All Hallows Evening Prayer for Wednesday Evening (May 26, 2021)

 

Evening Prayer

The Service of Light

Jesus Christ is the light of the world.
A light no darkness can extinguish.

Open this link to hear Carl P. Schalk’s choral arrangement “Joyous Light of Glory.”

Joyous light ,
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,
we sing to God,
we sing to God,
we sing to God
the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
You, you are worthy of being praised,
of being praised with pure voices forever.
O Son of God,
O Son of God,
O Son of God,
O Son of God
O Giver of life,
The universe proclaims your glory.

Thanksgiving

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.

We praise you, O Lord our God, Ruler of the universe!
Your word brings on the dusk of evening,
your wisdom creates both night and day.
You determine the cycles of time,
arrange the succession of the seasons,
and establish the stars in their heavenly courses.
Lord of the starry hosts is your name.
Living and eternal God,
rule over us always.
Blessed be the Lord,
whose word makes evening fall.
Amen.

Psalm 141 is sung and incense may be burned.

Open this link in a new tab to Gavin Bryars’ choral arrangement of Psalm 141, “Lord, I Cry Unto Thee.”

Lord, I cry unto thee: make haste unto me; give ear unto my voice, when I cry unto thee.

Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.

Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.

Incline not my heart to any evil thing, to practise wicked works with men that work iniquity: and let me not eat of their dainties.
Lord, I cry unto thee.

Let the righteous smite me; it shall be a kindness: and let him reprove me; it shall be an excellent oil, which shall not break my head: for yet my prayer also shall be in their calamities.

When their judges are overthrown in stony places, they shall hear my words; for they are sweet.

Our bones are scattered at the grave's mouth, as when one cutteth and cleaveth wood upon the earth.
Lord, I cry unto thee.

But mine eyes are unto thee, O God the Lord: in thee is my trust; leave not my soul destitute.

Keep me from the snares which they have laid for me, and the gins of the workers of iniquity.

Let the wicked fall into their own nets, whilst that I withal escape.
Give heed to my voice, let my cry come unto thee.

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 Daniel Kallman’s choral arrangement of Jonathan Asprey’s paraphrase of Psalm 84, “How Lovely Is Thy Dwelling Place.”

How lovely is thy dwelling place,
O Lord of hosts, to me.
My soul is longing and fainting,
The courts of the Lord to see.
My heart and flesh, they are singing,
For joy to the living God.
How lovely is thy dwelling-place,
O Lord of hosts, to me.

Even the sparrow finds a home,
Where he can settle down.
And the swallow she can build a nest,
Where she may lay her young.
Within the court of the Lord of hosts,
My King, my Lord and my God.
And happy are those who are dwelling where
The song of praise is sung.

And I’d rather be a door-keeper
And only stay a day,
Than live the life of a sinner
And have to stay away.
For the Lord is shining as the sun,
And the Lord, he’s like a shield;
And no good thing does God withhold
From those who walk the way.

How lovely is thy dwelling place,
O Lord of hosts, to me.
My soul is longing and fainting,
The courts of the Lord to see.
My heart and flesh, they are singing,
For joy to the living God.
How lovely is thy dwelling-place,
O Lord of hosts, to me.

Silence is kept.

Lord God,
sustain us in this vale of tears
with the vision of your grace and glory,
that, strengthened by the bread of life,
we may come to your eternal dwelling place;
in the power of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

The Proclamation of the Word

The Reading

Matthew 6: 5-15 Concerning Prayer

“And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

“When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

“Pray then in this way:

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And do not bring us into temptation.
but rescue us from evil.
For the kingdom and the power

and the glory are yours forever. Amen.

For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Silence is kept

May your word live in us
and bear much fruit to your glory.

The Homily

The Lord's Prayer

In today’s homily we are going to take a second look at Matthew 6: 5-15. In my first homily in this series, I touched on what Jesus says about prayer and God’s will in these passages from Matthew’s Gospel. In this homily I am going to look at the guidance Jesus offers us in the reading about how we should pray.

First, Jesus warns us against emulating the practices of those who he describes as “hypocrites,” the Pharisees and teachers of the Law who made an ostentatious display of their piety, not only in the synagogue but also in the street. They desired the praise and adulation of their fellow Jews and went to great lengths to obtain it. When it was the time of prayer in the community’s synagogue, one of their practices was to be deliberately late to the synagogue so that they would be forced to pray in the street. They wanted their fellow Jews to see them praying and to say to themselves and each other, “Barak ben-Zadoc is such a religious man. He is so pious and God-fearing.” The reward to which Jesus refers is the attention that they have attracted to themselves. While their fellow Jews may be impressed, God is not. Jesus urges his listeners to pray in secret. They should find a place where others will not hear or see them and then pray. It was Jesus’ own practice to withdraw to a deserted place to pray.

Now Jesus is not telling us that we should never pray in public. He himself on several occasions prayed in the presence of others. What he is telling us is not to use our prayers as a way of drawing attention to ourselves. He instructs his listeners to pray in secret as a corrective, a practice intended to correct or counteract our proclivity to use prayer as means of seeking attention for ourselves.

Jesus also warns us against the practices of the Gentiles of the time. “When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard because of their many words….” They made long, wordy prayers, often repeating themselves. Jesus points to his listeners’ attention that God knows what they need before they ask him. What Jesus is describing how people behave when they fear that whomever they are speaking to is not listening to them. They will say more in hopes that they will get the attention of whomever they are talking to. In the case of the Gentiles of Jesus’ time the gods and goddesses whom they worshiped could not be counted on to pay attention to them. God, on the other hand, knows what we need before we form a thought in our minds or open our mouths.

Jesus goes on to offer the multitude, his disciples, and us further guidance on how to pray in the form of a prayer, a prayer that we call the Lord’s Prayer. In this prayer Jesus addresses God as “Father” or “our Father in heaven.” This is a significant departure from how the Jews of the time prayed. They did not address God as Father. Saying the name of God was taboo among them. In their prayers they addressed God as Adonai, literally “God is my Lord.” In English translations of the Old Testament Adonai is shortened to “Lord.” The Jews regarded Jesus’ references to God as his Father as blasphemous. They likely saw his addressing of God as Father in the Lord’s Prayer in the same light. The Aramaic word that Jesus used and which is sometimes translated as “dear Father” may also be translated as the less formal “Daddy” or “Papa.” What is inferred is an intimate, personal relationship between the individual who is praying and God.

In the ascription Jesus acknowledges the holiness of God’s character. “Hallowed” means holy. In the Lord’s Prayer God’s name is his character, God is holy beyond measure. He is the source of all holiness. This is something that we should keep in mind whenever we pray. We should not let it deter us from praying. But we should allow it guide what we ask God. For example, we should never ask God to countenance sin. We should ask only for that which honors God.

In the first petition Jesus prays for the coming of God’s kingdom, God’s righteous reign in all the earth, his divine rule over the hearts and minds of the entire human race. This petition is a petition not only for the spread of the gospel and the conversion of the nations but also for Jesus’ coming again in glory.

In the second petition Jesus prays that God’s will be done here on earth as it is done in heaven. The hosts of heaven—“the angels and the archangels and all the company of heaven” hasten to do God’s will. Indeed, they are an embodiment of his will. When we pray this petition, we are praying that we will become an embodiment of God’s will too.

In the third petition Jesus asks God to provide for our daily needs. This petition can also be translated as “give us our bread for tomorrow.” Jesus is asking God to supply our basic needs—food, shelter, clothes, that sort of thing. He is not asking God to make us wealthy, to provide us with an expensive new car, a wardrobe of fashionable clothes, or a ranch style home in the best neighborhood in town, to give us a trophy wife or a successful husband, or any of the things that prosperity gospel preachers tell their congregations to pray for. Just meet our basic needs.

In the fourth petition Jesus prays, “And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.” The debts to which Jesus refers are our sins; the debtors are those who sin against us. In this petition Jesus teaches us to pray for daily forgiveness. He ties God’s forgiveness of us to our forgiveness of others. We cannot expect to be forgiven if we ourselves are not forgiving. We cannot hold grudges against those who wrong us or seek revenge for the wrongs, real and imagined, that they have done to us.

In the fifth petition Jesus teaches us to ask God to spare us from temptation. God himself does not tempt us. God will not encourage us to do wrong such as treating others in an unkind and hurtful way, cheer us on when we are doing wrong, or urge us to encourage others to do wrong or cheer them on when they are doing wrong. The temptations that we experience in our lives come from ourselves, from our own sinful nature, from others, and from the powers of the darkness, the spiritual forces that are working in the world and which are opposed to God. While Jesus defeated them on the cross, they will do all that they can to damage our relationship with God.

In the same petition Jesus teach us to ask God to rescue us from evil. Evil can take many forms in our lives. Asking God to rescue us from evil includes asking God to deliver us and protect us from those spiritual forces that seek to damage our relationship with God. As well as praying for our own deliverance and protection from evil, we would not be wrong to pray for the deliverance and protection of others from evil. Jesus did. In the High Priestly Prayer in the Gospel of John Jesus prays that God deliver and protect his disciples from evil.

Jesus teaches us not only to love those dear to us and those whom we have befriended but also to love all our fellow human beings, all our fellow Christians, and all those who for one reason or another have chosen to become our enemies. Praying for someone, praying for their physical, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing is a way of expressing our love for them. We not only voice our concern for them to God, but God also uses our concern for them to transform us.

What strikes me about the Lord’s Prayer is that is more than guidance on how we should pray. It is also instruction on how we should live. It echoes what Jesus teaches elsewhere in the gospels. Seek God’s kingdom. Do God’s will. Trust God for our daily needs. Be merciful as God is merciful. Do good, not evil. Bless, not curse. Trust in God’s favor and goodwill toward us.

When we pray the Lord’s Prayer with an open heart and a receptive mind, we are reminded of Jesus’ teaching and example. It becomes a means of grace to us so that we can become a means of grace to others. We are blessed so that we may become a blessing.

When you pray the Lord’s Prayer, take your time. Reflect on what each phrase is saying. Let it sink in. Let it shape you. Let it heal God’s image in you.

Silence is kept.

The Gospel Canticle

Open this link in a new tab to hear Ann Krentz’s choral arrangement of “My Soul Proclaims Your Greatness.”

My soul proclaims your greatness, O Lord;
I sing my Savior’s praise!
Great wonders you have done for me,
and holy is your name.

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.

My soul proclaims your greatness, O Lord;
I sing my Savior’s praise!
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 lonely throned instead;
the hungry filled with all good things,
the rich sent off unfed.

My soul proclaims your greatness, O Lord;
I sing my Savior’s praise!
Great wonders you have done for me,
and holy is your name.

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.

My soul proclaims your greatness, O Lord;
I sing my Savior’s praise!
Great wonders you have done for me,
and holy is your name,
and holy is your name.

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 sent your Holy Spirit
to be the light and life of your Church:
open our hearts to the riches of your grace.
that we may bring forth the fruit of the Spirit
in love, joy, and peace;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.

The Lord's Prayer

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 Steven C. Warner’s adaptation of the Old Testament canticle, “The Song of Ruth.”

Refrain:
Wherever you go,

there shall be my journey.

Wherever you live,
there shall be my home.
Your people shall be my kin and my companion,
and your God I shall call as my own.

1 Never let me part from your side!
Never let our paths be divided,
for as road begets road,
and days run their course,
so is my path ever destined with yours.
Refrain

2 Join your heart with mine, all our days.
Weave your hands in mine, on our journey,
when all wand’rings are done,
when one road remains,
Love, make us one in God’s promise to come.
Refrain

Open this link in a new tab to hear Elaine Hagenberg’s setting of the traditional Irish blessing, “You Do Not Walk Alone.”

May you see God's light on the path ahead
when the road you walk is dark.
May you always hear
even in your hour of sorrow
the gentle singing of the lark.
When times are hard
may hardness never turn your heart to stone.
May you always remember when the shadows fall–
You do not walk alone.

May you see God's light on the path ahead
when the road you walk is dark.
May you always hear
even in your hour of sorrow
the gentle singing of the lark.
When times are hard
may hardness never turn your heart to stone.
May you always remember when the shadows fall–
You do not walk alone.
You do not walk alone.

May you see God's light on the path ahead
when the road you walk is dark.
May you always hear
even in your hour of sorrow
the gentle singing of the lark.
When times are hard
may hardness never turn your heart to stone.
May you always remember when the shadows fall–
You do not walk alone.
May you always remember when the shadows fall–
You do not walk alone.