All Hallows Evening Prayer for Wednesday Evening (September 7, 2021)
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
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 in this link in a new tab to hear Bernadette Farrell's paraphrase of Psalm 139, "O God, You Search Me, and You Know Me."
1 O God, you search me, and you know me
All my thoughts lie open to your gaze
When I walk or lie down, you are before me
Ever the maker and keeper of my days.
2 You know my resting and my rising
You discern my purpose from afar
And with love everlasting, you besiege me
In ev'ry moment of life or death, you are.
3 Before a word is on my tongue, Lord
You have known its meaning through and through
You are with me beyond my understanding
God of my present, my past and future, too.
4 Although your Spirit is upon me
Still I search for shelter from your light
There is nowhere on Earth I can escape you
Even the darkness is radiant in your sight.
5 For you created me and shaped me
Gave me life within my mother’s womb
For the wonder of who I am, I praise you
Safe in your hands, all creation is made new.
Silence is kept.
Creator God,
may every breath we take be for your glory,
may every footstep show you as our way,
that, trusting in your presence in this world,
we may, beyond this life, still be with you
where you are alive and reign
for ever and ever.
Amen.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Tom Kendzia’s “Endless Is Your Love.”
You know my heart
You know my mind
You know my words long before I speak them.
There is no place that I can hide
Endless is your love for us
How vast the sums of all your deeds.
Endless is your love for us
Surely there's a place, even you don't know
If I climb there, if I fly there
Can I hide from you?
You know my heart
You know my mind
You know my words
Long before I speak them
There is no place
Where I can hide
Endless is your love for us
How vast the sums of all your deeds
Endless is your love for us
Can't I hide at night, darkness be my light?
Can you see the day in darkness, can you find me there?
You know my heart
You know my mind
You know my words
Long before I speak them
There is no place that I can hide
Endless is your love for us
How vast the sums of all your deeds
Endless is your love for us
You know my heart
You know my mind
You know my words
Long before I speak them
There is no place that I can hide
Endless is your love for us
How vast the sums of all your deeds
Endless is your love for us
Wonderful your works
Countless as the sands
Earth and heaven know your beauty
Fashioned by your hand
Fashioned by your hand
Countless as the sands
Earth and heaven know your beauty
Fashioned by your hand
Fashioned by your hand
You know my heart
You know my mind
You know my words
Long before I speak them
There is no place that I can hide
Endless is your love for us
How vast the sums of all your deeds
Endless is your love for us
The Proclamation of the Word
The Reading
Mark 8: 1-26 He Again Feeds the People Miraculously
About this time it happened again that a large crowd collected and had nothing to eat. Jesus called the disciples over to him and said, “My heart goes out to this crowd; they have been with me three days now and they have no food left. If I send them off home without anything, they will collapse on the way—and some of them have come from a distance.”
His disciples replied, “Where could anyone find the food to feed them here in this deserted spot?”
“How many loaves have you got?” Jesus asked them. “Seven,” they replied.
So Jesus told the crowd to settle themselves on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves into his hands, and with a prayer of thanksgiving broke them, and gave them to the disciples to distribute to the people; and this they did. They had a few small fish as well, and after blessing them, Jesus told the disciples to give these also to the people. They ate and they were satisfied. Moreover, they picked up seven baskets full of pieces left over. The people numbered about four thousand. Jesus sent them home, and then he boarded the boat at once with his disciples and went on to the district of Dalmanutha.
Now the Pharisees came out and began an argument with him, wanting a sign from Heaven. Jesus gave a deep sigh, and then said, “What makes this generation want a sign? I can tell you this, they will certainly not be given one!”
Then he left them and got aboard the boat again, and crossed the lake.
The disciples had forgotten to take any food and had only one loaf with them in the boat. Jesus spoke seriously to them, “Keep your eyes open! Be on your guard against the ‘yeast’ of the Pharisees and the ‘yeast’ of Herod!” And this sent them into an earnest consultation among themselves because they had brought no bread. Jesus knew it and said to them, “Why all this discussion about bringing no bread? Don’t you understand or grasp what I say even yet? Are you like the people who ‘having eyes, do not see, and having ears, do not hear’? Have your forgotten—when I broke five loaves for five thousand people, how many baskets full of pieces did you pick up?” “Twelve,” they replied. “And then there were seven loaves for four thousand people, how many baskets of pieces did you pick up?” “Seven,” they said.
“And does that still mean nothing to you?” he said.
So they arrived at Bethsaida where a blind man was brought to him, with the earnest request that he should touch him. Jesus took the blind man’s hand and led him outside the village. Then he moistened his eyes with saliva and putting his hands on him, asked, “Can you see at all?”
The man looked up and said, “I can see people. They look like trees—only they are walking about.”
Then Jesus put his hands on his eyes once more and his sight came into focus. And he recovered and saw everything sharp and clear. And Jesus sent him off to his own house with the words, “Don’t even go into the village.”
Silence is kept.
May your word live in us
and bear much fruit to your glory
The Homily
Mark’s Gospel portrays the disciples as thick-headed and dense. They do not grasp what Jesus is saying or doing. They just don’t get it!
In this evening’s reading, the disciples, when Jesus warns them against the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of the Herodians, the disciples who have brought only one loaf of bread with them begin to argue about bread.
A short while ago Jesus has performed a miracle. He has fed four thousand people with seven loaves of bread and a few fishes. The disciples had gathered seven baskets of leftovers.
At this point in the story, I am wondering what the disciples did with the leftovers. Did they dump them? Did they feed them to the birds? Did they have no foresight to bring some leftovers with them? It is one of those details that the New Testament omits.
The thick-headedness and denseness of the disciples in Mark’s Gospel may be a story-telling device. Mark’s Gospel was compiled from oral accounts of Jesus’ sayings and doings and an early written account of what he said and did.
One story-telling device is to let one’s listeners in on a secret at the very beginning of the story, a secret that the people in the story have not grasped. The purpose of this device is to hold the listener’s attention. The listener is looking forward to the moment in Mark’s Gospel when the disciples finally catch on.
In Mark’s Gospel, however, they never catch on. We are left to wonder how the disciples could be so thick-headed and dense. Jesus’ divinity is obvious. It is right in front of their noses, and they still don’t get it!
The important thing is that we get it, not the disciples. The latest Barna report reveals that most American Christians do not get it! Only something like six percent of the Christians surveyed had a world view that fit with Jesus’, were living their lives in accordance with the teaching and example of Jesus.
Why are so many American Christians not getting what it means to be a disciple of Jesus? I could be unkind and say that a lot of us are thick-headed and dense like the disciples in Mark’s Gospel. Notice that I have include myself because I can at times be thick-headed and dense. I can be willful and stubborn. I can take long time to understand some things. But I believe that there is more to why such a large number of American Christians are not getting it.
The report itself suggests that some Americans who are classified as “Christian” are misclassified. Despite being classified as “Christian,” they do not belong in that classification. They do not meet the minimal requirement for being a Christian. They are unevangelized as well as undiscipled.
I have listened to sermons and sat in on Bible studies, which were chuck full of juicy tidbits about the Bible, a particular book of the Bible, Biblical times, and the Holy Land but did not help me to grow as a follower of Jesus or encourage me in my daily walk with him. They did not help me to see the world, other people, or myself through Jesus’ eyes. I could have gotten the same thing out of reading a Bible commentary. They did not exhort me to love my neighbor more or to treat other people more the way that I would like to be treated—with a spirit of kindness.
I have read articles that identify being a Christian with reading the Bible, praying, going to church, listening to sermons, giving to the church, taking communion, not living an immoral life, and not much else. They say nothing about actively emulating the life and teaching of Jesus as a disciple of Jesus. These articles assume that if we read our Bibles and listen to sermons, we will be formed as Christians.
But such formation does not happen automatically. We can read our Bibles and listen to sermons and our lives remain untransformed. This is not to say that reading our Bibles and listening to sermons will do us no good, but rather we will not experience the maximum benefit of these activities—life transformation.
Something that we forget is that the early Christians did not own Bibles. Many of them could not read. They heard the Bible when they met together and then they heard whatever parts of the Bible that their particular fellowship owned. They did, however, receive instruction in the Christian faith and life, in the teaching and example of Jesus. They were instructed in the Christian faith and life for some time before they were baptized and for some time after they were baptized. Most of the instruction they received was related to Jesus’ teaching and example and to the apostles’ expounding of his teaching and example.
When the apostle Paul talks about doing everything for edification at a meeting of a church, a particular fellowship of believers and wannabe believers, he is not talking about simply imparting religious knowledge. He is not talking about enlightening those present but instructing them with a purpose, that purpose being that they will grow as disciples of Jesus. They will grow in the things that Jesus taught were important and what he himself exemplified. They would experience life-transformation.
This has implications for the way that we read our Bible and pray as well as the way that we live our lives. For wannabe disciples of Jesus and disciples who want to grow more like Jesus, I recommend immersing oneself in the Gospels, getting to know the Jesus of the Gospels and his life and teaching, not just head-knowledge but heart-knowledge. Heart knowledge is the kind of knowledge which changes who we are. It is the kind of knowledge which changes how we live. We do not just read about loving our neighbors as ourselves, we act on that knowledge: we love them as ourselves. This means reading Scripture intentionally, our intention being grow as Jesus’ disciple and as his friend. Our intention is life-transformation.
We approach prayer in the same way. We pray that God will help us to align our wills more closely with his. We pray as Jesus did in the garden of Gethsemane, “…it is not what I want but what You want.” We pray for an abundance of God’s grace to will what God wills and having such a will, to do what he wills. We pray for life-transforming grace, grace that will make us more faithful, holier, more loving, grace that will make us more like the one who is our teacher, our master, and our friend.
We live our lives after the same manner. We become an embodiment of Jesus. We think like Jesus. We love like Jesus. We are compassionate and caring like Jesus. We are kind and forgiving like Jesus. When those around us listen to our words, they hear Jesus. When those around us observe our actions, they see Jesus.
What they do not hear and see are the modern day equivalent of the disciples in Mark’s Gospel, individuals whose words and actions show that they have not gotten it, whose word and actions show that they are following someone else or something else other than Jesus.
What about these modern day equivalents of the disciples in Mark’s Gospel? Do we write them off? No! We love them! We love them as God loves us. We do not presume to know what God has in store for them. We treat them exactly as we would wish to be treated. We treat them in a spirit of kindness, in the spirit of Jesus.
Silence is kept.
The Gospel Canticle
Open this link in a new tab to hear Marty Haugen’s adaptation of the Magnificat, “My Soul Proclaims the Greatness of God.”
My soul proclaims the greatness of God,
Rejoicing in God my Savior.
The Holy One has raised me up,
I live in God’s love and favour.
1 The Mighty One works great thinks in me:
My soul rejoices in God.
All faithful servants God’s mercy shall see:
My soul rejoices,
sings and rejoices,
gladly rejoices in God.
My soul proclaims the greatness of God,
Rejoicing in God my Savior.
The Holy One has raised me up,
I live in God’s love and favour.
2 The arm of God is justice and might:
My soul rejoices in God.
God puts the proud and the scheming to flight:
My soul rejoices,
sings and rejoices,
gladly rejoices in God.
My soul proclaims the greatness of God,
Rejoicing in God my Savior.
The Holy One has raised me up,
I live in God’s love and favour.
3 God topples ev’ry tyrant and crown:
My soul rejoices in God.
The lowly raised and the mighty brought down:
My soul rejoices,
sings and rejoices,
gladly rejoices in God.
My soul proclaims the greatness of God,
Rejoicing in God my Savior.
The Holy One has raised me up,
I live in God’s love and favour.
4 With wondrous things God’s banquet is spread:
My soul rejoices in God.
The rich go hungry; the hungry are fed:
My soul rejoices,
sings and rejoices,
gladly rejoices in God.
My soul proclaims the greatness of God,
Rejoicing in God my Savior.
The Holy One has raised me up,
I live in God’s love and favour.
[Coda]
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,
you know us to be set in the midst
of so many and so great dangers
that by the reason our frailty of our nature
we cannot always stand upright:
grant us such strength and protection
as may support us in all dangers
and carries through all temptations;
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 Tom Kendzia’s “Christ Within Me.”
1 Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ within me;
Christ above me, Christ below me,
Christ within me.
On the lips of friend and stranger,
Christ in all who love me;
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger.
Christ within me.
2 Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ within me;
Christ in every ear that hears me,
Christ within me;
Christ in every path I take,
in every choice I make;
In the beauty of creation,
Christ within me.
3 In my heart, my very being,
Christ within me;
In my thoughts, my words, my living,
Christ within me;
In the morning when I arise,
in the night when I fall asleep;
Christ to comfort and restore me,
Christ within me.
4 Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ within me;
Christ above me, Christ below me,
Christ within me.
On the lips of friend and stranger,
Christ in all who love me;
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger.
Christ within me.
Christ within me.
Christ within me.
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.
You know my mind
You know my words
Long before I speak them
There is no place that I can hide
Endless is your love for us
How vast the sums of all your deeds
Endless is your love for us
The Proclamation of the Word
The Reading
Mark 8: 1-26 He Again Feeds the People Miraculously
About this time it happened again that a large crowd collected and had nothing to eat. Jesus called the disciples over to him and said, “My heart goes out to this crowd; they have been with me three days now and they have no food left. If I send them off home without anything, they will collapse on the way—and some of them have come from a distance.”
His disciples replied, “Where could anyone find the food to feed them here in this deserted spot?”
“How many loaves have you got?” Jesus asked them. “Seven,” they replied.
So Jesus told the crowd to settle themselves on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves into his hands, and with a prayer of thanksgiving broke them, and gave them to the disciples to distribute to the people; and this they did. They had a few small fish as well, and after blessing them, Jesus told the disciples to give these also to the people. They ate and they were satisfied. Moreover, they picked up seven baskets full of pieces left over. The people numbered about four thousand. Jesus sent them home, and then he boarded the boat at once with his disciples and went on to the district of Dalmanutha.
Now the Pharisees came out and began an argument with him, wanting a sign from Heaven. Jesus gave a deep sigh, and then said, “What makes this generation want a sign? I can tell you this, they will certainly not be given one!”
Then he left them and got aboard the boat again, and crossed the lake.
The disciples had forgotten to take any food and had only one loaf with them in the boat. Jesus spoke seriously to them, “Keep your eyes open! Be on your guard against the ‘yeast’ of the Pharisees and the ‘yeast’ of Herod!” And this sent them into an earnest consultation among themselves because they had brought no bread. Jesus knew it and said to them, “Why all this discussion about bringing no bread? Don’t you understand or grasp what I say even yet? Are you like the people who ‘having eyes, do not see, and having ears, do not hear’? Have your forgotten—when I broke five loaves for five thousand people, how many baskets full of pieces did you pick up?” “Twelve,” they replied. “And then there were seven loaves for four thousand people, how many baskets of pieces did you pick up?” “Seven,” they said.
“And does that still mean nothing to you?” he said.
So they arrived at Bethsaida where a blind man was brought to him, with the earnest request that he should touch him. Jesus took the blind man’s hand and led him outside the village. Then he moistened his eyes with saliva and putting his hands on him, asked, “Can you see at all?”
The man looked up and said, “I can see people. They look like trees—only they are walking about.”
Then Jesus put his hands on his eyes once more and his sight came into focus. And he recovered and saw everything sharp and clear. And Jesus sent him off to his own house with the words, “Don’t even go into the village.”
Silence is kept.
May your word live in us
and bear much fruit to your glory
The Homily
Do You Get It?
Mark’s Gospel portrays the disciples as thick-headed and dense. They do not grasp what Jesus is saying or doing. They just don’t get it!
In this evening’s reading, the disciples, when Jesus warns them against the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of the Herodians, the disciples who have brought only one loaf of bread with them begin to argue about bread.
A short while ago Jesus has performed a miracle. He has fed four thousand people with seven loaves of bread and a few fishes. The disciples had gathered seven baskets of leftovers.
At this point in the story, I am wondering what the disciples did with the leftovers. Did they dump them? Did they feed them to the birds? Did they have no foresight to bring some leftovers with them? It is one of those details that the New Testament omits.
The thick-headedness and denseness of the disciples in Mark’s Gospel may be a story-telling device. Mark’s Gospel was compiled from oral accounts of Jesus’ sayings and doings and an early written account of what he said and did.
One story-telling device is to let one’s listeners in on a secret at the very beginning of the story, a secret that the people in the story have not grasped. The purpose of this device is to hold the listener’s attention. The listener is looking forward to the moment in Mark’s Gospel when the disciples finally catch on.
In Mark’s Gospel, however, they never catch on. We are left to wonder how the disciples could be so thick-headed and dense. Jesus’ divinity is obvious. It is right in front of their noses, and they still don’t get it!
The important thing is that we get it, not the disciples. The latest Barna report reveals that most American Christians do not get it! Only something like six percent of the Christians surveyed had a world view that fit with Jesus’, were living their lives in accordance with the teaching and example of Jesus.
Why are so many American Christians not getting what it means to be a disciple of Jesus? I could be unkind and say that a lot of us are thick-headed and dense like the disciples in Mark’s Gospel. Notice that I have include myself because I can at times be thick-headed and dense. I can be willful and stubborn. I can take long time to understand some things. But I believe that there is more to why such a large number of American Christians are not getting it.
The report itself suggests that some Americans who are classified as “Christian” are misclassified. Despite being classified as “Christian,” they do not belong in that classification. They do not meet the minimal requirement for being a Christian. They are unevangelized as well as undiscipled.
I have listened to sermons and sat in on Bible studies, which were chuck full of juicy tidbits about the Bible, a particular book of the Bible, Biblical times, and the Holy Land but did not help me to grow as a follower of Jesus or encourage me in my daily walk with him. They did not help me to see the world, other people, or myself through Jesus’ eyes. I could have gotten the same thing out of reading a Bible commentary. They did not exhort me to love my neighbor more or to treat other people more the way that I would like to be treated—with a spirit of kindness.
I have read articles that identify being a Christian with reading the Bible, praying, going to church, listening to sermons, giving to the church, taking communion, not living an immoral life, and not much else. They say nothing about actively emulating the life and teaching of Jesus as a disciple of Jesus. These articles assume that if we read our Bibles and listen to sermons, we will be formed as Christians.
But such formation does not happen automatically. We can read our Bibles and listen to sermons and our lives remain untransformed. This is not to say that reading our Bibles and listening to sermons will do us no good, but rather we will not experience the maximum benefit of these activities—life transformation.
Something that we forget is that the early Christians did not own Bibles. Many of them could not read. They heard the Bible when they met together and then they heard whatever parts of the Bible that their particular fellowship owned. They did, however, receive instruction in the Christian faith and life, in the teaching and example of Jesus. They were instructed in the Christian faith and life for some time before they were baptized and for some time after they were baptized. Most of the instruction they received was related to Jesus’ teaching and example and to the apostles’ expounding of his teaching and example.
When the apostle Paul talks about doing everything for edification at a meeting of a church, a particular fellowship of believers and wannabe believers, he is not talking about simply imparting religious knowledge. He is not talking about enlightening those present but instructing them with a purpose, that purpose being that they will grow as disciples of Jesus. They will grow in the things that Jesus taught were important and what he himself exemplified. They would experience life-transformation.
This has implications for the way that we read our Bible and pray as well as the way that we live our lives. For wannabe disciples of Jesus and disciples who want to grow more like Jesus, I recommend immersing oneself in the Gospels, getting to know the Jesus of the Gospels and his life and teaching, not just head-knowledge but heart-knowledge. Heart knowledge is the kind of knowledge which changes who we are. It is the kind of knowledge which changes how we live. We do not just read about loving our neighbors as ourselves, we act on that knowledge: we love them as ourselves. This means reading Scripture intentionally, our intention being grow as Jesus’ disciple and as his friend. Our intention is life-transformation.
We approach prayer in the same way. We pray that God will help us to align our wills more closely with his. We pray as Jesus did in the garden of Gethsemane, “…it is not what I want but what You want.” We pray for an abundance of God’s grace to will what God wills and having such a will, to do what he wills. We pray for life-transforming grace, grace that will make us more faithful, holier, more loving, grace that will make us more like the one who is our teacher, our master, and our friend.
We live our lives after the same manner. We become an embodiment of Jesus. We think like Jesus. We love like Jesus. We are compassionate and caring like Jesus. We are kind and forgiving like Jesus. When those around us listen to our words, they hear Jesus. When those around us observe our actions, they see Jesus.
What they do not hear and see are the modern day equivalent of the disciples in Mark’s Gospel, individuals whose words and actions show that they have not gotten it, whose word and actions show that they are following someone else or something else other than Jesus.
What about these modern day equivalents of the disciples in Mark’s Gospel? Do we write them off? No! We love them! We love them as God loves us. We do not presume to know what God has in store for them. We treat them exactly as we would wish to be treated. We treat them in a spirit of kindness, in the spirit of Jesus.
Silence is kept.
The Gospel Canticle
Open this link in a new tab to hear Marty Haugen’s adaptation of the Magnificat, “My Soul Proclaims the Greatness of God.”
My soul proclaims the greatness of God,
Rejoicing in God my Savior.
The Holy One has raised me up,
I live in God’s love and favour.
1 The Mighty One works great thinks in me:
My soul rejoices in God.
All faithful servants God’s mercy shall see:
My soul rejoices,
sings and rejoices,
gladly rejoices in God.
My soul proclaims the greatness of God,
Rejoicing in God my Savior.
The Holy One has raised me up,
I live in God’s love and favour.
2 The arm of God is justice and might:
My soul rejoices in God.
God puts the proud and the scheming to flight:
My soul rejoices,
sings and rejoices,
gladly rejoices in God.
My soul proclaims the greatness of God,
Rejoicing in God my Savior.
The Holy One has raised me up,
I live in God’s love and favour.
3 God topples ev’ry tyrant and crown:
My soul rejoices in God.
The lowly raised and the mighty brought down:
My soul rejoices,
sings and rejoices,
gladly rejoices in God.
My soul proclaims the greatness of God,
Rejoicing in God my Savior.
The Holy One has raised me up,
I live in God’s love and favour.
4 With wondrous things God’s banquet is spread:
My soul rejoices in God.
The rich go hungry; the hungry are fed:
My soul rejoices,
sings and rejoices,
gladly rejoices in God.
My soul proclaims the greatness of God,
Rejoicing in God my Savior.
The Holy One has raised me up,
I live in God’s love and favour.
[Coda]
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,
you know us to be set in the midst
of so many and so great dangers
that by the reason our frailty of our nature
we cannot always stand upright:
grant us such strength and protection
as may support us in all dangers
and carries through all temptations;
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 Tom Kendzia’s “Christ Within Me.”
1 Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ within me;
Christ above me, Christ below me,
Christ within me.
On the lips of friend and stranger,
Christ in all who love me;
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger.
Christ within me.
2 Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ within me;
Christ in every ear that hears me,
Christ within me;
Christ in every path I take,
in every choice I make;
In the beauty of creation,
Christ within me.
3 In my heart, my very being,
Christ within me;
In my thoughts, my words, my living,
Christ within me;
In the morning when I arise,
in the night when I fall asleep;
Christ to comfort and restore me,
Christ within me.
4 Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ within me;
Christ above me, Christ below me,
Christ within me.
On the lips of friend and stranger,
Christ in all who love me;
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger.
Christ within me.
Christ within me.
Christ within me.
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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