All Hallows Evening Prayer for Wednesday Evening (July 14, 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 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 thy praises, O God:
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

3 Thou art worthy at all times
to be praised by happy voices,
O Son of God, O Giver of life,
and to 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 the It’s About the Word setting of Psalm 93, “The Lord Is Mighty.”

The Lord is mighty and holy for all days.
The Lord is mighty and holy for all days.

You reign with majesty and strength.
Your throne has always been from eternity.

The Lord is mighty and holy for all days.
The Lord is mighty and holy for all days.

The seas have lifted up, O Lord.
The seas have lifted up their voice.
The seas have lifted up their pounding waves.

The Lord is mighty and holy for all days.
The Lord is mighty and holy for all days.

You reign with majesty and strength.
Your throne has always been from eternity.

The Lord is mighty and holy for all days.
The Lord is mighty and holy for all days.

Oh Oh.

The Lord is mighty and holy for all days.
The Lord is mighty and holy for all days.
Holy for all days.

Silence is kept.

Christ our King,
you put on the apparel of our nature
and raised us to your glory;
reign from your royal throne
above the chaos of this world,
that all may see the victory you have won
and trust in your salvation;
for your glory’s sake. Amen.

Open this link to hear Wendy Churchill’s hymn, “Jesus Is King and I Will Extol Him.”

1 Jesus is king and I will extol him
Give Him the glory, and honour His name
He reigns on high, enthroned in the heavens
Word of the Father, exalted for us

2 We have a hope that is steadfast and certain
Gone through the curtain and touching the throne
We have a Priest who is there interceding
Pouring His grace on our lives day by day

3 We come to Him, our Priest and Apostle
Clothed in His glory and bearing His name
Laying our lives with gladness before Him
Filled with His Spirit we worship the King

4 O Holy One, our hearts do adore You
Thrilled with Your goodness we give You our praise
Angels in light with worship surround Him
Jesus, our Saviour, forever the same

The Proclamation of the Word

The Reading

Ephesians 1: 15-23 Paul’s Prayer

I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, and for this reason I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power. God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

Silence is kept.

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

The Homily

Jesus Is Lord!!

The oldest Christian creed is three words, “Jesus is Lord!!” Three words!!

“Lord” or its equivalent in the language spoken in a particular locality was not an uncommon form of address in ancient times. It was a way of showing respect for the person whom one was addressing. In Aramaic “lord” was marya, which also means “master.” In Greek it was kyrios. A disciple would typically address his teacher or master as “lord,” As well as being used to address one’s teacher, it was used to address one’s social superiors, those of higher social status than oneself.

“Lord” was also used to address gods and rulers—divine beings with authority and control over humankind. In ancient times kings, emperors, and pharaohs were often viewed as divine beings. One of the ways that the early Christians fell afoul of the Romans was their refusal to honor Caesar, the Roman emperor, as a god and burn a pinch of incense on an altar before an image of the current emperor. To the Romans’ minds their refusal was tantamount to treason. In this brief affirmation of faith and in today’s reading the apostle Paul is using “lord” in this third sense.

In first letter to the Corinthians Paul makes this assertion, "No one can say Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit." What Paul means is that it is God’s grace, the power of God’s presence working in us, that enables us to recognize Jesus as more than a sage—a teacher or philosopher, who was distinguished for his wisdom but met an ignominious death like Socrates—the famous Greek philosopher who was sentenced to death and forced to drink a cup of poisonous hemlock. The Holy Spirit not only enables us to recognize that Jesus was God enfleshed as a human being but also to acknowledge him as the Lord of all and most importantly, our Lord, the Lord of ourselves and our own lives.

In today’s reading Paul explains why we should recognize and acknowledge Jesus as Lord. God through his mighty power has not only raised Jesus from the dead but he has elevated Jesus to his own right hand. God has confirmed that Jesus was indeed the Son as Jesus claimed that he was while he was on earth, that the Father and the Son are one. God has put all things under Jesus’ feet and has made Jesus the head over all things. Jesus is indeed Lord!!

When we recognize and acknowledge Jesus as Lord, we are not giving Jesus authority and control over ourselves and our lives. We are admitting to ourselves and declaring to the world that that is his rightful place in us and in our lives. We do not enthrone Jesus as we sometimes hear in praise and worship songs. We are accepting that that is where Jesus rightfully belonged from the very beginning. We are owning that we were wrong in elevating ourselves in Jesus’ place. We are humbly submitting to Jesus’ lordship over us and our lives.

Jesus told the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law to go and learn what it means to have mercy. Our task is go and learn what it means to have Jesus as our Lord, not just as our teacher or master but as our Lord, the one who is “far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come.” It has tremendous implications for how we see Jesus and his example and his teaching. Some of us may discover that we have been only giving lip service to Jesus. Others may discover that we have been withholding areas of our lives from Jesus, telling him in effect, “You may rule this part of my life but not that.” However, every part of our life is Jesus’, every thought, every desire, every word, and every deed, everything!!

Silence is kept.

The Gospel Canticle

Open this link in a new tab to hear Bernadette Farrell - Owen Alstott’s setting of the Magnificat, “My Soul Proclaims the Greatness of the Lord.”

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord
My spirit sings to God, my saving God,
Who on this day above all others favored me
And raised me up, a light for all to see.

Through me great deeds will God make manifest,
And all the earth will come to call me blest.
Unbounded love and mercy sure will I proclaim
For all who know and praise God's holy name.

God's mighty arm, protector of the just,
Will guard the weak and raise them from the dust.
But mighty kings will swiftly fall from thrones corrupt.
The strong brought low, the lowly lifted up.

Soon will the poor and hungry of the earth
Be richly blest, be given greater worth.
And Israel, as once foretold to Abraham,
Will live in peace throughout the promised land.

All glory be to God, Creator blest,
To Jesus Christ, God's love made manifest,
And to the Holy Spirit, gentle Comforter,
All glory be, both now and ever more.

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

O Lord, we beseech you
mercifully to receive the prayers of your people
who call upon you,
and grant that they may both perceive and know
what things they ought to do,
and also may have the grace and power
faithfully to fulfill them’
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 Timothy Dudely Smith’s hymn, “Christ Is the One Who Calls.”

1 Christ is the one who calls,
the one who loved and came,
to whom by right it falls
to bear the highest Name:
and still today
our hearts are stirred
to hear his word
and walk his way.

2 Christ is the one who seeks,
to whom our souls are known.
The word of love he speaks
can wake a heart of stone;
for at that sound
the blind can see,
the slave is free,
the lost are found.

3 Christ is the one who died,
forsaken and betrayed;
who, mocked and crucified,
the price of pardon paid.
Our dying Lord,
what grief and loss,
what bitter cross,
our souls restored!

4 Christ is the one who rose
in glory from the grave,
to share his life with those
whom once he died to save.
He drew death's sting
and broke its chains,
who lives and reigns,
our risen King.

5 Christ is the one who sends,
his story to declare;
who calls his servants friends
and gives them news to share.
His truth proclaim
in all the earth,
his matchless worth
and saving Name.

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, “The Peace of God.”

The peace of God,
Which passeth all understanding
Keep your hearts and minds,
Keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God,
And of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord

The peace of God 

Which passeth all understanding,
Keep your hearts and minds
Keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God,
And of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord

And the blessing of God Almighty,
The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost,
Be amongst you
Be amongst you
Be amongst you and remain with you always

Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.