All Hallows Evening Prayer for Sunday Evening (September 13, 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.
He also told this parable to some who trusted in
themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt: “Two
men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax
collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, ‘God, I
thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even
like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my
income.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up
to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a
sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the
other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble
themselves will be exalted.”
Silence is kept.
The Gospel of Christ
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
The Homily
Bow and Be Humble
As well as modeling humility for us, Jesus himself taught the importance
of being humble. Those who think too highly of themselves, Jesus taught, would
be brought down more than a peg or two. Those who seek to walk with God in all
humility would be lifted up.
We cannot fake humility before God, put on a pretense of being humble
while seeing ourselves as better than others and looking down on them. God
knows the deepest secrets of our hearts. He can see beyond the pretense. We may
deceive our fellow Christians but we cannot deceive him. We too will be brought
low.
Our humility must be genuine. We must “bow and be humble, yea bow like
the willow tree” as in the Shaker song. Willow trees bow at the river’s edge,
their branches hanging down over the water. They occupy this position for their
entire lives.
Our humility cannot be based upon the promise that God will exult the
humble. We cannot say to ourselves, “I’ll be humble now because God is going to
lift me up one day.”
Our humility should be like that of the Psalmist in Psalm 84. “For a day
in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a
doorkeeper in the house of my God than live in the tents of wickedness.”
A doorkeeper, or porter, was a servant, often a slave, who stationed at
the entrance of a building, the home of a wealthy person, or in the case of
Psalm 84, the entrance to the outer courts of the Temple in Jerusalem, and whose
duty was to open the door and assist those entering. The doorkeeper, or porter,
often slept in a tiny cubicle adjoining the entrance. The position of doorkeeper,
or porter, was one of the lowest in a household.
We are humble because it is the right way to walk with God, not because
we are expecting a reward for our humility. It is simply the right thing to do.
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
‘Tis a gift to be simple, ‘tis a gift to be free
‘Tis a gift to come down where we ought to be
And when we find ourselves in the place just right
‘Twill be in the valley of love and delight
‘Tis a gift to come down where we ought to be
And when we find ourselves in the place just right
‘Twill be in the valley of love and delight
When true simplicity is gained
To bow and to bend we shan’t be ashamed
To turn, to turn will be our delight
Till by turning, turning we come 'round right.
To bow and to bend we shan’t be ashamed
To turn, to turn will be our delight
Till by turning, turning we come 'round right.
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
The God of all grace bless us now
and forever. Amen
Comments
Post a Comment