All Hallows Evening Prayer for Wednesday Evening (November 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 in a new tab to hear Joyous Light of Glorious God from Kent Gustavson’s Mountain Vespers.

Joyous light of glorious God,
heavenly, holy, Jesus Christ,
We have come to the setting of the Sun
and we look to the ev’ning light.
We sing to Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Our voices pure voices together.
O precious God, giver of life,
we sing your praises forever.

Joyous light of glorious God,
heavenly, holy, Jesus Christ,
We have come to the setting of the Sun
and we look to the ev’ning light.
We sing to Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Our voices pure voices together.
O precious God, giver of life,
we sing your praises forever.

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 Kent Gustavson's Mountain Vespers.

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

O God, 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,
and guard the doors of my lips.
Let not my heart incline to any evil thing;
Never occupied in wickedness.

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

My eyes are turned to you, O God,
in you I take refuge.
My eyes are turned to you, O God,
Strip me not of my life.

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

Open this link in a new tab to hear Marty Haugen’s adaptation of Psalm 121, “Pilgrim’s Song.”

I lift my eyes to the mountains,
from where shall come my help?
My help shall come from the One
who made the heavens and the earth,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

1 God will not let your foot be moved.
God, who keeps you will not slumber.
The One who keeps Israel
never slumbers, never sleeps.

I lift my eyes to the mountains,
from where shall come my help?
My help shall come from the One
who made the heavens and the earth,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

2 God will be the one who keeps you,
as a shade at your right hand,
so the sun shall not strike you by day,
nor the moon in the night.

I lift my eyes to the mountains,
from where shall come my help?
My help shall come from the One
who made the heavens and the earth,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

3. God will keep you from all evil.
God will always guard your life,
guard your comings, and your goings,
from now and evermore.

I lift my eyes to the mountains,
from where shall come my help?
My help shall come from the One
who made the heavens and the earth,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

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

Isaiah 12: 2-6 Hymn of Thanksgiving

“God is my savior;
I will trust him and not be afraid.
The Lord gives me power and strength;
he is my savior.
As fresh water brings joy to the thirsty,
so God's people rejoice when he saves them.”

A day is coming when people will sing,

“Give thanks to the Lord! Call for him to help you!
Tell all the nations what he has done!
Tell them how great he is!
Sing to the Lord because of the great things he has done.
Let the whole world hear the news.
Let everyone who lives in Zion shout and sing!
Israel's holy God is great,
and he lives among his people.”

Silence is kept.

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

The Homily

Called to a Life of Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving. What comes to mind when you hear or read the word, "Thanksgiving"?

Roasted turkey. Cranberry sauce. Mashed potatoes. Or maybe baked ham and roasted sweet potatoes. Green bean casserole. Pumpkin pie.

The smiling faces of family members and guests. Maybe a new baby.

For the Pilgrims the first Thanksgiving was more than a meal. It was a day set apart to give thanks to God whose divine providence had enabled the tiny colony to survive what had been a very harsh year. The New World had not been kind to the Pilgrims. Most of the women had died. But God had moved the hearts of the local Native Americans to befriend the immigrants and to teach them how to plant maize, and in other ways to help them to survive.

It does not really matter what the Pilgrims ate at the first Thanksgiving. They were thankful for being alive and to God they gave the credit for their survival. In their minds it had resulted from God’s intervention and felt miraculous. The Native American tribe could have seen them as invaders and could have been hostile instead of friendly toward them. They could have left the immigrants to die from starvation or they could have massacred them.

The local Native Americans had not only welcomed them, but they had also shown them kindness. There may be a lesson for us in their kind treatment of the Pilgrims. We may need to be more welcoming to immigrants ourselves, illegal ones as well as legal immigrants. The Bible teaches us to be kind to strangers and sojourners in our midst.

While I believe gathering with loved ones—family, significant others, friends at Thanksgiving and Christmas and on other occasions can strengthen the bonds of love that may unite us, I also think that we should not forget the reason for the first Thanksgiving—to give thanks to God for his providential care. We tend to focus upon the negative things in life and not the positive ones. Psychologists tell us this negativity is hired wired into our brains.

Thanksgiving, however, is a time to focus upon the positive things. I am not suggesting that we ignore our feelings and put on a brave face. I am suggesting that we take stock of the good things that have happened to us. They most likely more than we can imagine. We have not paid attention to them. God is the author of these good things. His grace is always working in us, in our lives. We may not recognize them for what they are. We may have to ask God to point them out to us. We may be quite surprised by what he shows us.

Having taken stock of these good things, we will want to humbly give thanks to God and ask him to help us further express our gratitude toward him in the way that we live our lives. A life of thanksgiving is to what we are called as Christians, as disciples of Jesus, thanksgiving for God’s goodwill and favor toward us, his merciful kindness to us, and his holy influence in us.

The Gospel Canticle

Open this link in a new tab to hear the Magnificat from Kent Gustavson’s Mountain Vespers.

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord.
My spirit rejoices in God my Savior.
For you have looked with favor on your lowly servant;
from this day all generations will call me blessed.

1 You O God have done great things
and holy is your name.
You have mercy on those who fear you
n ev’ry generation.

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord.
My spirit rejoices in God my Savior.
For you have looked with favor on your lowly servant;
from this day all generations will call me blessed.

2 You have shown the strength of your arm,
you have scattered the proud in their conceit.
You have cast the might down from thrones
and have lifted up the lowly.

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord.
My spirit rejoices in God my Savior.
For you have looked with favor on your lowly servant;
from this day all generations will call me blessed.

3 You have filled the hungry with good things,
the rich you have sent away empty.
You have come to the help of your servant Israel
you’ve remembered your promise of mercy.
The promise you made
to Sarah and Abraham.

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord.
My spirit rejoices in God my Savior.
For you have looked with favor on your lowly servant;
from this day all generations will call me blessed.

Glory to you, O Lord our God
With your love and power.
Glory to you, O Lord our God
With your love and power.
Amen

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 song of thanksgiving, “All Is Gift and All Is Grace.”

All is gift and all is grace:
Joys that we treasure, sorrows we must face.
Blessed the pilgrim who learns to embrace
that all is gift and all is grace.

1 O Holy One, your blessings
make holy all our days
through those who form and love us
in rich and countless ways.
So make us ever grateful
for all we did not earn,
and emptied, humbled, open,
new wisdom might we learn
that

All is gift and all is grace:
Joys that we treasure, sorrows we must face.
Blessed the pilgrim who learns to embrace
that all is gift and all is grace.

2 O Holy One, you meet us
as stranger on the road,
in foe and friendless outcast
who bears life’s heavy load.
When fear or rage consume us,
help our blinded eyes discern
your presence in the other
so, bent toward love, we learn
that

All is gift and all is grace:
Joys that we treasure, sorrows we must face.
Blessed the pilgrim who learns to embrace
that all is gift and all is grace.

*3 O Holy One, you lead us
down roads we would not choose,
through dark and death we stumble
and mourn for what we lose.
We pray that, frail and failing,
our broken hearts might turn
and, through the song of sorrow,
new wisdom we might learn
that

All is gift and all is grace:
Joys that we treasure, sorrows we must face.
Blessed the pilgrim who learns to embrace
that all is gift and all is grace.

4 O Holy One, you suffer
with us in grief and loss,
we trace upon our bodies
the pattern of your cross.
So grant us hope ‘mid suff’ring,
to see our loss as gain,
and pray in faith as your prayed:
raise us to new life again,
for

All is gift and all is grace:
Joys that we treasure, sorrows we must face.
Blessed the pilgrim who learns to embrace
that all is gift and all is grace.

* Omitted in the video. 

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

The Almighty God—Father, + Son, and Holy Spirit,
bless us now and forever. Amen.

+ Here made be made the sign of the cross.