All Hallows Evening Prayer for Sunday Evening (July 24, 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 Percy Dearmer’s “Jesus, Good Above All Other.”
1 Jesus, good above all other,
gentle child of gentle mother,
in a stable born our brother,
give us grace to persevere.
2 Jesus, cradled in a manger,
for us facing every danger,
living as a homeless stranger,
make we thee our King most dear.
3 Jesus, for thy people dying,
risen Master, death defying,
Lord in heaven, thy grace supplying,
keep us to thy presence near.
4 Jesus, who our sorrows bearest,
all our thoughts and hopes thou sharest,
thou to us the truth declarest;
help us all thy truth to hear.
5 Lord, in all our doings guide us;
pride and hate shall ne'er divide us;
we'll go on with thee beside us,
and with joy we'll persevere.
SCRIPTURE
Luke 11: 1-13 Teaching about Prayer
Once Jesus was in a certain place praying. As he finished, one of his disciples came to him and said, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”
Jesus said, “This is how you should pray:
“Father, may your name be kept holy.
May your Kingdom come soon.
Give us each day the food we need,
and forgive us our sins,
as we forgive those who sin against us.
And don’t let us yield to temptation.”
Then, teaching them more about prayer, he used this story: “Suppose you went to a friend’s house at midnight, wanting to borrow three loaves of bread. You say to him, ‘A friend of mine has just arrived for a visit, and I have nothing for him to eat.’ And suppose he calls out from his bedroom, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is locked for the night, and my family and I are all in bed. I can’t help you.’ But I tell you this—though he won’t do it for friendship’s sake, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence.
“And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.
“You fathers—if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.”
Silence
May your word live in us
and bear much fruit to your glory
HOMILY
One of the places I sometimes go to pray is the rear of an old Methodist chapel which is in walking distance of my home. It is shaded from the sun by the building in the late afternoon. It is a quiet, peaceful spot. It faces the churchyard which has graves dating back to when the chapel was first founded. I have been praying there on and off since I moved to western Kentucky.
When I was a boy in England, parish church doors were left unlocked, and one could go inside a church and pray or just sit. I would cycle from village church to village church, attracted by the numinous atmosphere of these buildings which often were centuries old. If you are not familiar with the word, “numinous,” it means to have a deep spiritual quality or connection. The buildings had been hallowed by centuries of prayer.
Due to vandalism and in some case the performance of satanic rituals in a church building and the building’s intentional desecration churches are no longer left open—a unfortunate turn of events.
One of my favorite spots to pray here in the United States was the old church in my former parish, the church that I attended as a teenager. Built in 1846 and consecrated in 1847, it is the oldest public building in the town in which it is located and is still in use with two celebrations of Holy Communion on Sundays and a healing service on Wednesdays.
When I was a lay reader in the parish, I read Morning Prayer in the old church on Saturday mornings and would go the old church at other times to pray. Like the English churches that I visited as a boy, it had a numinous atmosphere. While it was not as old as the English churches, it too had been hallowed by prayer.
During his earthly ministry Jesus would often retire to a deserted place to pray, to commune with his Father in heaven. He also attended the local synagogue and took part in the public prayers. He went to the religious festivals at the Temple in Jerusalem. His example has set the pattern of the prayer life of many generations of Christians.
Today’s reading, Luke 11: 1-13, is one of several passages in the Gospels in which are recorded Jesus’ teaching about prayer. The other passages are Matthew 6: 5-15, Matthew 7: 7-11, and Luke 18: 1-8.
Jesus taught that we should keep praying and not give up. In today’s reading he uses an illustration of perseverance in prayer someone who keeps knocking on a friend’s door at midnight, asking to borrow three loaves of bread to feed an unexpected guest. The friend may at first refuse to get up and give him the bread but if he keeps knocking, the friend will eventually get up and give him what he needs due to his shameless persistence. The friend may wish to avoid shame or damage to his reputation.
With this illustration and the story of the persistent widow in Luke 8: 1-8, Jesus encourages us to continue praying even though it may be difficult or take a long time for God to answer our prayers. He tells us that if we who are evil do good things for our children, God who is goodness itself can be expected to do good things for us. He concludes the story of the persistent widow with the reminder that God hears the cries of his people and will grant them justice. With this illustration and parable in mind, I sometimes begin my prayer time with these words, “This is me, Lord, knocking on your door and begging for bread….”
In his teaching Jesus stresses the importance of forgiveness and reconciliation. He taught his disciples that they should even forgo their religious duties to make peace with the other person when a rift developed between them and someone else.
We may be open to reconciliation with the other person. They, on the other hand, may harbor ill-feelings toward us and may not be able to forgive us. They may resist our efforts to make peace with them and to restore friendly relations with them. This does not, however, free us from pursuing reconciliation with them. As Jesus pointed to the attention of his first disciples, what is impossible for human beings is not impossible for God. For that reason and God’s willingness to give us the good things for which we ask, we should pray, asking God to set things right between us and them—to soften their heart and to help them to relent, to forgive us and make peace with us. We may face new obstacles and experience setbacks. But taking our cue from Jesus, we should keep on praying and not give up.
Reconciliation does not mean that we will enjoy the kind of relationship which we may have once enjoyed with them. But it does mean that we will have made peace with them. In doing so we will have done what is pleasing to God.
Reconciliation is not the only thing that requires that we persevere in prayer. The salvation of loved ones, the spiritual growth of others and our own spiritual growth; the healing of a particular individual; the protection of others and ourselves from the spiritual forces of evil working in the world, from all evil doers, from all forms of evil, from all forms of temptation; victory over besetting sins; not yielding to temptation; and the advancement of God’s kingdom are some others.
Whether God answers our prayers in the way that we hoped is not so important as through prayer we are maintaining our relationship with God. As the first Church of England Bishop of Liverpool J. C. Ryle observed is that we cannot have a relationship with someone if we do not talk to them. This is one of the reasons that some people do not talk to us or want us to speak to them because they are afraid of a relationship with us. God, on the other hand, wants us to talk to him: he wants to be our friend, to be in relationship with us.
Prayer is also a way of showing our faith and trust in God and in Jesus whom he sent, our confidence in God’s words and Jesus’ words. It is a way of expressing our love for those for whom we are praying, for expressing our goodwill toward them. We are sharing with God our concern for their physical, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing. We are asking God to give them help and to show them favor.
Prayer is an important means of grace too. God molds us and shapes us through prayer as a potter molds and shapes clay on his wheel. He enables us to will what is pleasing to him and works with us when we do.
What may be my most favorite hymn from my childhood is today’s Hymn of the Day, Percy Dearmer’s “Jesus Good Above All Other.” It takes the form of a prayer. It begins with these words:
Jesus, good above all other,
gentle child of gentle mother,
in a stable born our brother,
give us grace to persevere.
It concludes:
Lord, in all our doings guide us;
pride and hate shall ne'er divide us;
we'll go on with thee beside us,
and with joy we'll persevere.
To those sentiments I can only say, “Amen!!”
Silence is kept
AFFIRMATION OF FAITH
Open this link 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.
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 Percy Dearmer’s “Jesus, Good Above All Other.”
1 Jesus, good above all other,
gentle child of gentle mother,
in a stable born our brother,
give us grace to persevere.
2 Jesus, cradled in a manger,
for us facing every danger,
living as a homeless stranger,
make we thee our King most dear.
3 Jesus, for thy people dying,
risen Master, death defying,
Lord in heaven, thy grace supplying,
keep us to thy presence near.
4 Jesus, who our sorrows bearest,
all our thoughts and hopes thou sharest,
thou to us the truth declarest;
help us all thy truth to hear.
5 Lord, in all our doings guide us;
pride and hate shall ne'er divide us;
we'll go on with thee beside us,
and with joy we'll persevere.
SCRIPTURE
Luke 11: 1-13 Teaching about Prayer
Once Jesus was in a certain place praying. As he finished, one of his disciples came to him and said, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”
Jesus said, “This is how you should pray:
“Father, may your name be kept holy.
May your Kingdom come soon.
Give us each day the food we need,
and forgive us our sins,
as we forgive those who sin against us.
And don’t let us yield to temptation.”
Then, teaching them more about prayer, he used this story: “Suppose you went to a friend’s house at midnight, wanting to borrow three loaves of bread. You say to him, ‘A friend of mine has just arrived for a visit, and I have nothing for him to eat.’ And suppose he calls out from his bedroom, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is locked for the night, and my family and I are all in bed. I can’t help you.’ But I tell you this—though he won’t do it for friendship’s sake, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence.
“And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.
“You fathers—if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.”
Silence
May your word live in us
and bear much fruit to your glory
HOMILY
Perseverance in Prayer
One of the places I sometimes go to pray is the rear of an old Methodist chapel which is in walking distance of my home. It is shaded from the sun by the building in the late afternoon. It is a quiet, peaceful spot. It faces the churchyard which has graves dating back to when the chapel was first founded. I have been praying there on and off since I moved to western Kentucky.
When I was a boy in England, parish church doors were left unlocked, and one could go inside a church and pray or just sit. I would cycle from village church to village church, attracted by the numinous atmosphere of these buildings which often were centuries old. If you are not familiar with the word, “numinous,” it means to have a deep spiritual quality or connection. The buildings had been hallowed by centuries of prayer.
Due to vandalism and in some case the performance of satanic rituals in a church building and the building’s intentional desecration churches are no longer left open—a unfortunate turn of events.
One of my favorite spots to pray here in the United States was the old church in my former parish, the church that I attended as a teenager. Built in 1846 and consecrated in 1847, it is the oldest public building in the town in which it is located and is still in use with two celebrations of Holy Communion on Sundays and a healing service on Wednesdays.
When I was a lay reader in the parish, I read Morning Prayer in the old church on Saturday mornings and would go the old church at other times to pray. Like the English churches that I visited as a boy, it had a numinous atmosphere. While it was not as old as the English churches, it too had been hallowed by prayer.
During his earthly ministry Jesus would often retire to a deserted place to pray, to commune with his Father in heaven. He also attended the local synagogue and took part in the public prayers. He went to the religious festivals at the Temple in Jerusalem. His example has set the pattern of the prayer life of many generations of Christians.
Today’s reading, Luke 11: 1-13, is one of several passages in the Gospels in which are recorded Jesus’ teaching about prayer. The other passages are Matthew 6: 5-15, Matthew 7: 7-11, and Luke 18: 1-8.
Jesus taught that we should keep praying and not give up. In today’s reading he uses an illustration of perseverance in prayer someone who keeps knocking on a friend’s door at midnight, asking to borrow three loaves of bread to feed an unexpected guest. The friend may at first refuse to get up and give him the bread but if he keeps knocking, the friend will eventually get up and give him what he needs due to his shameless persistence. The friend may wish to avoid shame or damage to his reputation.
With this illustration and the story of the persistent widow in Luke 8: 1-8, Jesus encourages us to continue praying even though it may be difficult or take a long time for God to answer our prayers. He tells us that if we who are evil do good things for our children, God who is goodness itself can be expected to do good things for us. He concludes the story of the persistent widow with the reminder that God hears the cries of his people and will grant them justice. With this illustration and parable in mind, I sometimes begin my prayer time with these words, “This is me, Lord, knocking on your door and begging for bread….”
In his teaching Jesus stresses the importance of forgiveness and reconciliation. He taught his disciples that they should even forgo their religious duties to make peace with the other person when a rift developed between them and someone else.
We may be open to reconciliation with the other person. They, on the other hand, may harbor ill-feelings toward us and may not be able to forgive us. They may resist our efforts to make peace with them and to restore friendly relations with them. This does not, however, free us from pursuing reconciliation with them. As Jesus pointed to the attention of his first disciples, what is impossible for human beings is not impossible for God. For that reason and God’s willingness to give us the good things for which we ask, we should pray, asking God to set things right between us and them—to soften their heart and to help them to relent, to forgive us and make peace with us. We may face new obstacles and experience setbacks. But taking our cue from Jesus, we should keep on praying and not give up.
Reconciliation does not mean that we will enjoy the kind of relationship which we may have once enjoyed with them. But it does mean that we will have made peace with them. In doing so we will have done what is pleasing to God.
Reconciliation is not the only thing that requires that we persevere in prayer. The salvation of loved ones, the spiritual growth of others and our own spiritual growth; the healing of a particular individual; the protection of others and ourselves from the spiritual forces of evil working in the world, from all evil doers, from all forms of evil, from all forms of temptation; victory over besetting sins; not yielding to temptation; and the advancement of God’s kingdom are some others.
Whether God answers our prayers in the way that we hoped is not so important as through prayer we are maintaining our relationship with God. As the first Church of England Bishop of Liverpool J. C. Ryle observed is that we cannot have a relationship with someone if we do not talk to them. This is one of the reasons that some people do not talk to us or want us to speak to them because they are afraid of a relationship with us. God, on the other hand, wants us to talk to him: he wants to be our friend, to be in relationship with us.
Prayer is also a way of showing our faith and trust in God and in Jesus whom he sent, our confidence in God’s words and Jesus’ words. It is a way of expressing our love for those for whom we are praying, for expressing our goodwill toward them. We are sharing with God our concern for their physical, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing. We are asking God to give them help and to show them favor.
Prayer is an important means of grace too. God molds us and shapes us through prayer as a potter molds and shapes clay on his wheel. He enables us to will what is pleasing to him and works with us when we do.
What may be my most favorite hymn from my childhood is today’s Hymn of the Day, Percy Dearmer’s “Jesus Good Above All Other.” It takes the form of a prayer. It begins with these words:
Jesus, good above all other,
gentle child of gentle mother,
in a stable born our brother,
give us grace to persevere.
It concludes:
Lord, in all our doings guide us;
pride and hate shall ne'er divide us;
we'll go on with thee beside us,
and with joy we'll persevere.
To those sentiments I can only say, “Amen!!”
Silence is kept
AFFIRMATION OF FAITH
Open this link 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.
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.
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