All Hallows Evening Prayer for Wednesday Evening (December 15, 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 Tony Alonso’s responsorial setting of the evening psalm, “Psalm 141—Like Burning Incense, O Lord.”
Like burning incense, O Lord,
let my rise to you.
Like burning incense, O Lord,
let my prayer rise to you.
1 I call out to you,
Come quickly to my aid.
My song cries out to you,
O listen to me now.
I raise my hands in off’ring to you.
Like burning incense, O Lord,
(Like burning incense, O Lord,)
let my prayer rise to you.
(let my prayer rise to you.)
Like burning incense, O Lord,
(Like burning incense, O Lord,)
let my prayer rise to you.
(let my prayer rise to you.)
2 Let me speak your truth;
watch over all I say.
Keep my thoughts on you;
let goodness rule my heart.
Keep me far from those who do harm.
Like burning incense, O Lord,
(Like burning incense, O Lord,)
let my prayer rise to you.
(let my prayer rise to you.)
Like burning incense, O Lord,
(Like burning incense, O Lord,)
let my prayer rise to you.
(let my prayer rise to you.)
3 Never let me dine
with those who seek to harm.
Keep your holy ones
always at my side.
Plant your wisdom deep in my soul.
Like burning incense, O Lord,
(Like burning incense, O Lord,)
let my prayer rise to you.
(let my prayer rise to you.)
Like burning incense, O Lord,
(Like burning incense, O Lord,)
let my prayer rise to you.
(let my prayer rise to you.)
4 I look to you for help;
I seek your loving eyes.
Guard my life for you;
Spare me from all wrong.
Keep all evil far from my heart.
Like burning incense, O Lord,
(Like burning incense, O Lord,)
let my prayer rise to you.
(let my prayer rise to you.)
Like burning incense, O Lord,
(Like burning incense, O Lord,)
let my prayer rise to you.
(let my prayer rise to you.)
5 Glory be to God
and to God’s only Son,
glory to the Spirit,
three in one,
now and for ever. Amen.
Like burning incense, O Lord,
(Like burning incense, O Lord,)
let my prayer rise to you.
(let my prayer rise to you.)
Like burning incense, O Lord,
(Like burning incense, O Lord,)
let my prayer rise to you.
(let my prayer rise to you.)
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
John 3:22-36 Jesus and John again
After this Jesus went into the country of Judea with his disciples and stayed there with them while the work of baptism was being carried on. John, too, was in Aenon near Salim, baptising people because there was plenty of water in that district and they were still coming to him for baptism. (John, of course, had not yet been put in prison.)
This led to a question arising between John’s disciples and one of the Jews about the whole matter of being cleansed. They approached John and said to him, “Master, look, the man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan, the one you testified to, is now baptising and everybody is coming to him!”
“A man can receive nothing at all,” replied John, “unless it is given him from Heaven. You yourselves can witness that I said, ‘I am not Christ but I have been sent as his forerunner.’ It is the bridegroom who possesses the bride, yet the bridegroom’s friend who merely stands and listens to him can be overjoyed to hear the bridegroom’s voice. That is why my happiness is now complete. He must grow greater and greater and I less and less.
“The one who comes from above is naturally above everybody. The one who arises from the earth belongs to the earth and speaks from the earth. The one who comes from Heaven is above all others and he bears witness to what he has seen and heard—yet no one is accepting his testimony. Yet if a man does accept it, he is acknowledging the fact that God is true. For the one whom God sent speaks the authentic words of God—and there can be no measuring of the Spirit given to him! The Father loves the Son and has put everything into his hand. The man who believes in the Son has eternal life. The man who refuses to believe in the Son will not see life; he lives under the anger of God.”
Silence is kept.
May your word live in us
and bear much fruit to your glory
Homily
Love Is the Essence of Heaven
Last Friday night a tornado tore through the region of Kentucky in which I live, destroying towns, knocking out the region’s power systems, and plunging the region into darkness. That Sunday a small group of us gathered in the sanctuary of my church to pray.
Due to the power outage the church’s two Sunday services had been cancelled. The sanctuary had been opened from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM for those who wished to pray. The curtains had been drawn back and the candles on and around the altar had been lit.
The church’s music director softly played on the piano in the sanctuary the tunes of familiar hymns from the United Methodist hymnal. The members of group prayed silently, in hushed whispers, or aloud, as the Spirit lead them.
It was a solemn moment. The tornado had devastated a town less than 30 minutes from the town on whose outskirts I live. Homes, church, businesses, and lives had been destroyed.
It was a solemn moment. The tornado had devastated a town less than 30 minutes from the town on whose outskirts I live. Homes, church, businesses, and lives had been destroyed.
I have seen first-hand the devastation that Hurricane Katrina wrought in Louisiana. The devastation that the tornado wrought in Mayfield was far worse.
The trauma of such events has a way of spreading to those not directly affected by them. By Monday I was feeling numb.
The power was restored in my neighborhood shortly after noon on Sunday and I began the work of preparing a homily for this Wednesday evening’s service.
The reading is taken from the supplemental readings for the Third Sunday in Advent. I read it several times. What caught my attention was the last couple of verses. I went online and looked at what John Wesley had to say about these verses in his Notes on the Gospel According to St. John. He wrote, “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life - He hath it already. For he loves God. And love is the essence of heaven. He that obeyeth not - A consequence of not believing.”
“And love is the essence of heaven” were the words that stood out in his notes.
The trauma of such events has a way of spreading to those not directly affected by them. By Monday I was feeling numb.
The power was restored in my neighborhood shortly after noon on Sunday and I began the work of preparing a homily for this Wednesday evening’s service.
The reading is taken from the supplemental readings for the Third Sunday in Advent. I read it several times. What caught my attention was the last couple of verses. I went online and looked at what John Wesley had to say about these verses in his Notes on the Gospel According to St. John. He wrote, “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life - He hath it already. For he loves God. And love is the essence of heaven. He that obeyeth not - A consequence of not believing.”
“And love is the essence of heaven” were the words that stood out in his notes.
I did some investigating into the meaning of two words, “essence” and “heaven.”
According to Oxford Languages, essence is “the intrinsic nature or indispensable quality of something, especially something abstract, that determines its character.” In philosophy, essence is “a property or group of properties of something without which it would not exist or be what it is.”
Merriam Webster provided several definitions for “heaven.” Among them was “the dwelling place of the Deity and the blessed dead” and “a spiritual state of everlasting communion with God.” I would hazard that in his note Wesley had the latter in mind. John tells us that eternal life begins in this life. We have it when we believe in Jesus.
One might rephrase Wesley’s note as follows, “love is something without which our spiritual state of everlasting communion with God would not exist or be what it is.”
Merriam Webster provided several definitions for “heaven.” Among them was “the dwelling place of the Deity and the blessed dead” and “a spiritual state of everlasting communion with God.” I would hazard that in his note Wesley had the latter in mind. John tells us that eternal life begins in this life. We have it when we believe in Jesus.
One might rephrase Wesley’s note as follows, “love is something without which our spiritual state of everlasting communion with God would not exist or be what it is.”
In today’s reading John tells us that the Father loves the Son. Elsewhere in his Gospel John tells us the Father loves those who love the Son.
In his first letter John also tell us, “To you whom I love I say, let us go on loving one another, for love comes from God. Every man who truly loves is God’s son and has some knowledge of him. But the man who does not love cannot know him at all, for God is love” (1 John 4:7-8 Phillips)
Loving God, loving our fellow human beings, loving one another, and eternal life are all tied together, inseperably intertwined.
“What then does this have to do with the devastation that tornadoes and severe thunderstorms wrought in Kentucky and other states?” you may be thinking.
Out of his great love for us God sent his Son into the world so that we would know the magnitude of his love for us. Having known the magnitude of God’s love for us, we, in turn, are moved to love one another and to know one another’s love. We are moved not just love our brothers and sisters in Christ but all people and through us they come to know God’s love as well as our own.
The natural disasters like the ones that Kentucky and other states experienced this past Friday are opportunities for us to show God’s love and our love to those who were affected by these disasters. We can support disaster relief work in the affected areas with our financial contributions and other donations. We can volunteer our time and our services. We can pray for the affected areas and those doing disaster relief work in them. We can be generous.
Being generous means being open-handed and not stingy with our financial contributions. Being generous means donating undamaged canned goods and other non-perishable foos items. It does not mean donating all the food items in our pantry that have badly dented cans or are past their expiration date or require ingredients and cooking facilities that people caught up in a disaster or a food emergency do not have access to.
I have been involved in collecting and distributing food items for families in an emergency and have had to discard many food items for these reasons. Those who made the donations appeared more motivated by a desire to empty their pantry of unwanted food items than they were by desire to help people.
Donated secondhand clothing should be practical and wearable, not requiring washing, dry-cleaning, or repairing. If the clothing needs washing or dry-cleaning, we should wash or dry-clean it before we donate it. It is not an opportunity to get rid of the horrible pink negligee that our husband bought for us. Donate new toys, not old or broken ones. It is not an opportunity to empty the kids’ toybox of the toys with which they no longer play.
Taking the attitude that people should be grateful for anything we give them is not a loving attitude to take. Loving others means really helping them out and not making a pretense of helping them. It means treating them as we would wish ourselves to be treated.
Remember that in helping the victims of a natural or manmade disaster, we are showing our love for Jesus as well as our love for them. We are serving Jesus in them. In loving the Son, we are showing our love for the Father who sent him.
Silence is kept.
The Gospel Canticle
Open this link in a new tab to hear Ann Krentz’s choral arrangement of the Magnificat, “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.
1 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.
2 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.
3 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
Almighty God,
you sent your Son into a world
where the wheat must be winnowed from the chaff
and evil clings even to what is good:
let the fire of your Spirit purge us of all corruption,
so that, purified, we may await eagerly for him
whose coming is certain, whose Day draws near,
your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. 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 John L. Bell's "Love One Another"
Love one another for love is of God,
Those who live in love,
Live in God and God lives in them.
Love one another for love is of God,
Those who live in love,
Live in God and God lives in them.
Those who show love are the children of God,
Father and mother is God to each of them.
Love one another for love is of God,
Those who live in love,
Live in God and God lives in them.
Love one another for love is of God,
Those who live in love,
Live in God and God lives in them.
God showed his love in the face of the Son;
Christ lives in us so that we might live in him.
Love one another for love is of God,
Those who live in love,
Live in God and God lives in them.
Love one another for love is of God,
Those who live in love,
Live in God and God lives in them.
Love has no place for the menace of fear;
Fear is abandoned where perfect love is found.
Love one another for love is of God,
Those who live in love,
Live in God and God lives in them.
Love one another for love is of God,
Those who live in love,
Live in God and God lives in them.
Love has its purpose in God's holy will;
We learn to love from the one who loved us first.
Love one another for love is of God,
Those who live in love,
Live in God and God lives in them.
Love one another for love is of God,
Those who live in love,
Live in God and God lives in them.
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.
Loving God, loving our fellow human beings, loving one another, and eternal life are all tied together, inseperably intertwined.
“What then does this have to do with the devastation that tornadoes and severe thunderstorms wrought in Kentucky and other states?” you may be thinking.
Out of his great love for us God sent his Son into the world so that we would know the magnitude of his love for us. Having known the magnitude of God’s love for us, we, in turn, are moved to love one another and to know one another’s love. We are moved not just love our brothers and sisters in Christ but all people and through us they come to know God’s love as well as our own.
The natural disasters like the ones that Kentucky and other states experienced this past Friday are opportunities for us to show God’s love and our love to those who were affected by these disasters. We can support disaster relief work in the affected areas with our financial contributions and other donations. We can volunteer our time and our services. We can pray for the affected areas and those doing disaster relief work in them. We can be generous.
Being generous means being open-handed and not stingy with our financial contributions. Being generous means donating undamaged canned goods and other non-perishable foos items. It does not mean donating all the food items in our pantry that have badly dented cans or are past their expiration date or require ingredients and cooking facilities that people caught up in a disaster or a food emergency do not have access to.
I have been involved in collecting and distributing food items for families in an emergency and have had to discard many food items for these reasons. Those who made the donations appeared more motivated by a desire to empty their pantry of unwanted food items than they were by desire to help people.
Donated secondhand clothing should be practical and wearable, not requiring washing, dry-cleaning, or repairing. If the clothing needs washing or dry-cleaning, we should wash or dry-clean it before we donate it. It is not an opportunity to get rid of the horrible pink negligee that our husband bought for us. Donate new toys, not old or broken ones. It is not an opportunity to empty the kids’ toybox of the toys with which they no longer play.
Taking the attitude that people should be grateful for anything we give them is not a loving attitude to take. Loving others means really helping them out and not making a pretense of helping them. It means treating them as we would wish ourselves to be treated.
Remember that in helping the victims of a natural or manmade disaster, we are showing our love for Jesus as well as our love for them. We are serving Jesus in them. In loving the Son, we are showing our love for the Father who sent him.
Silence is kept.
The Gospel Canticle
Open this link in a new tab to hear Ann Krentz’s choral arrangement of the Magnificat, “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.
1 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.
2 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.
3 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
Almighty God,
you sent your Son into a world
where the wheat must be winnowed from the chaff
and evil clings even to what is good:
let the fire of your Spirit purge us of all corruption,
so that, purified, we may await eagerly for him
whose coming is certain, whose Day draws near,
your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. 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 John L. Bell's "Love One Another"
Love one another for love is of God,
Those who live in love,
Live in God and God lives in them.
Love one another for love is of God,
Those who live in love,
Live in God and God lives in them.
Those who show love are the children of God,
Father and mother is God to each of them.
Love one another for love is of God,
Those who live in love,
Live in God and God lives in them.
Love one another for love is of God,
Those who live in love,
Live in God and God lives in them.
God showed his love in the face of the Son;
Christ lives in us so that we might live in him.
Love one another for love is of God,
Those who live in love,
Live in God and God lives in them.
Love one another for love is of God,
Those who live in love,
Live in God and God lives in them.
Love has no place for the menace of fear;
Fear is abandoned where perfect love is found.
Love one another for love is of God,
Those who live in love,
Live in God and God lives in them.
Love one another for love is of God,
Those who live in love,
Live in God and God lives in them.
Love has its purpose in God's holy will;
We learn to love from the one who loved us first.
Love one another for love is of God,
Those who live in love,
Live in God and God lives in them.
Love one another for love is of God,
Those who live in love,
Live in God and God lives in them.
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.
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