All Hallows Evening Prayer for Saturday Evening (September 5, 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.
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.
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
The King of love my Shepherd is,
Whose goodness faileth never;
I nothing lack if I am his
And he is mine for ever.
Whose goodness faileth never;
I nothing lack if I am his
And he is mine for ever.
Where streams of living water flow
My ransomed soul he leadeth,
And where the verdant pastures grow
With food celestial feedeth.
My ransomed soul he leadeth,
And where the verdant pastures grow
With food celestial feedeth.
Perverse and foolish oft I strayed,
But yet in love he sought me,
And on his shoulder gently laid,
And home, rejoicing, brought me.
But yet in love he sought me,
And on his shoulder gently laid,
And home, rejoicing, brought me.
In death's dark vale I fear no ill
With thee, dear Lord, beside me;
Thy rod and staff my comfort still,
Thy cross before to guide me.
With thee, dear Lord, beside me;
Thy rod and staff my comfort still,
Thy cross before to guide me.
Thou spread'st a table in my sight;
Thy unction, grace bestoweth:
And O what transport of delight
From thy pure chalice floweth!
Thy unction, grace bestoweth:
And O what transport of delight
From thy pure chalice floweth!
And so through all the length of days
Thy goodness faileth never;
Good Shepherd, may I sing thy praise
Within thy house for ever.
Thy goodness faileth never;
Good Shepherd, may I sing thy praise
Within thy house for ever.
Silence is kept.
O God, our sovereign and shepherd,
who brought again your Son Jesus Christ
from the valley of death,
comfort us with your protecting presence
and your angels of goodness and love,
that we also may come home
and dwell with him in your house for ever.
Amen.
The Proclamation
of the Word
The Reading
A reading from the first letter of John.
Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who
loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know
God, for God is love. God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God
sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. In
this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be
the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Beloved, since God loved us so much,
we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love
one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us.
By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given
us of his Spirit. And we have seen and do testify that the Father has sent
his Son as the Savior of the world. God abides in those who confess that
Jesus is the Son of God, and they abide in God. So we have known and
believe the love that God has for us.
God is love, and those who abide in love abide in
God, and God abides in them. Love has been perfected among us in this:
that we may have boldness on the day of judgment, because as he is, so are we
in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear;
for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached
perfection in love. We love because he first loved us. Those who say,
“I love God,” and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do
not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they
have not seen. The commandment we have from him is this: those who love
God must love their brothers and sisters also.
Silence is kept.
The Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God
The Homily
God Is Love
This reading particularly deserves our attention in the time in which we
live. Our country is deeply divided. Its divisions are affecting the Church. They
are turning Christians against each other. They are keeping the Church from her
God-appointed task of proclaiming the good news to the corners of the earth and
making disciples of all peoples. They are giving opportunities to the devil who,
while he cannot prevail against the Church, does everything that he can to harm
her.
In the reading the apostle John ties our love of God to our love of
others. If we do not love our brother or sister whom we have seen, he points
out, we do not love God whom we have not seen. Those to whom John is referring
are not just our fellow Christians with whom we are in agreement but also those
with whom we are at loggerheads—those with whom we strongly disagree. John
leaves us with no wiggle room.
We can, of course, ignore what John has written. However, the Church has
since earliest times regarded God as the one who inspired John to write down
these words. When we read them, we are not just hearing from John but we also
are hearing from God. If we choose to ignore what John has written, we are
choosing to ignore God.
God, however, has not left us to struggle on our own to love others when
those around us may urge us to hate them, when our own deceitful hearts may
tempt us to despise them, and the devil may whisper in our ear that they do not
deserve our love. God comes to us in the person of the Holy Spirit and indwells
us. He helps us to live a different life from the one that we would be living
if he had left us to our own devices. God enables us to love those whom we
might otherwise not love. Indeed, the love that we show them is evidence of
God’s loving presence in us. As the apostle
Paul drew to attention of the church at Galatia one of Holy Spirit’s effects
upon us is love. It is the result of God’s power working in us.
Think about it. God is busily working in us to transform us into the
likeness of his Son. Jesus not only taught that we should love others and treat
them with kindness, respect, and compassion but he also practiced what he
taught. He exemplifies for us the love that we should show toward others.
We can ungratefully push away God’s hand outstretched to help us. God,
however, will not withhold his helping presence. God will not turn his back on
those whom he loves. He will not abandon us. After all, God is love.
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
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 Savior Jesus Christ.
Amen.
The
Lord’s Prayer is said
And now, as our Savior
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
Christ be beside me,
Christ be before me,
Christ be behind me,
King of my heart,
Christ be within me,
Christ be below me,
Christ be above me,
Never to part.
Christ on my right hand,
Christ on my left hand,
Christ all around me,
Shield in the strife.
Christ in my sleeping,
Christ in my sitting,
Christ in my rising,
Light of my life.
Christ be in all hearts
Thinking about me.
Christ be on all tongues
Telling of me.
Christ be the vision
In eyes that see me,
In ears that hear me
Christ ever be.
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
The God of all grace bless us now and forever. Amen
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