All Hallows Evening Prayer for Wednesday Evening (March 3, 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 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 hear Ken Canedo’s paraphrase of Psalm 91, “Be With Me, Lord.”
Refrain:
Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble.
When I am in trouble, be with me, Lord.
Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble.
When I am in trouble, be with me, Lord.
1 If you seek a shelter,
then come to the Lord, our God.
Say to the Lord,
“My refuge, I put my trust in you.”
Refrain
2 No evil shall snare you,
no harm come upon your home.
God sends to you his angels
to guard you on your way.
Refrain
*3 Your feet shall not stumble;
the angels will lift you high.
You shall defy the viper
and those who cause you harm.
Refrain
4 Because of your love,
because of your faithfulness,
God will indeed be with you
to save you from all fear,
to save from fear.
Final Refrain:
Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble.
When I am in trouble, be with me, Lord.
Be with me, Lord!
Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble.
When I am in trouble, be with me, Lord.
Be with me, Lord, be with me, Lord.
Be with me, Lord!
*This verse is omitted in the video.
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
Colossians 4:2-6 Further Instructions
Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with thanksgiving. At the same time pray for us as well that God will open to us a door for the word, that we may declare the mystery of Christ, for which I am in prison, so that I may reveal it clearly, as I should.
Conduct yourselves wisely toward outsiders, making the most of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer everyone.
Silence is kept.
Homily
Bearers of God’s Grace
In today’s reading the apostle Paul gives the believers at Colossae further instructions on how they should live their new way of life. The reading can be broken down into three parts—an instruction to pray, a request for prayer, and instructions on how they should conduct themselves toward “outsiders,” people who are not members of their community of believers and who do not share their beliefs.
In his instruction to devote themselves to prayer, Paul urges the Colossian believers to give a good part of their time, if not all of it, to prayer. When Paul writes about prayer in his letters, I do not believe that we would be wrong in concluding that he is not just writing about praying at fixed times during the day like the prophet Daniel, but also practicing a spiritual discipline like the one the seventeenth century French Carmelite monk Brother Laurence of the Resurrection practiced. Father Joseph de Beaufort, a Catholic priest, collected the teachings of Brother Laurence and published them in a small book, titled The Practice of the Presence of God.
When we practice this spiritual discipline, we are mindful of God’s presence with us as we go about our day. We focus our awareness on his presence with us and we converse with him as we engage in our daily activities. We share with God our thoughts and our feelings. It is not a one-way conversation. We are also attentive to the ways that God may be speaking to us.
As the nineteenth century Anglican bishop J. C. Ryle observed, prayer is a conversation with God. He pointed out that we cannot have a relationship with someone if we do not talk to them. Our relationship with someone grows, the more time we spend with them, the more we talk with them, and the more we listen to them.
At times, our conversations with God will be like those of a small child prattling away to a loving parent about whatever comes to their mind. At times, our conversations with God will be like the silent communion that we enjoy when we are with someone whom we love and who loves us. We sit in silence, enjoying each other’s nearness. It is a conversation, but it is an unspoken one. We are saying to each other, “I love you.” We have those kinds of conversations with God too.
Paul also urges the Colossian believers to be alert in their prayer with thanksgiving. When we are alert, we are quick to perceive and act. What Paul is urging is a readiness to give thanks. There are many things in our lives for which we can be thankful—expressions of God’s grace—of his love and care. Regrettably, they often go unnoticed. A readiness to notice these things goes hand in hand with a readiness to give thanks. We cultivate an awareness of God’s grace not only in our lives but also in the world.
In his request for prayer Paul asks the believers at Colossae to pray for his coworkers and himself. What Paul asks them to pray is something that we should be praying for our fellow believers and ourselves. It is a prayer we should write down and stick on our bathroom mirror and our refrigerator and in other conspicuous places where we will see it and repeat it.
While we may not want to buy a string of wooden prayer beads and use them to keep track of how many times that we have said the prayer, we certainly will want to pray it often—at least daily. We will not earn any special merit from God for praying this prayer, but we can safely assume that it is pleasing to God. We are aligning ourselves with God’s will.
God gave his Son so that all who believe in him should not perish but should have eternal life. God desires not the death of sinners but that they should repent and live. When we ask God to open doors for the word so that we and our fellow believers may make known the mystery of Christ, when we ask for clarity in revealing the mystery of Christ, we are asking God to enable us to fulfill what he has purposed.
When Paul talks about the “mystery of Christ,” he is not talking about some kind of gnosis—some kind of secret, hidden wisdom that is revealed to the initiated. He is talking about the truth of who Jesus is and of God’s grace shown to us in Jesus, the truth that God’s grace enables us to recognize and to respond to.
When Paul talks about the “mystery of Christ,” he is not talking about some kind of gnosis—some kind of secret, hidden wisdom that is revealed to the initiated. He is talking about the truth of who Jesus is and of God’s grace shown to us in Jesus, the truth that God’s grace enables us to recognize and to respond to.
Jesus was not some itinerant preacher who got himself in trouble with the Jewish religious authorities and was executed as a common criminal. He was the Messiah, God’s Anointed One, the promised Son of David. He was God himself in the Person of the Son, embodied as a human being, and his suffering and death on the cross put things right between God and ourselves. He arose from the dead and ascended into heaven. To him God has given all authority and power. One day he will return in glory to judge both the living and the dead.
After requesting the prayers of the Colossian believers, Paul goes on to instruct them how they should conduct themselves with those who are outside their community, those who do not share their beliefs. He urges them to exercise wisdom in their contacts with those who are not members of their community. This would include people with whom they might have occasional contact as well those with whom they had daily contact. He urges them to make the most of these opportunities. He counsels them to be courteous, kind, and pleasant in speaking with them. He advises them to season their words with salt and to be prepared to answer outsiders’ questions.
Salt was put to many uses in Paul’s time—as a preservative, as a purifying agent, as a currency, as a flavor enhancer, and even a fertilizer in small quantities. All these uses may be considered in understanding what Paul is advising the believers at Colossae. They suggest that Paul may have been urging the Colossian believers to use wholesome language in their conversations with outsiders as well as choosing their words wisely so that they added flavor to the conversation. Their conversations should not be bland and tasteless.
After requesting the prayers of the Colossian believers, Paul goes on to instruct them how they should conduct themselves with those who are outside their community, those who do not share their beliefs. He urges them to exercise wisdom in their contacts with those who are not members of their community. This would include people with whom they might have occasional contact as well those with whom they had daily contact. He urges them to make the most of these opportunities. He counsels them to be courteous, kind, and pleasant in speaking with them. He advises them to season their words with salt and to be prepared to answer outsiders’ questions.
Salt was put to many uses in Paul’s time—as a preservative, as a purifying agent, as a currency, as a flavor enhancer, and even a fertilizer in small quantities. All these uses may be considered in understanding what Paul is advising the believers at Colossae. They suggest that Paul may have been urging the Colossian believers to use wholesome language in their conversations with outsiders as well as choosing their words wisely so that they added flavor to the conversation. Their conversations should not be bland and tasteless.
I believe that we can safely say that what Paul had in mind was that their conversations with outsiders would be winsome and agreeable enough that outsiders would not avoid them. They would be effective ambassadors for Christ.
We can certainly learn from Paul’s instructions to the believers at Colossae on how they should conduct themselves with those outside of the community of believers. We must overcome stereotypes with which the Colossian believers did not have to contend, stereotype that unfortunately some who call themselves Christians have reinforced with the way that they conduct them themselves, particularly on the internet. We do want to find ourselves in a situation where, while we are praying that God open doors for the word, we ourselves are slamming them shut with our own conduct.
The most important things that we can take away from today’s reading is that we need to be attentive to God in prayer and thanksgiving, attentive to the doors that God is opening for us to show and share the love of Jesus, attention to the way that we conduct ourselves with outsiders, making most of the opportunities that God is giving us. Having been saved by God’s grace and now being nourished, sustained, and transformed by his grace, we are bearers of God’s grace to those whom God places in our lives. We should embody in everything that we say or do, the graciousness that God has shown us.
Silence is kept.
The Gospel Canticle
Open this link in a new tab to hear Chaz Bower’s choral arrangement of “My Soul Proclaims Your Greatness, Lord.”
My soul proclaims your greatness, Lord;
I sing my Savior’s praise!
You looked upon my lowliness,
and I am full of grace.
Now ev’ry land and ev’ry age
this blessing shall proclaim—
great wonders you have done for me,
and holy is your name.
To all who live in holy fear
Your mercy ever flows.
With mighty arm you dash the proud,
Their scheming hearts expose.
The ruthless you have cast aside,
the lowly throned instead;
the hungry filled with all good things,
the rich sent off unfed.
To Israel, your servant blest,
your help is ever sure;
the promise to our parents made
their children will secure.
Sing glory to the Holy One,
give honor to the Word,
and praise the Pow’r of the Most High,
one God, by all adored,
on God, by all adored.
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 Scot Crandal’s choral arrangement of James Quinn’s “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.
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
We can certainly learn from Paul’s instructions to the believers at Colossae on how they should conduct themselves with those outside of the community of believers. We must overcome stereotypes with which the Colossian believers did not have to contend, stereotype that unfortunately some who call themselves Christians have reinforced with the way that they conduct them themselves, particularly on the internet. We do want to find ourselves in a situation where, while we are praying that God open doors for the word, we ourselves are slamming them shut with our own conduct.
The most important things that we can take away from today’s reading is that we need to be attentive to God in prayer and thanksgiving, attentive to the doors that God is opening for us to show and share the love of Jesus, attention to the way that we conduct ourselves with outsiders, making most of the opportunities that God is giving us. Having been saved by God’s grace and now being nourished, sustained, and transformed by his grace, we are bearers of God’s grace to those whom God places in our lives. We should embody in everything that we say or do, the graciousness that God has shown us.
Silence is kept.
The Gospel Canticle
Open this link in a new tab to hear Chaz Bower’s choral arrangement of “My Soul Proclaims Your Greatness, Lord.”
My soul proclaims your greatness, Lord;
I sing my Savior’s praise!
You looked upon my lowliness,
and I am full of grace.
Now ev’ry land and ev’ry age
this blessing shall proclaim—
great wonders you have done for me,
and holy is your name.
To all who live in holy fear
Your mercy ever flows.
With mighty arm you dash the proud,
Their scheming hearts expose.
The ruthless you have cast aside,
the lowly throned instead;
the hungry filled with all good things,
the rich sent off unfed.
To Israel, your servant blest,
your help is ever sure;
the promise to our parents made
their children will secure.
Sing glory to the Holy One,
give honor to the Word,
and praise the Pow’r of the Most High,
one God, by all adored,
on God, by all adored.
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 Scot Crandal’s choral arrangement of James Quinn’s “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.
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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