All Hallows Evening Prayer for Saturday Evening (June 12, 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 hear Tony Alonso’s responsorial setting 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 Thomas Keesecker’s arrangement of Carl P. Daw Jr.’s paraphrase of Psalm 84, “How Lovely Is Thy Dwelling Place”.

How lovely is thy dwelling-place,
O Lord of Hosts, to me!
How lovely is thy dwelling-place,
O Lord of Hosts, to me!

How lovely is thy dwelling-place,
O Lord of Hosts, to me!
My thirsty soul desires and longs
within thy courts to be;
my very heart and flesh cry out,
O living God, for thee.

How lovely is thy dwelling-place,
O Lord of Hosts, to me!

Beside thine altars, gracious Lord,
the swallows find a nest;
how happy they who dwell with thee
and praise thee without rest,
and happy they whose hearts are set
upon the pilgrim's quest.

How lovely is thy dwelling-place,
O Lord of Hosts, to me!

They who go through the desert vale
will find it filled with springs,
and they shall climb from height to height
till Zion's temple rings
with praise to thee, in glory throned,
Lord God, great King of kings.

How lovely is thy dwelling-place,
O Lord of Hosts, to me!

One day within thy courts excels
a thousand spent away;
how happy they who keep thy laws
nor from thy precepts stray,
for thou shalt surely bless all those
who live the words they pray.

How lovely is thy dwelling-place,
O Lord of Hosts, to me!
How lovely is thy dwelling-place,
How lovely is thy dwelling-place,
How lovely is thy dwelling-place,
How lovely is thy dwelling-place,
O Lord of Hosts! Amen!

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

Open this link to hear Richard Proulx's choral arrangement of Michael Perry's hymn, "O God Beyond All Praising."

1 O God beyond all praising,
we worship you today
and sing the love amazing
that songs cannot repay;
for we can only wonder
at every gift you send,
at blessings without number
and mercies without end:
we lift our hearts before you
and wait upon your word,
we honour and adore you,
our great and mighty Lord.

2 The flow’r of earthly splendour
in time must surely die,
its fragile bloom must surrender
to you the Lord most high;
but hidden from all nature
the eternal seed is sown—
though small in mortal stature
to heaven’s garden grown:
for Christ the Man from heaven
from death has set us free,
and we through him are given
the final victory!

3 Then hear, O gracious Saviour,
accept the love we bring,
that we who know your favour
may serve you as our king;
and whether our tomorrows
be filled with good or ill,
we'll triumph through our sorrows
and rise to bless you still:
to marvel at your beauty
and glory in your ways,
and make a joyful duty
our sacrifice of praise,
and make a joyful duty
our sacrifice of praise.

The Proclamation of the Word

The Reading

2 Corinthians 5: 11-21 The Ministry of Reconciliation

Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we try to persuade others; but we ourselves are well known to God, and I hope that we are also well known to your consciences. We are not commending ourselves to you again, but giving you an opportunity to boast about us, so that you may be able to answer those who boast in outward appearance and not in the heart. For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. For the love of Christ urges us on, because we are convinced that one has died for all; therefore all have died. And he died for all, so that those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised for them.

From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way. So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

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

The Homily

Ambassadors of Christ

In today’s reading Paul refers to himself and his co-workers as ambassadors of Christ. In other words, they are serving as Christ’s representatives. They are acting as his agents. They are continuing the work of reconciling humankind to God, which God himself initiated and which Jesus with his suffering and death on the cross and his rising to new accomplished. Their task is to tell people about what Jesus has done and how they can receive its benefits—forgiveness of sins, reconciliation with God, and new life in Jesus. Their task is also tell people about what Jesus taught and how he modeled and practiced what he taught, and to model and practice Jesus’ teaching for them.

Paul and his co-workers, however, would not complete this task in their lifetime. They would pass it on to others. They, in turn, would not complete the task in their lifetime and they would pass it onto others. And so the task has been passed on down to our day.

To whom then has the task been passed in our day? Pastors? No. Priests? No. Evangelists? No. Missionaries maybe? No. Who then?

Get up, walk to the bathroom, and look in the mirror. The face staring back at you is the face of the person to whom this task has been passed—you!

“We pay our pastor to do that,” you may be thinking. “Our priest attended seminary for that purpose.” We can search our Bibles from cover to cover. But we won’t find a passage which says that. The ministry of reconciliation is the responsibility of the whole church—not just its clergy. We are as much the ambassadors of Christ as the clergy, if not more so. Christ’s representatives. Christ’s agents.

We are called to be full-time ambassadors of Christ, his representatives and agents for every waking moment of the day. We are his ambassadors to friends and strangers, to those whom we love and who return our love and to those who hate and despise us. When others see us, they see Jesus, not us. When others hear us, they hear Jesus, not us. Our words and our lives point to one person—Jesus.

A tall order? God supplies us with the grace that we need to carry out the tasks that he entrusts to us. God works in our hearts and minds, enabling us not only to desire what pleases him but also to do what pleases him. God makes it possible for the same mind that was in Christ to be in us. God enables us to shine like stars in the world, guiding stars that lead to Christ.

Silence is kept.

The Gospel Canticle

Open this link in a new tab to hear John Michael Talbot and Jackie Francois’ adaptation of the Magnificat, “My Soul Proclaims the Greatness of the Lord.

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
and my spirit exalts in God my Savior.
For he has looked with mercy on my lowliness,
and my name will be forever exalted.
For the mighty God has done great things for me,
and his mercy will reach from age to age.

And holy, holy, holy is his name.
And holy, holy, holy is his name.

He has mercy in ev’ry generation.
He has revealed his power and his glory.
He has cast down the mighty in their arrogance,
and has lifted up the meek and the lowly.
He has come to help his servant Israel;
he remembers his promise to our fathers.

And holy, holy, holy is his name.
And holy, holy, holy is his name.
And holy (holy), holy, holy is his name.
And holy (holy), holy, holy is his name.
Holy is his 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,
without you we are unable to please you:
mercifully grant that your Holy Spirit
may in all things direct and rule our hearts;
Through Jesus Christ our Lord. 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 James Quinn’s adaptation of St. Patrick’s Breastplate.

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.

The Lord be with you.
The Lord bless you.
Let us praise the Lord,
Thanks be to God.

May the peace of Christ be with us always. Amen.