All Hallows Evening Prayer for Saturday Evening (July 23, 2022)

 

PROCLAMATION OF THE LIGHT

One or more candles may be lit.

Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. Luke 1:9

EVENING HYMN

Open this link in a new tab to hear F. Bland Tucker’s translation of the Phos hilaron, “O Gracious Light.”

O Gracious Light, Lord Jesus Christ,
In you the Father’s glory shone.
Immortal, holy, blest is he,
And blest are you, his holy Son.

Now sunset comes, but light shines forth,
the lamps are lit to pierce the night.
Praise Father, Son, and Spirit: God
Who dwells in the eternal light.

Worthy are you of endless praise,
O Son of God, Life-giving Lord;
Wherefore you are through all the earth
And in the highest heaven adored.

O Gracious Light!

PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING

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

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 Geral Near’s choral arrangement of Isaac Watt’s “Christ Hath a Garden Walled Around.”

Christ hath a garden walled around,
A Paradise of fruitful ground,
Chosen by love and fenced by grace
From out the world's wide wilderness.

Like trees of spice his servants stand,
There planted by his mighty hand;
By Eden's gracious streams, that flow
To feed their beauty where they grow.

Awake, O wind of heav'n and bear
Their sweetest perfume through the air:
Stir up, O south, the boughs that bloom,
Till the beloved Master come:

That he may come, and linger yet
Among the trees that he hath set;
That he may evermore be seen
To walk amid the springing green.

SCRIPTURE

Colossians 2:6-15 Freedom from Rules and New Life in Christ

And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.

Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ. For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.

When you came to Christ, you were “circumcised,” but not by a physical procedure. Christ performed a spiritual circumcision—the cutting away of your sinful nature. For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead.

You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.

Silence

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

HOMILY

Deep Roots 

Every spring dandelions pop up all over my lawn and my neighbors’ lawns up and down the street. Those who are obsessed with a perfect lawn launch their annual campaign of eradication. I just leave the dandelions be. Their yellow blossoms are a welcome sign of spring like the daffodils and the forsythia.

Dandelions are very beneficial plants. Their flowers provide pollen for the bees. Their tender young leaves can be used in salads. Their roots can be brewed as a herbal tea, or tisane. Since I was a small child, I have loved their clocks, their puffballs of seeds, each seed at the end of a thread that can carry it through the air. Dandelions will grow in just about any patch of soil. And they multiply! Indeed, Christians could take a lesson from the dandelions and multiply like they do.

When I read today’s reading, Colossians 2:6-15, I thought of another way we could be like dandelions. Paul urges the Colossians to let their roots grow down into Christ. Dandelion roots go down deep into the earth and bring up nutrients for the lawn. Their deep roots are one of the reasons they are difficult to eradicate. Like the dandelion we should put down deep roots, not into the earth but into Christ, not only drawing up nourishment from him for ourselves but also for others.

How do we grow deep roots into Christ? We keep on following Christ as our Lord, surrendering our life completely to him and patterning our lives on his teaching and example. We keep on putting our faith in Christ, believing ad trusting in him and his words, and loving others, showing them the same compassion and mercy that God shows us. We keep on praying for those who treat us badly. We keep on doing to others as we would have them to do to us. We keep on forgiving others their failings. We keep on loving one another as Christ loved us. We keep on pointing others to Christ. We keep on making disciples as Christ instructed. God will supply us with his grace, the power of the Holy Spirit working in our lives, to keep on following Christ as our Lord. 

Christians who put down deep roots into Christ endure. If you have driven around a community after a severe thunderstorm, you may notice some trees have been uprooted and toppled due to the heavy rain and wind. They were not deeply rooted in the earth. The trees that remain standing are the ones that are deeply rooted. They may have suffered damage, but they are still standing.

When we are deeply rooted into Christ, we are like those trees. Our faith may take a battering, but it will survive adversity. We will persevere. Like the humble dandelion with its deep roots our faith will prove difficult to destroy. We will flourish, and yes, we will multiply, pointing others to Christ and making disciples for our Lord.

Silence is kept

AFFIRMATION OF FAITH

Open this link in a new tab to hear Ryan Flanigan’s setting of the Apostles Creed.

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only son, our Lord
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit
And born of the virgin Mary

He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried
He descended to the dead, on the third day he rose again
He ascended into heaven, and is seen at the right hand of the father
He will come again to judge the living and the dead

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church
The communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins
The resurrection of the body and the life everlasting
Amen

SONG OF PRAISE

Open this link in a new tab to hear Stuart Townend’s “My Soul Will Magnify.”

My soul will magnify the Lord
I rejoice in God, my Savior
In the wonder of His favor
For He has done great things for me
He was mindful of His servant
Every age shall call be blessed
The hope of Abraham come
In the giving of the Son
For He who promised is mighty
In remembering His mercy

My soul will magnify the Lord
For His grace to those who fear Him
Through every generation
The proud He scatters to the wind
As the ruler's strength is broken
And the rich are left with nothing
The humble lifted high
And the hungry satisfied
Our portion and our treasure
Our hope and help forever

My soul will magnify the Lord
I rejoice in God, my Savior
In the wonder of His favor

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE

During the silence that follows each bidding, the congregation may pray aloud or silently for each concern or need

To our Father in heaven
let us make our requests with thanksgiving,
through our only mediator,
Jesus Christ the Son.

I ask your prayers for peace in the life of the world ...
Pray for God's peace.

Silence

I ask your prayers for all who suffer injury, sickness and loss ...
Pray for all who are afflicted. 

Silence

I ask your prayers for all who wield authority and influence ...
Pray for all who exercise power.

Silence

I ask your prayers for all whom we have wronged ...
Pray for all who hate us.

Silence

I ask your prayers for our bishop(s) ...
and for all whom Christ has appointed to his service ...
Pray for God's people.

Silence

I ask your prayers for ...

During the silence members of the congregation may ask the prayers of the congregation for specific concerns and needs

Silence

Give thanks to God for all
in whom Christ has been honoured,
(especially ... )

Silence

O God, whose will it is
that all should find salvation
and come to know the truth:
receive the prayers and petitions
which we offer in faith and love;
through him who gave proof of your purpose,
and who sacrificed himself
to win freedom for all humankind,
Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

The Collect

Almighty and merciful God,
more ready to hear than we to pray,
giving more than we desire or deserve;
pour upon us the abundance of your mercy,
forgive those things
of which our conscience is afraid,
and give us those good things
which we are not worthy to ask,
except through your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ.
Amen.

RESPONSE

Open this link in a new tab to hear Steve Angrisano’ s setting of “Lord have mercy."

Lord have mercy
Lord have mercy
Christ have mercy
Christ have mercy
Lord have mercy
Lord have mercy

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.