All Hallows Evening Prayer for Sunday Evening (September 6, 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
How lovely is thy dwelling place,
O Lord of hosts, to me.
My soul is longing and fainting,
The courts of the Lord to see.
My heart and flesh, they are singing,
For joy to the living God.
How lovely is thy dwelling-place,
O Lord of hosts, to me.
Even the sparrow finds a home,
Where he can settle down.
And the swallow she can build a nest,
Where she may lay her young.
Within the court of the Lord of hosts,
My King, my Lord and my God.
And happy are those who are dwelling where
The song of praise is sung.
And I’d rather be a door-keeper
And only stay a day,
Than live the life of a sinner
And have to stay away.
For the Lord is shining as the sun,
And the Lord, he’s like a shield;
And no good thing does God withhold
From those who walk the way.
How lovely is thy dwelling place,
O Lord of hosts, to me.
My soul is longing and fainting,
The courts of the Lord to see.
My heart and flesh, they are singing,
For joy to the living God.
How lovely is thy dwelling-place,
O Lord of hosts, to me.
Silence is kept.
Lord God,
sustain us in this vale of tears
with the vision of your grace and glory,
that, strengthened by the bread of life,
we may come to your eternal dwelling place;
in the power 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.
“There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who
feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus,
covered with sores, who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from
the rich man’s table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores. The
poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich
man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was being tormented, he
looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side. He called out,
‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his
finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in agony in these flames.’ But
Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good
things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here,
and you are in agony. Besides all this, between you and us a great chasm has
been fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so,
and no one can cross from there to us.’ He said, ‘Then, father, I beg you
to send him to my father’s house— for I have five brothers—that he may
warn them, so that they will not also come into this place of torment.’ Abraham
replied, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.’ He
said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will
repent.’ He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets,
neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”
Silence is kept.
The Gospel of Christ
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
The Homily
Who
Do You Serve?
The Pharisees set great store in material prosperity
and wealth, much like many of us today. When they heard Jesus’ teaching that no
one cannot serve two masters—God and wealth, they ridiculed him. Jesus told the
parable of Lazarus and the rich man in response to their ridicule. The parable is
a warning not only to the Pharisees but also to ourselves. Lazarus who suffered
extreme poverty and to whom the rich man showed no compassion was carried to
Abraham’s side when he died. The rich man, when he died and was buried suffered
torment in hell.
While Jesus omits some details from the parable, we
can safely guess them. When he left his compound, the rich man must have seen
Lazarus lying at the entryway. He chose to ignore Lazarus’ plight. He could
have ordered one of his servants to give Lazarus the scraps from his table.
Lazarus was slowly dying from starvation. The fact
that he was unable to sit up showed how bad off he was. The sores on his body
were also evidence of the poor state that he was in. Pressure ulcers are not
uncommon in cases of severe malnutrition. The only creatures that showed
Lazarus any compassion were the dogs that licked the sores.
When the rich man died, he was given a decent
burial. Lazarus’ corpse was likely
tossed on a refuse heap.
The rich man was evidently quite wealthy. He wore
purple and fine linen. Only the very wealthy in the ancient Near East could
afford to buy fabric that was dyed purple The dye was extracted from tens of thousands
of the Murex sea snails and was quite expensive, labor-intensive, and
complicated to produce. He also dined sumptuously every day. His meals were lavish.
No expense was spared.
It is noteworthy that Jesus mentions the rich man’s
clothes and meals. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus also tells those who have
gathered to hear him that no one can serve two masters—God and wealth. He goes
on to say:
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your
life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you
will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look
at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and
yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And
can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? And why
do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow;
they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was
not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the
field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not
much more clothe you—you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying,
‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ For
it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly
Father knows that you need all these things. But strive first for the
kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given
to you as well. (Matthew 6:25-33)
Today’s reading, this passage from Matthew’s
Gospel, and what Jesus says elsewhere in the New Testament may comes as a
surprise to Christians who have been influenced by the prosperity gospel. The
prosperity gospel teaches that wealth, material prosperity, success, and good
health in this life are evidence of God’s favor. They are rewards for our faith
in his ability to show his favor to us in such a manner.
The prosperity gospel has its origins in the New
Thought movement, a nineteenth century occult movement, which has its origins
in the teaching of Phineas Quimby, a clockmaker, mentalist, and mesmerist, and
which would subsequently influence the thinking of a number of Christians. A central belief was that through the power of
the human mind individuals could achieve wealth, material prosperity, success,
and good health. One of its spinoffs was the Christian Science movement.
The prosperity gospel ties the strength of our
faith in God’s ability to reward us with wealth, material prosperity, success,
and good health to the abundance of the rewards that we receive for our faith.
Those who do not see these rewards materialize in their lives are encouraged to
believe that it is a result of their weak faith. They are also encouraged to demonstrate
their faith by gifts of money and the like to those who preach the prosperity
gospel.
Jesus, on the other hand, does not promise wealth,
material prosperity, success, and good health to his followers. He does not
promise them an easy life by worldly standards. He drew to the attention of the
apostles that it was difficult for a wealthy person like the rich young man to
enter the kingdom of God. See Matthew 19:16-30, Mark 10:17-31, and Luke
18:18-30. This greatly surprised the apostles because they, like other Jews of
their day, believed that only a rich man could afford to keep all of the
commandments of the Law and as a consequence would be seen as righteous in God’s
eyes.
What Jesus teaches is that we are to serve only one
master—God. We must put God’s kingdom and God’s righteousness first. God will
provide for our food, clothing, and other necessities of life. If we set great
store in material prosperity and wealth like the Pharisees—something that the
world encourages us to do—we may go away disappointed like the rich young man.
If we have any doubts about what Jesus teaches,
this verse, one of many, should help put our doubts to rest, “But woe to you
who are rich, for you have received your consolation.” (Luke 6:24). It is echoed in the Old Testament
as well as the New Testament. Jesus puts it on the lips of Abraham, “Child,
remember that during your lifetime you received your good things….”
Material prosperity and wealth may not be the
blessing which we think that is. Indeed, it may be a curse, one that keeps us
from truly serving God, entering his kingdom, and knowing his righteousness—from
receiving the greatest of God’s blessings.
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
Will you come and follow me if I but call your name?
Will you go where you don't know and never be the same?
Will you let my love be shown? Will you let my name be known,
will you let my life be grown in you and you in me?
Will you leave yourself behind if I but call your name?
Will you care for cruel and kind and never be the same?
Will you risk the hostile stare should your life attract or scare?
Will you let me answer prayer in you and you in me?
Will you let the blinded see if I but call your name?
Will you set the prisoners free and never be the same?
Will you kiss the leper clean and do such as this unseen,
and admit to what I mean in you and you in me?
Will you love the "you" you hide if I but call your name?
Will you quell the fear inside and never be the same?
Will you use the faith you've found to reshape the world around,
through my sight and touch and sound in you and you in me?
Lord your summons echoes true when you but call my name.
Let me turn and follow you and never be the same.
In Your company I'll go where Your love and footsteps show.
Thus I'll move and live and grow in you and you in me.
Will you go where you don't know and never be the same?
Will you let my love be shown? Will you let my name be known,
will you let my life be grown in you and you in me?
Will you leave yourself behind if I but call your name?
Will you care for cruel and kind and never be the same?
Will you risk the hostile stare should your life attract or scare?
Will you let me answer prayer in you and you in me?
Will you let the blinded see if I but call your name?
Will you set the prisoners free and never be the same?
Will you kiss the leper clean and do such as this unseen,
and admit to what I mean in you and you in me?
Will you love the "you" you hide if I but call your name?
Will you quell the fear inside and never be the same?
Will you use the faith you've found to reshape the world around,
through my sight and touch and sound in you and you in me?
Lord your summons echoes true when you but call my name.
Let me turn and follow you and never be the same.
In Your company I'll go where Your love and footsteps show.
Thus I'll move and live and grow in you and you in me.
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
The God of all grace bless us now
and forever. Amen
Comments
Post a Comment