thing. In our
own way we prevent people from entering God’s kingdom by shutting the door in
their face.
We add to what Scripture says requirements of our
own. A number of these requirements may have an air of legitimacy about them.
They are backed by long-standing tradition, we argue, tradition that is
centuries old. But mistaken beliefs with a pedigree are still mistaken beliefs.
A number of these requirements reflect our own
prejudices and preferences. We may not always be conscious of our prejudices
and preferences. They do, however, affect how we relate to other people. They also
affect our expectations of them.
The Jewish Christians would have confined
salvation to their fellow Jews. Paul, however, tells the church at Rome and
ourselves that God does not make any distinction between Jews and Gentiles. Any
distinctions that we make are our own. They are not God’s. We cannot confine
our proclamation of Jesus to those like ourselves or those who may be open to
our way of thinking. We must proclaim Jesus to everybody.
Nor can we sit back and expect them to come to
us. We must go to them. God does not send a select few to proclaim Jesus. He sends
all of us. God put us in a particular neighborhood or community for that
purpose. We cannot hire someone to labor
in the vineyard in our place while we take our ease. We must go and labor there
ourselves. God called us out of darkness into his marvelous light to proclaim
his mighty deeds. And the mightiest of his deeds is Jesus. Make no mistake. We
are called to proclaim Jesus in word and in deed. We are God’s chosen instruments
to make Jesus known.
Take off your shoes and your socks or stockings.
Take a good look at your feet. They are the feet of the bearer of good news.
Aren’t they beautiful?
Silence is kept.
The Gospel Canticle
My
soul proclaims your greatness, Lord;
I
sing my Savior’s praise!
You
looked upon my lowliness,
and
I am full of grace.
Now
ev’ry land and ev’ry age
this
blessing shall proclaim—
great
wonders you have done for me,
and
holy is your name.
To
all who live in holy fear
Your
mercy ever flows.
With
mighty arm you dash the proud,
Their
scheming hearts expose.
The
ruthless you have cast aside,
the
lowly throned instead;
the
hungry filled with all good things,
the
rich sent off unfed.
To
Israel, your servant blest,
your
help is ever sure;
the
promise to our parents made
their
children will secure.
Sing
glory to the Holy One,
give
honor to the Word,
and
praise the Pow’r of the Most High,
one
God, by all adored,
on
God, by all adored.
Intercessions
In
peace let us pray to the Lord,
Lord,
have mercy.
For
God’s holy Church, that it may be filled with truth and love,
and
be found without fault at the day of his coming, let us pray
to
the Lord.
Lord,
have mercy.
For
the ministers of. the Church (especially …………), that they
may
be faithful to the Gospel and worthy servants of the people
of
God, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord,
have mercy.
For
all who fear God and believe in the Lord Jesus, that our
divisions
may cease, and that all may be one, as he wills, let us
pray
to the Lord.
Lord,
have mercy.
For
the mission of the Church, that in faithful witness it may preach
the
Gospel to the ends of the earth, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord,
have mercy.
For
those who do not yet believe, and for those who have lost
their
faith, that they may receive the light of the Gospel, let us
pray
to the Lord.
Lord,
have mercy.
For
the peace of the world, that respect and understanding may
grow
among nations and peoples, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord,
have mercy.
For
those in positions of public trust (especially ………...), that
they
may serve justice and truth, and promote the dignity and
freedom
of every person, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord,
have mercy.
For
our families and all those who are dear to us; for the aged and
for
the young that they may have a future to hope in, let us pray
to
the Lord.
Lord,
have mercy.
For
the poor, the persecuted, the sick, and all who suffer; for
refugees,
prisoners, and all who are in danger, that they may be
relieved
and protected, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord,
have mercy.
For
our enemies, and those who wish us harm; and for all whom
we
have injured or offended, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord,
have mercy.
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
1
The Spirit sends us forth to serve;
we go in Jesus' name
to
bring glad tidings to the poor,
God's
favor to proclaim.
2
We go to comfort those who mourn
and
set the burdened free:
where
hope is dim, to share a dream
and
help the blind to see.
3
We go to be the hands of Christ,
to
scatter joy like seed
and
all our days, to cherish life,
to
do the loving deed.
4 Then let us go to serve in peace,
the
Gospel to proclaim.
God's
Spirit has empowered us;
we
go in Jesus' name.
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
The God of all grace bless us now and forever. Amen
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