All Hallows Evening Prayer for Wednesday Evening (August 17, 2022)
PROCLAMATION OF THE LIGHT
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 Fernado Ortega and John Andrew Schreiner’s adaption of John Hart’s “Come Ye Sinners, Poor and Needy.”
Come, ye sinners, poor and needy
Weak and wounded, sick and sore
Jesus ready, stands to save you
Full of pity, love and power
I will arise and go to Jesus
He will embrace me in His arms
In the arms of my dear Savior
Oh, there are ten thousand charms
Come, ye thirsty, come and welcome
God's free bounty glorify
True belief and true repentance
Every grace that brings you nigh
Come, ye weary, heavy-laden
Lost and ruined by the fall
If you tarry 'til you're better
You will never come at all
I will arise and go to Jesus
He will embrace me in His arms
In the arms of my dear Savior
Oh, there are ten thousand charms
View Him prostrate in the garden
On the ground your Maker lies
On the bloody tree, behold him
Sinner, will this not suffice?
Lo, the incarnate God ascended
Pleads the merit of his blood
Venture on him, venture wholly
Let no other trust intrude
I will arise and go to Jesus
He will embrace me in His arms
In the arms of my dear Savior
In the arms of my dear Savior
In the arms of my dear Savior
Oh, there are ten thousand charms
SCRIPTURE
Luke 13: 1-9 A Call to Repentance
About this time Jesus was informed that Pilate had murdered some people from Galilee as they were offering sacrifices at the Temple. “Do you think those Galileans were worse sinners than all the other people from Galilee?” Jesus asked. “Is that why they suffered? Not at all! And you will perish, too, unless you repent of your sins and turn to God. And what about the eighteen people who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them? Were they the worst sinners in Jerusalem? No, and I tell you again that unless you repent, you will perish, too.”
Then Jesus told this story: “A man planted a fig tree in his garden and came again and again to see if there was any fruit on it, but he was always disappointed. Finally, he said to his gardener, ‘I’ve waited three years, and there hasn’t been a single fig! Cut it down. It’s just taking up space in the garden.’
“The gardener answered, ‘Sir, give it one more chance. Leave it another year, and I’ll give it special attention and plenty of fertilizer. If we get figs next year, fine. If not, then you can cut it down.’”
Silence
May your word live in us
and bear much fruit to your glory
HOMILY
Repentance—the First Step on the Journey of Faith
I believe that it is safe to say that those to whom Jesus was speaking in today’s reading, Luke 13: 1-9, believed that any tragedy that befell an individual was God’s punishment for that individual’s sins and the greater the tragedy, the greater must have been the individual’s sins.
Jesus does not deny that sin has consequences, but he rejects the belief that the Galileans were murdered because their sins were worse than the sins of others and that the tower in Siloam fell on the eighteen people for the same reason. Such tragedies could befall anyone even those who in their own minds lived what they thought was a blameless life. They were not God’s punishment for sin. This, however, did not mean that we should not take sin with the utmost seriousness.
Jesus points to the attention of those listening to him that unless they repent of their sins and turn to God, they will also perish. For emphasis he repeats this statement. Jesus goes on to tell the parable of the fig tree.
Jesus points to the attention of those listening to him that unless they repent of their sins and turn to God, they will also perish. For emphasis he repeats this statement. Jesus goes on to tell the parable of the fig tree.
In this story the man who planted a fig tree in his garden is impatiently waiting for the fig tree to bear fruit. Finally, he directs his gardener to cut the tree down because it had not borne a single fig within the time that he expected to bear fruit. The gardener asks the owner of the garden to give the fig tree one more chance and leave the tree another year and he will give the tree special attention and a lot of fertilizer. If it does not produce figs in another year, then the garden’s owner can cut it down.
I do not believe that Jesus’ listeners would have been surprised that the fig tree had not yet produced any fruit. Fig tree do not bear fruit for several years after they are planted. They need time to mature before they produce figs. They also need a lot of water.
I do not believe that Jesus’ listeners would have been surprised that the fig tree had not yet produced any fruit. Fig tree do not bear fruit for several years after they are planted. They need time to mature before they produce figs. They also need a lot of water.
We had a fig tree next to our pump house when I was a teenager, and it was several years before it produced fruit and then we had figs every year. Some figs we ate; the rest we turned into fig preserves.
What this story suggests is that God is more patient than the man who planted the fig tree and like the gardener he gives each of us special attention and a lot of fertilizer. This is the point of the parable. But like the fig tree we are expected to produce fruit. In our case we are expected to repent of our sins and turn to God. God gives us plenty of room to repent in but nonetheless he does expect us to turn from what is impeding our relationship with him and to turn to him.
Repentance is more than feeling sorry for the things that we are doing or have done which keep our relationship with God from being all that it should be and wishing that we were not doing them or had done them. The Greek word for repentance is metanoia. It literally means a complete change of heart. It is a change of heart that is transformative. It causes a major change in us in a way that makes us better people. It results in a change in our way of life.
Repentance is like the face of one side of a coin. The flip side of the coin is faith. Repentance and faith go hand in hand. You cannot have one without the other.
In whom do we put our faith? Scripture tells us Jesus whom God sent and in whom God was reconciling humanity, us, to himself. It is by faith in Jesus we are put right with God. We are restored to the right kind of relationship with God. At the same time, we believe in Jesus, we turn away from those things which prevent us from living in harmony with God.
God by the power of the Holy Spirit working in our lives enables us to have faith. God in the same way enables us to repent. The power of the Holy Spirit working in our lives is what is called “grace.” Grace is also God’s goodwill and favor toward us, which is a free gift to us. It is not something that is ours due to any qualities that we have or which we have shown. It is not something that we can earn by our efforts. It is entirely free. No strings attached.
God is the gardener in Jesus’ parable, digging around the roots of our tree and spreading manure there in order to make us grow well.
Why does God go to so much trouble? God does it out of love for us and kindness toward us. Grace again.
We have a part to play. We must respond to the digging and manuring that God does around our roots like the fig tree must in order to not suffer the consequences of not producing fruit. The fig tree will be cut down and burned as firewood. Those who do not repent of their sins and turn to God will also perish.
God’s grace not only enables us to have a complete change of heart but also to grow in our love and knowledge of God and those qualities of character which Jesus himself exhibited, what the apostle Paul in his letter to the Galatians calls the fruit of the Spirit. As well as sanctifying and perfecting us, transforming us into the likeness of his Son and restoring his own image in us, God enables us to do the good things that he planned for us long ago to be our way of life.
Repentance then is the first step that we take on the journey of faith. As the Chinese proverb says, “a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” If we are to walk as disciples of Jesus, we must take the first step of repentance. We must leave behind us those things that keep our relationship with God from being all that it should be and take that first step into a new life.
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 to hear John Michael Talbot’s adaptation of the Magnificat, “Holy Is His Name.”
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
and my spirit exalts in God my Savior.
For he has looked with mercy on my lowliness,
and my name will be forever exalted.
For the mighty God has done great things for me,
and his mercy will reach from age to age.
And holy, holy, holy is his name.
He has mercy in ev’ry generation.
He has revealed his power and his glory.
He has cast down the mighty in their arrogance,
and has lifted up the meek and the lowly.
He has come to help his servant Israel;
he remembers his promise to our fathers.
And holy, holy, holy is his name.
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.
What this story suggests is that God is more patient than the man who planted the fig tree and like the gardener he gives each of us special attention and a lot of fertilizer. This is the point of the parable. But like the fig tree we are expected to produce fruit. In our case we are expected to repent of our sins and turn to God. God gives us plenty of room to repent in but nonetheless he does expect us to turn from what is impeding our relationship with him and to turn to him.
Repentance is more than feeling sorry for the things that we are doing or have done which keep our relationship with God from being all that it should be and wishing that we were not doing them or had done them. The Greek word for repentance is metanoia. It literally means a complete change of heart. It is a change of heart that is transformative. It causes a major change in us in a way that makes us better people. It results in a change in our way of life.
Repentance is like the face of one side of a coin. The flip side of the coin is faith. Repentance and faith go hand in hand. You cannot have one without the other.
In whom do we put our faith? Scripture tells us Jesus whom God sent and in whom God was reconciling humanity, us, to himself. It is by faith in Jesus we are put right with God. We are restored to the right kind of relationship with God. At the same time, we believe in Jesus, we turn away from those things which prevent us from living in harmony with God.
God by the power of the Holy Spirit working in our lives enables us to have faith. God in the same way enables us to repent. The power of the Holy Spirit working in our lives is what is called “grace.” Grace is also God’s goodwill and favor toward us, which is a free gift to us. It is not something that is ours due to any qualities that we have or which we have shown. It is not something that we can earn by our efforts. It is entirely free. No strings attached.
God is the gardener in Jesus’ parable, digging around the roots of our tree and spreading manure there in order to make us grow well.
Why does God go to so much trouble? God does it out of love for us and kindness toward us. Grace again.
We have a part to play. We must respond to the digging and manuring that God does around our roots like the fig tree must in order to not suffer the consequences of not producing fruit. The fig tree will be cut down and burned as firewood. Those who do not repent of their sins and turn to God will also perish.
God’s grace not only enables us to have a complete change of heart but also to grow in our love and knowledge of God and those qualities of character which Jesus himself exhibited, what the apostle Paul in his letter to the Galatians calls the fruit of the Spirit. As well as sanctifying and perfecting us, transforming us into the likeness of his Son and restoring his own image in us, God enables us to do the good things that he planned for us long ago to be our way of life.
Repentance then is the first step that we take on the journey of faith. As the Chinese proverb says, “a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” If we are to walk as disciples of Jesus, we must take the first step of repentance. We must leave behind us those things that keep our relationship with God from being all that it should be and take that first step into a new life.
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 to hear John Michael Talbot’s adaptation of the Magnificat, “Holy Is His Name.”
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
and my spirit exalts in God my Savior.
For he has looked with mercy on my lowliness,
and my name will be forever exalted.
For the mighty God has done great things for me,
and his mercy will reach from age to age.
And holy, holy, holy is his name.
He has mercy in ev’ry generation.
He has revealed his power and his glory.
He has cast down the mighty in their arrogance,
and has lifted up the meek and the lowly.
He has come to help his servant Israel;
he remembers his promise to our fathers.
And holy, holy, holy is his name.
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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