All Hallows Evening Prayer for Thursday Evening (August 4, 2022)
PROCLAMATION OF THE LIGHT
One or more candles may be lit. If you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Colossians 3:1
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 Karen Laferty’ “Seek Ye First.”
Seek ye first the Kingdom of God
And His righteousness
And all these things shall be added unto you
Allelu Alleluia
Alleluia,
Alleluia,
Alleluia,
Allelu, Alleluia
Ask and it shall be given unto you
Seek and ye shall find
Knock and it shall be opened unto you
Allelu, Alleluia
Alleluia,
Alleluia,
Alleluia,
Allelu, Alleluia
We shall not live by bread alone
But by every word
That proceeds
From the mouth of the Lord
Allelu, Alleluia
Alleluia,
Alleluia,
Alleluia,
Allelu, Alleluia
SCRIPTURE
Luke 12:22-31 Teaching about Money and Possessions
Then, turning to his disciples, Jesus said, “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food to eat or enough clothes to wear. For life is more than food, and your body more than clothing. Look at the ravens. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for God feeds them. And you are far more valuable to him than any birds! Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? And if worry can’t accomplish a little thing like that, what’s the use of worrying over bigger things?
“Look at the lilies and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?
“And don’t be concerned about what to eat and what to drink. Don’t worry about such things. These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers all over the world, but your Father already knows your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need.
Silence
May your word live in us
and bear much fruit to your glory
HOMILY
On my daily walks, I often watch the birds flying overhead or perched in a tree. I listen to the cawing of the crows and cooing of the mourning dove. I often pass wildflowers growing at the edge of the road or in a ditch or I see wildflowers growing in a empty lot or field. I always stop to admire them and to drink in their beauty. Jesus’ words in today’s reading, Luke 12:22-31, come to mind and the words of tis song, which is based upon his words.
Look and learn from the birds of the air,
flying high above worry and fear;
neither sowing nor harvesting seed,
yet they’re given whatever they need.
If the God of earth and heaven
cares for birds as much as this,
won’t he care much more for you,
when you put your trust in him?
Look and learn from the flowers of the field,
bringing beauty and color to life;
neither sewing nor tailoring cloth,
yet they’re dressed in the finest attire.
If the God of earth and heaven
cares for flowers as much as this,
won’t he care much more for you,
when you put your trust in him?
What God wants should be our will;
where God calls should be our goal.
When we seek the kingdom first,
all we’ve lost is ours again.
Let’s be done with anxious thoughts,
set aside tomorrow’s cares,
live each day that God provides,
putting all our trust in him.
Nah Young-Soo, a member of the voice faculty at Hanyang University College of Music, Seoul, Korea, wrote the song, and John L. Bell, a Scottish pastor, hymn writer, and a member of the Iona Community, translated it into English. Except for a recording of a snippet of the song and a MIDI file, I was not able find the song on the internet.
For those who may be interested the snippet may be found here: https://hymnary.org/media/fetch/152465.
The MIDI file may be downloaded here: https://hymnary.org/hymn/SNC/186.
I think that Nah Young-Soo captures the essence of today’s reading in his song. Stop worrying about tomorrow and put our trust in God and God will take care of us. As Jesus tells his disciples and us, make God’s kingdom our number one priority and God will supply what we need.
We are prone to think about what is going to happen and to make ourselves anxious and worried, fearful of what the tomorrow might hold in store for us. We are uncomfortable with uncertainty.
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 Karen Laferty’ “Seek Ye First.”
Seek ye first the Kingdom of God
And His righteousness
And all these things shall be added unto you
Allelu Alleluia
Alleluia,
Alleluia,
Alleluia,
Allelu, Alleluia
Ask and it shall be given unto you
Seek and ye shall find
Knock and it shall be opened unto you
Allelu, Alleluia
Alleluia,
Alleluia,
Alleluia,
Allelu, Alleluia
We shall not live by bread alone
But by every word
That proceeds
From the mouth of the Lord
Allelu, Alleluia
Alleluia,
Alleluia,
Alleluia,
Allelu, Alleluia
SCRIPTURE
Luke 12:22-31 Teaching about Money and Possessions
Then, turning to his disciples, Jesus said, “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food to eat or enough clothes to wear. For life is more than food, and your body more than clothing. Look at the ravens. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for God feeds them. And you are far more valuable to him than any birds! Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? And if worry can’t accomplish a little thing like that, what’s the use of worrying over bigger things?
“Look at the lilies and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?
“And don’t be concerned about what to eat and what to drink. Don’t worry about such things. These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers all over the world, but your Father already knows your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need.
Silence
May your word live in us
and bear much fruit to your glory
HOMILY
Look and Learn
On my daily walks, I often watch the birds flying overhead or perched in a tree. I listen to the cawing of the crows and cooing of the mourning dove. I often pass wildflowers growing at the edge of the road or in a ditch or I see wildflowers growing in a empty lot or field. I always stop to admire them and to drink in their beauty. Jesus’ words in today’s reading, Luke 12:22-31, come to mind and the words of tis song, which is based upon his words.
Look and learn from the birds of the air,
flying high above worry and fear;
neither sowing nor harvesting seed,
yet they’re given whatever they need.
If the God of earth and heaven
cares for birds as much as this,
won’t he care much more for you,
when you put your trust in him?
Look and learn from the flowers of the field,
bringing beauty and color to life;
neither sewing nor tailoring cloth,
yet they’re dressed in the finest attire.
If the God of earth and heaven
cares for flowers as much as this,
won’t he care much more for you,
when you put your trust in him?
What God wants should be our will;
where God calls should be our goal.
When we seek the kingdom first,
all we’ve lost is ours again.
Let’s be done with anxious thoughts,
set aside tomorrow’s cares,
live each day that God provides,
putting all our trust in him.
Nah Young-Soo, a member of the voice faculty at Hanyang University College of Music, Seoul, Korea, wrote the song, and John L. Bell, a Scottish pastor, hymn writer, and a member of the Iona Community, translated it into English. Except for a recording of a snippet of the song and a MIDI file, I was not able find the song on the internet.
For those who may be interested the snippet may be found here: https://hymnary.org/media/fetch/152465.
The MIDI file may be downloaded here: https://hymnary.org/hymn/SNC/186.
I think that Nah Young-Soo captures the essence of today’s reading in his song. Stop worrying about tomorrow and put our trust in God and God will take care of us. As Jesus tells his disciples and us, make God’s kingdom our number one priority and God will supply what we need.
We are prone to think about what is going to happen and to make ourselves anxious and worried, fearful of what the tomorrow might hold in store for us. We are uncomfortable with uncertainty.
We may text a friend and they are slow in responding to our text. We begin to think to ourselves, “May be they don’t like me anymore. May be I won’t hear from them again.” All our insecurities come bubbling to the surface.
We may shoot off a few more texts to them in hopes that they get the message that we want to hear back from them. We don’t realize that what we are doing may make us look very needy and some people do not respond very well to needy people. We may bring about what we fear. Or we may come across as overbearing and have the same result.
We are also prone to dwell on something when it goes wrong. Constantly thinking about what happened and what we might have done differently makes us sad and unhappy and can lead to depression.
While we should not ignore anxiety or depression and should work through them, we need to trust more in God’s goodness. We need to trust more in his kindness, in his friendly attitude toward us, in the favor that he shows us.
Wile we may not be able to always trust the people around us, we can trust God. Jesus keeps repeating that truth over and over again.
When we seek God’s kingdom, we seek to obey God’s will. Jesus taught his disciples to pray, “Thy will be done on earth as in heaven.” When we seek God’s kingdom, we seek to live what we pray.
Obeying God means obeying Jesus whom God sent. Obeying Jesus means following his teaching and example. We pattern our lives on what Jesus taught and practiced.
It means loving the Lord our God with all our heart, all our soul, all our strength, and all our mind and loving our neighbor as ourselves. It means loving those who have no love for us and doing good to them. It means forgiving the failings of others and being charitable in our opinion of them. It means treating others as we would wish them to treat us. It means making a priority of becoming friendly again with someone who has something against us and settling our differences with others quickly. It means being honest and truthful with others and not deceiving them. It means not saying untruthful things about others and causing them harm. It means treating each other with compassion, forgiveness, generosity, kindness, and patience.
God gives us an infinite supply of grace to not only will but also to do all these things. The power of the Holy Spirit works in us to these ends.
Jesus did not promise his disciples that they would have an easy time of it. They would face hardship. But he did promise that he would be with them, that God would be with them. God himself lives in us in the person of the Holy Spirit and unites us to Jesus.
The key is to trust God, to trust Jesus, to open our hearts and minds to God’s grace, and to employ the means of grace—corporate worship, the hearing the Scriptures read and preached, fasting and abstinence, Holy Communion, reading and studying the Scriptures, prayer, spiritual conversations with fellow disciples, and the like.
With his sanctifying, perfecting grace God will transform us into the likeness of his Son. He will restore his own image in us. We will not start wearing a robe and sandals and going everywhere on foot. But we will begin to resemble Jesus in our faith in God and in the qualities of our character. We will experience his love for the Father, and we will experience his love for those whom he came to save.
If you live in a town or city, take a walk in a park or green space, look at the birds and the flowers and learn. If you live in the countryside, take a walk along a country road or in a field or a wood and do the same thing. Look and learn and then live the life of love through which faith works and walk as a true disciple on the way of Jesus.
Silence
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.
We are also prone to dwell on something when it goes wrong. Constantly thinking about what happened and what we might have done differently makes us sad and unhappy and can lead to depression.
While we should not ignore anxiety or depression and should work through them, we need to trust more in God’s goodness. We need to trust more in his kindness, in his friendly attitude toward us, in the favor that he shows us.
Wile we may not be able to always trust the people around us, we can trust God. Jesus keeps repeating that truth over and over again.
When we seek God’s kingdom, we seek to obey God’s will. Jesus taught his disciples to pray, “Thy will be done on earth as in heaven.” When we seek God’s kingdom, we seek to live what we pray.
Obeying God means obeying Jesus whom God sent. Obeying Jesus means following his teaching and example. We pattern our lives on what Jesus taught and practiced.
It means loving the Lord our God with all our heart, all our soul, all our strength, and all our mind and loving our neighbor as ourselves. It means loving those who have no love for us and doing good to them. It means forgiving the failings of others and being charitable in our opinion of them. It means treating others as we would wish them to treat us. It means making a priority of becoming friendly again with someone who has something against us and settling our differences with others quickly. It means being honest and truthful with others and not deceiving them. It means not saying untruthful things about others and causing them harm. It means treating each other with compassion, forgiveness, generosity, kindness, and patience.
God gives us an infinite supply of grace to not only will but also to do all these things. The power of the Holy Spirit works in us to these ends.
Jesus did not promise his disciples that they would have an easy time of it. They would face hardship. But he did promise that he would be with them, that God would be with them. God himself lives in us in the person of the Holy Spirit and unites us to Jesus.
The key is to trust God, to trust Jesus, to open our hearts and minds to God’s grace, and to employ the means of grace—corporate worship, the hearing the Scriptures read and preached, fasting and abstinence, Holy Communion, reading and studying the Scriptures, prayer, spiritual conversations with fellow disciples, and the like.
With his sanctifying, perfecting grace God will transform us into the likeness of his Son. He will restore his own image in us. We will not start wearing a robe and sandals and going everywhere on foot. But we will begin to resemble Jesus in our faith in God and in the qualities of our character. We will experience his love for the Father, and we will experience his love for those whom he came to save.
If you live in a town or city, take a walk in a park or green space, look at the birds and the flowers and learn. If you live in the countryside, take a walk along a country road or in a field or a wood and do the same thing. Look and learn and then live the life of love through which faith works and walk as a true disciple on the way of Jesus.
Silence
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
Loving God, you raise us to new life in Jesus Christ
and renew your image in us.
Teach us to love what is worth loving,
to reject what is offensive to you,
and to treasure what is precious in your sight;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
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
Loving God, you raise us to new life in Jesus Christ
and renew your image in us.
Teach us to love what is worth loving,
to reject what is offensive to you,
and to treasure what is precious in your sight;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
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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