All Hallows Evening Prayer for Saturday Evening (April 23, 2022)
One or more candles may be lit.
Christ is risen!!
The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia!!
EVENING HYMN
Open this link in a new tab to hear John L. Bell and Graham Maule’s “Jesus Calls Us Here to Meet Him.”
Jesus calls us here to meet him
as, through word and song and prayer,
we affirm God‘s promised presence
where his people live and care.
Praise the God who keeps his promise;
praise the Son who calls us friends;
praise the Spirit who, among us,
to our hopes and fears attends.
Jesus calls us to confess him
Word of Life and Lord of All,
sharer of our flesh and frailness
saving all who fail or fall.
Tell his holy human story;
tell his tales that all may hear;
tell the world that Christ in glory
came to earth to meet us here.
Jesus calls us to each other,
vastly different though we are;
creed and colour, class and gender
Neither limit nor debar.
Join the hand of friend and stranger;
join the hands of age and youth;
join the faithful and the doubter
in their common search for truth.
Jesus calls us to his table
rooted firm in time and space,
where the Church in earth and heaven
finds a common meeting place.
Share the bread and wine, his body;
share the love of which we sing;
share the feast for saints and sinners
hosted by our Lord and King.
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.
HYMN OF THE DAY
Open this link in a new tab to hear George Ratcliffe Woodward’s “This Joyful Eastertide.”
This joyful Eastertide
away with sin and sorrow!
My love, the Crucified,
has sprung to life this morrow.
Had Christ, who once was slain,
not burst his three-day prison,
our faith had been in vain:
but now hath Christ arisen,
arisen, arisen, arisen!
My flesh in hope shall rest
and for a season slumber
till trump from east to west
shall wake the dead in number.
Had Christ, who once was slain,
not burst his three-day prison,
our faith had been in vain:
but now hath Christ arisen,
arisen, arisen, arisen!
Death's flood has lost its chill
since Jesus crossed the river.
Lover of souls, from ill
my passing soul deliver.
Had Christ, who once was slain,
not burst his three-day prison,
our faith had been in vain:
but now hath Christ arisen,
arisen, arisen, arisen!
SCRIPTURE
Acts 5:27-32 Peter and the Apostles Are Brought Again Before the High Council
Then they brought the apostles before the high council, where the high priest confronted them. “We gave you strict orders never again to teach in this man’s name!” he said. “Instead, you have filled all Jerusalem with your teaching about him, and you want to make us responsible for his death!”
But Peter and the apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than any human authority. The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead after you killed him by hanging him on a cross. Then God put him in the place of honor at his right hand as Prince and Savior. He did this so the people of Israel would repent of their sins and be forgiven. We are witnesses of these things and so is the Holy Spirit, who is given by God to those who obey him.”
Silence is kept.
May your word live in us
and bear much fruit to your glory
HOMILY
Our Principal Task
Have you ever been so excited about something that you cannot stop telling people about it? May be it was a new baby—your first child or your first grandchild. You showed everybody photos of the new baby on your phone.
May be it was a new computer game. You wanted all your friends to try it.
When something causes us to have strong feelings of happiness and enthusiasm, we want to tell everyone else about it. We want to share our happiness and enthusiasm with them.
We learn from today’s reading, Acts 5: 27-32, that the high priest’s earlier warning had not dissuaded Peter and the apostles from spreading the good news of Jesus Christ. It had not dampened their determination to proclaim their risen Lord to their people of Jerusalem. This determination so alarmed the Jewish religious authorities that they ordered the apostles arrested and brought before them again.
What accounts for such determination? They had encountered Jesus, alive and risen from the dead. They had not only met him unexpectedly but also had spent time with him. They had witnessed him ascend into heaven and upon returning to Jerusalem in obedience to his instructions, they had received the promised Holy Spirit. They could not have contained their excitement had they wanted to.
It may be hard for us to imagine the happiness that they must have felt, the energetic interest that they had in telling others, and their eagerness to do just that.
Fabricating a story about the resurrection of Jesus, something of which the apostles have been accused, would not have generated that kind of excitement. It would not have given them the determination that they showed. They had seen the risen Lord. It had been a life-transforming event for them, an event that changed their lives more than the time that they spent with Jesus before his death.
The commission that the risen Christ gave to the apostles before he ascended into heaven, telling the apostles to leave the place from which he ascended and to make disciples of all the peoples of the earth, baptizing them, and instructing them in what he had commanded, he gave not just to the apostles but to his whole Church for all time. We are to keep on making new disciples until he comes again in glory.
We are to point people of all ages, all walks of life, all nationalities and races, men and women, to Jesus. If they accept him as their Savior and Lord, we are to disciple them. Fulfilling that commission is our principal task as his Church, his people here on earth.
While, unlike the apostles, we have not seen our risen Lord, we have, like the apostles, received the gift of the Holy Spirit, God’s indwelling presence, which empowers us to fulfill God’s purposes. God also supplies us with an unimaginable abundance of grace to the same end.
If we lack the excitement, interest, and energy of the apostles, we should ask God to give us same zeal and determination that the apostles displayed, the same great enthusiasm and eagerness to spread the good news of Jesus Christ and the same ability to keep making new disciples despite the difficulties that we may face.
We may meet with opposition as did the apostles. However, our response must be the same as that of Peter and the apostles to the high priest. “We must obey God rather than human authority.”
To many of us who are accustomed as we are to the routine of attending a Sunday school class and a church service on a Sunday and doing very little in God’s service between Sundays, spreading the good news and making new disciples may appear to be a formidable undertaking. As daunting as it may seem, we must do what the apostles did, put our faith and trust in Jesus’ word. He would not give us such a task without giving us the wherewithal to accomplish it.
Silence is kept.
While, unlike the apostles, we have not seen our risen Lord, we have, like the apostles, received the gift of the Holy Spirit, God’s indwelling presence, which empowers us to fulfill God’s purposes. God also supplies us with an unimaginable abundance of grace to the same end.
If we lack the excitement, interest, and energy of the apostles, we should ask God to give us same zeal and determination that the apostles displayed, the same great enthusiasm and eagerness to spread the good news of Jesus Christ and the same ability to keep making new disciples despite the difficulties that we may face.
We may meet with opposition as did the apostles. However, our response must be the same as that of Peter and the apostles to the high priest. “We must obey God rather than human authority.”
To many of us who are accustomed as we are to the routine of attending a Sunday school class and a church service on a Sunday and doing very little in God’s service between Sundays, spreading the good news and making new disciples may appear to be a formidable undertaking. As daunting as it may seem, we must do what the apostles did, put our faith and trust in Jesus’ word. He would not give us such a task without giving us the wherewithal to accomplish it.
Silence is kept.
SONG OF PRAISE
Open this link in a new tab to hear Rory Cooney’s adaptation of the Magnificat, “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.
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.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Rory Cooney’s adaptation of the Magnificat, “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.
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.
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
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.
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
Almighty God,
by the glorious resurrection of your Son Jesus Christ
you have broken the power of death
and brought life and immortality to light;
grant that we who have been raised with him
may triumph over all temptation
and rejoice in the hope of eternal glory;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
RESPONSE
Open this link in a new tab to hear Tony Alonso’s “God Sends Us Forth.”
God sends us forth to love and serve,
make known God’s name and live God’s word,
mirror God’s love and reflect God’s grace
till all have seen the Savior’s face.
Nourished by Christ with word and bread;
burning with love and Spirit led,
sent to embrace the world in need,
to make God known in word and deed.
Called to the ones the world ignores—
hungry and thirsty, weak and poor—
let us be Christ who heals all pain
and comforts those with guilt or shame.
So, with the cross to lead the way,
let us go forth in peace today
till ev’ry end of earth has known
the saving love of God alone.
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.
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.
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