All Hallows Evening Prayer for Sunday Evening (July 18, 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 Stephen Sturk’s choral arrangement of the Phos hilaron, “O Gracious Light.”
1 O gracious Light,
pure brightness of the
everliving Father in heaven.
O Jesus, Christ, holy and blessed!
2 Now as we come to the setting of the sun,
and our eyes behold the vesper light,
we sing
we sing
we sing thy praises, O God:
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
3 Thou art worthy
thou art worthy
at all times
at all time
to be praised
to be praised by happy voices,
O Son of God, O Giver of life,
and to be glorified
be glorified
through all the worlds
be glorified
through all the worlds
be glorified
through all the worlds
be glorified
through all the worlds
be glorified
through all the worlds
be glorified
through all the worlds.
Thanksgiving
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
Blessed are you, Sovereign God,
our light and our salvation,
eternal creator of day and night,
to you be glory and praise for ever.
Now, as darkness is falling,
hear the prayer of your faithful people.
As we look for your coming in glory,
wash away our transgressions,
cleanse us by your refining fire
and make us temples of your Holy Spirit.
By the light of Christ,
dispel the darkness of our hearts
and make us ready to enter your kingdom,
where songs of praise for ever sound.
Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Blessed be God for ever. Amen.
Psalm 141 is sung and incense may be burned.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Peter Inwood’s responsorial setting of Psalm 141, “O Lord, Let My Prayer Rise Before You Like Incense.”
O Lord, let my prayer rise before you like incense,
my hands like an evening offering.
1 Lord, I am calling:
hasten to help me.
Listen to me as I cry to you.
Let my prayer rise before you like incense,
my hands like an evening offering.
O Lord, let my prayer rise before you like incense,
my hands like an evening offering.
2 Lord, set a guard at my mouth,
keep watch at the gate of my lips.
Let my heart not turn to things that are wrong,
to sharing the evil deeds done by the sinful.
No, I will never taste their delights.
O Lord, let my prayer rise before you like incense,
my hands like an evening offering.
3 The good may reprove me,
in kindness chastise me,
but the wicked shall never anoint my head.
Ev’ry day I counter their malice with prayer.
O Lord, let my prayer rise before you like incense,
my hands like an evening offering.
4 To you, Lord, my God, my eyes are turned:
in you I take refuge;
do not forsake me.
Keep me from the traps they have set for me,
from the snares of those who do evil.
O Lord, let my prayer rise before you like incense,
my hands like an evening offering.
5 Praise to the Father, praise to the Son,
all praise to the life-giving Spirit.
As it was, is now and shall always be
for ages unending. Amen.
O Lord, let my prayer rise before you as incense,
my hands like an evening offering.
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 John Rutter's choral arrangement of Psalm 23, "The Lord Is My Shepherd."
The Lord is my shepherd:
Therefore can I lack nothing
He shall feed me in a green pasture:
And lead me forth beside the waters of comfort
He shall convert my soul:
And bring me forth in the paths of righteousness
For his Name's sake
For his Name's sake
For his Name's sake
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
I will fear no evil:
For thou art with me;
Thy rod and thy staff comfort me
Thou shalt prepare a table before me against them
That trouble me:
Thou hast anointed my head with oil
And my cup shall be full
But thy loving-kindness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life:
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord
In the house of the Lord
For ever
For ever
Silence is kept.
O God, our Sovereign and Shepherd,
who brought again your Son Jesus Christ
from the valley of death,
comfort us with your protecting presence
and your angels of goodness and love,
that we also may come home
and dwell with him in your house for ever.
Amen.
Open this link in a new tab to hear John Rutter’s choral arrangement of Jane Eliza Leeson’s hymn, “Loving Shepherd of Thy Sheep”
Loving Shepherd of thy sheep,
keep thy lamb, in safety keep;
nothing can thy power withstand,
none can pluck me from thy hand,
none can pluck me from thy hand.
Loving Shepherd of thy sheep,
keep thy lamb, in safety keep;
nothing can thy power withstand,
none can pluck me from thy hand,
none can pluck me from thy hand.
I would praise thee every day,
gladly all thy will obey,
like thy blessèd ones above
happy in thy precious love.
Loving Shepherd, ever near,
teach thy lamb thy voice to hear;
suffer not my steps to stray
from the straight and narrow way,
from the straight and narrow way.
Where thou leadest I would go,
walking in thy steps below,
till before my Father's throne
I shall know as I am known.
Loving Shepherd of thy sheep,
keep thy lamb, in safety keep;
nothing can thy power withstand,
none can pluck me from thy hand,
none can pluck me from thy hand,
from thy hand.
The Proclamation of the Word
The Reading
Jeremiah 23: 1-16 A Promised Shepherd for the Sheep of Israel
Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! says the Lord. Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who shepherd my people: It is you who have scattered my flock, and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. So I will attend to you for your evil doings, says the Lord. Then I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the lands where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply. I will raise up shepherds over them who will shepherd them, and they shall not fear any longer, or be dismayed, nor shall any be missing, says the Lord.
The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. And this is the name by which he will be called: “The Lord is our righteousness.”
Therefore, the days are surely coming, says the Lord, when it shall no longer be said, “As the Lord lives who brought the people of Israel up out of the land of Egypt,” but “As the Lord lives who brought out and led the offspring of the house of Israel out of the land of the north and out of all the lands where he had driven them.” Then they shall live in their own land.
My heart is crushed within me,
all my bones shake;
I have become like a drunkard,
like one overcome by wine,
because of the Lord
and because of his holy words.
For the land is full of adulterers;
because of the curse the land mourns,
and the pastures of the wilderness are dried up.
Their course has been evil,
and their might is not right.
Both prophet and priest are ungodly;
even in my house I have found their wickedness,
says the Lord.
Therefore their way shall be to them
like slippery paths in the darkness,
into which they shall be driven and fall;
for I will bring disaster upon them
in the year of their punishment,
says the Lord.
In the prophets of Samaria
I saw a disgusting thing:
they prophesied by Baal
and led my people Israel astray.
But in the prophets of Jerusalem
I have seen a more shocking thing:
they commit adultery and walk in lies;
they strengthen the hands of evildoers,
so that no one turns from wickedness;
all of them have become like Sodom to me,
and its inhabitants like Gomorrah.
Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts concerning the prophets:
“I am going to make them eat wormwood,
and give them poisoned water to drink;
for from the prophets of Jerusalem
ungodliness has spread throughout the land.”
Thus says the Lord of hosts: Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you; they are deluding you. They speak visions of their own minds, not from the mouth of the Lord.
Silence is kept.
May your word live in us
and bear much fruit to your glory
The Homily
The Lord is my shepherd:
Therefore can I lack nothing
He shall feed me in a green pasture:
And lead me forth beside the waters of comfort
He shall convert my soul:
And bring me forth in the paths of righteousness
For his Name's sake
For his Name's sake
For his Name's sake
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
I will fear no evil:
For thou art with me;
Thy rod and thy staff comfort me
Thou shalt prepare a table before me against them
That trouble me:
Thou hast anointed my head with oil
And my cup shall be full
But thy loving-kindness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life:
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord
In the house of the Lord
For ever
For ever
Silence is kept.
O God, our Sovereign and Shepherd,
who brought again your Son Jesus Christ
from the valley of death,
comfort us with your protecting presence
and your angels of goodness and love,
that we also may come home
and dwell with him in your house for ever.
Amen.
Open this link in a new tab to hear John Rutter’s choral arrangement of Jane Eliza Leeson’s hymn, “Loving Shepherd of Thy Sheep”
Loving Shepherd of thy sheep,
keep thy lamb, in safety keep;
nothing can thy power withstand,
none can pluck me from thy hand,
none can pluck me from thy hand.
Loving Shepherd of thy sheep,
keep thy lamb, in safety keep;
nothing can thy power withstand,
none can pluck me from thy hand,
none can pluck me from thy hand.
I would praise thee every day,
gladly all thy will obey,
like thy blessèd ones above
happy in thy precious love.
Loving Shepherd, ever near,
teach thy lamb thy voice to hear;
suffer not my steps to stray
from the straight and narrow way,
from the straight and narrow way.
Where thou leadest I would go,
walking in thy steps below,
till before my Father's throne
I shall know as I am known.
Loving Shepherd of thy sheep,
keep thy lamb, in safety keep;
nothing can thy power withstand,
none can pluck me from thy hand,
none can pluck me from thy hand,
from thy hand.
The Proclamation of the Word
The Reading
Jeremiah 23: 1-16 A Promised Shepherd for the Sheep of Israel
Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! says the Lord. Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who shepherd my people: It is you who have scattered my flock, and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. So I will attend to you for your evil doings, says the Lord. Then I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the lands where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply. I will raise up shepherds over them who will shepherd them, and they shall not fear any longer, or be dismayed, nor shall any be missing, says the Lord.
The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. And this is the name by which he will be called: “The Lord is our righteousness.”
Therefore, the days are surely coming, says the Lord, when it shall no longer be said, “As the Lord lives who brought the people of Israel up out of the land of Egypt,” but “As the Lord lives who brought out and led the offspring of the house of Israel out of the land of the north and out of all the lands where he had driven them.” Then they shall live in their own land.
My heart is crushed within me,
all my bones shake;
I have become like a drunkard,
like one overcome by wine,
because of the Lord
and because of his holy words.
For the land is full of adulterers;
because of the curse the land mourns,
and the pastures of the wilderness are dried up.
Their course has been evil,
and their might is not right.
Both prophet and priest are ungodly;
even in my house I have found their wickedness,
says the Lord.
Therefore their way shall be to them
like slippery paths in the darkness,
into which they shall be driven and fall;
for I will bring disaster upon them
in the year of their punishment,
says the Lord.
In the prophets of Samaria
I saw a disgusting thing:
they prophesied by Baal
and led my people Israel astray.
But in the prophets of Jerusalem
I have seen a more shocking thing:
they commit adultery and walk in lies;
they strengthen the hands of evildoers,
so that no one turns from wickedness;
all of them have become like Sodom to me,
and its inhabitants like Gomorrah.
Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts concerning the prophets:
“I am going to make them eat wormwood,
and give them poisoned water to drink;
for from the prophets of Jerusalem
ungodliness has spread throughout the land.”
Thus says the Lord of hosts: Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you; they are deluding you. They speak visions of their own minds, not from the mouth of the Lord.
Silence is kept.
May your word live in us
and bear much fruit to your glory
The Homily
A Promise and a Warning
“As he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.” (Mark 6: 34)
With these words Mark recalls the promise that God, speaking through the prophet Jeremiah, made to the people of Israel, the promise that one day he himself would gather the scattered flock of Israel. He would raise up a Righteous Branch for David to shepherd his flock.
Christians believe that God fulfilled that promise in Jesus, in the person of the Son, in the person of the Good Shepherd. They believe that God sent Jesus not only to be a shepherd to Israel but also to be a shepherd to all humankind, to all the people of the earth. In the Gospel of John Jesus says, “I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd” (John 10:16)
As we learned from yesterday’s reading, Jesus, by his suffering and death on the cross, opened the way of salvation, not only for Jews but also for Samaritans and Gentiles. He united us into a single flock by the blood that he shed for us.
Christians further believe that Jesus, having from the dead and ascended to heaven, continues to shepherd his sheep through his word, his teaching, and through the promised Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Jesus, who indwells believers. The Holy Spirit unites us to Jesus and to each other.
What merits our attention in today’s reading is not only the promise that God makes but also the warning he gives. While this warning is specifically against the prophets of Jerusalem in the time of Jeremiah, it is also applicable to those who claim to be prophets in our own day. “Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you; they are deluding you. They speak visions of their own minds, not from the mouth of the Lord.”
The Old Testament repeatedly warns us again false or lying prophets. Jesus himself warns us against those who claim to speak for him and who would lead us astray. The apostles warn us against false teachers.
Every generation produces those who claim special revelations from God, special revelations that contradict or twist what Scripture teaches. They may claim to foretell future events. They may even cite Scripture in support of their prophecies. However, as the late David Watson pointed to our attention, such prophecies should be weighed against the whole counsel of God set forth in the Bible. Watson was a leader in the charismatic movement in the Church of England in the last century.
The Scriptures warn us against the practice of divination—"the practice of seeking knowledge of the future or the unknown by supernatural means.” Some forms of prophesy come dangerously close to the kind of divination that the ancients practiced when they consulted a seer about future events.
Every generation produces those who claim special revelations from God, special revelations that contradict or twist what Scripture teaches. They may claim to foretell future events. They may even cite Scripture in support of their prophecies. However, as the late David Watson pointed to our attention, such prophecies should be weighed against the whole counsel of God set forth in the Bible. Watson was a leader in the charismatic movement in the Church of England in the last century.
The Scriptures warn us against the practice of divination—"the practice of seeking knowledge of the future or the unknown by supernatural means.” Some forms of prophesy come dangerously close to the kind of divination that the ancients practiced when they consulted a seer about future events.
What the Bible tells us is that we should put our faith not in prophets and prophesy but in God and God’s favor and goodwill toward us. Rather trying to anticipate future events, we should rely on God’s loving kindness toward us.
The Good Shepherd is not a hireling who flees at the approach of danger. He stays with his flock and tends and cares for it.
As Psalm 146 reminds us, “Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; who keeps faith forever….” With the Good Shepherd guarding and guiding us, what do we have to fear?
Silence is kept.
The Gospel Canticle
Open this link in a new tab to hear Dan Schutte’s adaptation of the Nunc Dimittis, “Let Me Go Now in Peace.”
1 Hear the prayer of your servant; let me go now in peace
To the home you have promised where our joys never cease.
I have seen with my eyes what the prophets have foretold.
I have held in my arms God, my Savior
2 I have walked in your temple in the soft morning light
And have knelt in your presence in the still of the night
I have seen with my eyes what the prophets have foretold
I have held in my arms God, my Savior
3 I have worn smooth your pathways that I've loved from the start
As you've carved loving furrows in the stone of my heart
I have seen with my eyes what the prophets have foretold
I have held in my arms God, my Savior
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
Eternal God,
author of our life and end of our pilgrimage:
guide us by your word and Spirit
amid all perils and temptations,
that we may not wander from your way,
but may run our course in safety
until we come to eternal rest in you;
through the grace of Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God for ever and 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 Timothy Dudley Smith’s hymn, “Lighten Our Darkness.”
1 Lighten our darkness now the day is ended:
Father in mercy, guard your children sleeping;
from every evil, every harm defended,
safe in your keeping;
2 To that last hour, when heaven's day is dawning,
far spent the night that knows no earthly waking;
keep us as watchmen, longing for the morning,
till that day's breaking.
The Lord be with you.
The Lord bless you.
Let us praise the Lord,
Thanks be to God.
Open this link in a new tab to hear John Rutter’s choral benediction, “A Gaelic Blessing.”
Deep peace of the running wave to you
Deep peace of the flowing air to you
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you
Deep peace of the shining stars to you
Deep peace of the gentle night to you
Moon and stars pour their healing light on you
Deep peace of Christ
of Christ
the light of the world to you
Deep peace of Christ
to you
Deep peace of the running wave to you
Deep peace of the flowing air to you
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you
Deep peace of the shining stars to you
Deep peace of the gentle night to you
Moon and stars pour their healing light on you
Deep peace of Christ
of Christ
the light of the world to you
Deep peace of Christ
to you
Silence is kept.
The Gospel Canticle
Open this link in a new tab to hear Dan Schutte’s adaptation of the Nunc Dimittis, “Let Me Go Now in Peace.”
1 Hear the prayer of your servant; let me go now in peace
To the home you have promised where our joys never cease.
I have seen with my eyes what the prophets have foretold.
I have held in my arms God, my Savior
2 I have walked in your temple in the soft morning light
And have knelt in your presence in the still of the night
I have seen with my eyes what the prophets have foretold
I have held in my arms God, my Savior
3 I have worn smooth your pathways that I've loved from the start
As you've carved loving furrows in the stone of my heart
I have seen with my eyes what the prophets have foretold
I have held in my arms God, my Savior
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
Eternal God,
author of our life and end of our pilgrimage:
guide us by your word and Spirit
amid all perils and temptations,
that we may not wander from your way,
but may run our course in safety
until we come to eternal rest in you;
through the grace of Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God for ever and 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 Timothy Dudley Smith’s hymn, “Lighten Our Darkness.”
1 Lighten our darkness now the day is ended:
Father in mercy, guard your children sleeping;
from every evil, every harm defended,
safe in your keeping;
2 To that last hour, when heaven's day is dawning,
far spent the night that knows no earthly waking;
keep us as watchmen, longing for the morning,
till that day's breaking.
The Lord be with you.
The Lord bless you.
Let us praise the Lord,
Thanks be to God.
Open this link in a new tab to hear John Rutter’s choral benediction, “A Gaelic Blessing.”
Deep peace of the running wave to you
Deep peace of the flowing air to you
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you
Deep peace of the shining stars to you
Deep peace of the gentle night to you
Moon and stars pour their healing light on you
Deep peace of Christ
of Christ
the light of the world to you
Deep peace of Christ
to you
Deep peace of the running wave to you
Deep peace of the flowing air to you
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you
Deep peace of the shining stars to you
Deep peace of the gentle night to you
Moon and stars pour their healing light on you
Deep peace of Christ
of Christ
the light of the world to you
Deep peace of Christ
to you
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