All Hallows Evening Prayer for Sunday Evening (January 16, 2022)



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, Lord our God,
our eternal Father and David’s King.
You have made our gladness greater and increased our joy
by sending to dwell among us
the Wonderful Counselor, the Prince of Peace.
Born of Mary,
proclaimed to the shepherds,
and acknowledged to the ends of the earth,
your unconquered Sun of righteousness
destroys our darkness and establishes us in freedom.
All glory in the highest be to you,
through Christ, the Son of your favour,
in the anointing love of the Spirit,
this night and for ever and ever. Amen.

Psalm 141 is sung and incense may be burned.


Open this link in a new tab to hear Randall De Bruyn’s arrangement of Psalm 141 from The Grail (England).

Like burning incense, O Lord, let my prayer rise up to you.
Like burning incense, O Lord, let my prayer rise up to you.

I have called to you, Lord, hasten to help me.
Hear my voice when I cry to you.
Let my prayer arise before you like incense.
the raising of my hands like the evening oblation.

Set, O Lord, a guard over my mouth,
keep watch, O Lord, at the door of my lips!
Do not turn my heart to things that are wrong,
to evil deeds with those who are sinners.

Never allow me to share in their feasting.
If the righteous strike or reprove me, it is a kindness;
but let the oil of the wicked n’er anoint my head.
Let my prayer be ever against their malice.

To you, Lord God, my eyes are turned;
in you I take refuge; spare my soul!
From the trap they have laid for me keep me safe;
Keep me from the snares of those who do evil.

Glory to the Father and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be for ever. Amen.

Like burning incense, O Lord, let my prayer rise up 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 Karen Young Wimberly’s adaptation of 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

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

[Instrumental interlude]

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

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.

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

John 2: 1-11The Wedding at Cana

The next day there was a wedding celebration in the village of Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the celebration. The wine supply ran out during the festivities, so Jesus’ mother told him, “They have no more wine.”

“Dear woman, that’s not our problem,” Jesus replied. “My time has not yet come.”

But his mother told the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

Standing nearby were six stone water jars, used for Jewish ceremonial washing. Each could hold twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus told the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” When the jars had been filled, he said, “Now dip some out, and take it to the master of ceremonies.” So the servants followed his instructions.

When the master of ceremonies tasted the water that was now wine, not knowing where it had come from (though, of course, the servants knew), he called the bridegroom over. “A host always serves the best wine first,” he said. “Then, when everyone has had a lot to drink, he brings out the less expensive wine. But you have kept the best until now!”

This miraculous sign at Cana in Galilee was the first time Jesus revealed his glory. And his disciples believed in him.

Silence is kept.

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

Homily

Through the Eyes of a Child

We are tempted to read into this miracle all kinds of meanings. But what Jesus at his mother’s prompting did was to turn water into wine. What stands out about this account is that Mary believed her son could do something about the wine shortage. She was convinced that he could perform a miracle.

Jesus’ response to his mother was blunt. It was not the right time, and she was rushing things. But he did what she asked. He not only turned the water into wine, but he turned it into really good wine! The the master of ceremonies, when he tasted the wine, was amazed at the good quality of the wine. It caused him to exclaim, “You have saved the best for last!”

The only people who knew what happened were Jesus, his mother, and the servants who poured water into the jars. They must have been astounded too.

If we are looking for a naturalistic explanation of what happened, we might conclude that may be the water jars and the wine jars got mixed up and wine that was intended for the beginning of the wedding feast was mistaken for water. And because of this mistake, the wedding feast ran out of wine too soon. It is a plausible explanation. The problem with this explanation is that wine was in those days stored in pottery amphoras, not stone jars.

What John is telling us happened is that Jesus transformed ordinary well water into really good wine. In doing so, he performed a miraculous sign and he revealed his glory.

This most likely evoked a “Wow” from those who originally heard John’s Gospel. We, on the other hand, may have heard the story many times and have become jaded. It does not amaze us. We have come to take Jesus’ miracles for granted.

I don’t remember when I first heard the story of Jesus turning water into wine at the wedding at Cana. I was most likely a kid and I most likely was surprised. I didn’t know what wine was, but I did understand that something unusual had happened. I may have felt awe.

Awe is a feeling of great respect, sometimes mixed with fear or surprise. I did not fully grasp the concept until I read Kenneth Graham’s The Wind in the Willows. In that book is a chapter titled, “The Piper at the Gates of Dawn. In that chapter Mole and his companions, while searching for Otter’s missing son, drawn by his piping, encounter the god Pan. Nestled between his hooves, fast asleep, is Otter's son. They are overawed and pay homage to the guardian of woodland creatures. 

Awe is missing from our lives in the twenty-first century. It is not a part of our lives. We live humdrum, run-of-the-mill lives. Lots of things happen in our lives, good things, bad things, but they do not inspire awe. Fear perhaps but not awe. 

When I was a boy, I would bicycle to nearby villages and visit the village churches. They were centuries old and had been hallowed by the prayers of many generations of people. On entering one of the buildings, I experienced something akin to awe. The buildings were numinous. They had a deep spiritual quality to them. I don’t find that in church buildings anymore. May be I have lost my ability to sense it as I have grown older. I don’t think that I am alone.

We need to recover our ability to feel awe, to feel chills running up and down our spines when a particular hymn, psalm, or anthem is sung, to sense the nearness of God when we share the bread and the cup of the Holy Communion.

We are not handling ordinary things. They may be tokens, but they are not ordinary tokens. They are things that express God’s love for us. They are signs and symbols of things unseen. 

They point to a mystical union between Jesus and us and each other, a mystical union by which Jesus is present to us as his gathered people and as individual believers when we share the bread and the cup. Jesus is not only present to us, but he also gives himself to us. How he gives himself is a mystery, a mystery into which we do not need to inquire too closely. Only believe. Giving himself to us, Jesus nourishes and strengthens our hungry souls. He renews and invigorates our faith in him.

How do we recover our ability to feel awe? We need to examine ourselves for attitudes and beliefs that keep us from feeling awe. Jesus said that unless we become like a little child, we will never enter the kingdom of heaven. I believe that the same thing holds true for awe. We must give permission for the little child in us to experience amazement and wonder again. We must look at everything around us through the eyes of a child again. We must rediscover the mystery, what is strange or unknown, what has not yet been explained or understood.

And feel the awe.

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 to 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

Almighty God,
by whose grace alone we are accepted
and called to your service
strengthen us by your Holy Spirit
and make us worthy of our calling;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. 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 Michael Joncas’ choral arrangement of Timothy Dudley Smith’s hymn, “Not for Tongues of Heaven’s Angels.”

1. Not for tongues of heaven's angels,
not for wisdom to discern,
not for faith that masters mountains,
for this better gift we yearn.

May love be ours, O Lord;
may love be ours.
May love be ours, O Lord.


2. Love is humble; love is gentle;
love is tender, true and kind;
love is gracious, ever patient,
generous of heart and mind.

May love be ours, O Lord;
may love be ours.
May love be ours, O Lord.


3. Never jealous, never selfish,
love will not rejoice in wrong;
never boastful, nor resentful,
love believes and suffers long.

May love be ours, O Lord;
may love be ours.
May love be ours, O Lord.


4. Soon will fade the word of wisdom
faith and hope be one day past:
When we see our Savior clearly
love it is alone will last.

May love be ours, O Lord;
may love be ours.
May love be ours, O Lord.

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

May the One who began a good work in us
bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ
and may the blessing of God Almighty, the
Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be with us
and remain with us always. Amen.

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