All Hallows Evening Prayer for Saturday Evening (January 30, 2021)
Evening Prayer
The Service of LightJesus 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 Luke Mayernik’s responsorial setting of 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 Spirit, now and forever. Amen.
The Proclamation of the Word
The Reading
John 14: 1-14 Jesus the Way to the Father
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way to the place where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”
Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves. Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.
May your word live in us
and bear much fruit to your glory.
Silence is kept.
Homily
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way to the place where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”
Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves. Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.
May your word live in us
and bear much fruit to your glory.
Silence is kept.
Homily
One Path or Many Paths?
In today’s reading we find two passages that are often interpreted as having disparate or contradictory meanings. One passage is. “In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places.” This passage is frequently taken out of context and used to support the idea that there is more than one way to God. In God’s house, it is argued, there is room for Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, Shintoists, Sikhs, and the adherents of various other religions, as well as Christians.
Yet almost on its heels so to speak is a passage in which Jesus himself makes the exclusive claim to be the only way to God. “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
Yet almost on its heels so to speak is a passage in which Jesus himself makes the exclusive claim to be the only way to God. “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
For those who believe that all religions are paths up the same mountain to God this passage is a major stumbling block, something over which they repeatedly trip again and again. They are faced with choosing between rejecting Jesus’ claim or reconciling it with their beliefs.
All religions, it must be said, do not share the same aim. Ancestor worshipers seek to honor the dead and maintain good relations between the living and the dead. Buddhists seek to escape the endless cycle of reincarnation through meditation and ascetic practices. Muslims seek to enter paradise through adherence to the teaching of the Quran and a life of submission to the will of Allah. Shintoists seek to live in harmony with the kami, the gods and spirits of a particular locality. Each religion has its own particular aim. They are not different paths up the same mountain to God.
All religions, it must be said, do not share the same aim. Ancestor worshipers seek to honor the dead and maintain good relations between the living and the dead. Buddhists seek to escape the endless cycle of reincarnation through meditation and ascetic practices. Muslims seek to enter paradise through adherence to the teaching of the Quran and a life of submission to the will of Allah. Shintoists seek to live in harmony with the kami, the gods and spirits of a particular locality. Each religion has its own particular aim. They are not different paths up the same mountain to God.
God, however, extend his grace to all people. As the Bible tell us, God sends rain to both the righteous and the wicked. He shows his loving kindness to all his creatures,
We really do not know what Jesus meant exactly when he said, “in my Father’s house are many dwelling places.” On the other hand, Jesus is quite clear in his claim to be the only way to God.
A good principle of Bible interpretation is to interpret unclear passages in the light of clear ones. In the first passage Jesus appears to be telling his disciples that his Father’s house will have many occupants. In the second passage he appears to be telling them that these occupants will have entered the Father’s house through him. He is reiterating what he said earlier in John’s Gospel. He is the gate through which the sheep enter the sheepfold. There is no other entrance to the sheepfold.
Now Jesus is not saying that the only way to God is a particular church. He is saying that the only way to God is himself. We should be careful not to confuse the two. Jesus is not saying that the only way to God is through a particular set of beliefs. What he is saying is the only way to God is through him. Those who have seen him have seen God. Those who know him know God. To know Jesus and to know God is to have eternal life.
How do we come to know Jesus? We can come to know Jesus in several ways. We can come to know him through reading the Gospels, not just once but many times, and meeting him in his words and deeds recorded in the Gospels. We can come to know Jesus in the words and deeds of his followers whose lives are shaped by his words and deeds so that they truly represent him in every way. We can come to know him by earnestly following his teaching and his example. We can come to know Jesus through prayer, through sharing with him our joys and our sorrows, speaking with him and fellowshipping with him on a daily basis. We can come to know him through the people that he places in our lives, through their weaknesses and their strengths and our own.
God is not stingy with his grace. The world would be a far worse place if God were not generous with his mercy. One of God’s gifts to us is “room to turn around in.” God provides many opportunities in our lives to turn away from what comes between us and God and to turn to God. God can turn a heart of stone into a heart of flesh.
We may choose not to believe in God. But God will not turn from us even though we may turn from God. God will not let the tiniest flame of faith to go out. It may never become a great conflagration, but God will continue to feed it, to keep it burning. God will bring to completion the good work that he has begun in us.
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.
We really do not know what Jesus meant exactly when he said, “in my Father’s house are many dwelling places.” On the other hand, Jesus is quite clear in his claim to be the only way to God.
A good principle of Bible interpretation is to interpret unclear passages in the light of clear ones. In the first passage Jesus appears to be telling his disciples that his Father’s house will have many occupants. In the second passage he appears to be telling them that these occupants will have entered the Father’s house through him. He is reiterating what he said earlier in John’s Gospel. He is the gate through which the sheep enter the sheepfold. There is no other entrance to the sheepfold.
Now Jesus is not saying that the only way to God is a particular church. He is saying that the only way to God is himself. We should be careful not to confuse the two. Jesus is not saying that the only way to God is through a particular set of beliefs. What he is saying is the only way to God is through him. Those who have seen him have seen God. Those who know him know God. To know Jesus and to know God is to have eternal life.
How do we come to know Jesus? We can come to know Jesus in several ways. We can come to know him through reading the Gospels, not just once but many times, and meeting him in his words and deeds recorded in the Gospels. We can come to know Jesus in the words and deeds of his followers whose lives are shaped by his words and deeds so that they truly represent him in every way. We can come to know him by earnestly following his teaching and his example. We can come to know Jesus through prayer, through sharing with him our joys and our sorrows, speaking with him and fellowshipping with him on a daily basis. We can come to know him through the people that he places in our lives, through their weaknesses and their strengths and our own.
God is not stingy with his grace. The world would be a far worse place if God were not generous with his mercy. One of God’s gifts to us is “room to turn around in.” God provides many opportunities in our lives to turn away from what comes between us and God and to turn to God. God can turn a heart of stone into a heart of flesh.
We may choose not to believe in God. But God will not turn from us even though we may turn from God. God will not let the tiniest flame of faith to go out. It may never become a great conflagration, but God will continue to feed it, to keep it burning. God will bring to completion the good work that he has begun in us.
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
Come to visit us, Lord, this night,
so that by your strength
we may rise at daybreak
to rejoice in the resurrection of Christ your Son,
who lives and reigns for ever and ever.
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 Craig Phillips’ choral arrangement of Carl P. Daw Jr.’s hymn, “The House of Faith Has Many Rooms.”
The house of faith has many rooms
where we have never been;
there is more space within God's scope
than we have ever seen.
We dare not limit God's domain
to what our creeds declare,
or shrink from probing things unknown
lest God should not be there,
The way to God is not escape,
though truth does make us free:
the life of chosen servanthood
is perfect liberty.
Yet still we seek at journey's end
the last and sweetest grace:
the gift of room to turn around
and know God face to face.
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us praise 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
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