All Hallows Evening Prayer for Easter Even (April 3, 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 “Psalm 142: I Cried Out to the Lord” from the album Psalms Reborn Vol. 3
I cried out to the Lord
Pleaded
And placed my troubles before him
I cried out to the Lord
Even when I was overwhelmed
You knew my path
But there were traps along the way
This you always knew
I looked to my right
And then my left
And there was no one who cares
No one who cares for my soul
I cried out and said
You are my refuge
In the land of the living
I cried out to the Lord
Hear me
Hear me, Lord
I am feeling low
Release me
Release me, Lord,
From my prison
So that I may thank you
The righteous will comfort me
Your bounty shall be before me
I cried out to the Lord
I cried out to the Lord
I cried out to the Lord
Silence is kept.
God of compassion,
you regard the forsaken
and give hope to the crushed in spirit;
hear those who cry to you in distress
and bring your ransomed people to sing your glorious praise,
now and for ever.
Amen.
The Proclamation of the Word
The Reading
Matthew 27: 57-66 The Burial of Jesus
When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who was also a disciple of Jesus. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus; then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. So Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn in the rock. He then rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb and went away. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.
The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate and said, ‘Sir, we remember what that impostor said while he was still alive, “After three days I will rise again.” Therefore command that the tomb be made secure until the third day; otherwise his disciples may go and steal him away, and tell the people, “He has been raised from the dead”, and the last deception would be worse than the first.’ Pilate said to them, ‘You have a guard of soldiers; go, make it as secure as you can.’ So they went with the guard and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone.
Silence is kept.
Homily
Discipleship comes with costs. When we choose to follow Jesus, we do not choose to take an easy path. For this reason, Jesus urged those who would follow him to first count the cost to themselves before they set foot on that path.
In today’s reading Joseph of Arimathea steps out of the shadows and reveals himself to be one of Jesus’ followers. He asks Pilate for Jesus’ body so that he can give him a decent burial. In revealing himself as a follower of Jesus to Pilate, he puts himself at risk. Pilate could have him arrested as a troublemaker like Jesus. Pilate, however, allows Joseph to have the body. We can only guess what went through Pilate’s mind.
In John’s account of the burial of Jesus Nicodemus who visited Jesus secretly at night also reveals himself to be one of Jesus “hidden disciples.” Both Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus were members of the Sanhedrin. Both men were members of the Jewish religious elite. In stepping out of the shadows, they put their reputations on the line. They opened themselves to being ridiculed, ostracized, and persecuted by their fellow Jews.
From the burial that they gave Jesus, it is apparent that both men held Jesus in high esteem. While the burial was a hasty one, Joseph of Arimathea laid Jesus in his own new tomb which he had hewn out of the rock at what I believe that we can safely say considerable expense to himself. The Jews did not spare expenses when it came to the place of their burial. Nicodemus provided a mixture of myrrh and aloes, weighing one hundred pounds, to be wrapped in the winding sheet in which Jesus would be buried. These spices were not cheap. The burial that they gave Jesus was not the burial of an ordinary crucified criminal. He would have been thrown into a pit with the corpses of other crucified criminals or buried under a pile of rocks in a shallow grave.
In handling Jesus’ corpse, the body of a dead man, the two men defiled themselves. They rendered themselves ritually impure and therefore unable to share the Passover with their families and guests. Remember the priest and the Levite who passed the man beaten and left for dead in the Parable of the Good Samaritan. They passed him on the other side of the road, believing that he was dead, and they would defile themselves if they touched a corpse.
Except for the sacrifice that the two men made to bury Jesus, we hear no more of Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus in the New Testament. Like the women who anointed Jesus’ feet with expensive ointment, we will remember Joseph for this one deed. We will remember Nicodemus for his visit to Jesus secretly at night, his words in the Sanhedrin, and the generosity and love that he showed Jesus in death.
In our lives a time will come when we will be called upon to step out of shadows and to show ourselves to be truly followers of Jesus. When that time comes, if it has not come already, may God give us the grace to show the courage and love of Jesus that Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus showed.
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 (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
Grant, Father, that we,
Release me, Lord,
From my prison
So that I may thank you
The righteous will comfort me
Your bounty shall be before me
I cried out to the Lord
I cried out to the Lord
I cried out to the Lord
Silence is kept.
God of compassion,
you regard the forsaken
and give hope to the crushed in spirit;
hear those who cry to you in distress
and bring your ransomed people to sing your glorious praise,
now and for ever.
Amen.
The Proclamation of the Word
The Reading
Matthew 27: 57-66 The Burial of Jesus
When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who was also a disciple of Jesus. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus; then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. So Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn in the rock. He then rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb and went away. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.
The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate and said, ‘Sir, we remember what that impostor said while he was still alive, “After three days I will rise again.” Therefore command that the tomb be made secure until the third day; otherwise his disciples may go and steal him away, and tell the people, “He has been raised from the dead”, and the last deception would be worse than the first.’ Pilate said to them, ‘You have a guard of soldiers; go, make it as secure as you can.’ So they went with the guard and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone.
Silence is kept.
Homily
The Cost of Discipleship
Discipleship comes with costs. When we choose to follow Jesus, we do not choose to take an easy path. For this reason, Jesus urged those who would follow him to first count the cost to themselves before they set foot on that path.
In today’s reading Joseph of Arimathea steps out of the shadows and reveals himself to be one of Jesus’ followers. He asks Pilate for Jesus’ body so that he can give him a decent burial. In revealing himself as a follower of Jesus to Pilate, he puts himself at risk. Pilate could have him arrested as a troublemaker like Jesus. Pilate, however, allows Joseph to have the body. We can only guess what went through Pilate’s mind.
In John’s account of the burial of Jesus Nicodemus who visited Jesus secretly at night also reveals himself to be one of Jesus “hidden disciples.” Both Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus were members of the Sanhedrin. Both men were members of the Jewish religious elite. In stepping out of the shadows, they put their reputations on the line. They opened themselves to being ridiculed, ostracized, and persecuted by their fellow Jews.
From the burial that they gave Jesus, it is apparent that both men held Jesus in high esteem. While the burial was a hasty one, Joseph of Arimathea laid Jesus in his own new tomb which he had hewn out of the rock at what I believe that we can safely say considerable expense to himself. The Jews did not spare expenses when it came to the place of their burial. Nicodemus provided a mixture of myrrh and aloes, weighing one hundred pounds, to be wrapped in the winding sheet in which Jesus would be buried. These spices were not cheap. The burial that they gave Jesus was not the burial of an ordinary crucified criminal. He would have been thrown into a pit with the corpses of other crucified criminals or buried under a pile of rocks in a shallow grave.
In handling Jesus’ corpse, the body of a dead man, the two men defiled themselves. They rendered themselves ritually impure and therefore unable to share the Passover with their families and guests. Remember the priest and the Levite who passed the man beaten and left for dead in the Parable of the Good Samaritan. They passed him on the other side of the road, believing that he was dead, and they would defile themselves if they touched a corpse.
Except for the sacrifice that the two men made to bury Jesus, we hear no more of Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus in the New Testament. Like the women who anointed Jesus’ feet with expensive ointment, we will remember Joseph for this one deed. We will remember Nicodemus for his visit to Jesus secretly at night, his words in the Sanhedrin, and the generosity and love that he showed Jesus in death.
In our lives a time will come when we will be called upon to step out of shadows and to show ourselves to be truly followers of Jesus. When that time comes, if it has not come already, may God give us the grace to show the courage and love of Jesus that Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus showed.
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 (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
Grant, Father, that we,
who have been baptized
into the death of your blessed Son,
our Savior Jesus Christ,
may continually put to death
into the death of your blessed Son,
our Savior Jesus Christ,
may continually put to death
our evil desires
and be buried with him;
so that we may pass through the grave,
the gates of death,
to our joyful resurrection,
through his merits
who died, was buried,
and rose again for us,
your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
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 American folk hymn, “What Wondrous Love Is This.”
1 What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul?
What wondrous love is this, O my soul?
What wondrous love is this that caused the Lord of bliss
to bear the dreadful curse for my soul, for my soul,
to bear the dreadful curse for my soul?
2 When I was sinking down, sinking down, sinking down,
when I was sinking down, sinking down,
when I was sinking down beneath God’s righteous frown,
Christ laid aside his crown for my soul, for my soul,
Christ laid aside his crown for my soul.
3 To God and to the Lamb I will sing, I will sing,
to God and to the Lamb I will sing,
to God and to the Lamb who is the great I Am,
while millions join the theme, I will sing, I will sing,
while millions join the theme, I will sing.
4 And when from death I’m free I’ll sing on, I’ll sing on,
and when from death I’m free, I’ll sing on,
and when from death I’m free, I’ll sing and joyful be,
and through eternity I’ll sing on, I’ll sing on,
and through eternity I’ll sing on.
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us praise the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Almighty God,
who have made known to your people
the ways of eternal life,
lead them by that path, we pray,
to you, the unfading light.
Amen.
and be buried with him;
so that we may pass through the grave,
the gates of death,
to our joyful resurrection,
through his merits
who died, was buried,
and rose again for us,
your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
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 American folk hymn, “What Wondrous Love Is This.”
1 What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul?
What wondrous love is this, O my soul?
What wondrous love is this that caused the Lord of bliss
to bear the dreadful curse for my soul, for my soul,
to bear the dreadful curse for my soul?
2 When I was sinking down, sinking down, sinking down,
when I was sinking down, sinking down,
when I was sinking down beneath God’s righteous frown,
Christ laid aside his crown for my soul, for my soul,
Christ laid aside his crown for my soul.
3 To God and to the Lamb I will sing, I will sing,
to God and to the Lamb I will sing,
to God and to the Lamb who is the great I Am,
while millions join the theme, I will sing, I will sing,
while millions join the theme, I will sing.
4 And when from death I’m free I’ll sing on, I’ll sing on,
and when from death I’m free, I’ll sing on,
and when from death I’m free, I’ll sing and joyful be,
and through eternity I’ll sing on, I’ll sing on,
and through eternity I’ll sing on.
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us praise the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Almighty God,
who have made known to your people
the ways of eternal life,
lead them by that path, we pray,
to you, the unfading light.
Amen.
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