All Hallows Evening Prayer for Sunday Evening (October 25, 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 Carl P. Daw Jr.’s metrical version of the Phos hilaron, “O Light Whose Splendor Thrills and Gladdens.”

O Light whose splendor thrills and gladdens
with radiance brighter than the sun,
pure gleam of God's unending glory,
O Jesus, blest Anointed One;

as twilight hovers near at sunset,
and lamps are lit, and children nod,
in evening hymns we lift our voices
to Father, Spirit, Son: one God.

In all life's brilliant, timeless moments,
let faithful voices sing your praise,
O Son of God, our Life-bestower,
whose glory lightens endless days.

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 J. David Moore's choral arrangement of Isaac Watts' metrical version of Psalm 23, "My Shepherd Will Supply My Need."

My Shepherd will supply my need;
Jehovah is His Name:
In pastures fresh He makes me feed,
Beside the living stream.
He brings my wandering spirit back
When I forsake His ways,
And leads me, for His mercy’s sake,
In paths of truth and grace.

When I walk through the shades of death
Thy presence is my stay;
One word of thy supporting breath
Drives all my fears away.
Thy hand, in sight of all my foes,
Does still my table spread;
My cup with blessings overflows,
Thy oil anoints my head.

The sure provisions of my God
Attend me all my days;
O may Thy house be my abode,
And all my work be praise.
There would I find a settled rest,
While others go and come;
No more a stranger, or a guest,
But like a child at home.

Silence is kept.

O God, our sovereign and shepherd,
who brought again your Son Jesus Christ
from the valley of death,
comfort us with your protecting presence
and your angels of goodness and love,
that we also may come home
and dwell with him in your house for ever.
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.

“Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward; and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of the righteous; and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple—truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward.”

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

Silence is kept.

Homily

A Cup of Cold Water 

One of my memories of Louisiana where I lived for a good part of my life is the Franklinton Free Fair. It was an annual event held in the parish seat of Washington Parish in southeast Louisiana. In Louisiana counties are called parishes—a survival from the days when Louisiana was a French colony.

Washington Parish is a largely rural—tree farms, dairy farms, small unincorporated communities, gravel pits, and that sort of thing. At one time my aunt, my mother’s younger sister, had owned and operated a dairy farm in the parish. She is buried there in a cemetery in the little community of Pine, next to her husband, awaiting the resurrection.

My aunt and my mother used to have a stall at the Franklinton Free Fair where they sold handmade crafts, knitted baby blankets, bonnets, jackets, and booties; crocheted afghans; and a variety of cloth dolls. Every year I would bring my nieces to the fair. We would stop at their stall; then look at the other stalls, the exhibits, and the livestock; and slowly make our way to the fairway and the rides.

Every year a local Baptist church set up a table in a booth in the corner of one of the buildings and gave away free paper cups of water to the fairgoers. Whenever I read today’s passage from Matthew’s Gospel, I see in my mind’s eye that booth with its urns of cold water, paper cups, and its sign inviting fairgoers to refresh themselves with a free cup of cold water.

During the daytime the fairground could get uncomfortably hot and the cold water was always welcome. One could buy an iced drink from one of the several food stands but they did not quench the thirst like that cold water.

I did not know anyone who attended the local Baptist church that gave away the free cups of cold water. The table was usually unattended. The few volunteers that I saw were elderly. The church or some of its members had in their own way taken this passage to heart.

It is a passage that we should take to heart too. “Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.” Whoever welcomes one of Jesus’ disciples, welcomes Jesus, and whoever welcomes Jesus welcomes God who sent him.

Now Jesus was talking about the people to whom he was sending the twelve disciples. One of the truths that underlies this verse is that those who welcome a follower of Jesus welcome Jesus and with Jesus, they welcome God who sent him.

A second truth also underlies this verse, a truth of which we should take note in this time when Christians are deeply divided over a number of issues. When we welcome a fellow Christian even someone with whom we are in disagreement, we also welcome our Lord and with our Lord, we welcome God. Jesus himself teaches that we should love even our enemies. He also teaches that we should seek reconciliation with a brother or sister when we experience a falling-out. We are not to nurse a grudge against them.

Jesus further warns us to take care in choosing the standard by which we would judge others for we in turn will be judged by the same standard. We may convince ourselves that a fellow Christian is not really a Christian after all and therefore we do not need to treat them in the way that our Lord commanded. However, if we apply the same standard to ourselves, chances are that we will discover that we are not by that standard a Christian either.

Welcoming a fellow Christian with whom we are in disagreement does not mean that we must embrace their views along with them but it does mean that we should respectfully listen to them and treat them with every courtesy. God shows grace to all people and we, if we are to be recognized as children of the Most High, must also show grace to them too.

We are in the midst of a very contentious election season. An election that will choose a new president and a new vice president is a little over a week away. Whatever the outcome of that election, we must not forget that our first loyalty as followers of Jesus is to the one that we call Lord and to his teachings.

We also must not forget that the devil takes advantage of our divisions and uses them to do us harm. While the devil cannot prevail against Jesus’ church, he can sow discord among Jesus’ followers and distract them from the task that Jesus has give them. The devil is a predator and like all predators he preys upon the weak, the sickly, and the stragglers. Our divisions weaken the church and make us easy prey for the devil.

Silence is kept.

The Gospel Canticle

Open this link in a new tab to hear Carl P. Daw Jr.’s metrical version of the Magnificat.

Refrain:
My soul proclaims with wonder
the greatness of the Lord;
rejoicing in God's goodness,
my spirit is restored.

For God has looked with favor,
on one the world thought frail;
and blessings through the ages will echo
the angel's first "All hail." [Refrain]

God's mercy shields the faithful
and gives them safe retreat
to arms that turns to scatter
the proud in their conceit. [Refrain]

The mighty have been vanquished;
the lowly lifted up.
The hungry find abundance;
the rich, an empty cup. [Refrain]

To Abraham's descendants
the Lord will steadfast prove,
for God has made with Israel
a covenant of love. [Refrain]

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 to hear James Quinn’s translation of the Latin hymn Ubi Caritas, “God Is Love, and Where True Love Is God Himself Is There.”

Refrain: 
God is love, and where true love is God himself is there.

1 Here in Christ we gather, love of Christ our calling.
Christ, our love, is with us, gladness be his greeting.
Let us fear and love him, holy God eternal.
Loving him, let each love Christ in one another. [Refrain]

2 When we Christians gather, members of one Body,
Let there be in us no discord but one spirit.
Banished now be anger, strife and every quarrel.
Christ, our God, be always present here among us. [Refrain]

3 Grant us love's fulfillment, joy with all the blessed,
When we see your face, O Savior, in its glory.
Shine on us, O purest Light of all creation,
Be our bliss while endless ages sing your praises. [Refrain]

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