All Hallows Evening Prayer for Sunday Evening (October 11, 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 the ancient lamp-lighting hymn Phos hilaron, “O Gladsome Light, O Grace.” 

1 O gladsome Light, O Grace
of God the Father’s face,
The eternal splendour wearing;
celestial, holy, blest,
our Saviour Jesus Christ,
joyful in Thine appearing.

2 Now, ere day fadeth quite,
we see the evening light,
our wonted hymn outpouring;
Father of might unknown,
Thee, His incarnate Son,
and Holy Ghost adoring.

3 To Thee of right belongs
all praise of holy songs,
O Son of God, Lifegiver;
Thee, therefore, O Most High,
the world doth glorify,
and shall exalt for ever.

Thanksgiving

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.

We praise you, O Lord our God, Ruler of the universe!
Your word brings on the dusk of evening,
your wisdom creates both night and day.
You determine the cycles of time,
arrange the succession of the seasons,
and establish the stars in their heavenly courses.
Lord of the starry hosts is your name.
Living and eternal God,
rule over us always.
Blessed be the Lord,
whose word makes evening fall.
Amen.

Psalm 141 is sung and incense may be burned.

Open this link in a new tab to Gavin Bryars’ choral arrangement of Psalm 141, “Lord, I Cry Unto Thee.”

Lord, I cry unto thee: make haste unto me; give ear unto my voice, when I cry unto thee.

Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.

Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.

Incline not my heart to any evil thing, to practise wicked works with men that work iniquity: and let me not eat of their dainties.
Lord, I cry unto thee.

Let the righteous smite me; it shall be a kindness: and let him reprove me; it shall be an excellent oil, which shall not break my head: for yet my prayer also shall be in their calamities.

When their judges are overthrown in stony places, they shall hear my words; for they are sweet.

Our bones are scattered at the grave's mouth, as when one cutteth and cleaveth wood upon the earth.
Lord, I cry unto thee.

But mine eyes are unto thee, O God the Lord: in thee is my trust; leave not my soul destitute.

Keep me from the snares which they have laid for me, and the gins of the workers of iniquity.

Let the wicked fall into their own nets, whilst that I withal escape.
Give heed to my voice, let my cry come unto thee.

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 Luke Mayernik’s responsorial setting of the evening psalm, “Psalm 113—Blessed Be the Name of the Lord.”

Blessed be the name of the Lord for ever, for ever.

1 Praise, you servants of the Lord
praise the name of the Lord.
Blessed be the name of the Lord
both now and for ever.

Blessed be the name of the Lord for ever, for ever.

2 From the rising to the setting of the sun
is the name of the Lord to be praised.
High above all the nations is the Lord;
above the heavens is his glory.

Blessed be the name of the Lord for ever, for ever.

3 Who is like the Lord, our God,
who is enthroned on high
and looks upon the heavens
and the earth below?

Blessed be the name of the Lord for ever, for ever.

4 He raises up the lowly from the dust;
from the dunghill he lifts up the poor
to seat them with princes,
with princes of his own people.

Blessed be the name of the Lord for ever, for ever.

Silence is kept.

Lord Jesus, surrendering the brightness of your glory, you became mortal so that we might be raised from the dust to share your very being. May the children of God always bless your name from the rising of the sun to its going down, for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spiri, now and forever. Amen.

The Proclamation of the Word 

The Reading

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

Then he called the crowd to him and said to them, “Listen and understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles.” Then the disciples approached and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees took offense when they heard what you said?” He answered, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if one blind person guides another, both will fall into a pit.” But Peter said to him, “Explain this parable to us.” Then he said, “Are you also still without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth enters the stomach, and goes out into the sewer? But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this is what defiles. For out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile.”

The Gospel of Christ
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Silence is kept.

Homily

Blind Guides 

The expression, “the blind leading the blind” has entered the English language from the New Testament as a idiom and a metaphor. An idiom has a figurative meaning different from its literal meaning. A metaphor is a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is representative or symbolic of something else. The expression “the blind leading the blind” is now “used to describe a situation where a person who knows nothing is getting advice and help from another person who knows almost nothing.” In today’s reading the blind guides to whom Jesus is referring are the Pharisees and their teachings and the blind to those who follow the Pharisees’ teachings.

Jesus’ point is that the Pharisees, while they thought that they knew God’s ways and their disciples and their admirers drew the same conclusion were misleading themselves, their disciples, and their admirers. They were the blind leading the blind.

Imagine two men who are blind. Both are wearing the long robes that were worn in the ancient Mid East. One man is walking behind the other, holding onto his robe. Both have been following a road. However, the blind man who has taken the lead has turned off the road onto a path which he believes leads to the village where they are going. He heads down the path; the other man still clinging to his robe, follows behind him. He goes to place his foot down onto the path, only to discover nothing. He pitches headlong into a pit. The other man does not let go of his robe in time and pitches headlong into the pit with him. They are lucky. The pit is a shallow one and they end up struggling in the wastewater at the bottom of the pit. If the pit had been deeper, they would have been injured or even killed. They manage to climb out of the pit, wet, smelly, and bruised. The man who had taken the lead mutters to himself, “I could’ve sworn this was the right path.” They edge their way around the pit and return to the road along the path that they had come.

In the present day we encounter many examples of the blind leading the blind. For example, an opinionated middle-aged man who at best has a very rudimentary understanding of infectious diseases and epidemics and gets most of his information from misinformation peddlers on Facebook tells his family and friends who know even less than he does that they should not wear face masks and social distance. “After all, COVID-19 is no worse than the flu,” he tells them. His family and friends take his advice and several weeks later Granny is hospitalized with COVID-19, develops complications, and dies. His wife who does not share his views and wore a mask outside the house and kept a six-foot distance between herself and other people shows him an Arizona Republic article on the day of Granny’s funeral. “COVID-19 cases in Arizona dropped 75% after mask mandates began, report says” is the headline. The man stubbornly insists that he was right.

One of the lessons that we can learn from today’s reading is that we should not pretend to be experts on matters about which we know little or nothing. We should not confuse opinion with the truth. Otherwise, we will end up like the two blind men who fell into the pit. Or worse.

Silence is kept.

The Gospel Canticle

Open this link in a new tab to hear the Magnificat from Thomas Weekles’ Sixth Service.

My soul doth magnify the Lord :
and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.

For he hath regarded :
the lowliness of his hand-maiden.

For behold, from henceforth :
all generations shall call me blessed.

For he that is mighty hath magnified me :
and holy is his Name.

And his mercy is on them that fear him :
throughout all generations.

He hath shewed strength with his arm :
he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.

He hath put down the mighty from their seat :
and hath exalted the humble and meek.

He hath filled the hungry with good things :
and the rich he hath sent empty away.

He remembering his mercy hath holpen his servant Israel :
as he promised to our forefathers, Abraham and his seed, for ever.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son :
and to the Holy Ghost; 

As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be :
world without end. 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 is said

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 the hymn, “Thou Art the Way: To Thee Alone.”

1 Thou art the Way: to thee alone
from sin and death we flee;
and he who would the Father seek,
must seek him, Lord, by thee.

2 Thou art the Truth: thy Word alone
true wisdom can impart;
thou only canst inform the mind,
and purify the heart.

3 Thou art the Life: the rending tomb
proclaims thy conquering arm,
and those who put their trust in thee
nor death nor hell shall harm.

4 Thou art the Way, the Truth, the Life:
grant us that Way to know,
that Truth to keep, that Life to win,
whose joys eternal flow.

Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

The Lord bless us and keep us.
The Lord make his face to shine upon us
and be gracious to us.
The Lord lift up his countenance upon us
and give us peace. Amen