All Hallows Evening Prayer for Sunday Evening (March 6, 2022)
PROCLAMATION OF THE LIGHT
One or more candles may be lit.
Bless be God who forgives all our sins
God’s mercy endures forever
EVENING HYMN
Open this link in a new tab to hear Joyous Light of Glorious God from Kent Gustavson’s Mountain Vespers.
Joyous light of glorious God,
heavenly, holy, Jesus Christ,
We have come to the setting of the Sun
and we look to the ev’ning light.
We sing to Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Our voices pure voices together.
O precious God, giver of life,
we sing your praises forever.
Joyous light of glorious God,
heavenly, holy, Jesus Christ,
We have come to the setting of the Sun
and we look to the ev’ning light.
We sing to Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Our voices pure voices together.
O precious God, giver of life,
we sing your praises forever.
PRAYER OF 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,
the shepherd of Israel,
their pillar of cloud by day,
their pillar of fire by night.
In these forty days you lead us
into the desert of repentance
that in this pilgrimage of prayer
we might learn to be your people once more.
In fasting and service
you bring us back to your heart.
You open our eyes to your presence in the world
and you free our hands to lead others
to the radiant splendour of your mercy.
Be with us in these journey days
for without you we are lost and will perish.
To you alone be dominion and glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Psalm 141 from Kent Gustavson's Mountain Vespers.
Let my prayer rise before you as incense,
the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.
O God, I call you; come to me quickly;
Hear my voice when I cry to you.
Let my prayer rise before you as incense,
the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.
Set a watch before my mouth,
and guard the doors of my lips.
Let not my heart incline to any evil thing;
Never occupied in wickedness.
Let my prayer rise before you as incense,
the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.
My eyes are turned to you, O God,
in you I take refuge.
My eyes are turned to you, O God,
Strip me not of my life.
Let my prayer rise before you as incense,
the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.
Silence is kept.
May our prayers come before you, O God, as incense, and may your presence surround and fill us, so that in union with all creation, we might sing your praise and your love in our lives. Amen.
SCRIPTURE
Luke 4: 1-15 The Temptation of Jesus
Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River. He was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where he was tempted by the devil for forty days. Jesus ate nothing all that time and became very hungry.
Then the devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become a loaf of bread.”
But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone.’”
Then the devil took him up and revealed to him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 “I will give you the glory of these kingdoms and authority over them,” the devil said, “because they are mine to give to anyone I please. I will give it all to you if you will worship me.”
Jesus replied, “The Scriptures say,‘You must worship the Lord your God
and serve only him.’”
Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say, ‘He will order his angels to protect and guard you. And they will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’”
Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’”
When the devil had finished tempting Jesus, he left him until the next opportunity came.
Then Jesus returned to Galilee, filled with the Holy Spirit’s power. Reports about him spread quickly through the whole region. He taught regularly in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.
Silence is kept.
May your word live in us
and bear much fruit to your glory
HOMILY
God’s mercy endures forever
EVENING HYMN
Open this link in a new tab to hear Joyous Light of Glorious God from Kent Gustavson’s Mountain Vespers.
Joyous light of glorious God,
heavenly, holy, Jesus Christ,
We have come to the setting of the Sun
and we look to the ev’ning light.
We sing to Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Our voices pure voices together.
O precious God, giver of life,
we sing your praises forever.
Joyous light of glorious God,
heavenly, holy, Jesus Christ,
We have come to the setting of the Sun
and we look to the ev’ning light.
We sing to Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Our voices pure voices together.
O precious God, giver of life,
we sing your praises forever.
PRAYER OF 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,
the shepherd of Israel,
their pillar of cloud by day,
their pillar of fire by night.
In these forty days you lead us
into the desert of repentance
that in this pilgrimage of prayer
we might learn to be your people once more.
In fasting and service
you bring us back to your heart.
You open our eyes to your presence in the world
and you free our hands to lead others
to the radiant splendour of your mercy.
Be with us in these journey days
for without you we are lost and will perish.
To you alone be dominion and glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Psalm 141 from Kent Gustavson's Mountain Vespers.
Let my prayer rise before you as incense,
the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.
O God, I call you; come to me quickly;
Hear my voice when I cry to you.
Let my prayer rise before you as incense,
the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.
Set a watch before my mouth,
and guard the doors of my lips.
Let not my heart incline to any evil thing;
Never occupied in wickedness.
Let my prayer rise before you as incense,
the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.
My eyes are turned to you, O God,
in you I take refuge.
My eyes are turned to you, O God,
Strip me not of my life.
Let my prayer rise before you as incense,
the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.
Silence is kept.
May our prayers come before you, O God, as incense, and may your presence surround and fill us, so that in union with all creation, we might sing your praise and your love in our lives. Amen.
SCRIPTURE
Luke 4: 1-15 The Temptation of Jesus
Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River. He was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where he was tempted by the devil for forty days. Jesus ate nothing all that time and became very hungry.
Then the devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become a loaf of bread.”
But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone.’”
Then the devil took him up and revealed to him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 “I will give you the glory of these kingdoms and authority over them,” the devil said, “because they are mine to give to anyone I please. I will give it all to you if you will worship me.”
Jesus replied, “The Scriptures say,‘You must worship the Lord your God
and serve only him.’”
Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say, ‘He will order his angels to protect and guard you. And they will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’”
Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’”
When the devil had finished tempting Jesus, he left him until the next opportunity came.
Then Jesus returned to Galilee, filled with the Holy Spirit’s power. Reports about him spread quickly through the whole region. He taught regularly in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.
Silence is kept.
May your word live in us
and bear much fruit to your glory
HOMILY
Tempted
We all experience temptation, the wish or desire to do or have something that we know we should not do or have. We know doing or having it is wrong. A friend calls us and invites us to lunch. The friend in question is not someone with whom we care to spend a lot of time. We lie to them that we are busy or have made other plans on the day they want to take us to lunch. Lying suits our purpose and is the least difficult thing to do. We do not tell them that we have made a new friend who is a lot more interesting than they are and we are thinking of inviting the new friend to lunch on that day.
We may recognize temptation for what it is. Or the sin to which it leads is such a well-beaten track in our life that we no longer recognize the temptation which leads our feet down that path. We have become so accustomed to walking that path that we do give second thought to how we got on it. We are in the habit of lying, hiding the truth, or telling only a part of the truth when it is convenient. What matters most to us is doing what we want to when we want to do it. We give little thought to how our actions may affect other people. What is important to us is doing or having what pleases us. We care little about their feelings.
There are three sources of temptation in our lives. In the older services of baptism, they are described as “the world, the flesh, and the devil.” The world encompasses our family, relations, friends, and other people in our lives; the particular culture or subculture in which we live; and the internet and the websites which we frequent—the various influences in our lives. The flesh is our own desires which the apostle James warns us “entice us and drag us away” (James 1: 14). The devil refers to Satan and the evil spirits who serve him—the harmful spiritual forces working in our lives. They seek to encourage waywardness in us, the determination to do only what we want; to undo all the good which God has done in us; and to keep us from becoming the kind of person that God’s sanctifying and perfecting grace would make us.
Jesus was tempted by the devil in the wilderness. Most of us are more likely to be tempted by one of the devil’s underlings than we are the evil one himself. Unlike God, the devil is not omnipresent. He cannot be in two places at once. The devil’s underlings study our weaknesses and take advantage of them. And yes, like the devil in today’s reading they will use Scripture to encourage us to want to do the wrong thing. They urge us to act in ways that are contrary to Jesus’ teachings and example. “The powers of darkness” as they are sometimes described, seek not only to influence us but also to influence those around us and to influence us through them.
We can expect to experience a heightening of temptation at particular junctures in our life such as when we are about to enter a season of spiritual growth. The powers of darkness will do all that they can sabotage our spiritual growth. They will do their best to separate us from anyone who is a positive spiritual influence in our lives or has the potential to become such an influence. If we are distrustful, they will encourage and use our distrust in order to give themselves an advantage. If we fear emotional closeness, they will play upon that fear. They will exploit every weakness and every vulnerability that we have to influence us and get the results they want. They will urge us to be angry and unhappy, to nurse a grudge, and to be unkind and unforgiving. They will do their utmost to keep Christians from loving one another, cooperating with each other, and living and working together in harmony.
As the British writer and lay theologian C. S, Lewis observed, we tend to take one of two views of the devil and the evil spirits who serve him. We deny their existence. Or we become obsessed with them. They benefit from whatever view that we take. If we adopt the first view, they are able to carry on their activities unnoticed. If we adopt the second view, they will use our obsession with them to their advantage.
Both Jesus and the apostles recognized that we are in the middle of a spiritual war. Jesus broke the power of these spiritual forces on the cross and defeated them. They, however, continue to harass us, seeking to prevent us from realizing our full potential as a disciple of Jesus.
In your congregation right now, you may know two Christians who are not on good terms. One desires reconciliation with the other who is not open to restoring friendly relations with them. Think about what your church is losing because these two have a broken relationship. Both have spiritual gifts and natural talents that compliment each other and would benefit the church.
In your congregation right now, you may know two Christians who are not on good terms. One desires reconciliation with the other who is not open to restoring friendly relations with them. Think about what your church is losing because these two have a broken relationship. Both have spiritual gifts and natural talents that compliment each other and would benefit the church.
Their impaired relationship, however, prevents one or both of them from using these gifts and talents.
Both also have the potential to be a positive spiritual influence upon each other.
Now think about the difference that it would make not only in their lives but also the worship, life, and ministry of the church if these two were reconciled to each other.
The harmful spiritual forces work in our lives want to keep that from happening. They are going to exert influence on one or both of them and on us to prevent it from happening. They know that an injury to the Body of Christ will affect more of its members over time and will cause a church to be less than what it could be.
Think about the ways that they may be tempting us, how they are exploiting our weaknesses to serve their purposes.
Jesus withstood the evil one in the desert. We can successfully oppose the harmful spiritual influences in our lives and the lives of our brothers and sisters in Christ.
We can ask God to help us and our fellow Christians to withstand temptation whatever its source may be. We can ask God to deliver the members of our church and all who attend its services and participate in its activities from the harmful spiritual influences working in their lives. We can also ask God to lead everyone to a true and lasting repentance from sin and to increase in everyone his Holy Spirit, his own indwelling presence. We can do what we can to facilitate reconciliation between Christians who are not on good terms.
As the apostle James wrote, “So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). If we join together and fight as one body the harmful spiritual forces in our lives and the lives of our fellow Christians, they too must flee. They will at first intensify their attack, probing for weaknesses. If we, however, persevere in our prayer, they must leave the field of battle.
At the same time, we must always be on our guard. As the evangelist Luke tells us in today’s reading, the devil left Jesus until the next opportunity came. The powers of darkness, having lost one foothold in a church, will seek to gain another. Our defense is prayer and pure lives, lives free from sin and wrongdoing, lives filled with love and grace.
Silence is kept.
SONG OF PRAISE
Open this link in a new tab to hear the Magnificat from Kent Gustavson’s Mountain Vespers.
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord.
My spirit rejoices in God my Savior.
For you have looked with favor on your lowly servant;
from this day all generations will call me blessed.
1 You O God have done great things
and holy is your name.
You have mercy on those who fear you
n ev’ry generation.
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord.
My spirit rejoices in God my Savior.
For you have looked with favor on your lowly servant;
from this day all generations will call me blessed.
2 You have shown the strength of your arm,
you have scattered the proud in their conceit.
You have cast the might down from thrones
and have lifted up the lowly.
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord.
My spirit rejoices in God my Savior.
For you have looked with favor on your lowly servant;
from this day all generations will call me blessed.
3 You have filled the hungry with good things,
the rich you have sent away empty.
You have come to the help of your servant Israel
you’ve remembered your promise of mercy.
The promise you made
to Sarah and Abraham.
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord.
My spirit rejoices in God my Savior.
For you have looked with favor on your lowly servant;
from this day all generations will call me blessed.
Glory to you, O Lord our God
With your love and power.
Glory to you, O Lord our God
With your love and power.
Amen.
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
With confidence and trust let us pray to the Lord, saying, “Lord, have mercy.”
For the one holy catholic and apostolic Church throughout the world, we pray to you, Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For the mission of the Church, that in faithful witness it may preach the gospel to the ends of the earth, we pray to you, Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For those preparing for baptism and for their teachers and sponsors, we pray to you, Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For peace in the world, that a spirit of respect and reconciliation may grow among nations and peoples, we pray to you, Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For the poor, the persecuted, the sick, and all who suffer; for refugees, prisoners, and all in danger; that they may be relieved and protected, we pray to you, Lord.
Lord, have mercy
For all whom we have injured or offended, we pray to you, Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For grace to amend our lives and to further the reign of God, we pray to you, Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
Free Prayer
In silent or spontaneous prayer all bring before God the concerns of the day.
The Collect
Almighty God,
whose Son Jesus Christ
fasted forty days in the wilderness,
was tempted as we are, and yet did not sin:
Give us grace to discipline ourselves
in obedience to your Spirit,
and, as you know our weakness,
so may we know your saving power;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
RESPONSE
Open this link in a new tab to hear Omer Westendorf and Claudia Frances Hernaman’s hymn “These Forty Days of Lent, O Lord.”
1 These forty days of Lent, O Lord,
With you we fast and pray;
Teach us to discipline our wills
And follow Lord your way.
2 As you with Satan did contend,
And did the victory win,
O give us strength in You to fight,
In you, to conquer sin.
3 As thirst and hunger you have known
So teach us gracious Lord,
To die to self and only live
By your most holy word.
4 And through these days of penitence,
And through your Passiontide,
Forever more, in life and death,
O Lord with us abide.
5 Abide with us, so that this life
Of suffering once past,
An Easter of unending joy
We may attain at last.
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.
SOLEMN PRAYER OVER THE PEOPLE
Look with compassion, O Lord,
upon this your people;
that rightly observing this holy season
they may learn to know you more fully,
and to serve you with a more perfect will;
through Christ our Lord. Amen.
As the apostle James wrote, “So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). If we join together and fight as one body the harmful spiritual forces in our lives and the lives of our fellow Christians, they too must flee. They will at first intensify their attack, probing for weaknesses. If we, however, persevere in our prayer, they must leave the field of battle.
At the same time, we must always be on our guard. As the evangelist Luke tells us in today’s reading, the devil left Jesus until the next opportunity came. The powers of darkness, having lost one foothold in a church, will seek to gain another. Our defense is prayer and pure lives, lives free from sin and wrongdoing, lives filled with love and grace.
Silence is kept.
SONG OF PRAISE
Open this link in a new tab to hear the Magnificat from Kent Gustavson’s Mountain Vespers.
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord.
My spirit rejoices in God my Savior.
For you have looked with favor on your lowly servant;
from this day all generations will call me blessed.
1 You O God have done great things
and holy is your name.
You have mercy on those who fear you
n ev’ry generation.
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord.
My spirit rejoices in God my Savior.
For you have looked with favor on your lowly servant;
from this day all generations will call me blessed.
2 You have shown the strength of your arm,
you have scattered the proud in their conceit.
You have cast the might down from thrones
and have lifted up the lowly.
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord.
My spirit rejoices in God my Savior.
For you have looked with favor on your lowly servant;
from this day all generations will call me blessed.
3 You have filled the hungry with good things,
the rich you have sent away empty.
You have come to the help of your servant Israel
you’ve remembered your promise of mercy.
The promise you made
to Sarah and Abraham.
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord.
My spirit rejoices in God my Savior.
For you have looked with favor on your lowly servant;
from this day all generations will call me blessed.
Glory to you, O Lord our God
With your love and power.
Glory to you, O Lord our God
With your love and power.
Amen.
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
With confidence and trust let us pray to the Lord, saying, “Lord, have mercy.”
For the one holy catholic and apostolic Church throughout the world, we pray to you, Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For the mission of the Church, that in faithful witness it may preach the gospel to the ends of the earth, we pray to you, Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For those preparing for baptism and for their teachers and sponsors, we pray to you, Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For peace in the world, that a spirit of respect and reconciliation may grow among nations and peoples, we pray to you, Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For the poor, the persecuted, the sick, and all who suffer; for refugees, prisoners, and all in danger; that they may be relieved and protected, we pray to you, Lord.
Lord, have mercy
For all whom we have injured or offended, we pray to you, Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For grace to amend our lives and to further the reign of God, we pray to you, Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
Free Prayer
In silent or spontaneous prayer all bring before God the concerns of the day.
The Collect
Almighty God,
whose Son Jesus Christ
fasted forty days in the wilderness,
was tempted as we are, and yet did not sin:
Give us grace to discipline ourselves
in obedience to your Spirit,
and, as you know our weakness,
so may we know your saving power;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
RESPONSE
Open this link in a new tab to hear Omer Westendorf and Claudia Frances Hernaman’s hymn “These Forty Days of Lent, O Lord.”
1 These forty days of Lent, O Lord,
With you we fast and pray;
Teach us to discipline our wills
And follow Lord your way.
2 As you with Satan did contend,
And did the victory win,
O give us strength in You to fight,
In you, to conquer sin.
3 As thirst and hunger you have known
So teach us gracious Lord,
To die to self and only live
By your most holy word.
4 And through these days of penitence,
And through your Passiontide,
Forever more, in life and death,
O Lord with us abide.
5 Abide with us, so that this life
Of suffering once past,
An Easter of unending joy
We may attain at last.
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.
SOLEMN PRAYER OVER THE PEOPLE
Look with compassion, O Lord,
upon this your people;
that rightly observing this holy season
they may learn to know you more fully,
and to serve you with a more perfect will;
through Christ our Lord. Amen.
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