All Hallows Evening Prayer for Saturday Evening (September 25, 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 F. Bland Tucker’s translation of the Phos hilaron, “O Gracious Light.”

O Gracious Light, Lord Jesus Christ,
In you the Father’s glory shone.
Immortal, holy, blest is he,
And blest are you, his holy Son.

Now sunset comes, but light shines forth,
the lamps are lit to pierce the night.
Praise Father, Son, and Spirit: God
Who dwells in the eternal light.

Worthy are you of endless praise,
O Son of God, Life-giving Lord;
Wherefore you are through all the earth
And in the highest heaven adored.

O Gracious Light!

Thanksgiving

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

Blessed are you, Creator of the universe,
from old you have led your people by night and day.
May the light of your Christ make our darkness bright,
for your Word and your presence are the light of our pathways,
and you are the light and life of all creation.
Amen.

Psalm 141 is sung and incense may be burned.

Open this link in a new tab to hear Marty Haugen's adaptation of Psalm 141, "Let My Prayer Rise Up Like Incense Before You."

Let my prayer rise up like incense before you,
the lifting up of my hands as an offering to you.

O God, I call to you, come to me now;
hear my voice when I cry to you.

Let my prayer rise up like incense before you,
the lifting up of my hands as an offering to you.

Keep watch within me, God;
deep in my heart may the light of your love be burning bright.

Let my prayer rise up like incense before you,
the lifting up of my hands as an offering to you.

All praise to the God of all, Creator of life;
all praise be to the Christ and the Spirit of love.

Let my prayer rise up like incense before you,
the lifting up of my hands as an offering to you.

Silence is kept.

May our prayers come before you, O God, as incense, and may your presence surround and fill us, so that in union with all creation, we might sing your praise and your love in our lives. Amen.

The Psalms

Open this link to hear Kiran Young Wimberly’s adaptation of Psalm 121, “I Lift My Eyes Up to the Hills.”

I lift my eyes up to the hills
where does my help come from?
I lift my eyes up to the hills
where does my help come from?

My help comes from the Lord above,
the Lord of heaven and earth.
The One who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleeps

[Instrumental interlude]

The Lord who watches over Israel
is your shade at your right hand.
The sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon harm you by night.

The Lord will keep you from all harm;
and will watch over your life.
watch over you as you come and go
now and forevermore.

[Instrumental interlude]

The Lord will keep you from all harm;
and will watch over your life.
watch over you as you come and go
now and forevermore,
now and forevermore.

Silence is kept.

Lord, ever watchful and faithful,
we look to you to be our defense
and we lift our hearts to know your help;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Open this in a new tab to hear The Little Sisters of Jesus', "Lord Jesus, You Shall Be My Song as I Journey."

1 Lord Jesus, you shall be my song as I journey.
I'll tell everybody about you wherever I go.
You alone are our life and our peace and our love.
Lord Jesus, you shall be my song as I journey.

2 Lord Jesus, I'll praise you as long as I journey.
May all of my life be a faithful reflection of you.
May the earth and the sea and the sky join my song.
Lord Jesus, I'll praise you as long as I journey.

3 As long as I live, Jesus, make me your servant.
To carry your cross and to share all your burdens and tears.
For you saved me by giving your body and blood.
As long as I live, Jesus, make me your servant.

4 I fear in the dark and the doubt of my journey;
but courage will come with the sound of your steps by my side.
And with all of the family you saved by your love,
we'll sing to your dawn at the end of our journey,
we'll sing to your dawn at the end of our journey.

The Proclamation of the Word

The Reading

James 5: 12-21 The Power of Prayer

It is of the highest importance, my brothers, that your speech should be free from oaths (whether they are “by” heaven or earth or anything else). Your yes should be a plain yes, and your no a plain no, and then you cannot go wrong in the matter.

If any of you is in trouble let him pray. If anyone is flourishing let him sing praises to God.

If anyone is ill he should send for the Church elders. They should pray over him, anointing him with oil in the Lord’s name. Believing prayer will save the sick man; the Lord will restore him and any sins that he has committed will be forgiven. You should get into the habit of admitting your sins to each other, and praying for each other, so that if sickness comes to you, you may be healed.

Tremendous power is made available through a good man’s earnest prayer. Do you remember Elijah? He was a man like us but he prayed earnestly that it should not rain. In fact, not a drop fell on the land for three and a half years. Then he prayed again, the heavens gave the rain and the earth sprouted with vegetation as usual.

My brothers, if any of you should wander away from the truth and another should turn him back on to the right path, then the latter may be sure that in turning a man back from his wandering course he has rescued a soul from death, and his loving action will “cover a multitude of sins”.

Silence is kept.

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

The Homily

Confessing Our Sins to Each Other

John Wesley was not the only preacher and leader of the Evangelical Revival that swept the Church of England during the eighteenth century, but his work would prove the most enduring. Wesley saw the value of small groups and he and his followers organized the early Methodists into small groups—classes as they were called. They consisted of between twelve and twenty people. When a class reached twenty people in size, it was divided into two classes. Classes met weekly for worship, fellowship, prayer, and instruction.

The three “simple rules” that Wesley drew up applied to the class as well as to larger groups that the early Methodists formed. These rules were “doing no harm and avoiding evil of every kind, doing good, and attending upon the ordinances of God.” By “the ordinances of God,” Wesley meant the ordinary means of grace through which God gives us the will and the power to grow in our love of God and our love of our neighbors, those who harbor ill-will against us and try to harm us, and each other. Members of a class or a larger group were expected to live their lives in accordance with these precepts.

From the viewpoint of small group dynamics, dividing a class when it reached twenty people in size make a lot of sense. A group of twenty people no longer experience the beneficial dynamics of a small group.

Between three to four people may be the ideal size for a small group. At most five. David Gurten in his online book Conversational Leadership explains what happens when a small group is more than five people.

“Anything more than five and the conversation does not work so well: one or two people tend to dominate; the conversation breaks into two, even three; frequently one person is entirely cut out of the interaction, and there is little energy in the group.”

Gurten cites research that supports this observation. As someone who has led and co-led small groups and participated in them, I agree with Gurten’s observation.

One way to facilitate conversation in a small group that exceeds five people is to divide the group into smaller groups. While some churches cap their small groups at twelve people in imitation of the inner circle of disciples that accompanied Jesus, we find in the Gospels that when Jesus was teaching or modeling something for this inner circle, he divided its members in smaller groups. For example, he took only two of his disciples with him when he raised Jaris’ daughter.

The typical Sunday school class is usually too large to benefit from small group dynamics.

Among the practices of the early Methodists, one which they did regularly in the class meeting, was to confess their sins to each other. They confessed what they had failed to say or do when should have said or done something—sins of omission. They also confessed what they had said or did that they should not have said what they said or did—sins of commission. They prayed for God’s forgiveness for each other and for the resolve not to sin that way again.

The practice of confessing their sins to each other in their class meetings not only enabled the early Methodists to help each other to avoid repeating what they had failed to say or do or what they had said or done but it also removed an important obstacle to prayer and healing—unconfessed sin.

One of the reasons our prayers or the prayers of our brothers and sisters in Christ may not be answered is that we are hanging onto sin. We are not acknowledging it for what it is—willfulness, an act of rebellion against God. We are obstinately bent on doing things our way rather doing things God’s way. We may know what we did not say or do or what said and did was wrong or what we are not saying or doing or what we are saying or doing  is wrong, but we try to convince ourselves (and others) otherwise. As long as do we are able to avoid coming out and admitting that we were wrong, we are wrong, we may avoid feeling any compulsion to do something about it. Once we come out and admit it, we may feel compelled to do what we should have done in the first place.

Coming out and admitting that we were wrong, resolving to undo the harm that we may have done to someone else (and to ourselves), and acting on this resolve will not only remove an obstacle to prayer and healing, but it may also lift a great weight from our hearts and minds and bring about inner healing in ourselves. It will be a means of grace to us, a means by which God shows his love for us and by which God enables us to grow as followers of Jesus, to grow in our love of God and our love of others.

God not only heals our bodies, but he also heals our souls. He heals the emotional and psychological damage that we may have received early in our lives. We do not live in a perfect world and even those who love us can harm us without realizing that they are causing us harm. Well-meaning friends and strangers may offer us advice which in reality is harmful to us and to others.

Confessing our sins to each other entails talking about what is going on in our lives. It is not just about acknowledging where we may have gone wrong. When we share with each other what is happening in our lives, we give our brothers and sisters in Christ an opportunity to minister to us and to pray for us. We sort through our thoughts and feelings and may come to recognize things that we are hiding from ourselves, things that we do not want to admit to ourselves, things about which we may be deceiving ourselves.

The purpose of confessing our sins to each other is not to sit in judgment of each other. It is to help each other to recognize what may hindering or hampering us in our daily walk with Jesus, what may be keeping us from experiencing the fullness of what God means us to be.

If we are not able to participate in a small group, we may wish to find an anamchara, a soul friend, a confessor, a fellow Jesus follower with whom we can share what is happening in our lives, who will pray for us, and who will offer us encouragement and spiritual counsel.

The older I get and the more I grow as a Jesus follower, the more convinced I become that God puts us in people’s lives and them in our lives for our mutual good. They may not always welcome our presence in their lives. Our relationship with them may go awry and take an unforeseen direction. But God has intended that we should be channels of grace to each other—companions in the way, travelers together on the road. We may “kick against the goad.” Our meeting in life’s way, however, was not accidental. It was God’s doing. If we are open to God’s purpose, I believe that we will discover that we will become more what God would have us be when we walk beside each other than when we walk alone. We need to trust God’s love for us.

Silence is kept.

The Gospel Canticle

Open this link in a new tab to hear Joanne Boyce’s adaptation of the Magnificat, “My Soul Glorifies the Lord.”

My soul glorifies the Lord,
my spirit rejoices
My God forever he will be,
bless his holy name.

He looks upon me his servant,
looks on me in my lowliness.
He works marvels for me,
Hence forth all ages call me blessed,
Call me blessed.

My soul glorifies the Lord,
my spirit rejoices
My God forever he will be,
bless his holy name.

He scatters the proud hearted,
casts the mighty from their thrones.
His mighty arm before me,
In strength he raises the lowly,
raises the lowly.

My soul glorifies the Lord,
my spirit rejoices
My God forever he will be,
bless his holy name.

He fills the starving with plenty,
but empty sends the rich away.
From age to age his mercy,
The mercy promised us forever,
promised forever.

My soul glorifies the Lord,
my spirit rejoices
My God forever he will be,
bless his holy name.

Bless him, bless him.
Bless him, bless him.

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

In darkness and in light,
in trouble and in joy,
help us, heavenly Father,
to trust your love,
to serve your purpose,
and to praise your name,
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 Marty Haugen’s hymn, “Healer of Our Ev’ry Ill.”

Healer of our ev’ry ill,
light of each tomorrow,
give us peace beyond our fear,
and hope beyond our sorrow.

1 You who know our fears and sadness,
grace us with your peace and gladness,
Spirit of all comfort:
fill our hearts.

Healer of our ev’ry ill,
light of each tomorrow,
give us peace beyond our fear,
and hope beyond our sorrow.

2 In the pain and joy beholding
how your grace is still unfolding,
give us all your vision:
God of love.

Healer of our ev’ry ill,
light of each tomorrow,
give us peace beyond our fear,
and hope beyond our sorrow.

3 Give us strength to love each other,
ev’ry sister, ev’ry brother,
Spirit of all kindness:
be our guide.

Healer of our ev’ry ill,
light of each tomorrow,
give us peace beyond our fear,
and hope beyond our sorrow.

4 You who know each thought and feeling;
teach us all your way of healing,
Spirit of compassion:
fill each heart.

Healer of our ev’ry ill,
light of each tomorrow,
give us peace beyond our fear,
and hope beyond our sorrow.

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

May God, Creator, bless us and keep us,
may Christ be ever light for our lives,
may the Spirit of love be our guide and path,
for all of our days. Amen.