All Hallows Evening Prayer for Sunday Evening (February 20, 2022)
PROCLAMATION OF THE LIGHT
One or more candles may be lit.
Light and peace in Jesus Christ our Lord
Thanks be to God
EVENING HYMN
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!
PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING
Dear Jesus,
as a hen covers her chicks with her wings
to keep them safe, do thou this night
protect us under your golden wings. Amen.
SCRIPTURE
Luke 6: 27-36 Love Your Enemies
“But I say to all of you who will listen to me: love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who treat you badly.
“As for the man who hits you on one cheek, offer him the other one as well!
And if a man is taking away your coat, do not stop him from taking your shirt as well. Give to everyone who asks you, and when a man has taken what belongs to you, don’t demand it back.”
“Treat men exactly as you would like them to treat you.”
“If you love only those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them! And if you do good only to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that, And if you lend only to those from whom you hope to get your money back, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners and expect to get their money back. No, you are to love your enemies and do good and lend without hope of return. Your reward will be wonderful and you will be sons of the most high. For he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked!
“You must be merciful, as your father in Heaven is merciful.”
“Don’t judge other people and you will not be judged yourselves. Don’t condemn and you will not be condemned. Make allowances for others and people will make allowances for you. Give and men will give to you—yes, good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over will they pour into your lap. For whatever measure you use with other people, they will use in their dealings with you.”
Silence is kept.
May your word live in us
and bear much fruit to your glory
HOMILY
When I was a small boy and I heard what came to be called as the “golden rule” or the “golden law” in the early seventeenth century, there was a strong inference that I should be pleasant and kind. I should show sympathy or feeling for others. I should put myself in their place. Being callous—being unkind, cruel, and without sympathy or feeling for other people—and being selfish—only thinking of my own advantage and caring only about what I wanted or needed without any thought for the needs or wishes of other people, I was led to believe was not consistent with the “golden rule.” I was encouraged to show that I understood and cared about someone’s problems or sufferings and to consider the needs and wishes of other people. Later in life I learned that my grandparents and mother’s interpretation of the “golden rule” fit with what Jesus taught and practiced.
The “golden rule” is found in two places in the New Testament—in today’s reading, the Gospel reading appointed for this Sunday, and in Matthew 7: 12. “Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.”
In today’s reading it is an integral part of Jesus’ teaching about loving our enemies.
In Mattew’s Gospel, it follows that teaching by several verses and contains language similar to Jesus’ summary of the Law. With this language Jesus connects the “golden rule” and his summary of the Law.
Compare Matthew 7: 12 with Jesus’ summary of the Law in Matthew 22: 37-40: Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.” In doing to others whatever we would like them to do to us, we show show our love for others. In showing our love for others we show our love for God. Those who love God not only obey God but also emulate God as a child emulates a parent.
In today’s reading the “golden rule” forms a part of Jesus’ teaching about how we should treat our enemies. Our enemies may include anyone who does not see us as their friend or who does not behave in a pleasant, kindly way toward us or anyone whom we do not consider a friend although they may behave in a kind and pleasant way toward us. It may also be a person who hates or opposes us and tries to harm us or stop us from doing something.
There does not have to be agreement between them and us that we are each other’s enemy. Unfriendliness can be entirely one-sided. Showing dislike and no sympathy may not be mutual.
Among the kinds of behavior that embody an unfriendly attitude are ignoring someone and not speaking to them; maligning them—saying false and unpleasant things about them, criticizing them unfairly; circulating malicious rumors about them; having conversations about their private lives that are unkind, disapproving, or untrue; insulting them by not giving them any attention or treating them as if they are not important; saying extremely unkind and unpleasant things to them with the intention of causing them pain; deliberately creating trouble for them; working with others to take actions intended to intimidate, harm, or upset them, or helping others by doing what asked to do for that purpose. An unfriendly attitude does not require an open display of animosity, of strong dislike, opposition, or anger. Unfriendliness can be expressed indirectly.
None of these kinds of behavior are agreeable with how Jesus taught ordinary people to act, much less his disciples. They are certainly not consistent with the principle of doing to others what we would like done to us.
In today’s reading Jesus states this principle between telling us to love our enemies and be good to them, to bless them when they curse us, to pray for them when they mistreat us and reiterating that we should love our enemies, do good to them, and be generous to them. While they may be unpleasant and unkind to us, we are to be kind and pleasant to them. We are to do to others what we would like them to do to us in the same spirit.
This rules out refusing to speak to someone in hopes that they will not speak to us, deliberately ignoring them in the hopes that they will not give us any attention. Acting in that way is not in keeping with the spirit of the “golden rule,” which is to be generous, helpful, and caring about other people. What we are doing is giving a lot of attention to our own feelings and giving very little thought to the feelings of others.
John Wesley in his General Rules for Methodists identifies as an evil to avoid “doing to others as we would not they should do unto us.” In other words, doing the opposite of the “golden rule,” treating others in a way that we ourselves would not like to be treated, in a way that does not consider their feelings or hurts their feelings. This includes showing no attention to someone out of the desire that they show us no attention since in ignoring them, we are not taking their feelings into consideration, and we devalue them as a human being. We are treating them as something far less than a person who is dearly loved and treasured by God. What we are saying that our opinion of them is more important than God’s. We are also rejecting Jesus’ standard for how his disciples are expected to behave.
Loving our enemies and doing to others what we would like to be done to us are part of Jesus’ second great commandment—to love others as ourselves. In the Parable of the Good Samaritan Jesus identified a Samaritan, an “enemy” of the Jews, as their neighbor and used the actions of that Samaritan as an example of true neighborliness, the quality of being friendly or helpful to our neighbors. In some many words Jesus is saying that those who are neighbors are not just those we love, those who are friends. Our “enemies” are our neighbors too. We cannot limit our love to a small group of people, people whom we like, people whom we find pleasing.
Obeying the “golden rule, which is a command and not a suggestion, may be difficult for some Christians. First, they may not like to be told what to do. Second, it may not be a part of their experience in life. They may have been treated unkindly, even cruelly, by a parent who showed little understanding and caring for their needs and was preoccupied with their own needs. They may have internalized this parent’s behavior.
When we became a Christian, we, however, surrendered control of our lives to Jesus. We took Jesus as the Lord of our life, which means that we agreed to live in accordance with his teaching and example. We may not have fully understood that at the time, but that is what we did.
Indeed, a part of the sanctification process, the process of growing as a disciple of Jesus, is that we grow in our understanding of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus.
As Lord of all Jesus has a claim on everybody’s obedience, but he has a particular claim on his disciples’ obedience. We said “yes” to him.
In saying “yes” to Jesus, we agreed to leave behind our old ways of thinking, feeling, and acting, and replace them with new ways. They may have become so much a part of us that we have difficulty in letting go of them. But Jesus does offer better things in their place, better ways of thinking, feeling, and acting.
Nothing in the New Testament is haphazard, not having an obvious order or plan. In Matthew’s Gospel the “golden rule” follows a part of Jesus’ teaching about prayer. In the passage immediately preceding the “golden rule,” we are reminded that God is good and that he gives good things to those who ask him. If we ask him, God will give us an abundance of grace to live in accordance with Jesus’ teaching and example and the determination and the ability to make use of that grace.
Since ancient times humankind has used water wheels, large wheels that are turned by flowing water, to provide power for machinery. Water from a nearby river or stream flowed down a chute and turned the water wheel. A sluice gate controlled the amount of water flowing down the chute. In order to start the water wheel turning and the machinery operating, the sluice gate first had to be opened. Grace may be compared to the water flowing in the river or stream. God provides an infinite supply. However, for us to make use of it, we must open our sluice gate. God urges us to open it and gives us the strength to open it, but we have to choose to open it. How do we open that sluice gate? We step forward in faith and start living the way Jesus taught and modeled.
Silence is kept.
SONG OF PRAISE
Open this link in a new tab to hear Miriam Winter’s “My Soul Gives Glory to My God.”
1 My soul gives glory to my God,
My heart pours out its praise.
God lifted up my lowliness
In many marvelous ways.
2 My God has done great things for me:
Holy is the Name.
All people will declare me blessed,
And blessings they shall claim.
3 From age to age to all who fear,
Such mercy love imparts,
Dispensing justice far and near,
Dismissing selfish hearts.
4 Love casts the mighty from their thrones,
Promotes the insecure,
Leaves hungry spirits satisfied;
The rich seem suddenly poor.
5 Praise God, whose loving covenant
Supports those in distress,
Remembering past promises
With present faithfulness
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
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
God of compassion,
keep before us the love you have revealed in your Son,
who prayed even for his enemies.
In our words and deeds
Help us to be like him, through whom we pray,
Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour. Amen.
RESPONSE
Open this link in a new tab to hear William A. McNair’s choral arrangement of Ubi Carita, “Where Charity and Love Prevail.”
Where charity and love prevail,
there God is ever found;
brought here together by Christ’s love,
by love we are thus bound.
Let us recall that in our midst
dwells God’s holy Son;
as members of his body joined,
we are in Him made one.
Let strife among us be unknown,
let all contention cease;
be God’s the glory that we seek,
be his our only peace.
Let us forgive each other’s faults
as we our faults confess;
let us forgive each other’s faults
as we our faults confess;
that we may love each other well
in Christian gentleness.
Love can exclude no race nor creed
if honored be God’s name;
our common life embraces all
whose Maker is the same.
Where charity and love prevail,
there God is ever found,
there God is ever found.
THE LORD’S PRAYER
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.
BLESSING
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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