All Hallows Evening Prayer for Sunday (October 24, 2021)

 

Evening Prayer

The Service of Light

Jesus Christ is the light of the world.
A light no darkness can extinguish.

Open this link to hear Carl P. Schalk’s choral arrangement “Joyous Light of Glory.”

Joyous light ,
joyous light, of glory
of the immortal Father,
Heavenly, holy, blessed Jesus Christ,
We have come to the setting of the Sun
And we look to the evening light.
We sing to God,
we sing to God,
we sing to God,
we sing to God
the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
You, you are worthy of being praised,
of being praised with pure voices forever.
O Son of God,
O Son of God,
O Son of God,
O Son of God
O Giver of life,
The universe proclaims your glory.

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 Psalm 141 from the Lutheran Service Book.

Let my prayer rise before you as incense,
the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.

O Lord, I call you; come to me quickly;
Hear my voice when I cry to you.
Let my prayer rise before you as incense,
the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.
Set a watch before my mouth, O Lord,
and guard the doors of my lips.
Let my heart not incline to any evil thing;
let me not be occupied in wickedness with evildoers.
But my eyes are turned to you, O God,
in you I take refuge.
Strip me not of my life.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and will be forever. Amen.

Let my prayer rise before you as incense,
the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.

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

Silence is kept.

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.

The Proclamation of the Word

The Reading

Mark 10:46-52 The Healing of Blind Bartimeus

Then they came to Jericho, and as he was leaving it accompanied by his disciples and a large crowd, Bartimeus (that is, the son of Timaeus), a blind beggar, was sitting in his usual place by the side of the road. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth he began to call out, “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!”

Many of the people told him sharply to keep quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have pity on me!”

Jesus stood quite still and said, “Call him here.” So they called the blind man, saying, “It’s all right now, get up, he’s calling you!”

At this he threw off his coat, jumped to his feet and came to Jesus.

“What do you want me to do for you?” he asked him. “Oh, Master, let me see again!”

“Go on your way then,” returned Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” And he recovered his sight at once and followed Jesus along the road.

Silence is kept.

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

The Homily

Jesus, Son of David, Have Pity on Me

What did Jesus mean when he told Bartimeus, “your faith has healed you”?

One answer we hear to that question is that Bartimeus was healed by the strength of his own faith, his faith in Jesus. If we have strong faith ourselves, we are told, we also will be healed. If we are not healed, we led to believe that our faith was weak. But is this way of looking at Bartimeus’ faith and his healing correct?

Bartimeus keeps shouting “Son of David.” This is the reason why many of the people try shutting him up. They are not trying to silence because he is shouting but calling Jesus “Son of David.”

“Son of David” is a title of the Messiah, Godi’s Anointed One, the promised king that prophesy foretold God would send to deliver the people of Israel.

In Isaiah 29:18 the prophet foretells a time will come when “out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind shall see.” In Isaiah 35:5-6, the prophet foretells what will happen in the day of salvation: “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy. For waters break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert.” These passages and other passages of the Old Testament the Jews linked with the appearance of their deliverer.

The faith that Jesus tell Bartimeus healed him was his faith that Jesus was the promised deliverer, the Messiah, and the day that the eyes of the blind would see again had arrived with him. He had heard the stories that preceded Jesus wherever Jesus went, the stories that Jesus healed and raised the dead, all the things that had been foretold by the prophets. It was Bartimeus’s faith that enabled him to recognize who Jesus was and to ask him for healing, for the restoration of his sight.

Jesus bids Bartimeus to go on his way. Bartimeus, his sight restored, follows Jesus along the road. We do not hear of Bartimeus again in the Gospels.

The Gospels do not tell us the rest of the story of those whom Jesus healed, from whom he drove out demons, or whom he raised from the dead. In Bartimeus’ case the Gospels tell us the most important part of Bartimeus’ story: he recognized Jesus to be the Messiah. Where Bartimeus’s faith was active was in his recognition of who Jesus is. Jesus is the Christ—God’s Anointed One, the one whom God sent into the world not just to deliver the people of Israel but all humankind, the one whom God sent to be our Lord.

Do we have faith like Bartimeus to recognize Jesus for who is? Do we have faith like Bartimeus to act on that faith—to cry out to Jesus, “Son of David, have pity on me!” Do we have faith like Bartimeus to follow Jesus along the road?

If our heart is stirred but we doubt, we can cry out to Jesus, “Son of David, have pity on me. Give me faith.” If we ask, Jesus will give us grace to believe. God gave Bartimeus grace to believe.

It was God working in his heart who prompted Bartimeus to cry out to Jesus. When we feel God’s gentle nudging to go to Jesus, let us not hesitate but like Bartimeus get up and go to him. Let us heed not the voices that call us away. Like Bartimeus, let us receive healing, leave our blindness behind us, and walk with Jesus. Trust Jesus and follow him in the way.

Silence is kept.

The Gospel Canticle

Open this link in a new tab to hear Ann Krentz’s choral arrangement of “My Soul Proclaims Your Greatness.”

My soul proclaims your greatness, O Lord;
I sing my Savior’s praise!
Great wonders you have done for me,
and holy is your name.

My soul proclaims your greatness, Lord;
I sing my Savior’s praise!
You looked upon my lowliness,
and I am full of grace.
Now ev’ry land and ev’ry age
this blessing shall proclaim—
great wonders you have done for me,
and holy is your name.

My soul proclaims your greatness, O Lord;
I sing my Savior’s praise!
Great wonders you have done for me,
and holy is your name.

To all who live in holy fear
Your mercy ever flows.
With mighty arm you dash the proud,
Their scheming hearts expose.
The ruthless you have cast aside,
the lonely throned instead;
the hungry filled with all good things,
the rich sent off unfed.

My soul proclaims your greatness, O Lord;
I sing my Savior’s praise!
Great wonders you have done for me,
and holy is your name.

To Israel, your servant blest,
your help is ever sure;
the promise to our parents made
their children will secure.
Sing glory to the Holy One,
give honor to the Word,
and praise the Pow’r of the Most High,
one God, by all adored.

My soul proclaims your greatness, O Lord;
I sing my Savior’s praise!
Great wonders you have done for me,
and holy is your name,
and holy is your name.

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.