All Hallows Evening Prayer for Sunday Evening (September 20, 2020)
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’stranslation 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.
God our protector and guide, incline our hearts to turn from evil and do good,
Open this link in a new tab to hear Daniel Kallman’s choral arrangement of Jonathan Asprey’s paraphrase of Psalm 84, “How Lovely Is Thy Dwelling Place.”
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.
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.
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
Silence is kept.
The Word of God
Thanks be to God..
Homily
In this evening’s reading the apostle Paul warns us
against not just having an overinflated opinion of ourselves but also claiming
to have more experience, knowledge, and good judgment than we have in
actuality. Self-deception is a widespread human fault. I suspect that we all
suffer from it. When we claim to be wiser than we are, others will quickly see through
our self-deception even though we may not. They will see us as we really are
and not as we would like to be seen.
A wise person walks humbly with God. They do not make a pretense of being spiritual or religious. A wise person will treat others as they themselves want to be treated. They know that treating others in this way will be a help to them and will do them no harm. A wise person will acquire a reputation of someone to whom others can go when they need sound advice. A wise person will listen closely to those who seek their advice and give a thoughtful answer to their questions. They will admit a lack of experience or knowledge when it is the case. A wise person will also gain the stature of someone to whom others can turn and in whom they can trust in times of need.
In this evening’s reading Paul urges us that if someone wrongs us in any way to not retaliate in kind, not to repay wrongdoing with wrongdoing. If someone causes us injury in anyway, real or imagined, we are not to punch back twice as hard. Indeed, we are to refrain from striking back altogether. Here Paul is echoing Jesus’ teaching to turn the other cheek. This goes against everything that we may have learned on the school playground, in the street, or in the corporate office. It went against what people in the ancient Mediterranean world believed in Paul’s day.
Rather Paul urges us to reflect on those things that are widely seen as noble. Every society has a core of what are viewed as the better personal qualities and higher moral values to which people may aspire even if they do not possess these qualities or practice these values. The world in which we live, while it may be fallen and we are prone to live at odds with God, doing things our own way rather than God’s way, is not absolutely corrupt and evil. God’s grace is at work in societies as well as in individual human beings. It is his grace that prevents our world from becoming utterly depraved.
Yes, we were created in God’s image but that image in us has become marred by sin. We have inherited an inclination to disobey God and to do what is pleasing to us and not what is pleasing to God. However we may want to think of ourselves, our relationship with God is far from harmonious.
This view of our standing with God may not sit well with us. We like to see ourselves in a positive light. But it goes a long way in explaining why our world is not a kinder, gentler, more loving place.
I suspect that we all know someone who is generous, who goes out of their way to help others, or who devotes their life to doing good. God’s grace, the power of his loving presence, is working in all of humanity, not just in those of us who claim to be Christians and followers of Jesus.
In this evening’s reading Paul urges us to do everything that is within our power to live harmoniously with everyone—to be peace-loving, not quick to anger, avoiding as much as may be possible arguments and conflicts and refraining from violence. He acknowledges that we may find ourselves in circumstances where it may prove difficult to maintain harmonious relations with others, nonetheless we should not let these circumstances prevent us from making the effort as we may tempted to do. When I read this verse, I hear in my imagination Jesus on the mountain saying, “Blessed are the peace-makers, for they will be called children of God.”
Living peaceably with everyone means not using our anger to manipulate others. An example is the person who blows up at the slightest provocation so that other people walk around them on tip toes lest they trigger an angry outburst. This person knows that other people do not like being around them when they are angry and uses the threat of an angry outburst to get their own way.
Living peaceably with everyone means not collecting anger and resentment toward other people and then provoking a quarrel so we can vent our anger and resentment at them.
Living peaceably with everyone means not going online and attacking those with whom we disagree, saying unkind things to them and besmirching their character.
Whatever we may tell ourselves, these behaviors are within our control. They not only harm our relationships with others, they also give opportunity to the devil.
Having urged us to live peaceably with other people, Paul goes on to warn us against avenging ourselves, inflicting harm in return for an injury or wrong that was done to ourselves or to someone close to us. This includes getting even, inflicting harm or trouble on someone similar to that which they have inflicted on us. We should, he tells us, leave room for the wrath of God, and not take vengeance ourselves.
What Paul means by the wrath of God is the righteous anger of a holy God against all which is sinful and wicked. The wrath of God is not something about which we talk a lot these days but it is something to which Jesus and the apostles refer in their teaching. We prefer to talk about God’s love for us, not his anger toward us rebelling against him.
God certainly loves us. At the same time, however, God as a holy God cannot overlook our rebellion and remain a holy God. God’s solution to this problem was to enter human history in the person of his Son, Jesus, and to take the full force of his own anger on himself when Jesus suffered and died on the cross. In doing so, he set things right between himself and ourselves. It falls to God to decide who to punish for their misdeeds and who to forgive.
Since God is all knowing, he knows whether those whom we may blame for an injury or wrong, are really to blame and whether they deserve to suffer harm themselves in return for the injury or wrong. He knows what their intentions may have been, whether the injury or wrong that was done was real or imaginary, and how serious it was. He also knows what our motives are. Do we desire to hit back at someone else not because they really hurt us but out of spite—the desire to hurt them. He knows how deceitful the human heart is. God is in a far better position than we are to determine what should happen next.
When Paul talks about showing kindness to those we consider our enemies and through kindness heaping hot, burning coals on their head, he may be appealing to our bloodthirstiness and our desire for revenge while pointing to our attention that there is a better way. He goes on to warn us to not let evil overcome us and urges us to overcome evil with good. He implies that seeking to avenge ourselves may be a form of evil, borne from our own sinful desire to inflict harm or trouble on someone else.
The better way to which Paul points us is to do good and thereby overcome evil, including our own sinful desires. Something that I learned as a social worker is that when we do positive things, we are less likely to do negative ones. The positive things take the place of the negative ones. We also have a positive influence on other people. When we do good, we are also less likely to do evil. We also encourage other people to do good. Our sinful human nature may kick up from time to time. But the more good we do, the more we seek to walk in God’s ways and not our own, the more room we make for God’s presence and power in our lives. As Paul writes in his letter to the Philippians, it is God himself who is working in us to will and do this.
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
Love will make the spirit grow
Grow in peace, grow in light
Love will do the thing that’s right.
Love will make our spirit grow
Grow in peace, grow in light
Love will do the thing that’s right.
Love will make our spirit grow
Grow in peace, grow in light
Love will do the thing that’s right.
Love will make our spirit grow
Grow in peace, grow in light
Love will do the thing that’s right.
Love will do the thing that’s right.
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.
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