All Hallows Evening Prayer for Saturday Evening (March 20, 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 David von Kampen’s choral arrangement of “Joyous Light of Glory.”
Joyous light of glory of the immortal Father:
Heavenly, holy, blessed Jesus Christ,
We have come to the setting of the Sun
And we look to the evening light.
We sing to God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
You are worthy of being praised
with pure voices forever.
O Son of God, O Giver of life,
The universe proclaims your glory,
your glory, your glory.
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 arrangement 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 hear Donald Fishel’s choral arrangement of Psalm 91, “Be With Me, Lord.”
Refrain:
Be with me, Lord,
when I am in trouble.
Be with me, Lord.
Be with me, Lord,
when I am in trouble.
Be with me, Lord.
1 You who dwell in the shelter, in the shelter of the Most High,
who abide in his shadow of the Almighty,
say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress,
my God in whom I trust.”
Refrain
2 No evil shall befall you, no evil shall befall you,
nor affliction come near, come near your tent,
for to his angels he has given command about you,
that they guard you in all your ways.
Refrain
3 Upon their hands, upon their hands,
they shall bear you up, bear you up,
lest you dash your foot against a stone.
You shall tread upon the asp and the viper;
You shall trample down the lion and the dragon.
Refrain
4 Because he clings to me, I will deliver him;
I will set him on high
because he acknowledges my name.
He shall call upon me,
and I will answer him;
I will be with him in distress;
I will deliver him and glorify him.
Refrain
Silence is kept.
Keep us, good Lord,
under the shadow of your mercy
and, as you have bound us to yourself in love,
leave us not who call upon your name,
but grant us your salvation,
made known in the cross of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
The Proclamation of the Word
The Reading
Hebrews 11: 1-12 Faith
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Indeed, by faith our ancestors received approval. By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible.
By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain’s. Through this he received approval as righteous, God himself giving approval to his gifts; he died, but through his faith he still speaks. By faith Enoch was taken so that he did not experience death; and “he was not found, because God had taken him.” For it was attested before he was taken away that “he had pleased God.” And without faith it is impossible to please God, for whoever would approach him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. By faith Noah, warned by God about events as yet unseen, respected the warning and built an ark to save his household; by this he condemned the world and became an heir to the righteousness that is in accordance with faith.
By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to set out for a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; and he set out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he stayed for a time in the land he had been promised, as in a foreign land, living in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he looked forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. By faith Sarah herself, though barren, received power to conceive, even when she was too old, because she considered him faithful who had promised. Therefore from one person, and this one as good as dead, descendants were born, “as many as the stars of heaven and as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.”
Silence is kept.
Homily
Peekaboo! I See You!
If you have children or grandchildren, you may have played Peekaboo with them when they were infants. If you do not have children, chances are that your parents or grandparents played Peekaboo with you when you were an infant. Maybe you are a parent with an infant and played Peekaboo with them sometime today. To play, a grownup, teenager, or older child hides their face, pops back into the view of the infant, and says Peekaboo!, sometimes followed by I see you! It is a form of play in which we not only bond with the child but we also we help them develop what is known as object permanence. Object permanence is “the understanding that objects continue to exist even when they cannot be seen, heard, or otherwise sensed.”
The psychology of child development is a fascinating field of study. When I was a social worker, I worked with children and naturally took an interest in their development—how they think and act at different stages of their development, how they see themselves, others, and the world. Small children think in ways that we do not later in our lives or at least not to our awareness. The way that they think may reflect the influence of an earlier stage of their development upon their thinking.
For example, a small child may believe that if they close their eyes and cannot see us, we cannot see them. They may believe that when they close their eyes, we disappear. We lose our permanency as an object.
In some children this belief may cause them anxiety and fearfulness and prevent them from sleeping. If they close their eyes and fall asleep, their parent or caregiver may go away. This may have been their experience. They may have been left unattended for long periods of time.
As we grow to adulthood, these ways of thinking are replaced by other ways of thinking, but they do not entirely disappear and may continue to influence how we think, feel, and act.
The topic of today’s reading is faith. When you and a Christian friend are talking and the conversation turns to spiritual things, your Christian friend may say something like "You gotta have faith." They then leave you in the dark about what they mean. You shrug your shoulders and go about your business. Later the conversation comes to mind and you find yourself puzzling over what they were saying.
The author of the Letter to the Hebrews provides us with a biblical definition of faith. It is the certainty in our minds that what we hope for will come to pass. It is also our firmly held belief that things which we cannot see exist in spite of our inability to see them. When we hope for something, we want it to happen or be the case. We not only desire it, but we also expect it. We are fully persuaded that, while something may be invisible or otherwise not detectable by our senses—smell, touch, taste, and so on—it is real. It is not a figment of our imagination.
The author of Hebrews goes on to say that it was by faith that the people of ancient times won God’s approval. It is by faith that we understand that the universe was created at God’s command, by God’s word, the visible out of the invisible.
The author of Hebrews gives four examples of faith from the Old Testament. He refers to how Abel, Enoch, Noah, and Abraham put their faith in God, how their faith was pleasing to God, and how, as a consequence, their faith was credited to them as righteousness by God. They were free from guilt or sin in God’s eyes.
If you are not familiar with the stories of Abel, Enoch, Noah, and Abraham, you can read their stories in the Book of Genesis in the Bible. It is the first book in the Bible. The Jewish Christians to whom Hebrews’ author wrote his letter would have been familiar with their stories.
The Enoch to whom the author of the Letter of Hebrews is referring was the son of Jared and the father of Methuselah. Cain also had a son named Enoch, but that Enoch is not the one to whom Hebrews’ author is referring.
The author of Hebrews points to our attention that no one can please God without faith, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that God exists and that God rewards those who seek him.
Duh! The author of Hebrews appears to be stating the obvious. No one would bother trying to please someone whom they did not believe existed. What would be the point? If they did not exist, how could we please them and how could they reward us?
The author of Hebrews, however, appears to be saying more than that. With our disbelief we create barriers between God and ourselves. God exists regardless of whether we believe in his existence. He does not materialize into existence due to our belief. Nor does the strength of our faith determine the extent of his power.
God will not fade away as disbelief in him grows. He may fade in our minds, but he will continue to exist. He will continue to exist long after we are forgotten.
The idea that God’s existence is tied to our belief is found in science fiction and fantasy novels and in Japanese anime. So is the idea that the extent of God’s power is tied to the strength of our faith. But that is not what the author of Hebrews is saying.
Even the slightest stirring of faith can lower the barriers we have created between God and ourselves. We can peek between the lashes of one eye, and we will discover God is patiently waiting there for us. He has been there all the time, but we have screwed up our eyes real tight, and have chosen to ignore him. Like a small child, we may have believed that because we have closed our eyes to him, he is not there.
The more we open our eyes, the more we will become aware of God’s presence in our lives. We will notice things for which there is no natural explanation. They can be only the work of a gracious God.
We can maintain the barriers between God and ourselves out of stubbornness or habit. “It is childish to believe in God,” we tell ourselves. We can come up with a variety of other reasons for not believing in God.
The thought of believing in God may disturb us. We would have to think differently about the world from the way that we have been. As with the ways that we act, we can become set in the ways that we think. The two can be tied together.
God does not normally force himself into our awareness. God may on occasion do that from what the Bible tell us, but that is not his normal way of doing things. For this reason, God can be very maddening to some folks. They want God wear big boots and go striding around in them so that everyone takes notice. God could do that, but he does not. They want God to make the world real clear cut. It exasperates them that God does not work that way.
Because God does not do things in the way which they think that he ought to, they chose not to believe in him. “If God is real,” they say to themselves, “he would do this.” “He would that.” “He wouldn’t do this.” In their minds they set the criteria for how God should act and when he does not act that way, they conclude that he does not exist. God is at times a God of paradoxes, and they are not comfortable with paradoxes.
Does God throw his hands up in despair? No. As the apostle Paul wrote the church at Philippi, God is working in us. God helps us to want to please him, and he gives us the power to do it. Believing in him and coming to know him are what pleases God. God grieves when we pass into the darkness, into an eternity without him, with our eyes tightly closed. He would rather that we opened our eyes and enjoyed an eternity in the light with him.
God is like the father in Jesus’ Parable of the Prodigal Son. In the parable a father’s youngest son shockingly demand his share of the inheritance that will be his when his father dies. To demand his share of the inheritance while his father was alive was the same as wishing that his father were dead! Even more shockingly the father gives it to him. The son then leaves the country and squanders the money on booze and prostitutes—booze and prostitutes! When he runs out of money, he is forced to work as a swine herd, a keeper of pigs.
Those who came to hear Jesus considered pigs unclean animals that were not fit for human consumption. Only Gentiles—non-Jews—ate them. Tending pigs was a task for only those on the bottom most rung of society.
The youngest son is starving and eyes hungrily the tough green broad bean pods that the pigs are eating. I have podded broad beans and based upon that experience I believe that I can safely say that he must have been very hungry!
The fact that he is starving suggests that he may be working off a debt and the owner of the pigs may not be paying him any wages at all. Or he is spending recklessly what money does earn. He has not given up his prodigal habits.
The youngest son concludes that he would be better off as a slave in his father’s household and decides to return home. When he comes in sight of his home, he discovers that his father is eagerly awaiting his return.
When the father spies the returning son, he throws his dignity to the wind and rushes to meet him, his robe flying. The older brother is appalled by the welcome which the father extends to his younger brother.
God is eagerly waiting for us to open our eyes to him as the father was eagerly waiting for the youngest son to return home. The father did not disown the son over what he did. God has not disowned us over our disbelief, our lack of faith. All that God has to offer can be ours. We need only to feel the tickle on our cheek, peek between our eyelids, and see God’s gentle hand resting there.
Silence is kept.
The Gospel Canticle
Open this link in a new tab to hear Richard Hillert’s choral arrangement of the Magnificat.
My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God, my Savior;
For He has regarded
the low estate of His handmaiden.
For behold henceforth
all generations will call me blessed.
For He who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is His name;
And His mercy is on those who fear Him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He has put down the mighty from their thrones
and has exalted the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich He has sent empty away.
He has helped his servant Israel in remembrance of his mercy
as He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his posterity forever.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit;
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 (of blessed Patrick, 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:
The author of Hebrews goes on to say that it was by faith that the people of ancient times won God’s approval. It is by faith that we understand that the universe was created at God’s command, by God’s word, the visible out of the invisible.
The author of Hebrews gives four examples of faith from the Old Testament. He refers to how Abel, Enoch, Noah, and Abraham put their faith in God, how their faith was pleasing to God, and how, as a consequence, their faith was credited to them as righteousness by God. They were free from guilt or sin in God’s eyes.
If you are not familiar with the stories of Abel, Enoch, Noah, and Abraham, you can read their stories in the Book of Genesis in the Bible. It is the first book in the Bible. The Jewish Christians to whom Hebrews’ author wrote his letter would have been familiar with their stories.
The Enoch to whom the author of the Letter of Hebrews is referring was the son of Jared and the father of Methuselah. Cain also had a son named Enoch, but that Enoch is not the one to whom Hebrews’ author is referring.
The author of Hebrews points to our attention that no one can please God without faith, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that God exists and that God rewards those who seek him.
Duh! The author of Hebrews appears to be stating the obvious. No one would bother trying to please someone whom they did not believe existed. What would be the point? If they did not exist, how could we please them and how could they reward us?
The author of Hebrews, however, appears to be saying more than that. With our disbelief we create barriers between God and ourselves. God exists regardless of whether we believe in his existence. He does not materialize into existence due to our belief. Nor does the strength of our faith determine the extent of his power.
God will not fade away as disbelief in him grows. He may fade in our minds, but he will continue to exist. He will continue to exist long after we are forgotten.
The idea that God’s existence is tied to our belief is found in science fiction and fantasy novels and in Japanese anime. So is the idea that the extent of God’s power is tied to the strength of our faith. But that is not what the author of Hebrews is saying.
Even the slightest stirring of faith can lower the barriers we have created between God and ourselves. We can peek between the lashes of one eye, and we will discover God is patiently waiting there for us. He has been there all the time, but we have screwed up our eyes real tight, and have chosen to ignore him. Like a small child, we may have believed that because we have closed our eyes to him, he is not there.
The more we open our eyes, the more we will become aware of God’s presence in our lives. We will notice things for which there is no natural explanation. They can be only the work of a gracious God.
We can maintain the barriers between God and ourselves out of stubbornness or habit. “It is childish to believe in God,” we tell ourselves. We can come up with a variety of other reasons for not believing in God.
The thought of believing in God may disturb us. We would have to think differently about the world from the way that we have been. As with the ways that we act, we can become set in the ways that we think. The two can be tied together.
God does not normally force himself into our awareness. God may on occasion do that from what the Bible tell us, but that is not his normal way of doing things. For this reason, God can be very maddening to some folks. They want God wear big boots and go striding around in them so that everyone takes notice. God could do that, but he does not. They want God to make the world real clear cut. It exasperates them that God does not work that way.
Because God does not do things in the way which they think that he ought to, they chose not to believe in him. “If God is real,” they say to themselves, “he would do this.” “He would that.” “He wouldn’t do this.” In their minds they set the criteria for how God should act and when he does not act that way, they conclude that he does not exist. God is at times a God of paradoxes, and they are not comfortable with paradoxes.
Does God throw his hands up in despair? No. As the apostle Paul wrote the church at Philippi, God is working in us. God helps us to want to please him, and he gives us the power to do it. Believing in him and coming to know him are what pleases God. God grieves when we pass into the darkness, into an eternity without him, with our eyes tightly closed. He would rather that we opened our eyes and enjoyed an eternity in the light with him.
God is like the father in Jesus’ Parable of the Prodigal Son. In the parable a father’s youngest son shockingly demand his share of the inheritance that will be his when his father dies. To demand his share of the inheritance while his father was alive was the same as wishing that his father were dead! Even more shockingly the father gives it to him. The son then leaves the country and squanders the money on booze and prostitutes—booze and prostitutes! When he runs out of money, he is forced to work as a swine herd, a keeper of pigs.
Those who came to hear Jesus considered pigs unclean animals that were not fit for human consumption. Only Gentiles—non-Jews—ate them. Tending pigs was a task for only those on the bottom most rung of society.
The youngest son is starving and eyes hungrily the tough green broad bean pods that the pigs are eating. I have podded broad beans and based upon that experience I believe that I can safely say that he must have been very hungry!
The fact that he is starving suggests that he may be working off a debt and the owner of the pigs may not be paying him any wages at all. Or he is spending recklessly what money does earn. He has not given up his prodigal habits.
The youngest son concludes that he would be better off as a slave in his father’s household and decides to return home. When he comes in sight of his home, he discovers that his father is eagerly awaiting his return.
When the father spies the returning son, he throws his dignity to the wind and rushes to meet him, his robe flying. The older brother is appalled by the welcome which the father extends to his younger brother.
God is eagerly waiting for us to open our eyes to him as the father was eagerly waiting for the youngest son to return home. The father did not disown the son over what he did. God has not disowned us over our disbelief, our lack of faith. All that God has to offer can be ours. We need only to feel the tickle on our cheek, peek between our eyelids, and see God’s gentle hand resting there.
Silence is kept.
The Gospel Canticle
Open this link in a new tab to hear Richard Hillert’s choral arrangement of the Magnificat.
My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God, my Savior;
For He has regarded
the low estate of His handmaiden.
For behold henceforth
all generations will call me blessed.
For He who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is His name;
And His mercy is on those who fear Him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He has put down the mighty from their thrones
and has exalted the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich He has sent empty away.
He has helped his servant Israel in remembrance of his mercy
as He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his posterity forever.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit;
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 (of blessed Patrick, 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 Herman Stuempfle, Jr.’s hymn, “How Small Our Span of Life.”
1 How small our span of life, O God, our years from birth till death;
A single beat within a heart, the catching of a breath,
A drop within the ocean's deep, a grain upon the shore,
A flash of light before we sleep to see the sun no more.
2 And yet our speck of life is spanned by your infinity;
Our tick of time on earth is caught in your eternity.
While suns and stars spin endlessly through depths of cosmic space,
while aeons roll and ages pass, you hold us in your grace.
3 O Christ, you left eternity to plunge in time's swift stream.
To share the shortness of our span, our mortal lives redeem.
You filled your cross-closed years with love; you loved us to the end and touch us with your risen life that ours may time transcend.
4 We thank you, God, for kindling faith that lights our transient years,
Illumining our pilgrimage through mists of doubt and fears;
For hope that sees a life beyond the swiftly passing days;
For love, both human and divine, that lifts our hearts to praise.
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us praise the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Marty Haugen’s choral arrangement of Adam Tice’s “May God Keep and Bless You.”
May God keep and bless you,
and nothing distress you.
May God guard and guide you,
and friends walk beside you.
May God’s arms surround you,
and fear not confound you.
May God’s light shine through you,
and night not subdue you.
As you sleep and wake
may your prayers arise
as love songs for God,
whose love never dies,
whose love never dies.
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 Herman Stuempfle, Jr.’s hymn, “How Small Our Span of Life.”
1 How small our span of life, O God, our years from birth till death;
A single beat within a heart, the catching of a breath,
A drop within the ocean's deep, a grain upon the shore,
A flash of light before we sleep to see the sun no more.
2 And yet our speck of life is spanned by your infinity;
Our tick of time on earth is caught in your eternity.
While suns and stars spin endlessly through depths of cosmic space,
while aeons roll and ages pass, you hold us in your grace.
3 O Christ, you left eternity to plunge in time's swift stream.
To share the shortness of our span, our mortal lives redeem.
You filled your cross-closed years with love; you loved us to the end and touch us with your risen life that ours may time transcend.
4 We thank you, God, for kindling faith that lights our transient years,
Illumining our pilgrimage through mists of doubt and fears;
For hope that sees a life beyond the swiftly passing days;
For love, both human and divine, that lifts our hearts to praise.
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us praise the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Marty Haugen’s choral arrangement of Adam Tice’s “May God Keep and Bless You.”
May God keep and bless you,
and nothing distress you.
May God guard and guide you,
and friends walk beside you.
May God’s arms surround you,
and fear not confound you.
May God’s light shine through you,
and night not subdue you.
As you sleep and wake
may your prayers arise
as love songs for God,
whose love never dies,
whose love never dies.
Comments
Post a Comment