All Hallows Evening Prayer for Wednesday Evening (July 27, 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
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 Marty Haugen’s responsorial setting of Psalm 113, “Blessed Be the Name.”
Blessed be the name,
Blessed be the name,
Blessed be the name of the LORD
for ever!
Praise, O servants of the LORD,
praise the name of the LORD!
May the name of the LORD be blest
both now and forevermore!
Blessed be the name,
Blessed be the name,
Blessed be the name of the LORD
for ever!
From the rising of the sun to its setting,
praised be the name of the LORD!
High above all nations is the LORD,
above the heavens his glory.
Blessed be the name,
Blessed be the name,
Blessed be the name of the LORD
for ever!
Who is like the LORD, our God,
who dwells on high,
who lowers himself to look down
upon heaven and earth?
Blessed be the name,
Blessed be the name,
Blessed be the name of the LORD
for ever!
From the dust he lifts up the lowly,
from the ash heap he raises the poor,
to set them in the company of princes,
yes, with the princes of his people.
Blessed be the name,
Blessed be the name,
Blessed be the name of the LORD
for ever!
Silence is kept.
Lord Jesus, surrendering the brightness of your glory, you became mortal so that we might be raised from the dust to share your very being. May the children of God always bless your name from the rising of the sun to its going down, for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Dwight Beal’s “Hymn of St. Patrick.”
Christ be with me and within me
Christ behind me and before
Christ beside me and to win me
Christ to comfort and restore
Christ beneath me and above me
Christ in quiet and in danger
Christ in hearts of all that love me
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger
Christ be with me and within me
Christ behind me and before
Christ beside me and to win me
Christ to comfort and restore
Christ beneath me and above me
Christ in quiet and in danger
Christ in hearts of all that love me
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger
Christ in every heart that’s broken
Christ in every joy and pain
Christ in every word that’s spoken
Christ in sun and moon and rain
Christ in resting and in rising
Christ the Lord of all my life
Christ to guide me and to shield me
Christ protecting me in strife
[Instrumental Interlude]
Christ be with me and within me
Christ behind me and before
Christ beside me and to win me
Christ to comfort and restore
Christ beneath me and above me
Christ in quiet and in danger
Christ in hearts of all that love me
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger
The Proclamation of the Word
The Reading
Ephesians 3: 1-12 Paul’s Ministry to the Gentiles
This is the reason that I Paul am a prisoner for Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles—for surely you have already heard of the commission of God’s grace that was given me for you, and how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I wrote above in a few words, a reading of which will enable you to perceive my understanding of the mystery of Christ. In former generations this mystery was not made known to humankind, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: that is, the Gentiles have become fellow heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
Of this gospel I have become a servant according to the gift of God’s grace that was given me by the working of his power. Although I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given to me to bring to the Gentiles the news of the boundless riches of Christ, and to make everyone see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things; so that through the church the wisdom of God in its rich variety might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was in accordance with the eternal purpose that he has carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have access to God in boldness and confidence through faith in him.
Silence is kept.
May your word live in us
and bear much fruit to your glory
The Homily
All of us have experienced surprises in our lives. Some were pleasant surprises; others, not so pleasant. A few were very nasty surprises—even traumatic experiences that sent us reeling, experiences from which we may have taken time to recover, experiences from which we may have not recovered at all.
The apostle Paul experienced many surprises in his life. One of them was on the road to Damascus. He encountered the risen Christ, was struck blind, was healed of his blindness, and became an apostle of the Lord. Paul who had imprisoned men and women for their faith in Jesus and who may have presided over the stoning of Stephen became himself a follower of Jesus and an apostle, not just any apostle but an apostle to the Gentiles!!
For Paul the biggest surprise of all may have been that the Gentiles, those who were not members of the people of Israel, were members of Christ’s flock. They were Christ’s sheep too. Christ had laid down his life for them and not just for the Jews!! And he, Paul, a devote Jew, was to be an apostle to them!! An apostle to uncircumcised, ritually unclean pig eaters!! The same people who had repeatedly invaded Judaea, defiled the Temple at Jerusalem, forced his people to pay onerous taxes!!
I do not believe that we can fully grasp the effect this revelation had upon Paul. We know that it was life-transforming. And the New Testament does suggest that it may have taken Paul some time to come to grips with it. The apostle Peter would also struggle with this knowledge.
I believe that we struggle with it ourselves. We may think to ourselves, “Yes, I understand that Jesus suffered and died for me. Yes, Jesus opened the way of salvation for me. Yes, Jesus made things right for me with God. But them?! That can’t be right!!”
Because we believe that a certain group of people are not worthy of our goodwill, our kindness, our friendship, we do not believe that they are worthy of God’s goodwill, his kindness, his friendship. If we do not like them, we think, God could not possibly show them his favor, his grace.
But as Paul tells the Ephesians—and I suspect, reminds himself—God does!!
We are tempted to winnow down the size of the flock toward whom God shows his favor. We come up with all kinds of rationalizations for reducing its size. But if what Paul says is true and God kept hidden his plan to include the Gentiles in Christ’s flock, I hazard that God is also keeping hidden from us those to whom he will show mercy and those whom he may overlook, presuming that is what he may be planning to do. The truth is that we do not know what God is planning. God has chosen not to reveal everything to us.
God himself has experienced our proclivity to winnow down those whom we believe that God favors to those who resemble ourselves. God suffered in the person of the Son, in the person of Jesus, at the hands of those who rejected him because he did not fit into their preconceived notions of how God should act. They were not ready for a God who would become a man, a human being; mingle with social outcasts; heal on the Sabbath; and teach and practice mercy and forgiveness. They were not ready for a God of surprises!!
In the parable of the enemy who came in the night and sowed darnel, a poisonous weed, in the wheat fields of a farmer, the farmer instructs his workers not to weed out the young darnel from the young wheat. At an early stage, wheat and darnel are indistinguishable. The farmer’s workers might pull up the young wheat plants by mistake.
Jesus also tells us that when he comes again, the angels at his command will gather the wheat into his barn and burn the weeds.
If anything can be learned from what Jesus said is that it is not our place to decide who is worthy of salvation and who is not, to decide who are wheat and who are noxious weeds. Rather our task is to freely proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ to all people, to make disciples of them, to baptize them as he instructed, and to teach them what he has commanded.
When the day of judgments comes, I suspect that we may experience more surprises. Jesus himself cautions us that he will not acknowledge all who call him Lord but only those who have done God’s will. The emphasis of much of what Jesus himself teaches is how we ourselves can lead lives that are pleasing to God.
A God of Surprises
All of us have experienced surprises in our lives. Some were pleasant surprises; others, not so pleasant. A few were very nasty surprises—even traumatic experiences that sent us reeling, experiences from which we may have taken time to recover, experiences from which we may have not recovered at all.
The apostle Paul experienced many surprises in his life. One of them was on the road to Damascus. He encountered the risen Christ, was struck blind, was healed of his blindness, and became an apostle of the Lord. Paul who had imprisoned men and women for their faith in Jesus and who may have presided over the stoning of Stephen became himself a follower of Jesus and an apostle, not just any apostle but an apostle to the Gentiles!!
For Paul the biggest surprise of all may have been that the Gentiles, those who were not members of the people of Israel, were members of Christ’s flock. They were Christ’s sheep too. Christ had laid down his life for them and not just for the Jews!! And he, Paul, a devote Jew, was to be an apostle to them!! An apostle to uncircumcised, ritually unclean pig eaters!! The same people who had repeatedly invaded Judaea, defiled the Temple at Jerusalem, forced his people to pay onerous taxes!!
I do not believe that we can fully grasp the effect this revelation had upon Paul. We know that it was life-transforming. And the New Testament does suggest that it may have taken Paul some time to come to grips with it. The apostle Peter would also struggle with this knowledge.
I believe that we struggle with it ourselves. We may think to ourselves, “Yes, I understand that Jesus suffered and died for me. Yes, Jesus opened the way of salvation for me. Yes, Jesus made things right for me with God. But them?! That can’t be right!!”
Because we believe that a certain group of people are not worthy of our goodwill, our kindness, our friendship, we do not believe that they are worthy of God’s goodwill, his kindness, his friendship. If we do not like them, we think, God could not possibly show them his favor, his grace.
But as Paul tells the Ephesians—and I suspect, reminds himself—God does!!
We are tempted to winnow down the size of the flock toward whom God shows his favor. We come up with all kinds of rationalizations for reducing its size. But if what Paul says is true and God kept hidden his plan to include the Gentiles in Christ’s flock, I hazard that God is also keeping hidden from us those to whom he will show mercy and those whom he may overlook, presuming that is what he may be planning to do. The truth is that we do not know what God is planning. God has chosen not to reveal everything to us.
God himself has experienced our proclivity to winnow down those whom we believe that God favors to those who resemble ourselves. God suffered in the person of the Son, in the person of Jesus, at the hands of those who rejected him because he did not fit into their preconceived notions of how God should act. They were not ready for a God who would become a man, a human being; mingle with social outcasts; heal on the Sabbath; and teach and practice mercy and forgiveness. They were not ready for a God of surprises!!
In the parable of the enemy who came in the night and sowed darnel, a poisonous weed, in the wheat fields of a farmer, the farmer instructs his workers not to weed out the young darnel from the young wheat. At an early stage, wheat and darnel are indistinguishable. The farmer’s workers might pull up the young wheat plants by mistake.
Jesus also tells us that when he comes again, the angels at his command will gather the wheat into his barn and burn the weeds.
If anything can be learned from what Jesus said is that it is not our place to decide who is worthy of salvation and who is not, to decide who are wheat and who are noxious weeds. Rather our task is to freely proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ to all people, to make disciples of them, to baptize them as he instructed, and to teach them what he has commanded.
When the day of judgments comes, I suspect that we may experience more surprises. Jesus himself cautions us that he will not acknowledge all who call him Lord but only those who have done God’s will. The emphasis of much of what Jesus himself teaches is how we ourselves can lead lives that are pleasing to God.
Rather than focusing on how others are leading their lives, we need to focus on how we lead our lives. Do our lives, our words, and our deeds, point to Jesus? Do they show his influence? Do they embody the heart and mind of Christ?
This does not mean that we should not expose and confront evil when it is warranted. But it does mean removing the sequoia logs from our own eyes before we seek to help others remove the specks of sawdust from theirs.
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
O God, the protector of all who trust in you,
without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy;
increase and multiply upon us your mercy,
that, with you as our ruler and guide,
we may so pass through things temporal
that we finally lose not the things eternal.
Grant this, O heavenly Father,
for the sake of 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 “The Seed Is Christ,” James Quinn’s translation of Seán Ó Riada’s "Ag Críost an síol, ag Críost an fómhar."
The seed is Christ’s, the harvest his
May we be stored within God’s barn
The sea is Christ’s, the fish are his
May we be caught within God’s net
From birth to age, from age to death
Enfold us Christ within your arms
Until the end the great rebirth
Christ be our joy in paradise
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 Christopher Walker’s choral benediction, “May God Bless and Keep You.”
May God bless and keep you.
May God's face shine on you.
May God be kind to you
and give you peace.
May God bless and keep you.
May God's face shine on you.
May God be kind to you
and give you peace.
[Instrumental interlude]
May God bless and keep you.
May God's face shine on you.
May God be kind to you
and give you peace.
May God bless and keep you.
May God's face shine on you.
May God be kind to you
and give you peace.
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
O God, the protector of all who trust in you,
without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy;
increase and multiply upon us your mercy,
that, with you as our ruler and guide,
we may so pass through things temporal
that we finally lose not the things eternal.
Grant this, O heavenly Father,
for the sake of 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 “The Seed Is Christ,” James Quinn’s translation of Seán Ó Riada’s "Ag Críost an síol, ag Críost an fómhar."
The seed is Christ’s, the harvest his
May we be stored within God’s barn
The sea is Christ’s, the fish are his
May we be caught within God’s net
From birth to age, from age to death
Enfold us Christ within your arms
Until the end the great rebirth
Christ be our joy in paradise
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 Christopher Walker’s choral benediction, “May God Bless and Keep You.”
May God bless and keep you.
May God's face shine on you.
May God be kind to you
and give you peace.
May God bless and keep you.
May God's face shine on you.
May God be kind to you
and give you peace.
[Instrumental interlude]
May God bless and keep you.
May God's face shine on you.
May God be kind to you
and give you peace.
May God bless and keep you.
May God's face shine on you.
May God be kind to you
and give you peace.
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