All Hallows Evening Prayer for Sunday Evening (December 19, 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 John Scott’s arrangement of “Creator of the Stars of Night.”

Creator of the stars of night
Thy people’s everlasting light
O Jesus, Saviour of us all
Regard thy servants when they call

Thou, grieving at the bitter cry
Of all creation doomed to die
Didst come to save a ruined race
With healing gifts of heav’n’ly grace

Thou camest, bridegroom of the bride
As drew the world to eveningtide
Proceeding from a virgin shrine
The Son of Man, yet Lord divine

At thy great name, majestic now
All knees must bend, all hearts must bow
And things in heav’n and earth shall own
That thou art Lord and King alone

To thee, O holy One, we pray
Our judge in that tremendous day
Preserve us, while we dwell below
From ev’ry onslaught of the foe

All praise, eternal Son, to thee
Whose advent sets thy people free
Whom with the Father we adore
And Spirit blest, for evermore. Amen.

Thanksgiving

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.

Blessed are you, O Lord our God, ruler of the universe,
creator of light and darkness.
In this holy season.
you renew your promise to reveal among us
the splendor of your glory,
enfleshed and visible to us in Jesus Christ your Son.
Through the prophets
you teach us to hope for his reign of peace,
Through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit,
you open our blindness to the glory of his presence.
Strengthen us in our weakness.
Support us in our stumbling efforts to your will
and free our tongues to sing your praise.
For to you all honour and blessing are due,
Now and for ever. Amen.

Psalm 141 is sung and incense may be burned.


Open this link in a new tab to hear Peter Inwood’s setting of Psalm 141, “O Lord, Let My Prayer Rise Before You Like Incense.”

O Lord, let my prayer rise before you like incense,
my hands like an evening offering.

1. Lord, I am calling:
hasten to help me.
Listen to me as I cry to you.
Let my prayer rise before you like incense,
my hands like an evening offering.

O Lord, let my prayer rise before you like incense,
my hands like an evening offering.

2. Lord, set a guard at my mouth,
keep watch at the gate of my lips.
Let my heart not turn to things that are wrong,
to sharing the evil deeds done by the sinful.
No, I will never taste their delights.

O Lord, let my prayer rise before you like incense,
my hands like an evening offering.

3. The good may reprove me,
in kindness chastise me,
but the wicked shall never anoint my head.
Ev’ry day I counter their malice with prayer.

O Lord, let my prayer rise before you like incense,
my hands like an evening offering.

4 To you, Lord, my God, my eyes are turned:
in you I take refuge;
do not forsake me.
Keep me from the traps they have set for me,
from the snares of those who do evil.

O Lord, let my prayer rise before you like incense,
my hands like an evening offering.

5 Praise to the Father, praise to the Son,
all praise to the life-giving Spirit.
As it was, is now and shall always be
for ages unending. Amen.

O Lord, let my prayer rise before you as incense,
my hands like an evening offering.

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 this link in a new tab to hear Kiran Young Wimberly's Psalm 23, “The Lord’s My Shepherd I’ll Not Want.”

The Lord’s my shepherd I’ll not want
He lets me rest in pastures green
He leadeth me by waters still
He restores my soul; restores my soul

Even though I walk through the darkest vale
I will fear no evil, for you’re with me
Your rod and staff, protect and guide
You comfort me; you comfort me

You prepare a table, a feast for me
In the presence of my enemies
You anoint my head with holy oil
My cup overflows; it overflows

Surely goodness and God’s mercy great
Shall follow me all my days of life
And I’ll dwell within the house of God
My whole life long; my whole life long

Silence is kept.

O God, our sovereign and shepherd,
who brought again your Son Jesus Christ
from the valley of death,
comfort us with your protecting presence
and your angels of goodness and love,
that we also may come home
and dwell with him in your house for ever. Amen.

The Proclamation of the Word

The Reading

Luke 1: 39-45 Mary Visits Elizabeth

In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”

Silence is kept.

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

Homily

Believing in Jesus

The Gospel of Luke is filled with intriguing little details about Jesus. Some are stated; others are inferred.

We learn in the passages of Luke’s Gospel preceding today’s reading that Elizabeth was a relative of Mary, Jesus’ mother. Elizabeth was married to the priest of the Temple, Zechariah.

Being a priest of the Temple was hereditary, Temple priests only married the daughters of Temple priests.

If Mary was a relative of the wife of a Temple priest, then she may herself have come from one of the Temple priest families. Luke does not tell us if they were relatives by marriage or by blood. If they were related by blood, then Jesus was, through his mother, a member of the Temple priest families like his cousin John.

Both Jesus and John were miracle babies. Mary had conceived by the Holy Spirit, Luke tells us. Elizabeth had become pregnant with John like Sarah in her old age. She had been barren.

When they grew to adulthood, Jesus and John would become itinerant preachers. For a while Jesus may have pursued the trade of Joseph, Mary’s husband. As far as we know, John never became a priest of the Temple like his father, Zechariah.

Jesus and John may have spent time together during their early lives since their mothers were relatives. The Gospel narrative is silent.

In today’s reading John leaps with joy in his mother’s womb upon hearing Mary’s greeting to Elizabeth, recognizing Mary as the mother of his Lord, the Christ, the Anointed One of God.

I believe that we are safe in assuming that God enabled the unborn child to recognize Mary for whom she was, the mother of his Lord. The same Holy Spirit filled John as would fill his mother. John had no innate ability to recognize Mary as the mother of Jesus.

God enables us to recognize Mary to be the mother of our Lord as he did John. God also enables us to recognize Jesus to be our Lord.

In the Gospel of John Jesus on repeated occasions tells the various people who came to hear him, those whom God has given him, those who are his sheep, those for whom he is the shepherd, will recognize him for who he is. God will give them the ability to recognize him as one who is sent by God and whose words are God’s words, as one who has authority over their lives, as one who is their Lord.

In his explanatory notes on the Gospels, John Wesley observes that they are the ones who love Jesus and follow him, keep his commandments, with a believing, loving heart.

As John leapt for joy in his mother’s womb, we are stirred to feel love for Jesus, love that will grow deeper over time. We show our love for Jesus in keeping his word, obeying his commandments, and loving one another.

I keep coming back to this point in my homilies. We demonstrate our love for Jesus by loving others, particularly our brothers and sisters in Christ. Jesus ties love of God and love of himself to love of others. They are inseparable. As John draws to our attention in his first letter, we cannot claim to love God if we do not love our fellow human beings.

Believing in Jesus goes beyond making a profession of faith, submitting to baptism if we have not been baptized as an infant, or receiving the laying on of hands and the prayers of the church if we were baptized as a small child. It means showing in our words and actions in our daily lives that we indeed believe in him. We fully embrace everything about Jesus—his person, his work, his character, his teaching, and his example. As Jesus put it in the Bread of Life discourse in the Gospel of John, we grind him up with our teeth, swallow him down, and digest him. We completely internalize him. He becomes a part of us. He has a central place in our lives.

By having a central place in our lives, I mean that our lives faithfully reflect Jesus. I don’t mean that we listen to the latest contemporary Christian or praise and worship songs; read books and devotionals about Jesus, the apostles, and other figures from the Bible; watch videos of our favorite celebratory preacher; post on social media memes which make questionable assertions and challenge people to add their amen to these assertions; and that sort of thing. Pious as may seem to us, it is not living a life that is faithful reflection of Jesus.

We become a reflection of Jesus when we build our lives on a foundation of his words. As well as emulating his character, we practice what he taught and what he practiced himself.

We do not do what one individual of my acquaintance does. They use Jesus’ righteous anger against the Pharisees, the teachers of the Law, and the money changers to justify their own unrighteous anger. They do not distinguish between Jesus’ anger and their own anger or give heed to what Jesus himself taught how we should manage our own anger. They use Jesus’ occasional and justified expressions of anger as an excuse or rationalization for their own frequent, uncalled-for harsh remarks and unkind words and for their verbal attacks on anyone who disagreed with them.

This individual cherrypicks from Jesus’ teaching and example what suits their own inclinations. They do not feel bound by Jesus’ exhortation to emulate God as a child emulates his parents. They pay no attention to Jesus’ reminders that God was slow to anger, rich in mercy, and ready to forgive. They disregard what Jesus said about loving our enemies, doing good to them, and blessing them when they cursed us. They ignore his injunction to treat other people exactly as we would wish them to treat us.

Regrettably it is a common temptation to be selective in following Jesus’ teaching and example. While we might like to pat ourselves on the back and say to ourselves, “I don’t do that,” the truth is that we do. We may do it consciously or unconsciously, but we do it. We harbor grudges instead of forgiving other people’s faults and letting go of our anger and resentment. We are ugly toward other people when it suits us. We do not give thought to their feelings. We act in ways that are far from loving or kind.

Such actions are our own choosing. God does not leave us to love and follow Jesus and to keep his commandments in our natural strength.

With the help of his grace God enable us to have a will to do what is pleasing and acceptable to God and works with us when we have such a will. God is not stingy in supplying the grace that we need. We on our part must be open to God’s grace and make use of it.

God also gives us the gift of his presence in us, the gift of the Holy Spirit. God comes and makes his home in us. The Holy Spirit acts as our guardian and our guide, helping us to avoid what is harmful to our souls and to exercise discernment and good judgement in all matters.

The Holy Spirit is like a wise friend at our side who offers us sound advice and counsel and points us in the right direction. The Holy Spirit also draws to our attention when we make a mistake and do the wrong thing. The Holy Spirit does not beat us up when we err. Rather the Holy Spirit urges us to acknowledge our faults, to seek forgiveness, and to amend our ways.

If we think about it, we have a lot going for us. In celebrating the birth of Jesus, let us remember that we are celebrating the greatest gift that we will receive in our lifetime, a gift that no other gift can match. It is indeed a time for merriment and jubilation.

Silence is kept.

The Gospel Canticle

Open this link in a new tab to hear Chaz Bower’s choral arrangement of “My Soul Proclaims Your Greatness, Lord.”

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.

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 lowly throned instead;
the hungry filled with all good things,
the rich sent off unfed.

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

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

Stir up your power, Lord Christ, and come.
With your abundant grace and might,
free us from the sin that binds us,
that we may receive you in joy
and serve you always,
for you live and reign
with the Father and Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer is said.

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 William and Annabel Gay’s hymn, “Each Winter as the Year Grows Older.”

Each winter as the year grows older,
We each grow older too.
The chill sets in a little colder;
The verities we knew
Seem shaken and untrue.

When race and class cry out for treason,
When sirens call for war,
They overshout the voice of reason
And scream till we ignore
All we held dear before.

But I believe beyond believing,
That life can spring from death:
That growth can flower from our grieving;
That we can catch our breath
And turn transfixed by faith.

[Instrumental interlude]

So even as the sun is turning
To journey to the north,
The living flame, in secret burning,
Can kindle on the earth
And bring God's love to birth.

O Child of ecstasy and sorrows,
O Prince of peace and pain,
Brighten today's world by tomorrow's,
Renew our lives again;
Lord Jesus, come and reign!

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

Christ the Sun of Righteousness shine upon us,
and make us ready to meet him when he comes in glory;
and the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son, and the
Holy Spirit be with us and remain with us always. Amen.