All Hallows Evening Prayer for Wednesday Evening (July 13, 2022)

PROCLAMATION OF THE LIGHT

One or more candles may be lit.

Do to others as you would like them to do to you. Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Luke 6:31, 35

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 Martin Leckebusch’s “Called by Christ to Be Disciples.”

1 Called by Christ to be disciples
every day in every place,
we are not to hide as hermits
but to spread the way of grace;
citizens of heaven’s kingdom,
though this world is where we live,
as we serve a faithful Master,
faithful service may we give.

2 Richly varied are our pathways,
many callings we pursue:
may we use our gifts and talents
always, Lord, to honour you;
so in government or commerce,
college, hospice, farm or home,
whether volunteers or earning,
may we see your kingdom come.

3 Hard decisions may confront us,
urging us to compromise;
still obedience is our watchword—
make us strong and make us wise!
Secular is turned to sacred,
made a precious offering,
as our daily lives are fashioned
in submission to our King.

SCRIPTURE

Luke 9:37-50 A Bad Day for the Disciples

The next day, after they had come down the mountain, a large crowd met Jesus. A man in the crowd called out to him, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, my only child. An evil spirit keeps seizing him, making him scream. It throws him into convulsions so that he foams at the mouth. It batters him and hardly ever leaves him alone. I begged your disciples to cast out the spirit, but they couldn’t do it.”

Jesus said, “You faithless and corrupt people! How long must I be with you and put up with you?” Then he said to the man, “Bring your son here.”

As the boy came forward, the demon knocked him to the ground and threw him into a violent convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the evil spirit and healed the boy. Then he gave him back to his father. Awe gripped the people as they saw this majestic display of God’s power.

While everyone was marveling at everything he was doing, Jesus said to his disciples, “Listen to me and remember what I say. The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of his enemies.” But they didn’t know what he meant. Its significance was hidden from them, so they couldn’t understand it, and they were afraid to ask him about it.

Then his disciples began arguing about which of them was the greatest. But Jesus knew their thoughts, so he brought a little child to his side. Then he said to them, “Anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me also welcomes my Father who sent me. Whoever is the least among you is the greatest.”

John said to Jesus, “Master, we saw someone using your name to cast out demons, but we told him to stop because he isn’t in our group.”

But Jesus said, “Don’t stop him! Anyone who is not against you is for you.”

Silence is kept.

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

HOMILY

Jesus, a Little Child, and a Lesson for Us All

It was not a good day for the disciples. They were unable to cast out an evil spirit from a boy whom the evil spirit had possessed and repeatedly sought to harm. They did not understand what Jesus meant when he talked to them about his betrayal and death. Then Jesus caught them bickering with each other over who was the greatest among them. Jesus takes them to task for stopping a man who was casting out demons in his name—doing what they were unable to do, because he was not one of their group.

Luke paints an unappealing portrait of the disciples in today’s reading, Luke 9: 37-50. Lacking faith. Dishonest. Thick-headed. Thinking too much of themselves. Petty. Quarrelsome. Unable to tolerate anyone succeeding where they failed. Possessive. Not friendly to those outside of their group. The men whom Jesus had chosen as his closest followers were not notable for their outstanding qualities of character.

Elsewhere in the Gospels, in Matthew and Mark’s Gospels, Jesus rebukes his disciples when they took it upon themselves to send away people who were bringing little children to him to lay his hands on and to bless. Judas Iscariot would betray Jesus. Simon Peter would deny Jesus. Thomas refused to believe the others when they told him Jesus had risen from the dead and is known as doubting Thomas to this day. No, they were not extraordinary men at all. They were like most of us.

While we get only glimpses of Jesus’ women followers in the Gospels, it is notable that they are portrayed in a far better light. While Mary is commended for sitting at Jesus’ feet and learning from him, it is busy Marth preoccupied with serving her guests, who recognizes Jesus for who he is—the Messiah.

The church in our time is in its way not much different from the disciples. We are wrangling with each other all the time about whose doctrines and practices are right. We are like kids in the school yard. “I am better than you are.” “My Dad is better than your Dad.” “My Mum is better than your Mum.” If we are not arguing with each other about one thing, we are arguing with each other about something else.

Our squabbling keeps us from following Jesus as we should. It dampens our trust in God and our faith in Jesus and impedes the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. It puts a brake on doing all the things Jesus would have us do—loving our neighbors as ourselves, loving those who have no love for us and doing good to them, treating others as we would wish to be treated, and loving each other.

What did Jesus do when he caught the disciples in the middle of one of their squabbles? Luke tells us—

“Jesus knew their thoughts, so he brought a little child to his side. Then he said to them, ‘Anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me also welcomes my Father who sent me. Whoever is the least among you is the greatest.’”

The disciples are trying to establish a “pecking order” among themselves. But Jesus tells them that none of his followers gets to stand on top of the manure pile and crow like a rooster. He turns their notions of greatness on its head. Among his followers the greatest are the least—the most unimportant, the humblest, the most-unassuming. On a separate occasion he told them that the greatest among his disciples would be the servant of all—a slave.

Jesus illustrates his point by bring a little child to his side. I doubt that the child was a scion of some wealthy family. In all likelihood it was a dirty, half-naked street urchin. Jesus then tells them that anyone who welcomes this ragamuffin, this dirty messy child in torn clothes, on his behalf welcomes him. And anyone who welcomes him, welcomes God who sent him.

I can imagine the look on his disciples’ faces. Here is this kid in rags, picking his nose, lice crawling in his hair, and Jesus is saying, if you welcome this kid in my name, you are welcoming me and with me, you are welcoming God. “You got to be kidding, Jesus,” they are thinking.

Welcoming a little child goes beyond meeting and speaking to them in a friendly way when they show up at our door. It means showing that we are genuinely pleased that they are with us and extending to them the hospitality that we would extend to a most honored guest. This is not just a kid off the street you are making welcome. Appearances are deceiving. This is God’s representative—Jesus himself. When we welcome them, we are welcoming God!

Yes, God comes to our church in the person of tiny babies and older kids whose mothers are solo parents and are struggling to care for them. God comes to our church in the person of pregnant teenagers. God comes to our church in the person of people in whom we least expect him to come.

But if we are going to welcome God in them, we cannot wait until they come to our door, we must go to them as Jesus did. If we are truly going to show people the kind of welcome and hospitality that Jesus expects his disciples to show, to show them the compassion and the mercy that God shows us, we must learn to minister to them outside of the walls of our meeting places. We must go where the people are as Jesus did and minister to them there. We must look for opportunities to minister to them in the community and in the world.

After all, we, not our meeting place, are the church, the body of Christ. We are Jesus’ people whom God has called out of darkness into his wonderful light. And why? To show God’s goodness, his loving kindness, and his grace. God has given us a message to proclaim—salvation through faith in Jesus—and a way of life to teach and exemplify—to love God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our mind, and with all our strength, and to love our neighbor as ourselves. God has also prepared good deeds for us to do, to express our faith through works of love and mercy. 

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

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 God,
you taught us through Christ
that love is the fulfilment of the law;
help us to love you with all our heart,
with all our soul, with all our mind,
and with all our strength,
and our neighbour as ourselves;
through Jesus Christ our Lord
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God now and forever.
Amen.

RESPONSE

Open this link in a new tab to hear Liturgical Folk’s setting of the Trisagion, "Holy God."

Holy God
holy and mighty
holy immortal one
have mercy
mercy
mercy upon us

Repeat 5 more times.

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.