All Hallows Evening Prayer for Sunday Evening (January 9, 2022)
Evening Prayer
The Service of LightJesus 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 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
Luke 3: 15-17, 21-22 The Baptism of Jesus
The people were in a great state of expectation and were inwardly discussing whether John could possibly be Christ. But John answered them all in these words, “It is true that I baptise you with water, but the one who follows me is stronger than I am—indeed I am not fit to undo his shoe-laces—he will baptise you with the fire of the Holy Spirit. He will come all ready to separate the wheat from the chaff, and to clear the rubbish from his threshing-floor. The wheat he will gather into his barn and the chaff he will burn with a fire that cannot be put out.”
When all the people had been baptised, and Jesus was praying after his own baptism, Heaven opened and the Holy Spirit came down upon him in the bodily form of a dove. Then there came a voice from Heaven, saying, “You are my dearly-loved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
Silence is kept.
May your word live in us
and bear much fruit to your glory
Homily
God Is in Us
In today’s reading we hear two excerpts from the Gospel of Luke which describe the events that preceded and followed Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan River. Based upon the second passage and Peter’s sermon following the descent of the Holy Spirit at the Feast of Pentecost some Christian traditions conclude that the Holy Spirit is always and invariably given at baptism. However, Luke’s narrative elsewhere in the Acts of the Apostles does not support that conclusion. Peter’s sermon is based upon his experience. While Jesus himself did not baptize, his disciples did. They had undergone baptism before they received the Holy Spirit.
Cornelius and his household, however, received the Holy Spirit before they are baptized. The apostle Paul also received the Holy Spirit prior to his baptism. Simon Magus, however, was baptized but did not receive the Holy Spirit.
In his writings J. C. Ryle, the first Anglican bishop of Liverpool, observes that it does not matter in what order believing and being baptized occur as long as we believe and are baptized. By extension it does not matter when we receive the Holy Spirit as long as God's presence indwells us.
At most we can conclude from what are descriptive passages of Scripture is that the Holy Spirit may be given at baptism. The Holy Spirit may be given before or after baptism or not at all. We normally use prescriptive passages of Scripture, not descriptive ones, to establish doctrine. We only use a descriptive passage for that purpose when it is clear from the passage or its context that the author intended to set a precedence with the description.
When we consider that the Holy Spirit is God and God is sovereign in all matters, we must reject any doctrine that would bind God to human actions. Magic is based upon the idea that humans can influence the supernatural by performing specific actions. God, however, is not a genie in a lamp whom we can command to do our bidding. God gives us the gift of his indwelling presence at the time of his own choosing. God is a free agent. His actions are not limited or controlled by us. God gives us his indwelling presence as an expression of favor and goodwill toward us.
What we can say conclusively is that God does indwell us, and his indwelling presence makes a difference in our spiritual lives. To experience the power of his indwelling presence we must rid ourselves of anything that will interfere with us experiencing it—unrepented sin and a lack of openness to the work of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit would drive Jesus into the wilderness where he was tempted by the devil and overcame temptation. This is something to keep in mind. When we experience the power of God’s indwelling presence in our lives, we will also come under spiritual attack. A Holy Spirit-empowered disciple of Jesus is a threat to the powers of darkness. They may not be able to separate us from the love of Jesus and rob us of our salvation, but they will do all that they can to make us ineffectual as a follower of Jesus, to blunt our witness, and to cause us misery.
The thing to remember that God is with us. God is in us. God has made his home in our innermost being. Whatever happens, we are his. God gives us the Holy Spirit as an earnest, an old-fashioned word meaning a token of what is to come. With the Holy Spirit God not only binds us to himself in a mystical union but he also binds us in a mystical union with Jesus and all to who he has given the gift of himself, his indwelling presence.
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
Almighty God, you annointed Jesus at his baptism with the Holy
Spirit and revealed him as your beloved Son. Keep all who are
born of water and the Spirit faithful in your service, that we
may rejoice to be called children of God, through Jesus Christ,
our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the
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 Edwin Hatch’s “Breathe on Me, Breath of God.”
1 Breathe on me, breath of God.
Fill me with life anew,
that I may love what thou dost love,
and do what thou wouldst do.
2 Breathe on me, breath of God,
until my heart is pure,
until my will is one with thine,
to do and to endure.
3 Breathe on me, breath of God,
‘til I am wholly thine,
until this earthy part of me
glows with your fire divine.
4 Breathe on me, breath of God,
so shall I never die,
but live with thee the perfect life
of thine eternity.
The Lord be with you.
The Lord bless you.
Let us praise the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
At most we can conclude from what are descriptive passages of Scripture is that the Holy Spirit may be given at baptism. The Holy Spirit may be given before or after baptism or not at all. We normally use prescriptive passages of Scripture, not descriptive ones, to establish doctrine. We only use a descriptive passage for that purpose when it is clear from the passage or its context that the author intended to set a precedence with the description.
When we consider that the Holy Spirit is God and God is sovereign in all matters, we must reject any doctrine that would bind God to human actions. Magic is based upon the idea that humans can influence the supernatural by performing specific actions. God, however, is not a genie in a lamp whom we can command to do our bidding. God gives us the gift of his indwelling presence at the time of his own choosing. God is a free agent. His actions are not limited or controlled by us. God gives us his indwelling presence as an expression of favor and goodwill toward us.
What we can say conclusively is that God does indwell us, and his indwelling presence makes a difference in our spiritual lives. To experience the power of his indwelling presence we must rid ourselves of anything that will interfere with us experiencing it—unrepented sin and a lack of openness to the work of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit would drive Jesus into the wilderness where he was tempted by the devil and overcame temptation. This is something to keep in mind. When we experience the power of God’s indwelling presence in our lives, we will also come under spiritual attack. A Holy Spirit-empowered disciple of Jesus is a threat to the powers of darkness. They may not be able to separate us from the love of Jesus and rob us of our salvation, but they will do all that they can to make us ineffectual as a follower of Jesus, to blunt our witness, and to cause us misery.
The thing to remember that God is with us. God is in us. God has made his home in our innermost being. Whatever happens, we are his. God gives us the Holy Spirit as an earnest, an old-fashioned word meaning a token of what is to come. With the Holy Spirit God not only binds us to himself in a mystical union but he also binds us in a mystical union with Jesus and all to who he has given the gift of himself, his indwelling presence.
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
Almighty God, you annointed Jesus at his baptism with the Holy
Spirit and revealed him as your beloved Son. Keep all who are
born of water and the Spirit faithful in your service, that we
may rejoice to be called children of God, through Jesus Christ,
our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the
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 Edwin Hatch’s “Breathe on Me, Breath of God.”
1 Breathe on me, breath of God.
Fill me with life anew,
that I may love what thou dost love,
and do what thou wouldst do.
2 Breathe on me, breath of God,
until my heart is pure,
until my will is one with thine,
to do and to endure.
3 Breathe on me, breath of God,
‘til I am wholly thine,
until this earthy part of me
glows with your fire divine.
4 Breathe on me, breath of God,
so shall I never die,
but live with thee the perfect life
of thine eternity.
The Lord be with you.
The Lord bless you.
Let us praise the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
May God release the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives
and may Almighty God, the Father, the Son, and the
Holy Spirit, be with us and remain with us always. Amen.
Comments
Post a Comment