All Hallows Evening Prayer for Saturday Evening (January 23, 2021)

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 hear Tony Alonso’s responsorial setting of Psalm 141, “Like Burning Incense, O Lord.”

Like burning incense, O Lord,
let my rise to you.
Like burning incense, O Lord,
let my prayer rise to you.

1 I call out to you,
Come quickly to my aid.
My song cries out to you,
O listen to me now.
I raise my hands in off’ring to you.

Like burning incense, O Lord,
(Like burning incense, O Lord,)
let my prayer rise to you.
(let my prayer rise to you.)
Like burning incense, O Lord,
(Like burning incense, O Lord,)
let my prayer rise to you.
(let my prayer rise to you.)

2 Let me speak your truth;
watch over all I say.
Keep my thoughts on you;
let goodness rule my heart.
Keep me far from those who do harm.

Like burning incense, O Lord,
(Like burning incense, O Lord,)
let my prayer rise to you.
(let my prayer rise to you.)
Like burning incense, O Lord,
(Like burning incense, O Lord,)
let my prayer rise to you.
(let my prayer rise to you.)

3 Never let me dine
with those who seek to harm.
Keep your holy ones
always at my side.
Plant your wisdom deep in my soul.

Like burning incense, O Lord,
(Like burning incense, O Lord,)
let my prayer rise to you.
(let my prayer rise to you.)
Like burning incense, O Lord,
(Like burning incense, O Lord,)
let my prayer rise to you.
(let my prayer rise to you.)

4 I look to you for help;
I seek your loving eyes.
Guard my life for you;
Spare me from all wrong.
Keep all evil far from my heart.

Like burning incense, O Lord,
(Like burning incense, O Lord,)
let my prayer rise to you.
(let my prayer rise to you.)
Like burning incense, O Lord,
(Like burning incense, O Lord,)
let my prayer rise to you.
(let my prayer rise to you.)

5 Glory be to God
and to God’s only Son,
glory to the Spirit,
three in one,
now and for ever. Amen.

Like burning incense, O Lord,
(Like burning incense, O Lord,)
let my prayer rise to you.
(let my prayer rise to you.)
Like burning incense, O Lord,
(Like burning incense, O Lord,)
let my prayer rise to you.
(let my prayer rise to you.)

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 Heather Sorenson’s choral arrangement of Psalm 121, “I Lift My Eyes Unto the Hills.”

I lift my eyes unto the hills,
the hills from where my help is come.
My help, it cometh from the Lord
Who made heaven,
heaven and earth.

I lift my eyes unto the hills,
the hills from where my help is come.
My help, it cometh from the Lord
Who made heaven,
heaven and earth.

He will not suffer thy foot to be moved,
Neither will He sleep.
The Lord is thy keeper,
The Lord is thy shade.

The sun shall not smite thee by day;
the moon shall not smite thee by night.

The Lord shall protect thee from ev’ry evil.
He shall preserve thy soul,
The Lord shall protect thee from ev’ry evil.
He shall preserve thy soul
for-ever, for-ever,
for-ever, for-ever,
for-ever
He will preserve thy soul.

I lift my eyes unto the hills,
the hills from where my help is come.
My help, it cometh from the Lord
My help, it cometh from the Lord
My help, it cometh from the Lord
Who made heaven,
heaven and earth.
Amen, Amen.

Silence is kept.

Lord, ever watchful and faithful,
we look to you to be our defense
and we lift our hearts to know your help;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Proclamation of the Word

The Reading 

John 12:44-50 Summary of Jesus’ Teaching

Then Jesus cried aloud: “Whoever believes in me believes not in me but in him who sent me. And whoever sees me sees him who sent me. I have come as light into the world, so that everyone who believes in me should not remain in the darkness. I do not judge anyone who hears my words and does not keep them, for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. The one who rejects me and does not receive my word has a judge; on the last day the word that I have spoken will serve as judge, for I have not spoken on my own, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment about what to say and what to speak. And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I speak, therefore, I speak just as the Father has told me.”

Silence is kept.

May your word live in us
and bear much fruit to your glory.

The Homily

Words of Spirit and Life 

In today's reading Jesus equates belief in him with belief in God. Those who see him and hear him are seeing and hearing God. It is this claim that disturbed the Jews the most. To them it was blasphemy. Jesus was claiming to be more than a prophet. He was claiming to have such a close relationship with God that he and God were one and the same.

This claim is a central theme of John’s Gospel. It is a claim with which the Jews struggled when Jesus walked the streets of Jerusalem. It is a claim with which many of us struggle today. Muslims, for example, can accept Jesus as a prophet, second only to the Prophet himself, Mohammed. But they cannot accept him as God himself, God in human flesh. Hindus believe that their gods and goddesses can take human form and their Brahmins teach that their gods and goddesses are manifestations of one Supreme Being but they bulk at Jesus’ claim to be the One True God, the only God that can command our devotion and worship. Secular humanists, those who do not dismiss Jesus as a myth—someone who never existed, can accept Jesus as a teacher or philosopher but they view his claim to deity as a fabrication of his followers.

The Japanese who claim to have more than a million gods—kami with whom those who practice the Shinto religion strive to live in harmony, to whom they make prayers and offerings, and whose good-will and blessing they seek are largely indifferent to Jesus. They generally have a positive view of Christianity. A number of them have attended Christian schools. They may be familiar with Jesus’ teachings. Christmas and Christian weddings are popular in Japan. But as a whole the Japanese show little interest in the Christian faith and will not go out of their way to learn more about it.

Jesus’ claim is one that we also must weigh. Did God in the person of the Son become a human being, live among us, show God’s good-will and favor toward us, and suffer and die for our sake on a cross? If so, what are the implications for us? Jesus not only claims to reveal God to us, but he also claims God’s authority for his teaching. He is repeating what he heard from God, what God commanded him to say and speak, and God’s command is eternal life. Jesus’ words are, as his disciples acknowledged, spirit and life.

Here is something new that I learned this week. The researchers at LifeWay found that if we read the Bible once or twice a week, it will have little impact upon us, However, if we read the Bible four or more times a week, it will begin to shape our thinking and transform our lives. This is a really useful finding for people who are not able to read their Bibles every day. It gives them an idea of how often they should read their Bibles for their Bible reading to benefit them.

For people do not know where they should start when they begin reading the Bible for the first time or begin reading the Bible again after having stopped reading it for a while. I recommend that they begin with the Synoptic Gospels—Matthew, Mark, and Luke, then the Acts of the Apostles, then John’s Gospel, his letters, the Revelation to John, and then the other letters in the New Testament. The Acts of the Apostles is a continuation of Luke’s Gospel and John’s letters and Revelation expand upon what John wrote in his Gospel. I do not recommend that they start at the beginning of the Bible. They will reach a number of Old Testament books that are heavy going and these New Testament books may discourage them reading further. I recommend reading the good news before reading all the begets and dos and don’ts.

Take your time to work your way through the New Testament books that I have recommended. Read enough at each sitting to get something out of what you are reading and do not read too much that you cannot digest it. Read aloud and pause ever so often to reflect on what you have read and to pray if the Holy Spirit prompts you to pray.

Reading aloud enables you to hear the Word as well as read it. It will keep you from rushing through a passage or reading it perfunctorily. It will enable you digest what you are reading.

Ask these questions: “What does this passage tell me about God? What does it tell me about Jesus? What does it tell me about human beings? What does it tell me about myself? What does it tell me about following Jesus? What does it tell me about living my life to God’s glory? What else does it tell me?” During the day reflect further on what you read. If you are led to, pray about it.

You may not always understand a passage when you read it. You may come across a later passage that may shed light on upon it. Often the passages surrounding a passage will help you understand it. You may read the same passage several times and something different will draw your attention each time you read it.

Passages of Scripture as a rule have only one meaning but they may have several different applications. Passages of Scripture do not have hidden meanings. They are not written in a secret code. The Bible contains very few allegories and what allegories it does contain come with their own interpretation. The only meaning that we should read into a passage of Scripture is one that can be clearly read out of it.

As we read a passage of Scripture, the Holy Spirit will use its words, their meaning, and the imagery that they create to work in us.

Scripture is like a picture in an art gallery. We initially take a glimpse at the picture and then move on to the next picture. Later we may return to the picture for a closer look. We will see things in the picture that we did not notice before. Soon we will become completely absorbed in the picture and it will have a profound affect upon us. 

Jesus’ words are the same way. As we revisit them over and over again, they will draw us in. They will take hold of us. They will remake and renew us. They will indeed be spirit and life to our hungry, parched souls.

Silence is kept.

The Gospel Canticle

Open this link in a new tab to hear Carl P. Daw Jr.’s paraphrase 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

Be present, merciful God,
and protect us through the hours of this night:
that we, who are wearied by the changes
and chances of this fleeting world,
may rest on your eternal changelessness;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
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 Bernadette Farrell’s paraphrase of Psalm 19, “Your Words Are Spirit and Life.”

Your words are spirit and life, O Lord:
Richer than gold, stronger than death.
Your words are spirit and life, O Lord;
Life everlasting.

God’s law is perfect, refreshing the soul,
Reviving the weary spirit.
God's rule can be trusted: bringing us wisdom,
Bringing God's wisdom to birth

Your words are spirit and life, O Lord:
Richer than gold, stronger than death.
Your words are spirit and life, O Lord;
Life everlasting.

God’s precepts keep us; their purpose is right.
They gladden the hearts of people.
God's command is so clear it brings us new vision;
Bringing God's light to our eyes.

Your words are spirit and life, O Lord
Richer than gold, stronger than death
Your words are spirit and life, O Lord
Life everlasting.

*Living by God’s truth is holy and sure
God's presence is everlasting
God's truth is eternal, bringing us justice
Bringing God's justice to earth

Your words are spirit and life, O Lord:
Richer than gold, stronger than death.
Your words are spirit and life, O Lord
Life everlasting.

God’s word is precious, desired more than gold.
Worth more than we dare imagine
And, sweeter than honey, this word will feed us
Bringing fulfillment and joy

Your words are spirit and life, O Lord
Richer than gold, stronger than death
Your words are spirit and life, O Lord
Life everlasting.

The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us praise the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and
the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore. Amen

*This verse has been omitted in the video.