All Hallows Evening Prayer for Sunday Evening (September 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 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, 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.
Silence is kept.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Tony Alonso’s bilingual version of Psalm 141, Let My Prayer Rise/Suba Mi Oración.”
Refrain:
Let my prayer rise up
like incense in your presence,
the raising of my hands,
and offering to you
Estribillo:
Suba mi oración
como incienso en tu precensia,
el alzar de mis manos
como ofrenda de la tarde.
1 I have called to you, O God,
come quickly to help me.
Hear my voice when I call to you.
Let my prayer rise up like incense before you,
and my hands like an evening off’ring.
Refrain
1 Señor, te llamo ven mÃ.
Escucha mi voz,
cuando te invoco.
Suba mi oración
como incienso en tu precensia,
como incienso en tu precensia.
Estribillo
2 Set a guard on my mouth
and guard my ev’ry word,
keep watch on the door of my lips.
Let me never turn my heart to evil or revenge,
nor join the evil in their feasting.
Refrain
2 Coloca, Señor, una guardia en mi boca,
y vigilia la puerta de mis labias.
No me dejas inclinarme a la maldad,
ni comer con los hombres malvaldos.
Estribillo
3 When the just correct me,
I take their words as kindness,
but the oil of the wicked will not touch me.
So I pray to you, O God,
I pray to you, O God, against their hateful ways.
Refrain
3 Que el justo me goipee,
que el bueno me reprenda,
es un gran favor, oh Señor.
Pero que el óleo de impÃo no perfume mi cabezañ
Seguiré rezando en sus desgracias.
Estribillo
4 To you, O God, I turn my eyes,
in you I find refuge and safety.
From the trap that has been set
by those who wish me harm,
keep me safe, O God.
Refrain
4 Mis ojos, Señor, están vueltos a ti.
Señor, en ti me refugio.
Guarda mi vida,
lÃbra me, Señor, de la trampa de los malhechores.
Estribillo
5 Glory to the Father, glory to the Son,
and glory to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning,
is now and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen
Refrain
5 Gloria al Padre, gloria al Hijo,
y gloria al EspÃritu Santo,
como era en el principio,
ahora y siempre por los siglos de los siglos. Amén.
Estribillo
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 in a new tab to hear Larry Dempsey’s “Glory to the Lamb.”
Glory, Glory, Glory to the Lamb
Glory, Glory, Glory to the Lamb
For he is glorious
And worthy to be praised
The Lamb upon the throne
And unto him we lift our voice in praise
The Lamb upon the throne
Glory, Glory, Glory to the Lamb
Glory, Glory, Glory to the Lamb
For he is glorious
And worthy to be praised
The Lamb upon the throne
And unto to him we lift our voice in praise
The Lamb upon the throne
Glory, Glory, Glory to the Lamb
Glory, Glory, Glory to the Lamb
The Proclamation of the Word
The Reading
Mark 8:27-38 Jesus’ Question and Peter’s Answer
Jesus then went away with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, “Who are men saying that I am?”
“John the Baptist,” they answered. “But others say that you are Elijah or, some say, one of the prophets.”
Then he asked them, “But what about you—who do you say that I am?” “You are Christ!” answered Peter.
Then Jesus impressed it upon them that they must not mention this to anyone.
And he began to teach them that it was inevitable that the Son of Man should go through much suffering and be utterly repudiated by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He told them all this quite bluntly. This made Peter draw him on one side and take him to task about what he had said. But Jesus turned and faced his disciples and rebuked Peter. “Out of my way, Satan!” he said. “Peter, you are not looking at things from God’s point of view, but from man’s!”
Then he called his disciples and the people around him, and said to them, “If anyone wants to follow in my footsteps, he must give up all right to himself, take up his cross and follow me. The man who tries to save his life will lose it; it is the man who loses his life for my sake and the Gospel’s who will save it. What good can it do a man to gain the whole world at the price of his own soul? What can a man offer to buy back his soul once he has lost it? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this unfaithful and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in the Father’s glory with the holy angels around him.”
Silence is kept.
May your word live in us
and bear much fruit to your glory
The Homily
“Who do you say I am?”
Jesus poses this question to his disciples after asking them who the multitude believes he is.
“Who do you say I am?”
Peter blurts out, “You are the Christ!” But it quickly becomes evident that Peter does not know what that means.
Was Peter’s confession of faith really what some preachers make it? While Peter said what was on his own mind and the minds of the other disciples, he did not put much thought into it.
Peter takes Jesus to task about going to Jerusalem to die. In response Jesus upbraids him for having the wrong understanding of the work of the Christ, God’s Anointed.
Who do you say I am? Jesus has posed the same question to the Church down through the ages. He poses it to us today. Who do you say I am?
During its 2000 year history the Church has responded to his question in several different ways.
One early branch of the Church said that Jesus was a prophet. Jesus was like one of those whom God had specially anointed to be his messenger in Old Testament times.
The Gnostic Christians in the late first century anno domini said that Jesus was an aeon, an emanation of God. He was the most perfect aeon but he was an aeon nonetheless. His function was “to redeem error embodied in the material universe.” The Holy Spirit was a subordinate aeon.
The Gnostic Christians separated the spiritual world from the material world. They believed that human beings contained a divine spark which had become trapped in the material world, and which sought to return to its source, to God. To them, the material world was evil.
Arian Christians in the third and fourth centuries AD believed that Jesus was the Son of God, begotten by the God the Father. However, they did not believe that the Son had always existed and was co-eternal with the Father. They maintained that the Son was distinct from the Father and was subordinated to the Father. The Son was not only a created being but also he became “God” solely by the Father’s permission and power.
Who Do You Say Jesus Is?
“Who do you say I am?”
Jesus poses this question to his disciples after asking them who the multitude believes he is.
“Who do you say I am?”
Peter blurts out, “You are the Christ!” But it quickly becomes evident that Peter does not know what that means.
Was Peter’s confession of faith really what some preachers make it? While Peter said what was on his own mind and the minds of the other disciples, he did not put much thought into it.
Peter takes Jesus to task about going to Jerusalem to die. In response Jesus upbraids him for having the wrong understanding of the work of the Christ, God’s Anointed.
Who do you say I am? Jesus has posed the same question to the Church down through the ages. He poses it to us today. Who do you say I am?
During its 2000 year history the Church has responded to his question in several different ways.
One early branch of the Church said that Jesus was a prophet. Jesus was like one of those whom God had specially anointed to be his messenger in Old Testament times.
The Gnostic Christians in the late first century anno domini said that Jesus was an aeon, an emanation of God. He was the most perfect aeon but he was an aeon nonetheless. His function was “to redeem error embodied in the material universe.” The Holy Spirit was a subordinate aeon.
The Gnostic Christians separated the spiritual world from the material world. They believed that human beings contained a divine spark which had become trapped in the material world, and which sought to return to its source, to God. To them, the material world was evil.
Arian Christians in the third and fourth centuries AD believed that Jesus was the Son of God, begotten by the God the Father. However, they did not believe that the Son had always existed and was co-eternal with the Father. They maintained that the Son was distinct from the Father and was subordinated to the Father. The Son was not only a created being but also he became “God” solely by the Father’s permission and power.
We are apt to associate this belief with the Jehovah’s Witnesses in our time, but the Lifeway Research/Ligonier Ministries surveys of recent years show that this belief is far more widespread than the Jehovah’s Witnesses.
Socinian Christians whose origins can be traced to the sixteenth and seventeenth century, while they believe in God and adhere to the Bible as they understand it, do not believe that Jesus is divine. They do not believe that Jesus existed until he was born as a human being. They maintain that humankind was mortal from the very beginning. They also reject the idea that human beings “inherit a tainted nature and a proclivity to sin through the fact of birth.” They do not believe that Jesus suffered and died on the cross to regain God’s favor toward humankind or to make up for the things that humankind has done wrong.
Homoousian Christians whose understanding of who Jesus is was formulated in fourth century AD believe that Jesus is the Son, one of three Persons of God, who share one substance and form one being. The other two Persons are the Father and the Holy Spirit. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, they maintain, are one in being or in essence.
The beliefs of Homoousian Christians form what are regarded as orthodox Christian beliefs concerning who Jesus is. They have historically been regarded as the right Christian beliefs. Homoousian Christians are also known as Trinitarian Christians.
While some Homoousian Christians (Western Church) subscribedto the doctrine of original sin, that is, we “inherit a tainted nature and a proclivity to sin through the fact of birth,” others (Eastern Church) consider that doctrine to be wrong-headed.
In the last century we saw the emergence of the New Age Christian who believes that Jesus was a sage who mystically achieved esoteric wisdom and attained union with the divine. How the divine is conceived varies with the individual New Age Christian. Some New Age Christians believed that Jesus traveled to Tibet where he studied under enlightened spiritual teachers and achieved enlightenment himself. Other New Age Christians accept as authoritative the Gospel of Thomas and other Gnostic writings and the Jesus that they describe. New Age Christians may incorporate beliefs from other faiths into their beliefs.
Who do you say Jesus is?
During our lifetime we may responded to Jesus’ question in more than one way.
My view of Jesus as a child was influenced by the illustrated children’s books of Joann Gale Thomas. Joann Gale Robinson nee Thomas was a writer and illustrator. She wrote the young adult novel When Marni Was There. Hayao Mizaki selected Marnie as one of his fifty recommended children’s books and Studio Ghibli turned it into an animated film. It is one of my favorite Mizaki films. I did not make the connection between Joann Gale Thomas and Marnie until a few years ago. It was a pleasant surprise.
In If Jesus Came to My House Jesus is portrayed as divine friend and companion whom we can welcome into our lives by helping people, young and old, by being kind and good.
God of All Things begins with this prayer, “God of all things help us through knowing and loving the familiar things in Thy world, to come to know and love Thee.” It teaches that God is the God of everybody and everything. We can seek him and find him in the common place.
God of All Things encourages children to pray from an early age for God to make use of them in the service of the Kingdom, to live their whole life long and everyday for God, to ask God to watch over them and to help them in growing to grow up like God, to ask his blessing on all people; to ask him to teach them to be one of many that labor for him. It teaches them that every people belong to God.
It was Joann Gale Thomas’ books my mother read to me as a small boy. They were my bedtime stories. When I read them today, I am deeply moved.
As I grew older and learned to read for myself, I read C.S. Lewis’ Narnia Chronicles. Aslan the Lion, the Son of the Emperor Overseas, the Christ figure in the Narnia Chronicles, would shape how I saw Jesus.
The Jesus of my childhood was a shepherd who watched over children and cared for them. He was kind, loving, and gentle. He was the Jesus who rebuked the disciples for turning the children away and took the children in his arms and blessed them. He was the Jesus who placed a child in the midst of his disciples and told them that whoever received the child, received him. He told the disciples that unless they became like little children in their faith, they would not enter God's Kingdom.
In my teen years I started to read the Bible and I listened avidly to the sermons my pastor preached on Sundays. I did not go to Sunday school. I preferred to listen to the sermon. I do not remember one thing that he said. All I remember was that he was a kind, gentle man who had been an overseas missionary and a prisoner of the Japanese and who shared my grandfather’s love of poultry. Even though I do not remember his sermons, I am pretty sure he also helped to shape how I see Jesus.
How I see Jesus has changed over the years. One thing, however, has not changed in the way I see him. Jesus is God’s love for us!
I could go on and on. But this homily is not about me. It is about Jesus. It is about who Jesus is to you.
Who do you say Jesus is? Take some time to think about it. Mull it over in your mind.
Who do you say Jesus is?
It was Joann Gale Thomas’ books my mother read to me as a small boy. They were my bedtime stories. When I read them today, I am deeply moved.
As I grew older and learned to read for myself, I read C.S. Lewis’ Narnia Chronicles. Aslan the Lion, the Son of the Emperor Overseas, the Christ figure in the Narnia Chronicles, would shape how I saw Jesus.
The Jesus of my childhood was a shepherd who watched over children and cared for them. He was kind, loving, and gentle. He was the Jesus who rebuked the disciples for turning the children away and took the children in his arms and blessed them. He was the Jesus who placed a child in the midst of his disciples and told them that whoever received the child, received him. He told the disciples that unless they became like little children in their faith, they would not enter God's Kingdom.
In my teen years I started to read the Bible and I listened avidly to the sermons my pastor preached on Sundays. I did not go to Sunday school. I preferred to listen to the sermon. I do not remember one thing that he said. All I remember was that he was a kind, gentle man who had been an overseas missionary and a prisoner of the Japanese and who shared my grandfather’s love of poultry. Even though I do not remember his sermons, I am pretty sure he also helped to shape how I see Jesus.
How I see Jesus has changed over the years. One thing, however, has not changed in the way I see him. Jesus is God’s love for us!
I could go on and on. But this homily is not about me. It is about Jesus. It is about who Jesus is to you.
Who do you say Jesus is? Take some time to think about it. Mull it over in your mind.
Who do you say Jesus is?
Silence is kept.
The Gospel Canticle
Open this link in a new tab to hear John Philip Newell’s adaptation of the Magnificat, “The Song of Mary.”
My soul sings of you, O God.
My spirit delights in your Presence.
You have cherished my womanhood.
You have honored earth’s body.
All will know the sacredness of birth.
All will know the gift of life.
Your grace is to those who are open.
Your mercy to the humble in heart.
The dreams of the proud crumble.
The plans of the powerful fail.
You feed the hungry with goodness.
You deny the rich their greed.
The hopes of the poor are precious.
The birth pangs of creation are heard.
You have been faithful to the human family.
You are the seed of new beginnings.
My soul sings of you, O God.
My spirit delights in your presence.
My soul sings of you, O God.
My spirit delights in your presence.
My soul sings of you, O God.
My spirit delights in your presence.
My soul sings of you, O God.
My spirit delights in your presence.
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,
without you we are not able 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 Fred Pratt Green’s “The Church of Christ in Every Age.”
The Church of Christ in every age
Beset by change but Spirit led,
Must claim and test its heritage
And keep on rising from the dead.
Across the world, across the street,
The victims of injustice cry
For shelter and for bread to eat,
And never live until they die.
Then let the servant Church arise,
A caring Church that longs to be
A partner in Christ's sacrifice,
And clothed in Christ's humanity.
For he alone, whose blood was shed,
Can cure the fever in our blood,
And teach us how to share our bread
And feed the starving multitude.
We have no mission but to serve
In full obedience to our Lord:
To care for all, without reserve,
And to spread his liberating Word.
The Lord be with you.
The Lord bless you.
Let us praise the Lord,
Thanks be to God.
May the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, guard our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
The Gospel Canticle
Open this link in a new tab to hear John Philip Newell’s adaptation of the Magnificat, “The Song of Mary.”
My soul sings of you, O God.
My spirit delights in your Presence.
You have cherished my womanhood.
You have honored earth’s body.
All will know the sacredness of birth.
All will know the gift of life.
Your grace is to those who are open.
Your mercy to the humble in heart.
The dreams of the proud crumble.
The plans of the powerful fail.
You feed the hungry with goodness.
You deny the rich their greed.
The hopes of the poor are precious.
The birth pangs of creation are heard.
You have been faithful to the human family.
You are the seed of new beginnings.
My soul sings of you, O God.
My spirit delights in your presence.
My soul sings of you, O God.
My spirit delights in your presence.
My soul sings of you, O God.
My spirit delights in your presence.
My soul sings of you, O God.
My spirit delights in your presence.
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,
without you we are not able 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 Fred Pratt Green’s “The Church of Christ in Every Age.”
The Church of Christ in every age
Beset by change but Spirit led,
Must claim and test its heritage
And keep on rising from the dead.
Across the world, across the street,
The victims of injustice cry
For shelter and for bread to eat,
And never live until they die.
Then let the servant Church arise,
A caring Church that longs to be
A partner in Christ's sacrifice,
And clothed in Christ's humanity.
For he alone, whose blood was shed,
Can cure the fever in our blood,
And teach us how to share our bread
And feed the starving multitude.
We have no mission but to serve
In full obedience to our Lord:
To care for all, without reserve,
And to spread his liberating Word.
The Lord be with you.
The Lord bless you.
Let us praise the Lord,
Thanks be to God.
May the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, guard our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
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