All Hallows Evening Prayer for Sunday Evening (August 2, 2020)



Evening Prayer


The Service of Light

Jesus Christ is the light of the world.
A light no darkness can extinguish.


1 O gladsome Light, O Grace
of God the Father’s face,
The eternal splendour wearing;
celestial, holy, blest,
our Saviour Jesus Christ,
joyful in Thine appearing.

2 Now, ere day fadeth quite,
we see the evening light,
our wonted hymn outpouring;
Father of might unknown,
Thee, His incarnate Son,
and Holy Ghost adoring.

3 To Thee of right belongs
all praise of holy songs,
O Son of God, Lifegiver;
Thee, therefore, O Most High,
the world doth glorify,
and shall exalt for ever.

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 prayer rise up to you.
Like burning incense, O Lord, let my prayer rise up to you.

I have called to you, Lord, hasten to help me.
Hear my voice when I cry to you.
Let my prayer arise before you like incense.
the raising of my hands like the evening oblation.
  
Set, O Lord, a guard over my mouth,
keep watch, O Lord, at the door of my lips!
Do not turn my heart to things that are wrong,
to evil deeds with those who are sinners.

Never allow me to share in their feasting.
If the righteous strike or reprove me, it is a kindness;
but let the oil of the wicked n’er anoint my head.
Let my prayer be ever against their malice.

To you, Lord God, my eyes are turned;
in you I take refuge; spare my soul!
From the trap they have laid for me keep me safe;
Keep me from the snares of those who do evil.

Glory to the Father and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be for ever. Amen.

Like burning incense, O Lord, let my prayer rise up 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


Unto the hills I lift my eyes.
From where shall come all my aid
When troubled or afraid?
The Lord shall to my help arise,
He who made earth and heaven:
His aid is freely given.

Your Keeper slumbers not, nor shall
He cause your foot to fail
When dangers you assail
Lo, He who keeps His Israel
Will neither sleep nor slumber:
Nought shall your life encumber.

The Lord your Keeper is for aye,
A shade on your right hand:
You shall securely stand.
The moon by night, the sun by day
Shall not afflict or smite you,
But with their radiance light you.

The Lord will guard and keep you when
You meet with harm or strife:
He will preserve your life.
When going out or coming in,
The Lord will you deliver
From this time forth, for ever.

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.
Amen

The Proclamation of the Word

The Reading

The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew
Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

One day he got into a boat with his disciples, and he said to them, ‘Let us go across to the other side of the lake.’ So they put out, and while they were sailing he fell asleep. A gale swept down on the lake, and the boat was filling with water, and they were in danger. They went to him and woke him up, shouting, ‘Master, Master, we are perishing!’ And he woke up and rebuked the wind and the raging waves; they ceased, and there was a calm.  He said to them, ‘Where is your faith?’ They were afraid and amazed, and said to one another, ‘Who then is this, that he commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him?’

The Gospel of Christ
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.


The Homily

Who Then Is This?

While I have never had the experiencing of being caught in a small boat in a storm, I have gained an appreciation for the fury of a storm on open water. For a number of years I lived on the shore of Lake Pontchartain, a large body of water north of New Orleans. Lake Pontchartain is connected by the Rigolets, a long deep water straight, and Lake Borne, a lagoon of the Gulf, to the Gulf of Mexico. I lived in a condo right behind a yacht marina. Before I retired, I also commuted five days a week to New Orleans across the 29-mile long Lake Pontchartain Causeway, at one time the longest bridge in the world.

On many occasions one of Lake Pontchartrain’s frequent storms caught me driving across the causeway. The lighting was frightening and awe-inspiring. The rain was so heavy that I was forced to slow to a crawl because I was not able to see the car in front of me.

From the balcony of my condo I also watched these storms rushing toward the shore as a dark line of squalls. It was not a time to take a small boat out onto the lake or to be caught on the lake in a small boat. An open, shallow-draft boat like the one Jesus and the disciples were in would have been tossed about by the waves and would begin to fill with water from the waves and the rain. It is therefore easy to imagine the disciples’ terror.

For all my life I have lived close to a large body of water—a lake or the sea. As a youngster I read or heard tales of fishermen caught in a storm and lost at sea, of woman anxiously awaiting the return of a husband, a father, brother, a son, or a lover, only to never see them again. It is one of the risks that fishermen chose to take. The possibility that they may never return is a thing that their wives, daughters, sisters, mothers, and lovers must face. This too helps me to appreciate the danger that the disciples faced.

Sea of Galilee, which the Romans called the Lake of Tiberius, is known for the storms that suddenly blow up, making it not one of the safest bodies of water to venture out on in a small boat. Among the disciples were three fishermen who had fished its waters for a good part of their lifetime. They were familiar with the unpredictability of its weather.

I have heard more than one sermon in which the preacher used Jesus’ chiding of the disciples for their lack of faith to urge a congregation to show more faith themselves.

The main thrust of this passage, however, is Jesus’ identity. “Who then is this, that he commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him?” The disciples ask this question among themselves.

We assume that disciples fully knew Jesus’s identity because they woke him up, shouting, “Master, master, we are perishing.” We assume that their cries were a plea for help. But our assumption is wrong. They were warning him that the boat was taking on water and was about to sink. They were not expecting him to do something about it. This explains why the disciples were fearful and amazed after Jesus rebuked the wind and the raging waves; they ceased, and there was calm.

Jesus’ chiding of the disciples’ lack of faith is directed at their failure to recognize who was with them. They had been with him for a while and they still did not recognize who he was.

What this passage does is to invite us to ask the same question as the disciples asked among themselves. “Who then is this, that he commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him?

It is a question that each of us must answer for ourselves. Who is Jesus? If we conclude that he is God, we then must consider the significance of that conclusion for our lives.

Silence is kept.

The Gospel Canticle


My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior; *
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.

And from this day all generations will call me blessed: *
the Almighty has done great things for me,
holy is his Name.

He has mercy on those who fear him *
in every generation.

He has shown the strength of his arm, *
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, *
and has lifted up the lowly.

He has filled the hungry with good things, *
and sent the rich away empty handed.

He has come to the help of his servant Israel, *
for he remembered his promise of mercy,

The promise he made to our fathers, *
to Abraham and his children for ever.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.
 

Intercessions

Let us complete our evening prayer to the Lord.
Lord have mercy.
For peace from on high and 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


1 Jesus, lover of my soul,
let me to thy bosom fly,
while the nearer waters roll,
while the tempest still is high;
hide me, O my Savior, hide,
till the storm of life is past;
safe into the haven guide,
O receive my soul at last.

2 Other refuge have I none,
hangs my helpless soul on thee;
leave, ah! leave me not alone,
still support and comfort me:
All my trust on thee is stayed,
all my help from thee I bring;
cover my defenseless head
with the shadow of thy wing.

3 Thou, O Christ, art all I want,
more than all in thee I find,
raise the fallen, cheer the faint,
heal the sick, and lead the blind.
Just and holy is thy name,
I am all unrighteousness;
false and full of sin I am,
thou art full of truth and grace.

4 Plenteous grace with thee is found,
grace to cover all my sin;
let the healing streams abound,
make and keep me pure within:
thou of life the fountain art,
freely let me take of thee,
spring thou up within my heart,
rise to all eternity.

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

Comments