All Hallows Evening Prayer for Sunday Evening (September 27, 2020)

Evening Prayer 

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.

The Psalms

Open this link in a new tab to hear William Ferris’ responsorial setting of Psalm 8 –“O Lord, Our God, How Wonderful Your Name in All the Earth!”

O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!

When I behold your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars which you set in place -
What is man that you should be mindful of him,
or the son of man that you should care for him?

O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!

You have made him little less than the angels,
and crowned him with glory and honor.
You have given him rule over the works of your hands,
putting all things under his feet:

O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!

All sheep and oxen,
yes, and the beasts of the field,
The birds of the air, the fishes of the sea,
and whatever swims the paths of the seas.

O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!

Silence is kept.

We bless you, master of the heavens,
for the wonderful order which enfolds this world;
grant that your whole creation
may find fulfilment in the Son of Man,
Jesus Christ our Saviour. Amen.

The Reading

The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke
Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ

“But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. Do to others as you would have them do to you.

“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

Silence is kept.

The Gospel of Christ
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ

The Homily

Do to Others as You Would Have Them Do to You (Part II)

In Luke’s gospel the Golden Rule is the final verse of a passage that begins with what is sometimes viewed as the most radical of Jesus’ love commandments, “Love your enemies…” In the Old Testament we are instructed to love our neighbor and to love the stranger and sojourner in our midst. Jesus takes these commandments a step further. He urges us to love our enemies too. He goes on to urge us to do good to those who hate us, bless those who curse us, pray for those who abuse us. These words must have shocked the multitudes who flocked to hear him. They believed that they should hate their enemies; repay injury with injury, curses with curses; and cling to revenge.

What Jesus says next must also have shocked his listeners. “If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again.” Woah, Jesus! Are you saying I cannot hit them back twice as hard? That guy is going to spend any money I give him on booze!

Jesus rounds out these instructions with these words, “do to others as you would have them do to you.” Think about that for a moment. Do to others as you would have them do to you.

You would not want anyone to be rotten to you, would you? You would like others treating you with kindness and respect, forgiving you when you make a mistake and not holding it against you. Right? If that is the case, Jesus is saying, do not be rotten to others yourself. Treat others with kindness and respect. When they make a mistake, forgive them and do not hold the mistake against them.

Jesus goes on to explain why we should love those who do not love us, do good to those who do us ill, and lend to those who cannot repay. We will show that we are God’s children. We will be showing mercy toward others as God shows mercy toward us.

Loving those who do not love us, doing good to those who do us ill, and lending to those who cannot repay sounds really challenging. It goes against our instincts. How many of us take the time to think about how we would have others treat us in a particular situation and then act that way toward others in that situation?

Most of the time, I suspect, we act in the way that we have fallen into the habit of acting, in a way that follows the example of the world and not God. Being merciful as God is merciful is the last thought on our mind. Those who do not follow Jesus would see no difference in our actions from their own.

Thankfully God is busily working in us to will and do what pleases him. This is one of the many mercies that God shows us. It pleases God that we are merciful as he is merciful. Treating others in the way that we would have them treat us is the same kind of love that he shows us. We are God’s children not just because we are recipients of God’s love but also because we are channels of God’s love toward others. We may want to lash out at those who do not love us but God holds back his anger toward those who do not love him. We may not want to put money in that outstretched hand but God’s generosity toward us is beyond measure.

Let us be one of those who listens, who gives thought to Jesus’ words and acts upon them. When we act upon Jesus’ words, we will experience the power of God’s loving presence in our lives, transforming us into the image of Jesus, restoring in us the image in which we were made, the image of God.

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

Open this link in a new tab to hear John Rutter’s arrangement of the Prayer of St. Francis, “Lord, Make Me an Instrument of Thy Peace.”

Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace;
Where there is hatred,
Let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy;
And all for thy mercy's sake.

O divine Master,
Grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
To be understood as to understand;
To be loved as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life,
To eternal life.

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.