All Hallows Evening Prayer for Saturday Evening (March16, 2022)

 

PROCLAMATION OF THE LIGHT

One or more candles may be lit.

The light of Christ.
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

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.

We praise and thank you, O God our Father,
through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Through him you have enlightened us
by revealing the light that never fades,
for dark death has been destroyed
and radiant life is everywhere restored.
What was promised is fulfilled:
we have been joined to God,
through renewed life in the Spirit of the risen Lord.
Glory and praise to you, our Father,
through Jesus your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Spirit,
in the kingdom of light eternal,
for ever and ever. Amen.

SCRIPTURE

John 19: 38-42 The Burial of Jesus

Afterward Joseph of Arimathea, who had been a secret disciple of Jesus (because he feared the Jewish leaders), asked Pilate for permission to take down Jesus’ body. When Pilate gave permission, Joseph came and took the body away. With him came Nicodemus, the man who had come to Jesus at night. He brought about seventy-five pounds of perfumed ointment made from myrrh and aloes. Following Jewish burial custom, they wrapped Jesus’ body with the spices in long sheets of linen cloth. The place of crucifixion was near a garden, where there was a new tomb, never used before. And so, because it was the day of preparation for the Jewish Passover and since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.

Silence is kept.

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

HOMILY

How Highly Do We Esteem Jesus?

We may wonder why John included the details of Jesus’ burial in his gospel. While it is Easter Eve and we are looking forward to celebrating Jesus’ resurrection from the dead on Easter Sunday, it is important to consider John’s account of Jesus’ burial. John did not flee like the other disciples did after Jesus’ arrest. It appears from his account of Jesus’ burial and other passages in his gospel that he had connections with the Sanhedrin, the supreme council and tribunal of the Jews during the time following their return from exile in Babylon. The Sanhedrin was headed by the high priest of the Temple at Jesuralem and had religious, civil, and criminal jurisdiction.

According to John’s account of Jesus’ burial Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus asked Pilate’s permission to remove Jesus’ body from the cross, permission which Pilate granted. We may not realize it but this was no ordinary occurrence. The bodies of those executed by crucifixion were usually thrown into a common grave. Archeologists have excavated such graves dating from Roman times. In asking for Jesus’ body, the two men took a serious risk. They exposed themselves as followers of Jesus to the Jewish religious authorities and to the Roman governor.

Pilate proved amenable to their request. We can speculate about Pilate’s willingness to grant their request. Did he feel some remorse for having condemned an innocent man to death? John’s narrative does not tell us.

Pilate is someone about whom we have a limited knowledge. We do know that he eventually was removed as governor of Jerusalem, having fallen out of favor with the Roman Emperor Tiberius. We do know that he was ordered to kill himself by the Roman Emperor Caligula, Tiberius' successor, whom he had displeased.

Suicide was considered a merciful death by the Romans and Caligula was not known for his mercifulness. Caligula is one of the most inhuman rulers in human history. Tiberieus who chose Caligula as his successor was aware of his proclivities and described him as "a viper in the bosom of Rome." Caligula was subject to sudden and frequent changes in mood, was given to violent whims, and went to extreme lengths to show his importance and power. He decreed that the people of Rome should not stare or gawk at him when he passed them in the streets of Rome. Anyone who disobeyed his decree even unintentionally was summarily executed.

While Jesus’ burial was a hasty one, John tells us that Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus followed Jewish burial custom and wrapped Jesus with a perfumed ointment made of myrrh and aloes in winding clothes of linen. This ointment would have been quite expensive. The purpose of the ointment was to cover the smell of the decomposing body. They then placed him in a new tomb near where he had been crucified.

In handling Jesus’ body, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus made themselves ritually impure and therefore were unable to celebrate the Passover. In giving Jesus a proper burial, these two men did so at a great cost to themselves in more ways than one. I do not believe that we would be wrong in assuming that they had held him in high esteem, based upon their actions.

This leads to two questions that we should be asking ourselves as we prepare to celebrate the Feast of the Resurrection. To what extent do our actions, the way we live our lives, how we treat each other and how we treat other people reveal the esteem in which we ourselves hold Jesus? Would the people around us say, “Yes, they are disciples of Jesus. We can tell that they are his followers from the way they love one another and love everyone else”?

SONG OF PRAISE

Open this link in a new tab to hear Rory Cooney's adaptation of the Magbificat, "My Soul Cries Out with a Joyful Shout." 

1 My soul cries out with a joyful shout
that the God of my heart is great,
and my spirit sings of the wondrous things
that you bring to the ones who wait.
You fixed your sight on your servant’s plight,
and my weakness you did not spurn,
so from east to west shall my name be blest.
Could the world be about to turn?

My heart shall sing of the day you bring.
Let the fires of your justice burn.
Wipe away all tears, for the dawn draws near,
and the world is about to turn.

2 Though I am small, my God, my all,
you work great things in me,
and your mercy will last from the depths of the past
to the end of the age to be.
Your very name puts the proud to shame,
and to those who would for you yearn,
you will show your might, put the strong to flight,
for the world is about to turn.

My heart shall sing of the day you bring.
Let the fires of your justice burn.
Wipe away all tears, for the dawn draws near,
and the world is about to turn.

3 From the halls of pow’r to the fortress tow’r,
not a stone will be left on stone.
Let the king beware for your justice tears
ev’ry tyrant from his throne.
The hungry poor shall weep no more,
for the food they can never earn;
there are tables spread, ev’ry mouth be fed,
for the world is about to turn.

My heart shall sing of the day you bring.
Let the fires of your justice burn.
Wipe away all tears, for the dawn draws near,
and the world is about to turn.

4 Though the nations rage from age to age,
we remember who holds us fast:
God’s mercy must deliver us
from the conqueror’s crushing grasp.
This saving word that our forebears heard
is the promise which holds us bound,
till the spear and rod can be crushed by God,
who is turning the world around.

My heart shall sing of the day you bring.
Let the fires of your justice burn.
Wipe away all tears, for the dawn draws near,
and the world is about to turn.

My heart shall sing of the day you bring.
Let the fires of your justice burn.
Wipe away all tears, for the dawn draws near,
and the world is about to turn.

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE

Periods of silence may be kept.

Heavenly Father,
you have promised to hear when we pray
in the name of your Son.
Therefore in confidence and trust
we pray for the Church:

(Particular intercessions/thanksgivings may be offered.)

Father, enliven the Church for its mission

that we may be salt of the earth and light to the world.

Breathe fresh life into your people.

Give us power to reveal Christ in word and action.

We pray for the world:

(Particular intercessions/thanksgivings may be offered.)

Creator of all,
lead us and every people into ways of justice and peace.

That we may respect one another in freedom and truth.

Awaken in us a sense of wonder for the earth and all that is in it.

Teach us to care creatively for its resources.

We pray for the community:

(Particular intercessions/thanksgivings may be offered.)

God of truth, inspire with your wisdom
those whose decisions affect the lives of others

that all may act with integrity and courage.

Give grace to all whose lives are linked with ours.

May we serve Christ in one another, and love as he loves us.

We pray for those in need:

(Particular intercessions/thanksgivings may be offered.)

God of hope, comfort and restore
all who suffer in body, mind or spirit.

May they know the power of your healing love.

Make us willing agents of your compassion.

Strengthen us as we share in making people whole.

We remember those who have died and those who mourn:

(Particular intercessions/thanksgivings may be offered.)

We remember with thanksgiving those who have died in the faith
of Christ, and those whose faith is known to you alone.

Father, into your hands we commend them.

Give comfort to those who mourn.

Bring them peace in their time of loss.

We praise you for (N and) all your saints
who have entered your eternal glory.

May their example inspire and encourage us.

We pray for ourselves and our ministries:

(Particular intercessions/thanksgivings may be offered and the prayers
conclude with the following.)

Lord, you have called us to serve you.
Grant that we may walk in your presence:
your love in our hearts,
your truth in our minds,
your strength in our wills;
until, at the end of our journey,
we know the joy of our homecoming
and the welcome of your embrace,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Collect

O God,
creator of heaven and earth,
as the crucified body of your dear Son
was laid in the tomb and rested on this holy Sabbath,
so may we await with him the coming of the third day,
and rise with him to newness of life;
who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.

RESPONSE

Open this link in a new tab to hearJohn L Bell’s arrangement of Alison Robertson’s hymn, “Love Is the Touch.”

1 Love is the touch of intangible joy;
love is the force that no fear can destroy;
love is the goodness we gladly applaud:
God is where love is, for love is of God.

2 Love is the lilt in a lingering voice;
love is the hope that can make us rejoice;
love is the cure for the frightened and flawed:
God is where love is, for love is of God.

3 Love is the light in a tunnel of pain;
love is the will to be whole once again;
love is the trust of a friend on the road:
God is where love is, for love is of God.

[Instrumental interlude]

4 Love is the Maker, and Spirit, and Son;
love is the kingdom their will has begun;
love is the pathway the saints all have trod:
God is where love is, for love is of God.
God is where love is, for love is of God.

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 Christ who out of defeat brings new hope and new alternatives, bring us new life
and the blessing of God our Creator, Redeemer and Giver of life be with us always. Amen