All Hallows Evening Prayer for Wednesday Evening (April 7, 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 Carl P. Daw Jr.’s evening hymn, “O Light Whose Splendor Thrills and Gladdens.”
O Light whose splendor thrills and gladdens
with radiance brighter than the sun,
pure gleam of God's unending glory,
O Jesus, blest Anointed One;
as twilight hovers near at sunset,
and lamps are lit, and children nod,
in evening hymns we lift our voices
to Father, Spirit, Son: one God.
In all life's brilliant, timeless moments,
let faithful voices sing your praise,
O Son of God, our Life-bestower,
whose glory lightens endless days.
Thanksgiving
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
Blessed are you, O Lord Redeemer God,
You destroyed the bonds of death
and from the darkness of the tomb
drew forth the light of the world.
Led through the waters of death.
we become the children of light
singing our Alleluia
and dancing to the music of new life.
Pour out your Spirit upon us
that dreams and visions bring us
ever closer to the kingdom
of Jesus Christ our Risen Savior.
Through him and in the Holy Spirit
all glory be to you, Almighty Father,
this night and for ever and ever.
Amen.
Psalm 141 is sung and incense may be burned.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Tony Alphonso's arrangement of Psalm 141, “Like Burning Incense, O Lord.”
Like burning incense, O Lord,
let my rise to you.
Like burning incense, O Lord,
let my prayer rise to you.
1 I call out to you,
Come quickly to my aid.
My song cries out to you,
O listen to me now.
I raise my hands in off’ring to you.
Like burning incense, O Lord,
(Like burning incense, O Lord,)
let my prayer rise to you.
(let my prayer rise to you.)
Like burning incense, O Lord,
(Like burning incense, O Lord,)
let my prayer rise to you.
(let my prayer rise to you.)
2 Let me speak your truth;
watch over all I say.
Keep my thoughts on you;
let goodness rule my heart.
Keep me far from those who do harm.
Like burning incense, O Lord,
(Like burning incense, O Lord,)
let my prayer rise to you.
(let my prayer rise to you.)
Like burning incense, O Lord,
(Like burning incense, O Lord,)
let my prayer rise to you.
(let my prayer rise to you.)
3 Never let me dine
with those who seek to harm.
Keep your holy ones
always at my side.
Plant your wisdom deep in my soul.
Like burning incense, O Lord,
(Like burning incense, O Lord,)
let my prayer rise to you.
(let my prayer rise to you.)
Like burning incense, O Lord,
(Like burning incense, O Lord,)
let my prayer rise to you.
(let my prayer rise to you.)
4 I look to you for help;
I seek your loving eyes.
Guard my life for you;
Spare me from all wrong.
Keep all evil far from my heart.
Like burning incense, O Lord,
(Like burning incense, O Lord,)
let my prayer rise to you.
(let my prayer rise to you.)
Like burning incense, O Lord,
(Like burning incense, O Lord,)
let my prayer rise to you.
(let my prayer rise to you.)
5 Glory be to God
and to God’s only Son,
glory to the Spirit,
three in one,
now and for ever. Amen.
Like burning incense, O Lord,
(Like burning incense, O Lord,)
let my prayer rise to you.
(let my prayer rise to you.)
Like burning incense, O Lord,
(Like burning incense, O Lord,)
let my prayer rise to you.
(let my prayer rise 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 Christopher Walker’s adaptation of Psalm 27, “The Lord Is My Light, My Help, My Salvation.”
The Lord is my light, my help, my salvation.
Why should I fear? With God I fear no one.
God protects me all my life.
With the Lord what should I dread?
The Lord is my light, the Lord is my help,
The Lord is my salvation.
There is one thing I ask, of the Lord that I long for:
All of my days with God to be dwelling.
Gazing with awe at the beauty of God,
And in wonder look on God's house.
The Lord is my light, the Lord is my help,
The Lord is my salvation.
I know I will live to see the Lord's goodness;
Now, in this life, I'm sure I will see it.
Trust in the Lord, be strong and be brave;
Wait in hope for God, our salvation.
The Lord is my light, the Lord is my help,
The Lord is my salvation.
Silence is kept.
God, our light and our salvation,
illuminate our lives,
that we may see your goodness in the land of the living,
and, looking on your beauty,
may be changed into the likeness of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
Open this link in a new tab to hear Christopher Walker's Easter hymn, “Out of Darkness.”
Refrain
Out of darkness, God has called us,
claimed by Christ as God’s own people.
Holy nation, royal priesthood,
walking in God’s marvelous light!
Sing a joyful Alleluia,
sing to Christ, the risen Savior.
“He is not among the dead!
He is risen, as he said!”
Refrain
We have died to sin with Christ,
we will rise with him at last.
Now the second Adam lives.
Now eternal life he gives.
Refrain
Let your sadness be no more,
Christ has opened heaven’s door.
Death has no more power to slay:
this is Resurrection Day!
Final Refrain
Out of darkness, God has called us,
claimed by Christ as God’s own people.
Holy nation, royal priesthood,
walking in God’s marvelous light!
Amen
The Proclamation of the Word
The Reading
Luke 24: 36-49 Jesus Appears to His Disciples
While they were talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’ They were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing a ghost. He said to them, ‘Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.’ And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them, ‘Have you anything here to eat?’ They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate in their presence.
Then he said to them, ‘These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.’ Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, ‘Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And see, I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.
Silence
May your word live in us
and bear much fruit to your glory.
The Homily
Easter Life
Outside my front door it is a beautiful spring day. The sun is shining. The sky is clear and blue. The birds are singing. The yard is dotted with bright yellow dandelions. Some people consider them weeds, but I consider them a welcome sign of spring. The tree growing out of my front porch is in flower. It bloomed on Easter Morning. In the half-light I mistook the flowers for unfurled leaves. On such a beautiful day it is hard to imagine the gloom that had settled upon the disciples after the crucifixion of Jesus. Their hopes had been dashed.
The disciples were talking about how Cleopas and a companion had met the risen Lord on the road to Emmaus when Jesus himself appeared in their midst. As today’s reading tells us, they were startled and terrified. They thought that Jesus was an apparition of their dead Lord. Yes, the disciples believed in ghosts. In the past they had thought that Jesus was a ghost when they saw him walking on water. Jesus assures them that he is not an apparition. He is very much alive. He encourages them to touch his hands and feet and eats a piece of broiled fish in front of them. In some accounts he also eats a piece of honeycomb.
What happens next is key to our understanding of today’s reading.
In New Testament Greek repentance is metanoia. It means a complete change of heart, a complete change of mind, and a complete change in our way of life. We turn away from those things which tug us away from God, and make a complete about-face, a complete reversal of direction. Instead of moving away from God, we move toward God. We seek a close relationship with God, a harmonious relationship with God, a life-fulfilling relationship with God. Through Jesus’ suffering, death, and rising to new life again, God has opened the way to that kind of relationship with him.
God does leave us to have this change of heart, this change of mind, this change in our way of life, on our own. God is continuously working in us to bring it about. God’s divine influence at work in our hearts, our minds, and our lives is what is called “grace,” as is God’s favor and goodwill toward us, unmerited and undeserved. One flows from the other, Grace enables us to do what we cannot do in our own strength.
God’s grace in our lives may be compared to a current in a river. In some places the current is stronger than in others. At various times in our lives God’s grace may be stronger than it is at other time. But it is always there, drawing us to God. The current of an earthly river may draw us to an untimely death. But God’s grace draws us to life, to Easter life, to a new life, to a fuller life, a life lived in obedience to Jesus’ teaching, a life lived to God’s glory, to eternal life with God.
Silence is kept.
The Gospel Canticle
Open this link in a new tab to hear the Carl P. Daw Jr. 's paraphrase of the Magnificat, "My Soul Proclaims with Wonder."
Refrain:
My soul proclaims with wonder
the greatness of the Lord;
rejoicing in God's goodness,
my spirit is restored.
For God has looked with favor,
on one the world thought frail;
and blessings through the ages will echo
the angel's first "All hail."
Refrain
God's mercy shields the faithful
and gives them safe retreat
to arms that turns to scatter
the proud in their conceit.
Refrain
The mighty have been vanquished;
the lowly lifted up.
The hungry find abundance;
the rich, an empty cup.
Refrain
To Abraham's descendants
the Lord will steadfast prove,
for God has made with Israel
a covenant of love.
Refrain
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
Almighty God,
you have conquered death
through your dearly beloved Son Jesus Christ
and opened to us the gate of everlasting life:
grant us by your grace to set our minds on things above,
so that by your continual help
our whole life may be transformed;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit
in everlasting glory. Amen.
The disciples were talking about how Cleopas and a companion had met the risen Lord on the road to Emmaus when Jesus himself appeared in their midst. As today’s reading tells us, they were startled and terrified. They thought that Jesus was an apparition of their dead Lord. Yes, the disciples believed in ghosts. In the past they had thought that Jesus was a ghost when they saw him walking on water. Jesus assures them that he is not an apparition. He is very much alive. He encourages them to touch his hands and feet and eats a piece of broiled fish in front of them. In some accounts he also eats a piece of honeycomb.
What happens next is key to our understanding of today’s reading.
Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, ‘Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And see, I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.’The time that the disciples spent with their Lord before his passion, his suffering and death, and his resurrection, his rising from the dead, was just an introduction—a prelude to more important things. To them Jesus was entrusting what would be the mission of generations of his disciples and is still our mission today—to proclaim repentance and forgiveness of sins to all nations, to the remotest corners of the earth. To that end Jesus would be sending the Holy Spirit to empower them. They would experience the fullness of the Holy Spirit, of God’s presence and power in their lives.
In New Testament Greek repentance is metanoia. It means a complete change of heart, a complete change of mind, and a complete change in our way of life. We turn away from those things which tug us away from God, and make a complete about-face, a complete reversal of direction. Instead of moving away from God, we move toward God. We seek a close relationship with God, a harmonious relationship with God, a life-fulfilling relationship with God. Through Jesus’ suffering, death, and rising to new life again, God has opened the way to that kind of relationship with him.
God does leave us to have this change of heart, this change of mind, this change in our way of life, on our own. God is continuously working in us to bring it about. God’s divine influence at work in our hearts, our minds, and our lives is what is called “grace,” as is God’s favor and goodwill toward us, unmerited and undeserved. One flows from the other, Grace enables us to do what we cannot do in our own strength.
God’s grace in our lives may be compared to a current in a river. In some places the current is stronger than in others. At various times in our lives God’s grace may be stronger than it is at other time. But it is always there, drawing us to God. The current of an earthly river may draw us to an untimely death. But God’s grace draws us to life, to Easter life, to a new life, to a fuller life, a life lived in obedience to Jesus’ teaching, a life lived to God’s glory, to eternal life with God.
Silence is kept.
The Gospel Canticle
Open this link in a new tab to hear the Carl P. Daw Jr. 's paraphrase of the Magnificat, "My Soul Proclaims with Wonder."
Refrain:
My soul proclaims with wonder
the greatness of the Lord;
rejoicing in God's goodness,
my spirit is restored.
For God has looked with favor,
on one the world thought frail;
and blessings through the ages will echo
the angel's first "All hail."
Refrain
God's mercy shields the faithful
and gives them safe retreat
to arms that turns to scatter
the proud in their conceit.
Refrain
The mighty have been vanquished;
the lowly lifted up.
The hungry find abundance;
the rich, an empty cup.
Refrain
To Abraham's descendants
the Lord will steadfast prove,
for God has made with Israel
a covenant of love.
Refrain
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
Almighty God,
you have conquered death
through your dearly beloved Son Jesus Christ
and opened to us the gate of everlasting life:
grant us by your grace to set our minds on things above,
so that by your continual help
our whole life may be transformed;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit
in everlasting glory. Amen.
The Lord's Prayer
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 Karen Schneider Kirner and Steven C. Warner’s "Come to the Living Stone."
Refrain:
Come to the living stone,
Christ our Lord, who is our strength.
The Lord is our strength, he lives!
Rejected by others but chosen by God!
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
1 Built up as living stones
into a holy house,
a holy house,
we are a priesthood
created for praise
of our God above.
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Refrain
2 We are a nation made
to glorify the Lord,
the living God;
ours is the joy to
resound and proclaim
the glorious works of God.
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Refrain
3 Out of the darkness God
has called us into light,
a glorious light;
once we were lost and
alone in this world,
now we belong to God!
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Come to the living!
Sing alleluia!
Come to the living!
Sing alleluia!
Refrain:
Come to the living stone,
Christ our Lord, who is our strength.
The Lord is our strength, he lives!
Rejected by others but chosen by God!
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
*4 Once we were not within
the mercy of our God,
the loving God,
now is the gift of
a promise unfurled;
God’s mercy for the world!
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Refrain
*5 Give praise to God above,
and Jesus Christ the Lord,
Redeemer Lord,
and to the Spirit
who dwells in our hearts,
now and forever more:
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Final Refrain:
Come to the living stone,
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 Karen Schneider Kirner and Steven C. Warner’s "Come to the Living Stone."
Refrain:
Come to the living stone,
Christ our Lord, who is our strength.
The Lord is our strength, he lives!
Rejected by others but chosen by God!
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
1 Built up as living stones
into a holy house,
a holy house,
we are a priesthood
created for praise
of our God above.
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Refrain
2 We are a nation made
to glorify the Lord,
the living God;
ours is the joy to
resound and proclaim
the glorious works of God.
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Refrain
3 Out of the darkness God
has called us into light,
a glorious light;
once we were lost and
alone in this world,
now we belong to God!
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Come to the living!
Sing alleluia!
Come to the living!
Sing alleluia!
Refrain:
Come to the living stone,
Christ our Lord, who is our strength.
The Lord is our strength, he lives!
Rejected by others but chosen by God!
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
*4 Once we were not within
the mercy of our God,
the loving God,
now is the gift of
a promise unfurled;
God’s mercy for the world!
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Refrain
*5 Give praise to God above,
and Jesus Christ the Lord,
Redeemer Lord,
and to the Spirit
who dwells in our hearts,
now and forever more:
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Final Refrain:
Come to the living stone,
Come to the living stone,
Christ our Lord, who is our strength.
The Lord is our strength, he lives!
Rejected by others but chosen by God!
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
*Omitted on the video.
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us praise the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
May the God of peace, who brought again
from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ,
the great shepherd of the sheep,
through the blood of the everlasting covenant,
make us perfect in every good work to do his will,
working in us what is pleasing in his sight.
Amen.
Christ our Lord, who is our strength.
The Lord is our strength, he lives!
Rejected by others but chosen by God!
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
*Omitted on the video.
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us praise the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
May the God of peace, who brought again
from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ,
the great shepherd of the sheep,
through the blood of the everlasting covenant,
make us perfect in every good work to do his will,
working in us what is pleasing in his sight.
Amen.
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