All Hallows Evening Prayer for Saturday Evening (June 25, 2022)
PROCLAMATION OF THE LIGHT
One or more candles may be lit. Grace, mercy and peace to us
from God our Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
You are in the midst of us, O Lord;
and we are called by your name.
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.
Blessed are you, O Lord our God, ruler of the universe!
Your word brings on the dusk of evening,
your wisdom creates both night and day.
You determine the cycles of time,
arrange the succession of seasons,
and establish the stars in their heavenly courses.
Lord of the starry hosts is your name.
Living and eternal God, rule over us always.
Blessed be the Lord, whose word makes evening fall.
Amen.
HYMN OF THE DAY
Open this link in a new tab to hear Charles Wesley’s Love Divine, All Excelling.”
1 Love divine, all loves excelling,
joy of heav’n, to earth come down,
fix in us thy humble dwelling,
all thy faithful mercies crown.
Jesus, thou art all compassion,
pure, unbounded love thou art.
Visit us with thy salvation;
enter ev'ry trembling heart.
2 Breathe, O breathe thy loving Spirit
into ev’ry troubled breast.
Let us all in thee inherit,
let us find the promised rest.
Take away the love of sinning;
Alpha and Omega be.
End of faith, as its beginning,
set our hearts at liberty.
3 Come, Almighty, to deliver,
let us all thy life receive.
Suddenly return, and never,
nevermore they temples leave.
Thee we would be always blessing,
serve thee as thy hosts above,
pray, and praise thee without ceasing,
glory in thy perfect love.
4 Finish, then, thy new creation;
true and spotless let us be.
Let us see thy great salvation
perfectly restored in thee.
Changed from glory into glory,
till in heav’n we take our place,
till we cast our crowns before thee,
lost in wonder, love and praise.
SCRIPTURE
Galatians 5: 1, 13-25 Freedom in Christ
So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law…. For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you are always biting and devouring one another, watch out! Beware of destroying one another.
So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses.
When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.
Silence is kept.
May your word live in us
and bear much fruit to your glory
HOMILY
Harm No One and Do No Evil
The requirement for admission to a local Methodist society as prescribed by John Wesley in the early days of Methodism was "a desire to flee from the wrath to come, and to be saved from their sins." “Wherever this is really fixed in the soul,” Wesley wrote, “it will be shown by its fruits.” For this reason, he further prescribed three General Rules by the observance of which those who were admitted to a local Methodist society were expected to “continue to evidence their desire of salvation.” The first General Rule was “By doing no harm, by avoiding evil of every kind, especially that which is most generally practiced….” Wesley then gave examples of the kinds of evil which were most common in his day, but which were also identified in the Scriptures as evil and therefore to be avoided.
In our time John Wesley’s first General Rule is often shortened to “Do no harm,” but this abbreviation does not quite convey the same meaning as Wesley’s original first General Rule.
By doing no harm Wesley had in mind keeping what is sometimes described as the second Great Commandment as identified by Jesus, that is, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Disciples of Jesus who obeys this commandment will not harm their neighbors and Jesus taught his disciples that everyone was their neighbor.
By avoiding all kinds of evil Wesley had in mind steering clear of what the apostle Paul in today’s reading, Galatians 5: 1, 13-25, calls the desires of our sinful nature and not indulging these desires.
Here is a list of the examples of the most common kinds of evil in his day, which Wesley gave. Where appropriate, I explain what Wesley meant. I have also added contemporary equivalents of these kinds of evils
“The taking of the name of God in vain.” When we take the name of God in vain, we use God’s name in a manner that is wicked, worthless, and for the wrong purposes. We may blaspheme or curse God’s name. We may make empty or false oaths. Swearing by God’s name, we may make a false promise or one that we do not intend to keep. The taking of God’s name in vain includes false visions and false claims to speak on God’s behalf.
“The profaning the day of the Lord, either by doing ordinary work therein or by buying or selling.” In today’s world this would include working or doing business on a Sunday when we do not need to, going to the golf course, playing tennis, riding a bicycle, or engaging in other recreational activities instead of going to church.
What we do on a Sunday speaks volumes regarding our basic orientation in life. Some individuals must work on a Sunday because they have no other choice. Others, however, do have a choice, and the choice that they make reveals whether they are oriented to God or themselves.
“Drunkenness: buying or selling spirituous liquors, or drinking them, unless in cases of extreme necessity.” Excessive drinking was a serious problem in Wesley’s day. It was often accompanied by domestic violence, murder, rape, assault, and other crimes against persons. The manufacture, buying, selling, and use of illegal drugs would be considered a common evil in our time. So would be supplying illegal drugs to minors, particularly for nefarious purposes such as getting them hooked on drugs and then forcing them to engage in prostitution, the making of pornographic videos, and that sort of thing.
“Slaveholding; buying or selling slaves.” This would include other forms of human trafficking such as child prostitution and exploitation of illegal immigrants in our time. Child prostitution was common in Wesley’s day. It is not an uncommon evil in our day.
“Fighting, quarreling, brawling, brother going to law with brother; returning evil for evil, or railing for railing; the using many words in buying or selling.” Fighting, quarreling, and brawling are self-explanatory. If you are not familiar with the term “going to law,” it means suing someone in a court of law. When you rail about something, you complain angrily about it. When you rail at someone, you attack them or criticism them. It is the kind of thing that has become common on social media on the internet. Other common evils in our time are internet bullying, gossiping about people behind their back and spreading false reports about them, misleading advertising and other deceitful practices in buying and selling,
“The buying or selling goods that have not paid the duty.” All forms of tax evasion. Jesus taught his disciples to render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s and paid the Jewish temple tax.
“The giving or taking things on usury—i.e., unlawful interest.” Charging an exorbitant rate of interest like a loan shark.
"Uncharitable or unprofitable conversation; particularly speaking evil of magistrates or of ministers." Conversations filled with harsh and unkind words. Conversations that tear down rather than build up.
“Doing to others as we would not they should do unto us.” Doing the opposite of how Jesus taught his disciples to treat others. Being rude and disrespectful to others. Not being lenient in our judgment of them or making allowances for them. Harboring grudges against them and refusing to forgive them. Deliberately avoiding them and not speaking to them instead of pursuing reconciliation with them as Jesus taught. Showing them little or no kindness or grace.
“Doing what we know is not for the glory of God, as:”
“The putting on of gold and costly apparel.” Buying and wearing expensive clothing and jewelry to draw attention to ourselves, to make an ostentatious display of our wealth and social status, and to make other people feel inferior to us.
“The taking such diversions as cannot be used in the name of the Lord Jesus.” A modern-day example might be spiking someone’s drink, taking sexual advantage of them, videorecording it, and then showing the video to friends or on the internet.
Playing badminton or croquet is an innocent diversion but going to a cockfight or dogfight in which animals kill each other would not be considered such in light of what Scripture teaches about kindness to animals.
“The singing those songs, or reading those books, which do not tend to the knowledge or love of God.” Listening to rap music that denigrates women and extols violence. Watching porn videos.
“Softness and needless self-indulgence.” I leave that one to your imagination. It should not be hard in our day and age.
“Laying up treasure upon earth.” Being obsessed with the accumulation of wealth and possessions.
“Borrowing without a probability of paying; or taking up goods without a probability of paying for them.” Borrowing money under false pretenses with no intention of repaying the individual from whom you borrowed the money. Promising to pay for something later with no intention of doing so. Taking advantage of someone else’s good nature and their generosity.
Wesley’s list is not exhaustive. I imagine that we all can come up with more evils to add to his list.
Here are some questions that you might like to ask yourself at the close of each day as you review the day.
In what ways did I fail to keep from doing harm this day?
In what ways did I fail to avoid evil?
With what temptations do I find myself struggling?
Confess your failings to God and ask his forgiveness.
Ask God for more grace and a heart and mind open to his grace.
Ask God to enable you to use the grace that he supplies.
Ask God to increase in you his Holy Spirit and to enable you to be more responsive to the leadings of the Holy Spirit.
Don’t forget to thank God for the changes that he is making in you.
Most of all thank God for the pure love that he is pouring into your heart, enabling you to love him and to love your fellow human beings.
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
Let us pray.
God, most gracious and most holy,
grant us the help of your Spirit
as we pray for the Church and the world.
We pray for the Church in every land . . .
for this church and for other local churches . . .
that we may worship and serve you
with reverence and joy.
Silence
Lord, hear us.
Lord, graciously hear us.
We pray for the peoples of the world . . .
and for the leaders of the nations . . .
that all may work together for justice and peace.
Silence
Lord, hear us.
Lord, graciously hear us.
We pray for those who are ill or distressed . . .
for the lonely and the bereaved . . .
and for those in any other need or trouble . . .
that they may be comforted and sustained.
Silence
Lord, hear us.
Lord, graciously hear us.
Father, we remember before you
all your servants who have died in the faith of Christ . . .
We pray that we too may lead faithful and godly lives in this world,
and finally share with all the saints in everlasting joy;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Collect
O God,
you have prepared for those who love you
such good things as pass our understanding:
Pour into our hearts such love towards you,
that, loving you above all things,
we may obtain your promises
which exceed all that we can desire;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
RESPONSE
Open this link in a new tab to hear Joh L. Bell’s “Kyrie (Columbia)”
Lord, have mercy upon is.
Lord, have mercy upon us.
Lord, have mercy upon us.
Christ, have mercy upon us.
Christ, have mercy upon us.
Christ, have mercy upon us.
Lord, have mercy upon is.
Lord, have mercy upon us.
Lord, have mercy upon us.
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
The blessing of God,
the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit,
remain with us always. Amen.
In our time John Wesley’s first General Rule is often shortened to “Do no harm,” but this abbreviation does not quite convey the same meaning as Wesley’s original first General Rule.
By doing no harm Wesley had in mind keeping what is sometimes described as the second Great Commandment as identified by Jesus, that is, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Disciples of Jesus who obeys this commandment will not harm their neighbors and Jesus taught his disciples that everyone was their neighbor.
By avoiding all kinds of evil Wesley had in mind steering clear of what the apostle Paul in today’s reading, Galatians 5: 1, 13-25, calls the desires of our sinful nature and not indulging these desires.
Here is a list of the examples of the most common kinds of evil in his day, which Wesley gave. Where appropriate, I explain what Wesley meant. I have also added contemporary equivalents of these kinds of evils
“The taking of the name of God in vain.” When we take the name of God in vain, we use God’s name in a manner that is wicked, worthless, and for the wrong purposes. We may blaspheme or curse God’s name. We may make empty or false oaths. Swearing by God’s name, we may make a false promise or one that we do not intend to keep. The taking of God’s name in vain includes false visions and false claims to speak on God’s behalf.
“The profaning the day of the Lord, either by doing ordinary work therein or by buying or selling.” In today’s world this would include working or doing business on a Sunday when we do not need to, going to the golf course, playing tennis, riding a bicycle, or engaging in other recreational activities instead of going to church.
What we do on a Sunday speaks volumes regarding our basic orientation in life. Some individuals must work on a Sunday because they have no other choice. Others, however, do have a choice, and the choice that they make reveals whether they are oriented to God or themselves.
“Drunkenness: buying or selling spirituous liquors, or drinking them, unless in cases of extreme necessity.” Excessive drinking was a serious problem in Wesley’s day. It was often accompanied by domestic violence, murder, rape, assault, and other crimes against persons. The manufacture, buying, selling, and use of illegal drugs would be considered a common evil in our time. So would be supplying illegal drugs to minors, particularly for nefarious purposes such as getting them hooked on drugs and then forcing them to engage in prostitution, the making of pornographic videos, and that sort of thing.
“Slaveholding; buying or selling slaves.” This would include other forms of human trafficking such as child prostitution and exploitation of illegal immigrants in our time. Child prostitution was common in Wesley’s day. It is not an uncommon evil in our day.
“Fighting, quarreling, brawling, brother going to law with brother; returning evil for evil, or railing for railing; the using many words in buying or selling.” Fighting, quarreling, and brawling are self-explanatory. If you are not familiar with the term “going to law,” it means suing someone in a court of law. When you rail about something, you complain angrily about it. When you rail at someone, you attack them or criticism them. It is the kind of thing that has become common on social media on the internet. Other common evils in our time are internet bullying, gossiping about people behind their back and spreading false reports about them, misleading advertising and other deceitful practices in buying and selling,
“The buying or selling goods that have not paid the duty.” All forms of tax evasion. Jesus taught his disciples to render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s and paid the Jewish temple tax.
“The giving or taking things on usury—i.e., unlawful interest.” Charging an exorbitant rate of interest like a loan shark.
"Uncharitable or unprofitable conversation; particularly speaking evil of magistrates or of ministers." Conversations filled with harsh and unkind words. Conversations that tear down rather than build up.
“Doing to others as we would not they should do unto us.” Doing the opposite of how Jesus taught his disciples to treat others. Being rude and disrespectful to others. Not being lenient in our judgment of them or making allowances for them. Harboring grudges against them and refusing to forgive them. Deliberately avoiding them and not speaking to them instead of pursuing reconciliation with them as Jesus taught. Showing them little or no kindness or grace.
“Doing what we know is not for the glory of God, as:”
“The putting on of gold and costly apparel.” Buying and wearing expensive clothing and jewelry to draw attention to ourselves, to make an ostentatious display of our wealth and social status, and to make other people feel inferior to us.
“The taking such diversions as cannot be used in the name of the Lord Jesus.” A modern-day example might be spiking someone’s drink, taking sexual advantage of them, videorecording it, and then showing the video to friends or on the internet.
Playing badminton or croquet is an innocent diversion but going to a cockfight or dogfight in which animals kill each other would not be considered such in light of what Scripture teaches about kindness to animals.
“The singing those songs, or reading those books, which do not tend to the knowledge or love of God.” Listening to rap music that denigrates women and extols violence. Watching porn videos.
“Softness and needless self-indulgence.” I leave that one to your imagination. It should not be hard in our day and age.
“Laying up treasure upon earth.” Being obsessed with the accumulation of wealth and possessions.
“Borrowing without a probability of paying; or taking up goods without a probability of paying for them.” Borrowing money under false pretenses with no intention of repaying the individual from whom you borrowed the money. Promising to pay for something later with no intention of doing so. Taking advantage of someone else’s good nature and their generosity.
Wesley’s list is not exhaustive. I imagine that we all can come up with more evils to add to his list.
Here are some questions that you might like to ask yourself at the close of each day as you review the day.
In what ways did I fail to keep from doing harm this day?
In what ways did I fail to avoid evil?
With what temptations do I find myself struggling?
Confess your failings to God and ask his forgiveness.
Ask God for more grace and a heart and mind open to his grace.
Ask God to enable you to use the grace that he supplies.
Ask God to increase in you his Holy Spirit and to enable you to be more responsive to the leadings of the Holy Spirit.
Don’t forget to thank God for the changes that he is making in you.
Most of all thank God for the pure love that he is pouring into your heart, enabling you to love him and to love your fellow human beings.
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
Let us pray.
God, most gracious and most holy,
grant us the help of your Spirit
as we pray for the Church and the world.
We pray for the Church in every land . . .
for this church and for other local churches . . .
that we may worship and serve you
with reverence and joy.
Silence
Lord, hear us.
Lord, graciously hear us.
We pray for the peoples of the world . . .
and for the leaders of the nations . . .
that all may work together for justice and peace.
Silence
Lord, hear us.
Lord, graciously hear us.
We pray for those who are ill or distressed . . .
for the lonely and the bereaved . . .
and for those in any other need or trouble . . .
that they may be comforted and sustained.
Silence
Lord, hear us.
Lord, graciously hear us.
Father, we remember before you
all your servants who have died in the faith of Christ . . .
We pray that we too may lead faithful and godly lives in this world,
and finally share with all the saints in everlasting joy;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Collect
O God,
you have prepared for those who love you
such good things as pass our understanding:
Pour into our hearts such love towards you,
that, loving you above all things,
we may obtain your promises
which exceed all that we can desire;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
RESPONSE
Open this link in a new tab to hear Joh L. Bell’s “Kyrie (Columbia)”
Lord, have mercy upon is.
Lord, have mercy upon us.
Lord, have mercy upon us.
Christ, have mercy upon us.
Christ, have mercy upon us.
Christ, have mercy upon us.
Lord, have mercy upon is.
Lord, have mercy upon us.
Lord, have mercy upon us.
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
The blessing of God,
the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit,
remain with us always. Amen.
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