All Hallows Evening Prayer for Saturday Evening (Febrruary 20, 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 Louis Bourgeois’ hymn, “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.
Blessed are you, O Lord our God,
the Shepherd of Israel,
their pillar of cloud by day,
their pillar of fire by night.
In these forty days you lead us
into the desert of repentance
that in this pilgrimage of prayer
we may learn to be your people once more.
In fasting and service you bring us back to your heart.
Open our eyes to your presence in the world
and free our hands to lead others
to the radiant splendour of your mercy.
Be with us in these journey days
for without you we are lost and will perish.
To you alone be dominion and glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.
Psalm 141 is sung and incense may be burned.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Randall De Bruyn’s arrangements of Psalm 141 from The Grail (England).
Like burning incense, O Lord, let my prayer rise up to you.
Like burning incense, O Lord, let my prayer rise up to you.
I have called to you, Lord, hasten to help me.
Hear my voice when I cry to you.
Let my prayer arise before you like incense.
the raising of my hands like the evening oblation.
Set, O Lord, a guard over my mouth,
keep watch, O Lord, at the door of my lips!
Do not turn my heart to things that are wrong,
to evil deeds with those who are sinners.
Never allow me to share in their feasting.
If the righteous strike or reprove me, it is a kindness;
but let the oil of the wicked n’er anoint my head.
Let my prayer be ever against their malice.
To you, Lord God, my eyes are turned;
in you I take refuge; spare my soul!
From the trap they have laid for me keep me safe;
Keep me from the snares of those who do evil.
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.
Like burning incense, O Lord, let my prayer rise up 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 Carl F. Schalk’s choral arrangement of Psalm 130, “Out of the Depths.”
Out of the depths I have called to you, O Lord,
Lord, hear my voice,
Lord, hear my voice,
Lord, hear my voice;
let your ears consider well the voice of my supplication.
If you, Lord, you, Lord, were to note
what is done amiss,
O Lord, who could stand?
For there is forgiveness with you,
therefore you shall be feared,
I wait for the Lord;
my soul wait for him;
in his word,
in his word is my hope.
My soul waits for the Lord,
more than watchmen for the morning,
more than watchmen for the morning.
O Israel, wait for the Lord,
wait for the Lord,
for with the Lord there is mercy,
with him there is plenteous redemption,
and he shall redeem Israel
from all their sins.
Silence is kept.
Father, we commend to your faithful love
those who are crying from the depths;
help them to watch and pray
through their time of darkness,
in sure hope of the dawn of your
forgiveness and redemption;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Proclamation of the Word
The Reading
James 2: 14-26 Faith Without Works Is Dead
What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,” and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.
But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith. 1You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder. Do you want to be shown, you senseless person, that faith apart from works is barren? Was not our ancestor Abraham justified by works when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was brought to completion by the works. Thus the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness,” and he was called the friend of God. You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. Likewise, was not Rahab the prostitute also justified by works when she welcomed the messengers and sent them out by another road? For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is also dead.
Silence is kept.
Homily
A Fruitful, Living Faith
Some Christians question whether James’ letter should be in the New Testament because he appears to contradict what Paul wrote about being saved by grace alone through faith alone. But James’ letter does not contradict what Paul wrote. Paul in his letter to the Galatians writes, “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything; the only thing that counts is faith working (or made effective) through love.” This parallels what James says, “You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was brought to completion by the works.”
The point James is making is that faith that is not accompanied by works is not a vital faith, a living faith. The Articles of Religion of 1571, the Church of England’s historic confession of faith, puts it this way, “Albeit that Good Works, which are the fruits of Faith…do spring out necessarily of a true and lively Faith; in so much that by them a lively Faith may be as evidently known as a tree discerned by the fruit.”
Jesus is in his teaching emphasized the importance of mercy. He taught his disciples and the crowds that gathered to hear him that they should be merciful like God is merciful. Just as God is disposed to be kind, forgiving, compassionate, generous, and loving, they should also be so disposed, emulating God and thereby showing that they are God’s children. On several occasions Jesus repeats what God spoke through the prophet Hosea, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.”
When we show mercy toward others in its various forms, and these actions arise from our faith in Jesus and our trust in his words, what we are doing is pleasing to God. Most importantly, it also shows that our faith is more than words. We are not doing it because we believe that is the right thing to do or in order to win the praise and approval of others. We are doing it because Jesus said that it was the right thing to do and we believe him. Our actions originate from our faith in Jesus and our trust in his words. We believe Jesus and we act on our belief.
One of the reasons that Christianity has fallen on hard times in North America in this century is that Christians claim to believe in Jesus, but they do not act like they do. They do not follow his teaching or example. They do not exhibit what James tells us is a living faith.
What fruit they do yield is not what one would expect from a “true and lively Faith” in Jesus. It resembles what Paul describes as the works of the flesh in his letter to the Galatians. “Now the works of the flesh are obvious: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, envy, murder, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. I am warning you, as I warned you before: those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”
This fruit bears no resemblance to what he describes as fruit of the Spirit in the same letter. “By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things.”
Nonbelievers are not ill-disposed toward Jesus and his teaching. Often the biggest obstacle to them becoming followers of Jesus is those who claim to be his followers. We act like the rest of the world. We do not show the fruit of our faith in our lives, in our words and our deeds.
Our faith may be compared to a campfire. A campfire needs oxygen and fuel to burn. Without oxygen and fuel, it will be reduced to a heap of smoldering ashes and a few glowing embers. Add more fuel and fan the embers and it will blaze up again. It will keep burning as long as more fuel is added and the rain and anything else is prevented from smothering it.
A living faith is like a brightly burning campfire. It provides both heat and light. We can light a torch—a stick of resinous wood or a twist of tow—from it and use the lit torch to start more campfires.
Just as we can build up a campfire by adding more logs to it and arranging them so the campfire gets enough oxygen, we can also build up our faith, a faith that bears fruit. We can supply it with the spiritual equivalent of oxygen and fuel and protect it from what might smother it.
Here are three ways that we can build up our faith.
We can spend time everyday reading the Gospels and becoming better acquainted with Jesus. In the Gospels we will meet Jesus. We will hear what he taught and see the example that he set.
After we have read a passage, we can mediate upon it, turn it over in our mind and think about it. Soak ourselves in it. Talk to Jesus in it.
The Gospels are a meeting place for us with Jesus. Jesus is at the Father’s side in heaven but through the Holy Spirit he meets us in the Gospels. Let our hearts be open to him and his words. Trust what he is saying.
We can pray. We can practice the presence of God, focusing our attention on God throughout the day whatever we are doing.
We can ask God for grace to hear Jesus’ words, to take them to heart, and to act on them. We can ask God to show us where we can take our first faltering steps to live Jesus’ words and to give us courage and strength to take those steps.
We can act. We can be more responsive to the nudging of the Holy Spirit. We can walk in the good works for which, as Paul wrote the church at Ephesus, God created us in Jesus and which God has prepared beforehand to be our way of life.
The more we believe that Jesus is who he said that he was, the more we believe that his words are trustworthy and truthful and act upon them, the more our faith will grow and bear fruit. We will become the witnesses to Jesus that Jesus meant his disciples to be, showing his influence in our words and deeds, showing the world the face and the heart of Jesus.
What better time to start than the holy season of Lent. Not a few days from today but now—this very moment.
Silence is kept.
The Gospel Canticle
Open this link in a new tab to hear the Magnificat from Thomas Tallis’ Short 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 James Quinn's paraphrase of St. Patrick’s Breastplate, “Christ Be Beside Me”.
Christ be beside me,
Christ be before me,
Christ be behind me,
King of my heart,
Christ be within me,
Christ be below me,
Christ be above me,
Never to part.
Christ on my right hand,
Christ on my left hand,
Christ all around me,
Shield in the strife.
Christ in my sleeping,
Christ in my sitting,
Christ in my rising,
Light of my life.
Christ be in all hearts
Thinking about me.
Christ be on all tongues
Telling of me.
Christ be the vision
In eyes that see me,
In ears that hear me
Christ ever be.
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us praise the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
May our Lord Jesus Christ, and God our Father,
comfort our hearts and establish them
In every good work and word. Amen
The point James is making is that faith that is not accompanied by works is not a vital faith, a living faith. The Articles of Religion of 1571, the Church of England’s historic confession of faith, puts it this way, “Albeit that Good Works, which are the fruits of Faith…do spring out necessarily of a true and lively Faith; in so much that by them a lively Faith may be as evidently known as a tree discerned by the fruit.”
Jesus is in his teaching emphasized the importance of mercy. He taught his disciples and the crowds that gathered to hear him that they should be merciful like God is merciful. Just as God is disposed to be kind, forgiving, compassionate, generous, and loving, they should also be so disposed, emulating God and thereby showing that they are God’s children. On several occasions Jesus repeats what God spoke through the prophet Hosea, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.”
When we show mercy toward others in its various forms, and these actions arise from our faith in Jesus and our trust in his words, what we are doing is pleasing to God. Most importantly, it also shows that our faith is more than words. We are not doing it because we believe that is the right thing to do or in order to win the praise and approval of others. We are doing it because Jesus said that it was the right thing to do and we believe him. Our actions originate from our faith in Jesus and our trust in his words. We believe Jesus and we act on our belief.
One of the reasons that Christianity has fallen on hard times in North America in this century is that Christians claim to believe in Jesus, but they do not act like they do. They do not follow his teaching or example. They do not exhibit what James tells us is a living faith.
What fruit they do yield is not what one would expect from a “true and lively Faith” in Jesus. It resembles what Paul describes as the works of the flesh in his letter to the Galatians. “Now the works of the flesh are obvious: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, envy, murder, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. I am warning you, as I warned you before: those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”
This fruit bears no resemblance to what he describes as fruit of the Spirit in the same letter. “By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things.”
Nonbelievers are not ill-disposed toward Jesus and his teaching. Often the biggest obstacle to them becoming followers of Jesus is those who claim to be his followers. We act like the rest of the world. We do not show the fruit of our faith in our lives, in our words and our deeds.
Our faith may be compared to a campfire. A campfire needs oxygen and fuel to burn. Without oxygen and fuel, it will be reduced to a heap of smoldering ashes and a few glowing embers. Add more fuel and fan the embers and it will blaze up again. It will keep burning as long as more fuel is added and the rain and anything else is prevented from smothering it.
A living faith is like a brightly burning campfire. It provides both heat and light. We can light a torch—a stick of resinous wood or a twist of tow—from it and use the lit torch to start more campfires.
Just as we can build up a campfire by adding more logs to it and arranging them so the campfire gets enough oxygen, we can also build up our faith, a faith that bears fruit. We can supply it with the spiritual equivalent of oxygen and fuel and protect it from what might smother it.
Here are three ways that we can build up our faith.
We can spend time everyday reading the Gospels and becoming better acquainted with Jesus. In the Gospels we will meet Jesus. We will hear what he taught and see the example that he set.
After we have read a passage, we can mediate upon it, turn it over in our mind and think about it. Soak ourselves in it. Talk to Jesus in it.
The Gospels are a meeting place for us with Jesus. Jesus is at the Father’s side in heaven but through the Holy Spirit he meets us in the Gospels. Let our hearts be open to him and his words. Trust what he is saying.
We can pray. We can practice the presence of God, focusing our attention on God throughout the day whatever we are doing.
We can ask God for grace to hear Jesus’ words, to take them to heart, and to act on them. We can ask God to show us where we can take our first faltering steps to live Jesus’ words and to give us courage and strength to take those steps.
We can act. We can be more responsive to the nudging of the Holy Spirit. We can walk in the good works for which, as Paul wrote the church at Ephesus, God created us in Jesus and which God has prepared beforehand to be our way of life.
The more we believe that Jesus is who he said that he was, the more we believe that his words are trustworthy and truthful and act upon them, the more our faith will grow and bear fruit. We will become the witnesses to Jesus that Jesus meant his disciples to be, showing his influence in our words and deeds, showing the world the face and the heart of Jesus.
What better time to start than the holy season of Lent. Not a few days from today but now—this very moment.
Silence is kept.
The Gospel Canticle
Open this link in a new tab to hear the Magnificat from Thomas Tallis’ Short 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 James Quinn's paraphrase of St. Patrick’s Breastplate, “Christ Be Beside Me”.
Christ be beside me,
Christ be before me,
Christ be behind me,
King of my heart,
Christ be within me,
Christ be below me,
Christ be above me,
Never to part.
Christ on my right hand,
Christ on my left hand,
Christ all around me,
Shield in the strife.
Christ in my sleeping,
Christ in my sitting,
Christ in my rising,
Light of my life.
Christ be in all hearts
Thinking about me.
Christ be on all tongues
Telling of me.
Christ be the vision
In eyes that see me,
In ears that hear me
Christ ever be.
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us praise the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
May our Lord Jesus Christ, and God our Father,
comfort our hearts and establish them
In every good work and word. Amen
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