All Hallows Evening Prayer for Saturday Evening (March 27, 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 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

Luke 19: 28-40 Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem

After he had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.

When he had come near Bethphage and Bethany, at the place called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of the disciples, saying, ‘Go into the village ahead of you, and as you enter it you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, “Why are you untying it?” just say this: “The Lord needs it.”’ So those who were sent departed and found it as he had told them. As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, ‘Why are you untying the colt?’ They said, ‘The Lord needs it.’ Then they brought it to Jesus; and after throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. As he rode along, people kept spreading their cloaks on the road. As he was now approaching the path down from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power that they had seen, saying,

‘Blessed is the king
who comes in the name of the Lord!
Peace in heaven,
and glory in the highest heaven!’

Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, ‘Teacher, order your disciples to stop.’ He answered, ‘I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out.’

Silence is kept.

Homily

A King on a Donkey

If you compare the accounts of Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem in the four Gospels, you will discover that while they agree some details, they do not agree on others. For example, Luke in his account makes no mention of branches. Matthew and Mark mention people spreading cloaks on the road and “others” cutting and spreading branches. Only in John’s account do the great crowd that came to attend the festival take palm branches and go out to meet Jesus. Due to the difference in details some people question the veracity of these accounts. The differences in details, however, support the strong likelihood of the truth of the four accounts.

For over 25 years I was involved in child welfare work for the State of Louisiana. As well as doing casework with the families of children who had been identified to be at risk, I also investigated complaints of child abuse and neglect. When everyone I interviewed told me the exact same story, the probability that they were lying was extremely high. They had gotten together and had agreed on what they would tell the police and the child protection agency. If they told me different stories, there was a strong likelihood that they were telling the truth. Different witnesses will remember different details.

In the case of Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem, one witness may have overheard the Pharisees talking among themselves. “You see, you can do nothing. Look, the world has gone after him!” Another witness may have heard the Pharisees tell Jesus, ‘Teacher, order your disciples to stop.’ The same witness may have heard Jesus’ reply, “I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out.”

The commemoration of Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem with a solemn procession originated in Jerusalem in the fourth century. The practice was introduced in the English Church in the eighth century at Salisbury Cathedral, It was not introduced in Rome until the twelfth century. At Salisbury a monstrance containing a consecrated host was carried in the procession. Willow branches were also carried in place of palm branches.

At the time of the English Reformation solemn processions on Palm Sunday fell into disfavor. The Church of England’s Articles of Religion, adopted during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, state that “The Sacraments were mot ordained by Christ to be gazed upon, or to be carried about, but that we should duly use them.” Palm Sunday processions were not revived until the nineteenth century.

Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem was the beginning of a series of events that would lead to his arrest, trial, and crucifixion. We commemorate these events during Holy Week, the week that begins on Palm Sunday and concludes on Easter Eve. On Holy Thursday, or Maundy Thursday, we commemorate Jesus’ institution of the sacrament or ordinance of the Lord’s Supper and Good Friday we commemorate Jesus’ Passion—his suffering and death on the cross. On Holy Saturday we recall the three days that our Lord lay in the tomb.

On Easter Eve some churches keep an all-night vigil until Easter Morning on which they commemorate Jesus’ women followers going to the tomb and finding it empty. They also commemorate Mary Magdalene’s meeting with the risen Jesus. She was the first witness to the risen Lord. In Jesus’ day women were not allowed to give testimony in court. But the Gospels rely on the testimony of women as the initial witnesses to the Lord’s resurrection. If the early disciples were perpetuating a hoax as they are sometime accused of doing, they would not have used women’s testimony.

In the early Church new believers were baptized by immersion early on Easter Morning. The various services of Holy Week were part of their preparation for baptism. At their baptism they symbolically died with Jesus in the water of baptism to symbolically rise to new life with him as they came out of the water.

In the oldest English churches are found fonts large enough to baptize an adult by immersion. The Book of Common Prayer prescribes two alternative methods of baptism—dipping, or immersion, and pouring. Dipping is the preferred method. Pouring is reserved for those too weak to undergo immersion.

Jesus, when he rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, knew that he was going to his death. While Jesus had explained to his disciples his reason for going to Jerusalem, they did not fully grasp what he meant. When they hailed him as he rode into Jerusalem, they may have still believed that he was going to establish an earthly kingdom.

An earthly king, however, would have ridden into Jerusalem on a war horse. Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, a humble beast of burden. Jesus had most likely ridden on a donkey to Bethlehem in his mother’s womb to be born. He had most likely ridden on a donkey in his mother’s arms into exile in Egypt. Now he was riding on a donkey into Jerusalem to die.

Jesus rode into Jerusalem as the Prince of Peace. He rode into Jerusalem as one who would through his suffering and death on a cross bring about peace and reconciliation between God and humanity. As we recall the events of that day, let us not forget that what he did, Jesus did for our sake. He gave his life that we might have life.

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 Bob Chilcott’s choral arrangement of Richard Wilbur’s carol, “And Every Stone Shall Cry.”

A stable lamp is lighted
Whose glow shall wake the sky
The stars shall bend their voices
And every stone shall cry
And every stone shall cry
And straw like gold will shine
A barn shall harbor heaven
A stall become a shrine

This child through David’s city
Shall ride in triumph by
The palm shall strew its branches
And every stone shall cry
And every stone shall cry
Though heavy, dull and dumb
And lie within the roadway
To pave the Kingdom come

Yet He shall be forsaken
And yielded up to die
The sky shall groan and darken
And every stone shall cry
And every stone shall cry
For stony hearts of men
God’s blood upon the spearhead
God’s love refused again

But now as at the ending
The low is lifted high
The stars will bend their voices
And every stone shall cry
And every stone shall cry
In praises of the child
By whose descent among us
The worlds are reconciled
And every stone shall cry
And every stone shall cry
Shall cry

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.