All Hallows Evening Prayer for Wednesday Evening (March 10, 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 11:27-28 True Blessedness

While he was saying this, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts that nursed you!” But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it!”

Silence is kept.

Homily

Truly Blessed by God

Today’s reading is one of those passages in Scripture, preachers often use as springboard to talk about something that may be only distantly related to the passage if it related to the passage at all. This passage is sometimes used as a springboard to an explanation of the Mariology of a particular church tradition. Mariology is the theological study of Mary, Jesus’ mother, and reflects that church tradition’s thinking about her. The passage is sometimes used as a springboard to a lengthy warning against the dangers of Mariolatry—of going too far in our devotion to Mary, of offering her worship which is rightly God’s.

Let us take a moment and put the passage in context. Jesus had been teaching the disciples about prayer. Jesus had just freed someone from an evil spirit that was oppressing him. Some of those in the crowd who had gathered to witness the exorcism accused Jesus of being in league with the ruler of the demons and using their ruler’s power to expel the evil spirit. Others demanded that Jesus show them a sign from God. They questioned his credentials. 

Jesus was telling the crowd what can happen when someone is freed from an evil spirit. The evil spirit may return accompanied by other demons and the condition of the man who had been freed from the evil spirit may become worse than before.

Earlier he had told the crowd that those who are not with him are against him and those who do not gather with him scatter. This is something that we hear Jesus say in several different ways in the gospels. We cannot sit on the fence where he is concerned. We must make up their minds about him. We can recognize Jesus for who he is and follow him. Or we can take another path. Taking another path is not a neutral act. It involves turning away from Jesus and turning against him.

As he was talking about the condition of the man oppressed by demons, a woman in the crowd interrupted him. She made what might be considered a random comment, “Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts that nursed you!” It is not tied to what Jesus is saying. 

A plausible explanation is that she had been mulling over in her mind what she had witnessed—the deliverance of a man from an evil spirit who had been oppressing him—and had finally gotten the courage to speak up. What is particularly notable is her gender. In one way it is surprising. In another way it is not. The people who address Jesus from the crowds that gather to hear him are usually men. On the other hand, what she said is not something that we might expect to hear a man n the crowd say, “Jesus, your Mum was really blessed when she gave birth to you!” It is a thought that a woman would entertain. Remember. We are talking about Jesus’ day and not our own.

Jesus sensed a teachable moment. He used the opportunity that she had provided to teach those gathered to hear him about who is really blessed. “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it!”

I see God’s grace working in this brief conversation. The woman may have been a little late in saying what was on her mind. However, God enabled her to say it. If we think about it, what she said may have been right on cue. The Holy Spirit not only enabled her to say what she was thinking but also gave her a nudge to say it.

The passage that follows today’s reading is the one in Luke’s Gospel in which Jesus told those who have been demanding a sign the only sign that they will receive is the Sign of Jonah. Jonah preached repentance to the people of Nineveh and much to his disappointment they took his words to heart and repented. As Jonah knew that God would do, God spared them.

I do not know what happened to the woman in the crowd. Did she become a follower of Jesus? I would like to think that she did, but Scripture does not tell us the rest of her story.

What about Mary? You only briefly mentioned Jesus’ mother. Like Abraham, Mary believed God’s messenger, trusted God’s word, and obeyed it. I do not think that we can rule out that Jesus may have had his mother in mind when he responded to the woman in the crowd.

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 Margaret Becker’s rendition of Keith Getty’s hymn, “Jesus Draw Me Ever Nearer (May This Journey).”

Jesus draw me ever nearer
As I labour through the storm.
You have called me to this passage,
And I'll follow, though I'm worn.

Refrain:
May this journey bring a blessing,
May I rise on wings of faith;
And at the end of my heart's testing,
With Your likeness let me wake.

Jesus guide me through the tempest;
Keep my spirit staid and sure.
When the midnight meets the morning,
Let me love You even more.
Refrain

[Interlude]

Let the treasures of the trial
Form within me as I go -
And at the end of this long passage,
Let me leave them at Your throne.
Refrain

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