All Hallows Evening Prayer for Saturday Evening (September 26, 2020)
The Service of
Light
Jesus
Christ is the light of the world.
A light no darkness can extinguish.
Open this link in a new tab to hear William G. Storey’s translation
of the Phos hilaron, “O Radiant Light, O Son Divine.”
O radiant Light, O Sun divine
of God the Father's deathless face,
O image of the light sublime
that fills the heav'nly dwelling place.
O Son of God, the source of life,
praise is your due by night and day.
Our happy lips must raise the strain
of your esteemed and splendid name.
Lord Jesus Christ, as daylight fades,
as shine the lights of eventide,
we praise the Father with the Son,
the Spirit blest, and with them one.
Thanksgiving
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and
praise.
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. Amen.
Psalm 141 is sung and incense may be burned.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Peter Inwood’s setting
of Psalm 141, “O Lord, Let My Prayer Rise Before You Like Incense.”
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.
O Lord, O Lord, O Lord,
How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord, O Lord,
how lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord, O Lord.
My soul, my soul, yearns, even faints, for the courts of the
Lord;
My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God,
my heart and my flesh cry out cry out for the living God.
How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord, O Lord,
How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord, O Lord.
and the swallow a nest,
where she may have her young,
where she may have her young.
O Lord almighty, my King, my King and my God.
Blessed are those who dwell in your house;
they are ever praising you,
ever praising you,
ever praising you, O my God,
O my God.
how lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord, O Lord.
How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord, O Lord, O Lord.
Silence
is kept.
The Proclamation of the
Word
The Reading
“Ask,
and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will
be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who
searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. Is
there anyone among you who, if your child asks for bread, will give a
stone? Or if the child asks for a fish, will give a snake? If
you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much
more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
“In
everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law
and the prophets.
“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate
is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many
who take it. For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life,
and there are few who find it.
Silence
is kept.
Homily
Do to Others as You Would Have Them Do to You
Early
in the week I read an article summarizing the findings of a study about
generational beliefs that George Barna released this week. If you are not
familiar with George Barna, he and his research team study trends affecting
Christianity in the United States. In the study Barna examines the differences
between the beliefs of Millennials and Baby Boomers. A Millennial is anyone who is between 18 and
34 years of age. A Baby Boomer is anyone between 56 and 74 years of age.
Among
the findings that caught my attention was that when they are compared to Baby Boomers
who identify themselves as Christians, Millennials who also identify themselves
as Christians are 28 percentage points less likely to say they follow the
Golden Rule—“Do to others as you would have them do to you.” This was not the
only finding that the beliefs of Millennials identifying as Christian did not
fit that label. However, it was the one that to me stood out the most.
I
learned the Golden Rule at an early age. Indeed, it may have been the first
teaching of Jesus, which I heard as a child. Treating others with kindness,
forgiveness, and respect was something that was emphasized in my upbringing.
I
was not surprised at the finding. I have myself been observing a marked
disregard for the Golden Rule among those identifying as Christians and posting
on the internet. This disregard, however, is not confined to Millennials. It is
observable among Baby Boomers and Generation Xers, those whose generation
followed the Baby Boom. All three generations exhibit a singular lack of
kindness, forgiveness, and respect toward others.
I
decided to do a two-part homily mini-series on the Golden Rule. The Golden Rule
is closely tied to what are called Jesus’ “love—commandments” and consequently
is one of his more important teachings. The Golden Rule is found in the gospels
of Matthew and Luke. The context in which the Golden Rule is used in these two
gospels and the wording of the Golden Rule that is used in them provide
insights into how we should understand this important teaching of Jesus.
The
term “Golden Rule” was first used widely by Anglican divines in the seventeenth
century. Its earliest known use was by Charles Gibbon and Thomas Jackson in
1604.
While
a number of religions have their equivalent of the Golden Rule, it has been a
major guiding principle in Christianity and forms the basis of Christian
ethics. Consequently for those who identify themselves as Christians to
disregard the Golden Rule is a significant development and points to a serious
erosion of Jesus’ teachings in US churches, a conclusion supported by Ligonier
Ministries/Life-Way Research’s 2020 survey of the state of theology among
evangelical Christians.
This
development may in part account for the waning influence of Christianity in the
United States. Christians are becoming too much like their next-door neighbors
who do not profess to be Christian and who sleep in on Sunday morning.
In
this homily I am going to take brief look at the context and wording of the
Golden Rule as it is found in Matthew’s gospel.
In
Matthew’s gospel the Golden Rule is found a collection of Jesus’ teachings that
are associated with his sermon on the mountain. It is sandwiched between a
passage about God’s generosity in answering prayer and a passage about only a
few finding the narrow way. It serves as a bridge between the two passages,
uniting them to each other.
Together
all three form a sequence. Among the good things that God gives those who ask
him is his grace—the power of his loving presence in their lives. God’s grace
enables us to live the most important teachings of the law and the prophets.
God’s enables us to find the narrow gate and the hard road that lead to life.
The
wording of the Golden Rule in Matthew’s gospel echoes Jesus’ summary of the law,
also known as the Great Commandment, given later in that gospel. “‘You shall
love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with
all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a
second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these
two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
Note
that both the Golden Rule in Matthew’s gospel and the Great Commandment in that
gospel contain a reference to the law and the prophets. The Golden Rule--In
everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law
and the prophets. The Great Commandment--On these two commandments hang
all the law and the prophets. This reference links them together.
One
tells us how we may keep the other. In treating others as we would have them
treat us, we show our love for our neighbor. In loving our neighbor, we show
our love for God.
While
following the Golden Rule and keeping the Great Commandment will not save us, they
will enable us to live holier lives and to become more and more like Jesus. Through
faith in Jesus and what he did for us on the cross, we are put right with God.
Through obedience to God, through obedience to Jesus’s teaching, we live lives
that please God and show our love for him. Those who obey the commandments of
the Son show their love for the Son and in showing their love for the Son, they
show their love for the Father who sent him.
Silence
is kept.
The Gospel Canticle
Open this link in a new tab to hear Lucien Deiss' setting of
the Magnificat.
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
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
Christ hath a garden
walled around,
A Paradise
of fruitful ground,
Chosen by
love and fenced by grace
From out
the world's wide wilderness.
Like trees
of spice his servants stand,
There
planted by his mighty hand;
By Eden's
gracious streams, that flow
To feed
their beauty where they grow.
Awake, O
wind of heav'n and bear
Their
sweetest perfume through the air:
Stir up, O
south, the boughs that bloom,
Till the
beloved Master come:
That he may
come, and linger yet
Among the
trees that he hath set;
That he may
evermore be seen
To walk
amid the springing green.
Let
us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
May
the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the
Holy Spirit be with us this night and forevermore. Amen.
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