All Hallows Evening Prayer for Wednesday Evening (January 19, 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

Galatians 2: 1-10 Years later I met church leaders in Jerusalem: no criticism of my gospel was made

Fourteen years later, I went up to Jerusalem again, this time with Barnabas, and we took Titus with us. My visit on this occasion was by divine command, and I gave a full exposition of the Gospel which I preach among the Gentiles. I did this first in private conference with the church leaders, to make sure that what I had done and proposed doing was acceptable to them. Not one of them intimated that Titus, because he was a Greek, ought to be circumcised. In fact, the suggestion would never have arisen but for the presence of some pseudo-Christians, who wormed their way into our meeting to spy on the liberty we enjoy in Jesus Christ, and then attempted to tie us up with rules and regulations. We did not give those men an inch, for the truth of the Gospel for you and all Gentiles was at stake. And as far as the leaders of the conference were concerned (I neither know nor care what their exact position was: God is not impressed with a man’s office), they had nothing to add to my Gospel. In fact they recognised that the Gospel for the uncircumcised was as much my commission as the Gospel for the circumcised was Peter’s. For the God who had done such great work in Peter’s ministry for the Jews was plainly doing the same in my ministry for the Gentiles. When, therefore, James, Peter and John (who were the recognised “pillars” of the church there) saw how God had given me his grace, they held out to Barnabas and me the right hand of fellowship, in full agreement that our mission was to the Gentiles and theirs to the Jews. The only suggestion they made was that we should not forget the poor—and with this I was, of course, only too ready to agree.

Silence is kept.

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

Homily

Our Postures in Prayer: Do They Matter?

In today’s reading from his Letter to the Galatians the apostle Paul describes an important meeting which he and his coworker Barnabas had with the leaders of the church at Jerusalem. This meeting was a key event in the history of the early Church. At this meeting Paul’s ministry to the Gentiles and the gospel that he preached were affirmed; the Judaizers were unsuccessful in imposing circumcision and the rules and regulations of Judaism on Gentile converts; and ministering to the poor was recognized as integral to the mission of the church. 

These three decisions were important ones. They would shape the faith of the early Church. They would form the core of New Testament Christianity.

Paul wrote his letter to the Galatians because the Galatians had fallen under the influence of the Judaizers and had adopted their practices. Christians are not bound by the ceremonial and ritual law of the Old Testament or its civil precepts. They are, however, bound by its moral commandments.

The proclivity to bind Christians with all kinds of rules and regulations did not go away after this meeting. Nor did it disappear after Paul’s rebuke of the Galatians. 

I saw a post on Facebook today in which it was claimed we must always bow our heads and close our eyes when we pray. It was hinted that we do not honor God when we fail to bow our heads or close our eyes..

In an earlier age people may have averted their eyes before their prince or feudal lord as a sign of respect, a practice that may have its roots in primate behavior in which staring directly at a rival is an act of aggression and can precede a physical attack on the rival while averting the eyes or looking away is a way of avoiding a hostile encounter. Looking boldly into the face of one’s prince or feudal lord could be interpreted as a deliberate affront to their dignity. The Roman Emperor Caligula decreed that staring at him when he was passing by was not just an act of impudence but an act of treason, the penalty for which was death.

The primary reason people close their eyes when they pray is to shut out any distractions and to help them focus their attention on God. For many people, it is simply a habit. In the process they may miss what the Holy Spirit is doing in a gathering. For this reason, I usually pray with my eyes open.

If a congregation uses Prayer Books and hymnals as aids in its worship, its members must keep their eyes open in order to read prayers from these worship aids.

Whoever put together the post failed to mention that David, Nebuchadnezzar, and Jesus lifted their eyes in prayer. He did not mention the biblical practices of prostrating oneself or lifting up one’s hands when praying. What he appeared to be trying to do was turn a practice seen in evangelical churches, bowing one’s head with eyes closed during prayer time, into a rule for everybody.

He appeared oblivious of the fact that God is present everywhere. God also makes his home in our innermost being in the person of the Holy Spirit. 

Scripture tells us that God is not concerned with outward appearances but the condition of our heart, the place within us where our feelings and emotions are considered to originate. We may bow, kneel, genuflect, and prostrate ourselves, but these postures are meaningless if we have not bent the knee of our hearts. We have not shown in our lives that Jesus is indeed the Lord of our life.

When we pray, we have Jesus as our intercessor. When we pray, we are not petitioning God in the throne room, the audience chamber where a king conducts formal interviews. We are making our supplications in a private chamber where we can speak more freely and where Jesus is present to speak on our behalf. The Holy Spirit, God himself, gives us words to speak and when words fail us, intercedes on our behalf.

The God and Father of Jesus does not strike me as overly-concerned with the postures with which we pray. He does strike me as being far more interested in our relationship with Jesus and the way that we live out that relationship in our lives. 

Our hearts are in the right place, and it is reflected in our lives. We are doing our best to love God and to love others. We are doing our best to not to harm anyone and to avoid evil. We are treating other people exactly as we would have them treat us. We are forgiving other people’s failings and not holding their failings against them. We are doing as much good as we can. We are making use of every opportunity to grow in our love and knowledge of Jesus. 

These are the things that matter most to God. God is not counting as a black mark against us that our heads are not bowed, and our eyes are open during prayer time.

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 Douglas Nolan’s choral arrangement of Karen Crane’s “Where There Is Love.”

Where there is love,
doors are opened
hope restored
and fears released.
Where there is love
the path is clear.
Oh, let the light of love live in me.

Where there is love,
hearts are mended,
grace bestowed
and souls redeemed.
Where there is love,
we can begin.
Oh, let the light of love live in me.

Oh, let God’s love flow through me,
like the air I breathe,
every word that I say
be a testament of grace.
In my song, in my prayer,
love will flourish there.
Love will heal and restore.
Let me shine love’s light evermore.

Where there is love,
chains are broken,
spirits soar,
and hearts are set free.
Where there is love,
All things are possible.
Oh, let the light of love live in me.
Let the light of love live in me.
Let there be love.

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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