All Hallows Evening Prayer for Saturday Evening (August 13, 2022)
One or more candles may be lit.
‘Is not my word like fire,’ says the Lord, ‘and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?’ Jeremiah 23:29
EVENING HYMN
Open this link in a new tab to hear Carl P. Daw Jr.’s evening hymn, “O Light Whose Splendor Thrills and Gladdens.”
O Light whose splendor thrills and gladdens
with radiance brighter than the sun,
pure gleam of God's unending glory,
O Jesus, blest Anointed One;
as twilight hovers near at sunset,
and lamps are lit, and children nod,
in evening hymns we lift our voices
to Father, Spirit, Son: one God.
In all life's brilliant, timeless moments,
let faithful voices sing your praise,
O Son of God, our Life-bestower,
whose glory lightens endless days.
PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
Blessed are you, Sovereign God,
our light and our salvation,
eternal creator of day and night,
to you be glory and praise for ever.
Now, as darkness is falling,
hear the prayer of your faithful people.
As we look for your coming in glory,
wash away our transgressions,
cleanse us by your refining fire
and make us temples of your Holy Spirit.
By the light of Christ,
dispel the darkness of our hearts
and make us ready to enter your kingdom,
where songs of praise for ever sound.
Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Blessed be God for ever. Amen.
HYMN OF THE DAY
Open this link in a new tab to hear the Willard F. Jabusch's “Torah Song.”
Open your ears, O faithful people,
open your ears and hear God's word.
Open your hearts, O royal priesthood,
God has come to you.
God has spoken to the people, Hallelujah!
God has spoken words of wisdom, Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
God has spoken to the people, Hallelujah!
God has spoken words of wisdom, Hallelujah!
They who have ears to hear the message,
they who have ears, now let them hear.
They who would learn the way of wisdom,
let them hear God's word.
God has spoken to the people, Hallelujah!
God has spoken words of wisdom, Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
God has spoken to the people, Hallelujah!
God has spoken words of wisdom, Hallelujah!
Israel comes to greet the Savior,
Judah is glad to see his day.
From east and west the peoples travel,
he will show the way.
God has spoken to the people, Hallelujah!
God has spoken words of wisdom, Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
God has spoken to the people, Hallelujah!
God has spoken words of wisdom, Hallelujah!
Torah ora, torah ora, Hallelujah!
Torah ora, torah ora, Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Torah ora, torah ora, Hallelujah!
Torah ora, torah ora, Hallelujah!
Open your ears, O faithful people,
open your ears and hear God's word.
Open your hearts, O royal priesthood,
God has come to you.
SCRIPTURE
Jeremiah 23: 23-29 A Warning against False Prophets
Am I a God who is only close at hand?” says the Lord.
“No, I am far away at the same time.
Can anyone hide from me in a secret place?
Am I not everywhere in all the heavens and earth?”
says the Lord.
“I have heard these prophets say, ‘Listen to the dream I had from God last night.’ And then they proceed to tell lies in my name. How long will this go on? If they are prophets, they are prophets of deceit, inventing everything they say. By telling these false dreams, they are trying to get my people to forget me, just as their ancestors did by worshipping the idols of Baal.
“Let these false prophets tell their dreams,
but let my true messengers faithfully proclaim my every word.
There is a difference between straw and grain!
Does not my word burn like fire?”
says the Lord.
“Is it not like a mighty hammer
that smashes a rock to pieces?
Silence
May your word live in us
and bear much fruit to your glory
HOMILY
“There is a difference between straw and grain!” If you have not lived in farm country where they grow wheat, barley, rice, millet, sorghum, and other cereal crops that can be separated into straw and grain, you may not have any idea what this passage from today’s reading, Jeremiah 23: 23-29, means. Straw is the dried stems of these crops. It may be used to feed donkeys and other animals or as bedding for animals to lie on, and for making traditional objects like straw mats, straw baskets, straw rope, straw hats, and straw sandals, depending on the kind of straw. A layer of straw may be added to a compost heap and allowed to decay with other plant material so the decaying plant material can be added to the soil to improve its quality. Straw may also be used as thatching for a roof.
However, human beings cannot eat straw. They are unable to digest it.
Human beings can eat grain, the seeds from a plant like a grass such as wheat, barley, rice, millet, and sorghum provided that they are cooked. They can be boiled; steamed; soaked in water, dried, cracked, and then cooked; or in the case of wheat and barley, ground into flour and make into bread. Indeed, grain is a mainstay of the people’s diet in many parts of the world.
In this passage the inventions of false prophets, those things that they claim to have heard from God in a dream, are compared to straw and the words of God’s true messengers are compared to grain. One cannot nourish us, the other can.
While most of us are not likely to have someone tell us that God spoke to them in a dream, there are modern-day equivalents of the false prophets of Jeremiah’s day. They may claim to speak for God, but their messages are their own invention. One tell-sign sign mentioned in today’s reading is that their message is likely to point away from God rather than to point to God. We may encounter them on the internet or cable TV, in the pulpit, or in the Sunday school classroom. They may come knocking on our door.
Jesus himself warned his disciples about false prophets.
Among the ways that we can guard against false prophets is to learn and use sound principles of Bible interpretation and test any message that someone claims to have personally received from God against what the Scripture teaches. God is not going to contradict what he says in Scripture.
We can also guard against false prophets by studying the different ways that Scripture can be twisted and misinterpreted. A false prophets may claim that God has shown them the right way to interpret a specific passage of Scripture but the particular interpretation of that passage which a false prophet may claim God has given them may ignore the context of the passage, may ignore the plain meaning of the passage, or may not be something that can be read out of the passage.
A third way that we can guard against false prophets is to study the character, teaching, and life of Jesus. Jesus is his followers’ exemplar, teacher, principal interpreter of Scripture, and spiritual guide. If, for example, a preacher, Sunday school teacher, or someone else say that a Scripture passage tells us that we should act in a particular way toward other people and that interpretation of the passage does not agree with what Jesus taught or practiced, the validity of their interpretation must be questioned. Jesus should always be the first authority to whom we turn for what Scripture teaches.
A fourth way to discern a false prophet is that their messages are apt to point in some way to themselves or someone or something other than God or Jesus.
Whatever a false prophet says will not provide spiritual nourishment like Scripture. It will not be a channel through which God’s grace flows to us. It will not renew our minds, restore God’s image in us or transform us into the likeness of our Lord. It is straw, not grain. Dry, indigestible straw.
Silence
AFFIRMATION OF FAITH
Let us affirm our faith in the words of the Apostles Creed.
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth;
and in Jesus Christ, His only Son Our Lord,
Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into Hell; the third day He rose again from the dead;
He ascended into Heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God, the Father almighty; from thence He shall come 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 life everlasting. Amen.
SONG OF PRAISE
Open this link in a new tab to hear the Carl P. Daw Jr. 's paraphrase of the Magnificat, "My Soul Proclaims with Wonder."
My soul proclaims with wonder
the greatness of the Lord;
rejoicing in God's goodness,
my spirit is restored.
For God has looked with favor,
on one the world thought frail;
and blessings through the ages will echo
the angel's first "All hail."
My soul proclaims with wonder
the greatness of the Lord;
rejoicing in God's goodness,
my spirit is restored.
God's mercy shields the faithful
and gives them safe retreat
to arms that turns to scatter
the proud in their conceit.
My soul proclaims with wonder
the greatness of the Lord;
rejoicing in God's goodness,
my spirit is restored.
The mighty have been vanquished;
the lowly lifted up.
The hungry find abundance;
the rich, an empty cup.
My soul proclaims with wonder
the greatness of the Lord;
rejoicing in God's goodness,
my spirit is restored.
To Abraham's descendants
the Lord will steadfast prove,
for God has made with Israel
a covenant of love.
My soul proclaims with wonder
the greatness of the Lord;
rejoicing in God's goodness,
my spirit is restored.
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
Let us complete our evening prayer to the Lord.
Lord have mercy.
For peace from on high and our salvation, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord have mercy.
For the welfare of all churches and for the unity of the human family, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord have mercy.
For (name), our bishop, and (name), our pastor, and for all ministers of the Gospel, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord have mercy.
For our nation, its government, and for all who serve and protect us, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord have mercy.
For this city (town, university, monastery…). For every city and community, and for all those living in them, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord have mercy.
For the good earth which God has given us and for the wisdom and will to conserve it, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord have mercy.
For the safety of travelers, the recovery of the sick, the care of the destitute and the release of prisoners, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord have mercy.
For an angel of peace to guide and protect us, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord have mercy.
For a peaceful evening and a night free from sin, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord have mercy.
For a Christian end to our lives and for all who have fallen asleep in Christ, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord have mercy.
In the communion of the Holy Spirit (and of all the saints), let us commend ourselves and one another to the living God through Christ our Lord.
To you, O Lord.
Free Prayer
In silent or spontaneous prayer all bring before God the concerns of the day.
The Collect
Come Holy Spirit,
to all baptised in your name,
that we may turn to good
whatever lies ahead.
Give us passion, give us fire;
make us transform the world from what it is,
to what you have created it to be.
This we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
RESPONSE
Open this link in a new tab to hear the “Kyrie” from Healey Willan’s Missa De Sancta Maria Magdalen.
Lord have mercy
Lord have mercy
Lord have mercy
Christ have mercy
Christ have mercy
Christ have mercy
Lord 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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