All Hallows Evening Prayer for Wednesday Evening (June 22, 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 “O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing”
O for a thousand tongues to sing
my great Redeemer's praise,
my great Redeemer's praise,
the glories of my God and King,
the triumphs of his grace,
the triumphs of his grace,
the triumphs of his grace,
the triumphs of his grace!
My gracious Master and my God,
assist me to proclaim
assist me to proclaim
to spread through all the earth abroad
the honour of thy name,
the honour of thy name,
the honour of thy name,
the honour of thy name.
Jesus! the name that charms our fears,
that bids our sorrows cease;
that bids our sorrows cease;
'tis music in the sinner's ears,
'tis life and health and peace,
'tis life and health and peace,
'tis life and health and peace,
'tis life and health and peace.
He speaks; and, list'ning to his voice,
new life the dead receive,
new life the dead receive,
the mournful broken hearts rejoice,
the humble poor believe,
the humble poor believe,
the humble poor believe,
the humble poor believe.
He breaks the pow'r of cancelled sin,
he sets the pris'ner free;
he sets the pris'ner free;
his blood can make the foulest clean;
his blood availed for me,
his blood availed for me,
his blood availed for me,
his blood availed for me.
See all your sins on Jesus laid:
The Lamb of God was slain,
The Lamb of God was slain,
His soul was once an offering made
For every soul of man,
For every soul of man,
For every soul of man,
For every soul of man.
SCRIPTURE
1 Peter 2: 4-12 Called to Be God’s People
You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. He was rejected by people, but he was chosen by God for great honor.
And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God. As the Scriptures say,
“I am placing a cornerstone in Jerusalem,
chosen for great honor,
and anyone who trusts in him
will never be disgraced.”
Yes, you who trust him recognize the honor God has given him. But for those who reject him,
“The stone that the builders rejected
has now become the cornerstone.”
And,
“He is the stone that makes people stumble,
the rock that makes them fall.”
They stumble because they do not obey God’s word, and so they meet the fate that was planned for them.
But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.
“Once you had no identity as a people;
now you are God’s people.
Once you received no mercy;
now you have received God’s mercy.”
Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls. Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world.
Silence is kept.
May your word live in us
and bear much fruit to your glory
HOMILY
A Disciplined, Intentional Discipleship
In this homily series I propose to take a look at John Wesley’s three General Rules for Methodist societies. Keeping these General Rules Wesley made a condition for joining a Methodist society.
However, he recognized the value of providing the newly spiritually-awakened with a set of principles to help them live their lives according to Jesus’ teaching and example. The General Rules were based upon Scripture, and they were intended to facilitate the new believer’s growth in maturity of character and love of God. Wesley recognized that outward behavior unless it was accompanied by inward transformation—a change in attitudes and beliefs—was meaningless.
If you are not familiar with John Wesley, he was an eighteenth century Anglican priest who came from a long line of Non-Conformists but whose parents Samuel and Susanna Wesley were devoted members of the Church of England. Wesley’s father was an Anglican priest and rector. John and his brother Charles would follow in their father’s footsteps and become Anglican clergy. John Wesley was a leading figure in the eighteenth century Evangelical Revival and founder of the Methodist movement.
Eighteenth century England was a period in English history marked by extremes of poverty and wealth and widespread moral decline. Heavy drinking, alcoholism, blood sports, prostitution, gambling, street violence, and various forms of corruption were rife. Whole families were thrown into prison for unpaid debts. Woman and children were hung for minor crimes. Brandy and other foreign goods which were heavily taxed were smuggled into the country often with the connivance of the local magistrate. It was the beginning of the Industrial Revolution and child labor was not uncommon. Only families of means could afford to send their children to school or hire a tutor or governess. A large segment of the English population was illiterate. The bulk of the English population was nominally Christian at best.
John Wesley adopted the practice of field preaching, or open-air, preaching, following the example of our Lord, when the pulpits of London and Bristol were denied to him and when he discovered that the people whom he was seeking to reach were not admitted to the churches where he could preach. It was an age when the wealthier classes rented and even owned their box pews, and the poor were forced to stand in the aisles of the parish church if they were permitted admission to a parish church at all.
Preaching in the open air enabled Wesley to reach a much larger segment of the English population with gospel than he would have had he been permitted to preach in the local parish church. As his reputation as a preacher spread, more and more people flocked to hear his open-air sermons. Wesley himself observed that being outdoors itself appeared to have a convicting effect on those who gathered to hear him.
Wesley did not always meet with a friendly welcome where he preached. Clergy who viewed him as an intruder on their turf and the wealthier classes who regarded him as a threat to the established social order would incite a mob against him on a number of occasions, giving money to the local toughs and supplying them with liquor. God, however, enabled Wesley to escape the hands of the mob without serious injury on these occasions.
Opposition to Wesley from the clergy was primarily due to his preaching of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ and the need for repentance and conversion. Those who responded to Wesley’s message took following Jesus with far greater seriousness than their own parishioners and themselves. They viewed this seriousness as a negative development and dismissed it as what they called “enthusiasm.”
Wesley organized those who had spiritually awakened through his preaching into societies. These societies were not separate churches from the Church of England parish churches in the parishes where they were organized. Their members were encouraged to attend the parish church. Only after Wesley had died would the Methodist societies form themselves into independent chapels, separate from the Church of England. New wine cannot be stored in old wineskins. It requires new wineskins.
Wesley soon recognized that the organization of the spiritually-awakened into societies was not enough. He saw that if the spiritually-awakened were not to fall back asleep again, they needed to become more disciplined and more intentional in their discipleship. He drew up the three General Rules for this purpose. In an age that is resistant to any kind of rules, we may not see the usefulness of Wesley’s General Rules. However, for the early Methodists they provided the kind of structure that they needed to help them grow as followers of Jesus in a disciplined and intentional way.
Wesley’s three General Rules are uncomplicated:
First, By doing no harm, by avoiding evil of every kind, especially that which is most generally practiced….
Second, By doing good; by being in every kind merciful after their own power; as they have opportunity, doing good of every possible sort, and as far as possible, to all men….
Thirdly, by attending upon the ordinances of God; such are:
The public worship of God.
The ministry of the Word, either read or expounded.
The Supper of the Lord.
Family and private prayer.
Searching the Scripture.
Fasting or abstinence.
Wesley also concluded from the experience of the Methodist society in Bristol that small group meetings were also beneficial in enabling the spiritually-awakened to be more disciplined and intentional in their discipleship. Based on this experience, Wesley organized the Methodist societies into classes—small groups of up to twelve people—for mutual accountability, encouragement, and support. Each class was led by a class leader. The class met weekly. At its meetings the members of the class shared with each other the progress or lack of progress that they had been making as a follower of Jesus and offered each other encouragement and support. When a class grew larger than twelve people, it was divided into two classes.
Among the reasons that the Methodist movement would flourish after Wesley’s death is the establishment of the General Rules as the primary condition for membership in a Methodist society, later a Methodist chapel, and the formation of the small group class meeting. They would encourage the kind of methodical discipleship which characterized the early Methodist movement, and which is needed in many local churches in our time.
One of the challenges that faces the twenty-first century church is the tendency of those who attend the local church, whatever the denomination with which it is affiliated, to see themselves as consumers of a product or a service, rather than the disciples of a Lord who calls them to serve rather than to be served. As a consequence, church members and attendees differ very little from those who do not attend church. They are not living their lives according to Jesus’ teaching and example, and their witness to and for Jesus is negligible. They are having little if any positive impact upon their communities.
If you are not familiar with John Wesley, he was an eighteenth century Anglican priest who came from a long line of Non-Conformists but whose parents Samuel and Susanna Wesley were devoted members of the Church of England. Wesley’s father was an Anglican priest and rector. John and his brother Charles would follow in their father’s footsteps and become Anglican clergy. John Wesley was a leading figure in the eighteenth century Evangelical Revival and founder of the Methodist movement.
Eighteenth century England was a period in English history marked by extremes of poverty and wealth and widespread moral decline. Heavy drinking, alcoholism, blood sports, prostitution, gambling, street violence, and various forms of corruption were rife. Whole families were thrown into prison for unpaid debts. Woman and children were hung for minor crimes. Brandy and other foreign goods which were heavily taxed were smuggled into the country often with the connivance of the local magistrate. It was the beginning of the Industrial Revolution and child labor was not uncommon. Only families of means could afford to send their children to school or hire a tutor or governess. A large segment of the English population was illiterate. The bulk of the English population was nominally Christian at best.
John Wesley adopted the practice of field preaching, or open-air, preaching, following the example of our Lord, when the pulpits of London and Bristol were denied to him and when he discovered that the people whom he was seeking to reach were not admitted to the churches where he could preach. It was an age when the wealthier classes rented and even owned their box pews, and the poor were forced to stand in the aisles of the parish church if they were permitted admission to a parish church at all.
Preaching in the open air enabled Wesley to reach a much larger segment of the English population with gospel than he would have had he been permitted to preach in the local parish church. As his reputation as a preacher spread, more and more people flocked to hear his open-air sermons. Wesley himself observed that being outdoors itself appeared to have a convicting effect on those who gathered to hear him.
Wesley did not always meet with a friendly welcome where he preached. Clergy who viewed him as an intruder on their turf and the wealthier classes who regarded him as a threat to the established social order would incite a mob against him on a number of occasions, giving money to the local toughs and supplying them with liquor. God, however, enabled Wesley to escape the hands of the mob without serious injury on these occasions.
Opposition to Wesley from the clergy was primarily due to his preaching of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ and the need for repentance and conversion. Those who responded to Wesley’s message took following Jesus with far greater seriousness than their own parishioners and themselves. They viewed this seriousness as a negative development and dismissed it as what they called “enthusiasm.”
Wesley organized those who had spiritually awakened through his preaching into societies. These societies were not separate churches from the Church of England parish churches in the parishes where they were organized. Their members were encouraged to attend the parish church. Only after Wesley had died would the Methodist societies form themselves into independent chapels, separate from the Church of England. New wine cannot be stored in old wineskins. It requires new wineskins.
Wesley soon recognized that the organization of the spiritually-awakened into societies was not enough. He saw that if the spiritually-awakened were not to fall back asleep again, they needed to become more disciplined and more intentional in their discipleship. He drew up the three General Rules for this purpose. In an age that is resistant to any kind of rules, we may not see the usefulness of Wesley’s General Rules. However, for the early Methodists they provided the kind of structure that they needed to help them grow as followers of Jesus in a disciplined and intentional way.
Wesley’s three General Rules are uncomplicated:
First, By doing no harm, by avoiding evil of every kind, especially that which is most generally practiced….
Second, By doing good; by being in every kind merciful after their own power; as they have opportunity, doing good of every possible sort, and as far as possible, to all men….
Thirdly, by attending upon the ordinances of God; such are:
The public worship of God.
The ministry of the Word, either read or expounded.
The Supper of the Lord.
Family and private prayer.
Searching the Scripture.
Fasting or abstinence.
Wesley also concluded from the experience of the Methodist society in Bristol that small group meetings were also beneficial in enabling the spiritually-awakened to be more disciplined and intentional in their discipleship. Based on this experience, Wesley organized the Methodist societies into classes—small groups of up to twelve people—for mutual accountability, encouragement, and support. Each class was led by a class leader. The class met weekly. At its meetings the members of the class shared with each other the progress or lack of progress that they had been making as a follower of Jesus and offered each other encouragement and support. When a class grew larger than twelve people, it was divided into two classes.
Among the reasons that the Methodist movement would flourish after Wesley’s death is the establishment of the General Rules as the primary condition for membership in a Methodist society, later a Methodist chapel, and the formation of the small group class meeting. They would encourage the kind of methodical discipleship which characterized the early Methodist movement, and which is needed in many local churches in our time.
One of the challenges that faces the twenty-first century church is the tendency of those who attend the local church, whatever the denomination with which it is affiliated, to see themselves as consumers of a product or a service, rather than the disciples of a Lord who calls them to serve rather than to be served. As a consequence, church members and attendees differ very little from those who do not attend church. They are not living their lives according to Jesus’ teaching and example, and their witness to and for Jesus is negligible. They are having little if any positive impact upon their communities.
Christianity in North America and elsewhere would benefit greatly from the kind of disciplined and intentional discipleship that John Wesley encouraged. While it is tempting to blame secularism for the decline of Christian influence in North America, those who identify themselves as Christians are largely at fault due to the inadequacy of their witness. The impact that Christians have upon a community is proportional to the strength of their witness, to the extent that they are salt, light, and yeast in that commuity. Being salt, light, and yeast in a community requires a disciplined, intentional discipleship. Only the transformation of individual lives can bring about the transformation of the life of a community.
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.
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
Almighty God,
you have made us for yourself,
and our hearts are restless
till they find their rest in you;
so lead us by your Spirit
that in this life we may live to your glory
and in the life to come enjoy you for ever;
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.
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
Almighty God,
you have made us for yourself,
and our hearts are restless
till they find their rest in you;
so lead us by your Spirit
that in this life we may live to your glory
and in the life to come enjoy you for ever;
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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