All Hallows Evening Prayer for Saturday Evening (May 28, 2022)
PROCLAMATION OF THE LIGHT
One or more candles may be lit.
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved. Acts 16:31
EVENING HYMN
Open this link in a new tab to hear the Liturgical Folk’s setting of the Phos hilaron, “O Gracious Light.”
O gracious Light,
pure brightness of the everliving Father in heaven,
O Jesus Christ, holy and blessed!
O gracious Light,
pure brightness of the everliving Father in heaven,
O Jesus Christ, holy and blessed!
Now as we come to the setting of the sun,
and our eyes behold the vesper light,
we sing thy praises, O God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Thou art worthy at all times to be praised by happy voices,
O Son of God, O Giver of life,
thou art worthy at all times to be praised by happy voices,
O Son of God, O Giver of life,
and to be glorified through all the worlds.
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 to hear the Liturgical Folk’s setting of the Gloria.
Glory to God in the highest,
and peace to his people on earth.
Lord God, heavenly King,
almighty God and Father,
we worship you, we give you thanks,
we praise you for your glory.
Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father,
Lord God, Lamb of God,
you take away the sin of the world:
have mercy on us;
you are seated at the right hand of the Father:
receive our prayer.
For you alone are the Holy One,
you alone are the Lord,
you alone are the Most High,
Jesus Christ,
with the Holy Spirit,
in the glory of God the Father. Amen.
SCRIPTURE
Acts 16:16–34 An encounter with an evil spirit and evil men leads to a midnight deliverance and the conversion of a jailer
One day while we were going to the place of prayer we were met by a young girl who had a spirit of clairvoyance and brought her owners a good deal of profit by foretelling the future. She would follow Paul and the rest of us, crying out, “These men are servants of the most high God, and they are telling you the way of salvation.” She continued this behaviour for many days, and then Paul, in a burst of irritation, turned round and spoke to the spirit in her. “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her!”
And it came out immediately. but when the girl’s owners saw that their hope of making money out of her had disappeared, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them before the authorities in the market-square. There they brought them before the chief magistrates, and said, “These men are Jews and are causing a great disturbance in our city. They are proclaiming customs which it is illegal for us as Roman citizens to accept or practise.”
At this the crowd joined in the attack, and the magistrates had them stripped and ordered them to be beaten with rods. Then, after giving them a severe beating, they threw them into prison, instructing the jailer to keep them safe. On receiving such strict orders, he hustled them into the inner jail and fastened their feet securely in the stocks.
But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God while the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, big enough to shake the foundations of the prison. Immediately all the doors flew open and everyone’s chains were unfastened. When the jailer woke and saw that the doors of the prison had been opened he drew his sword and was on the point of killing himself, for he imagined that all the prisoners had escaped. But Paul called out to him at the top of his voice, “Don’t hurt yourself—we are all here!”
Then the jailer called for lights, rushed in, and trembling all over, fell at the feet of Paul and Silas.
He led them outside, and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
And they replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and then you will be saved, you and your household.”
Then they told him and all the members of his household the message of God. There and then in the middle of the night he took them aside and washed their wounds and he himself and all his family were baptised without delay. Then he took them into his house and offered them food, he and his whole household overjoyed at finding faith in God.
Silence is kept.
May your word live in us
and bear much fruit to your glory
HOMILY
Servants of the Gospel
John Wesley, an Anglican priest, a leading figure in the eighteenth century Evangelical Revival, and the founder of Methodism, in his teaching stressed the importance of not just reading the Bible but also applying and practicing what we learn from reading the Bible to ourselves and for the benefit of others. He and his followers were called Methodists because they took a methodical approach to living the Christian faith and life, an approach that was lacking in his day and which is also lacking in our own.
Wesley encouraged those who were reading the Bible to ask these questions: “What does this mean for me?” and “How can I put the truth of Scripture to work for the good of others?” When we consider these questions in interpreting, understanding, and making use of the passages of the Bible or using them for a practical purpose, the Bible becomes an important means of grace for us. It can also become an important means of grace for others.
In today’s reading, Acts 16:16–34, Paul and Silas take advantage of an opportunity that God gives them to share the gospel with their jailer and his household. Through their words and inward working of the Holy Spirit God brings the jailer and his household to a living faith in Jesus, and the jailer and his family are baptized.
At that particular point in his life the jailer was experiencing a crisis. An earthquake had freed the prisoners in the jail, including Paul and Silas. The jailer had been given strict instructions to keep them safe. He believed that they had escaped. Fearing the consequences, he was about to kill himself. Paul and Silas called out to him and prevented him from killing himself.
When the jailer asked them what he should do to be saved, in other words, to escape from the difficult situation in he found himself, they urged him to “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved.” They used his plea for help as a starting point in a gospel conversation in which they shared with the jailer and his household the good news of Jesus Christ.
Among the things that we learn from this passage is that God creates opportunities for us to have gospel conversations with others. People, when they are in a crisis of some kind, are often receptive to hearing the good news.
What then does this knowledge mean for us? It means that we should be on the lookout for these opportunities, and we should be prepared to take advantage of them and have gospel conversations with others. We are going to encounter people who are experiencing a crisis of one kind or another and these people may be particularly open to hearing the good news.
Being sensitive to what is happening in the lives of others and looking for these opportunities is one of the ways that we can put the truth of this passage to work for the good of others. We can share with them the good news and point them to Jesus.
Even if we do not immediately have a gospel conversation with them, we can use the opportunity to form a relationship with them or strengthen an existing relationship with them. We may need to spend time listening to them and building a relationship with them before we have a gospel conversation with them.
As Paul writes in his letter to the Ephesians, “we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago” (Ephesians 2:10 NLT). Those “good works” that God has prepared for us to walk in include sharing the good news with others and pointing them to Jesus. This is not solely the work of the pastor. It is the work of all Christians. We are called to Jesus’ representatives, his ambassadors in the world, and continue his mission to the world.
Silence is kept.
AFFIRMATION OF FAITH
Open this link to hear the Liturgical Folk’s setting of our Lord’s Summary of the Law, “Jesus Creed.”
Jesus said
The first commandment is this:
Hear O Israel
The Lord our God is the only Lord.
Love the Lord your God
with all your heart,
with all your soul,
with all your mind,
and with all your strength.
The second is this:
Love your neighbor as yourself.
There is no other commandment greater than these.
Amen.
SONG OF PRAISE
Open this link in a new tab to hear the Liturgical Folk’s setting of the Magnificat, “Song of Mary.”
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior;
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed.
The Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
The Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.
The Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
The Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel,
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
The promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children for ever.
The Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
The Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
The Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
The Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior;
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
In the power of the resurrection
we offer our prayers to God.
Let us pray.
Remember, O Lord, in your love
the Church throughout the world . . .
those recently baptized and confirmed . . .
those who minister to others . . .
Silence
May your whole Church know your power
and be a sign that Christ is risen.
Lord of life,
hear us in your love.
Remember in your love the world you have made . . .
those who seek a fair and proper use of the
world’s resources . . .
those who strive for justice and peace
among the nations . . .
Silence
May the whole earth be transformed by mercy and rejoice in hope.
Lord of life,
hear us in your love.
Remember in your love those who suffer . . .
the victims of violence and injustice . . .
those who mourn . . .
Silence
May all in need find comfort, strength and freedom in the living Christ.
Lord of life,
hear us in your love.
Remember in your love those who have died:
those who have confessed the faith
and those whose faith is known to you
alone.
Silence
May all your children receive grace and light according to their needs and come at last to share with all the saints in life eternal.
Lord of life,
hear us in your love.
Gracious God, we ask these prayers through Jesus Christ, our risen Lord and Saviour. Amen.
The Collect
Holy God, you feed us
with earthly and spiritual food.
Deathless, unalterable, you have chosen us,
sinful as we are,
to hear your word and to proclaim your truth.
Alleluia! Make us salt of the earth;
make us yeast in the loaf.
Praise to you our God; you answer prayer.
Amen.
RESPONSE
Open this tab in a new link to hear John L. Bell’s “We Will Take What You Offer.”
We will take what you offer
We will live by your Word
We will love one another
And be led by you Lord
We will take what you offer
We will live by your Word
We will love one another
And be led by you Lord
We will take what you offer
We will live by your Word
We will love one another
And be led by you Lord….
At that particular point in his life the jailer was experiencing a crisis. An earthquake had freed the prisoners in the jail, including Paul and Silas. The jailer had been given strict instructions to keep them safe. He believed that they had escaped. Fearing the consequences, he was about to kill himself. Paul and Silas called out to him and prevented him from killing himself.
When the jailer asked them what he should do to be saved, in other words, to escape from the difficult situation in he found himself, they urged him to “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved.” They used his plea for help as a starting point in a gospel conversation in which they shared with the jailer and his household the good news of Jesus Christ.
Among the things that we learn from this passage is that God creates opportunities for us to have gospel conversations with others. People, when they are in a crisis of some kind, are often receptive to hearing the good news.
What then does this knowledge mean for us? It means that we should be on the lookout for these opportunities, and we should be prepared to take advantage of them and have gospel conversations with others. We are going to encounter people who are experiencing a crisis of one kind or another and these people may be particularly open to hearing the good news.
Being sensitive to what is happening in the lives of others and looking for these opportunities is one of the ways that we can put the truth of this passage to work for the good of others. We can share with them the good news and point them to Jesus.
Even if we do not immediately have a gospel conversation with them, we can use the opportunity to form a relationship with them or strengthen an existing relationship with them. We may need to spend time listening to them and building a relationship with them before we have a gospel conversation with them.
As Paul writes in his letter to the Ephesians, “we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago” (Ephesians 2:10 NLT). Those “good works” that God has prepared for us to walk in include sharing the good news with others and pointing them to Jesus. This is not solely the work of the pastor. It is the work of all Christians. We are called to Jesus’ representatives, his ambassadors in the world, and continue his mission to the world.
Silence is kept.
AFFIRMATION OF FAITH
Open this link to hear the Liturgical Folk’s setting of our Lord’s Summary of the Law, “Jesus Creed.”
Jesus said
The first commandment is this:
Hear O Israel
The Lord our God is the only Lord.
Love the Lord your God
with all your heart,
with all your soul,
with all your mind,
and with all your strength.
The second is this:
Love your neighbor as yourself.
There is no other commandment greater than these.
Amen.
SONG OF PRAISE
Open this link in a new tab to hear the Liturgical Folk’s setting of the Magnificat, “Song of Mary.”
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior;
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed.
The Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
The Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.
The Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
The Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel,
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
The promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children for ever.
The Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
The Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
The Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
The Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior;
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
In the power of the resurrection
we offer our prayers to God.
Let us pray.
Remember, O Lord, in your love
the Church throughout the world . . .
those recently baptized and confirmed . . .
those who minister to others . . .
Silence
May your whole Church know your power
and be a sign that Christ is risen.
Lord of life,
hear us in your love.
Remember in your love the world you have made . . .
those who seek a fair and proper use of the
world’s resources . . .
those who strive for justice and peace
among the nations . . .
Silence
May the whole earth be transformed by mercy and rejoice in hope.
Lord of life,
hear us in your love.
Remember in your love those who suffer . . .
the victims of violence and injustice . . .
those who mourn . . .
Silence
May all in need find comfort, strength and freedom in the living Christ.
Lord of life,
hear us in your love.
Remember in your love those who have died:
those who have confessed the faith
and those whose faith is known to you
alone.
Silence
May all your children receive grace and light according to their needs and come at last to share with all the saints in life eternal.
Lord of life,
hear us in your love.
Gracious God, we ask these prayers through Jesus Christ, our risen Lord and Saviour. Amen.
The Collect
Holy God, you feed us
with earthly and spiritual food.
Deathless, unalterable, you have chosen us,
sinful as we are,
to hear your word and to proclaim your truth.
Alleluia! Make us salt of the earth;
make us yeast in the loaf.
Praise to you our God; you answer prayer.
Amen.
RESPONSE
Open this tab in a new link to hear John L. Bell’s “We Will Take What You Offer.”
We will take what you offer
We will live by your Word
We will love one another
And be led by you Lord
We will take what you offer
We will live by your Word
We will love one another
And be led by you Lord
We will take what you offer
We will live by your Word
We will love one another
And be led by you Lord….
[Repeat]
THE LORD’S PRAYER
The Lord be with you.
The Lord bless you.
As our Saviour taught his disciples,
we pray:
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
God the Father,
by whose glory Christ was raised from
the dead,
strengthen us
to walk with him in his risen life;
and may almighty God bless us,
the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
THE LORD’S PRAYER
The Lord be with you.
The Lord bless you.
As our Saviour taught his disciples,
we pray:
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
God the Father,
by whose glory Christ was raised from
the dead,
strengthen us
to walk with him in his risen life;
and may almighty God bless us,
the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
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