All Hallows EveninG Prayer for Saturday Evening (October 9, 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 in a new tab to hear Karin Young Wimberly’s metrical setting of Psalm 139 “You Have Searched Me”

You have searched me and known me, Holy Lord;
Know when I sit and rise
You’re acquainted with my ways
Where I go and where I lie

You know each word completely,
before I speak it, Lord
You lay your hand upon me;
hem me in behind, before

Where can I flee from your spirit;
Or from your presence go?
If I rise up to the heavens,
Or descend to the depths below

If I take the wings of the dawn to
the far side of the sea,
Even there, your hand will hold me fast,
your right hand will guide me.

For you formed my inmost being,
within my mother’s womb
When I dwelt within that secret place,
I was not hid from you

You ordained that the days before me
be filled with love and grace,
Made me beautiful and wonderful,
for this I give you praise

How precious is your every thought,
how vast the sum of them
Though I try to count them,
they are more than every grain of sand

O that you would pull down the ones who
do harm and seek to gain
My heart is heavy and I long
for goodness and love to reign

Search me, O God, and know my heart;
know every anxious thought
And lead me on the path of
your everlasting way.

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.

The Proclamation of the Word

The Reading

Hebrews 4:12-16 For Our Help and Comfort—Jesus the Great High Priest

Let us then be eager to know this rest for ourselves, and let us beware that no one misses it through falling into the same kind of unbelief as those we have mentioned. For the Word that God speaks is alive and active; it cuts more keenly than any two-edged sword: it strikes through to the place where soul and spirit meet, to the innermost intimacies of a man’s being: it exposes the very thoughts and motives of a man’s heart. No creature has any cover from the sight of God; everything lies naked and exposed before the eyes of him with whom we have to do.

Seeing that we have a great High Priest who has entered the inmost Heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to our faith. For we have no superhuman High Priest to whom our weaknesses are unintelligible—he himself has shared fully in all our experience of temptation, except that he never sinned.

Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with fullest confidence, that we may receive mercy for our failures and grace to help in the hour of need.

Silence is kept.

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

The Homily

A Friend Like No Other

Have you ever played Peek-A-Boo with a baby? Peek-A-Boo is one of the first games you play with your baby. You put you face close to that of you baby—within a foot away from their face. Cover your face with your hands. Dramatically open your hands, show a big happy face, and say in a loud happy voice “Peek-A-Boo!” Repeat. If you have not played Peek-A-Boo with the baby before and they are startled, repeat a few times until they are comfortable. Once they are comfortable, you can cover their face with their own hands and then take their hands quickly away. In this way they will learn how to participate in the game.

The website, The Genius of Play, offers this explanation of the benefits of Peek-A-Boo to your baby.

"Peek-A-Boo teaches a BIG lesson in Object Permanence. What is Object Permanence? Human beings aren’t born with the understanding that people, places, and things exist even though that can’t be seen, smelled, tasted, or touched. It’s one of the main reasons why a baby will get upset or express worry when their caretaker leaves the room. One of their favorite people just completely disappeared! Playing a repetitive game of Peek-A-Boo teaches your baby that even though you can’t be seen - you still exist and are there for them. Children also love repetitive games because they begin to learn cause and effect. You will know they are learning when their looks of worry turn to happy expressions of anticipated joy.”

You can play Peek-A-Boo with a newborn baby, increasing the complexity of the game as your child ages. According to The Genius of Play, “children learn the concept of Object Permanence at around 4 months of age, but even a 1-month-old will enjoy the eye contact and parental interaction a game of Peek-A-Boo provides.”

I played Peek-A-Book with my three nieces when they were babies and with my oldest niece’s three sons when they were babies. God has not blessed me with children of my own, which I must admit has been one of the biggest disappointments of my life.

As we grow to adulthood, we may also learn something else. Although we cannot see him, God exists and is there for us. God is omnipresent: God is present everywhere at the same time. God is also omniscient: God knows everything. Today’s reading from the Letter to the Hebrews contains a reminder of God’s omnipresence and omniscience.

“No creature has any cover from the sight of God; everything lies naked and exposed before the eyes of him with whom we have to do.”

These words may leave us feeling more than a little uncomfortable. Nothing that we think, feel, say, or do is hidden from God.

As Psalm 139 reminds us:

"Where can I flee from your spirit;
Or from your presence go?

If I rise up to the heavens,
Or descend to the depths below"

From the moment we were conceived, God has been with us. Indeed, his hand was at work behind our conception.

When we believe in Jesus and receive the promised gift of the Holy Spirit, God himself comes and lives in us. God makes his home in us.

God is not only present everywhere around us, everywhere we go, God is present within us. Think about that for moment.

When we betray our spouse and break our marriage vow and have a secret tryst with someone else, God is present with us. “We’re in love,” we lie to ourselves. We can deceive ourselves but not God. God knows the truth. God grieves. God grieves over the harm we have done to our spouse, to our marriage, to someone else’ marriage, and to ourselves.

When we lie to a friend, say that we are busy when we are not, do not return their phone call or text when they phone or text us, God grieves too. God is not off on some other business. He is not taking in a round of golf at the local country club. He is there with us. He is within us.

We are pushing our shopping cart down the aisle of Wal-Mart and an attractive young Associate catches our eye. We feel the stirrings of sexual desire and for a moment we fantasize a sexual encounter with them. God grieves.

Why does God grieve? Isn’t God an overindulgent parent who gives us the nod to every whim and fancy that may we entertain. When we are unkind to a friend or a coworker, doesn’t God turn his head and looks the other way?

When we do something wrong, when we hurt someone, God does not make excuses for us. He knows that we were taking our anger and resentment out on someone for something that they did not do. Even if they had done it, they did not deserve to be treated the way we treated them.

Yes, God loves us. He loves us beyond measure. Out of his love for us he also sets limits on us as a loving parent would. A loving parent does not let a child run wild, hurting others, hurting themselves. We may not always like the limits God sets but they are for our own good. God does not come among us in the person of Jesus and teach us to be loving to other people and each other and then turn a blind eye when we treat someone unlovingly, when we act treacherously toward a family member, a friend, a spouse, or a partner.

The passages that precede today’s reading explain why we grieve God. We hear God’s word, but we refuse to believe it. Like the people of Israel, we do not hearken to God’s voice. Rather we harden our hearts against God. We stop having kind or friendly feelings for God, or caring about what God says, just like we might do to someone with whom we have broken off a relationship. In the Bible a hardened heart is basically a heart that is unmoved by things by which someone who trusts God would be moved. It is a heart that is rebelling against God.

We become like the child who squeezes their eyes tightly shut and stubbornly refuses to see what they do not want to see. Closing our eyes to God, however, does not make God go away. We may choose to deny his presence, but he is there whatever we do. We cannot hide from him. We cannot hide what we think, feel, say, or do from him. We can hide them from ourselves or other people, but we cannot hide them from God. We are an open book to God. God knows the truth behind all the lies that we tell others, the truth behind all the lies we tell ourselves.

One of the reasons that people may have difficulty in relating to God is that they in their minds they make God the wrong kind of parental figure—the Controlling or Punitive Parent, and then react to God as they would to that kind of parental figure. They may replace God in their minds with the kind of parental figure more to their liking—the Overly indulgent or Permissive Parent. But nether view of God is the right view of God. God is neither an Ogre or a Pushover. God is God!!

Today’s reading does not, however, leave us struggling with our perceptions or misperceptions of God. Or cringing at the thought that God knows everything that we feel, think, say, or do—everything!!

It reminds us that we in Jesus the Son of God “have a great High Priest who has entered the inmost Heaven…” Once a year on the Day of Atonement the High Priest entered the innermost sanctuary of the Temple at Jerusalem and made atonement for the sins of the people of Israel. Jesus made atonement for all humanity’s sins, past, present, and future. God was in Jesus reconciling the world to himself.

Our High Priest is a not a superhuman who does not understand our weaknesses. Jesus “has shared fully in all our experience of temptation, except that he never sinned.” He was tempted by his inward desires as we are. He was enticed by the tempter himself to do wrong as we are enticed by those who serve the tempter. However, Jesus did not give into temptation.

Today’s reading concludes with these words:

"Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with fullest confidence, that we may receive mercy for our failures and grace to help in the hour of need."

We may stumble. We may fall. But Jesus is there for us.

In the twenty-first century Jesus as our great High Priest may be something that may be difficult for us to grasp. We might find it helpful to think of him as our very best friend, a friend who has gone through a lot like we have and knows from where we are coming. He is not going to grow tired of us. He cares about us. We matter to him. He is not going to abandon us for someone else. He is faithful and true. We can count on him. He is a friend like no other.

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 Christopher Idle’s “Eternal Light, Shine in My Heart.”

1 Eternal light, shine in my heart,
eternal hope, lift up my eyes;
eternal power, be my support,
eternal wisdom, make me wise.

2 Eternal life, raise me from death,
eternal brightness, help me see;
eternal Spirit, give me breath,
eternal Saviour, come to me:

3 Until by your most costly grace,
invited by your holy word,
at last I come before your face
to know you, my eternal God.

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.