All Hallows Evening Prayer for Saturday Evening (September 3, 2022)
PROCLAMATION OF THE LIGHT
One or more candles may be lit. Whoever does not carry the cross and follow Jesus cannot be his disciple. Luke 14:27
EVENING HYMN
Open this link in a new tab to hear Zachary Hick’s adaptation of the Phos hilaron, “O Gracious Light, Lord Jesus Christ.”
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 Holy Ghost
Who dwells in the eternal light.
Shine on the world,
Shine on our darkness.
Holy and blest are you.
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.
Shine on the world,
Shine on our darkness.
Holy and blest are you.
Shine on the world,
Shine on our darkness.
Holy and blest are you.
Shine on the world,
Shine on our darkness.
Holy and blest are you.
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 Rory Cooney’s “We Will Serve the Lord.”
Wealth can be an idol,
built of gleaming gold,
bringing dreams of paradise,
futures bought and sold.
Some will choose to gather it,
all that they can hoard,
as for me and my house,
we will serve the Lord!
As for me and my house,
we will serve the Lord,
we will serve the Lord,
we will serve the Lord!
Pleasure is a siren,
promising the flesh,
brief relief from emptiness,
a hiding place from death.
Some will choose to chase it,
until it leaves them bored,
but as for me and my house,
we will serve the Lord!
As for me and my house,
we will serve the Lord,
we will serve the Lord,
we will serve the Lord!
Power is a hunger,
burning in the breast,
to walk among the mighty
and trample on the rest.
Some will choose to gain it
by lie or guile or sword,
but as for me and my house,
we will serve the Lord.
As for me and my house,
we will serve the Lord,
we will serve the Lord,
we will serve the Lord!
Father of all mercy,
giver of all life,
here we speak our covenant
above the noisy strife.
Hear us shout in glory
above the pagan horde:
as for me and my house,
we will serve the Lord.
As for me and my house,
we will serve the Lord,
we will serve the Lord,
we will serve the Lord!
SCRIPTURE
Deuteronomy 30:15–20 A Choice Between Life and Death
“Now listen! Today I am giving you a choice between life and death, between prosperity and disaster. For I command you this day to love the Lord your God and to keep his commands, decrees, and regulations by walking in his ways. If you do this, you will live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you and the land you are about to enter and occupy.
“But if your heart turns away and you refuse to listen, and if you are drawn away to serve and worship other gods, then I warn you now that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live a long, good life in the land you are crossing the Jordan to occupy.
“Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! You can make this choice by loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This is the key to your life. And if you love and obey the Lord, you will live long in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”
Silence
May your word live in us
and bear much fruit to your glory
HOMILY
Who Will You Serve?
A recent poll conducted by Gallup found that nearly one in five Americans did not believe in God. The same poll found that only 42% believe that the god they say they believe in hears prayers and intervenes. 58%, on the other hand, believe in a god or divine power who is detached from humanity and who is unconcerned with human affairs and uninvolved in them. This belief theologians call “deism.” It was very common in the eighteenth century and appears to be enjoying a revival in this century.
The god of “deism,” however, is not the God of the Bible or Jesus. When the number of Americans who do not believe in God, and the number of Americans who have a deistic view of God are added together, the number of Americans who do not believe in the God of the Bible and Jesus jumps to nearly one in every three Americans. If this figure can be extrapolated to the whole adult population of the United States, it is a sizeable portion of the population.
While more Americans believe in God than do Europeans, little comfort can be gained from this knowledge.
In today’s reading from the Old Testament, Deuteronomy 30:15–20, Moses confronts the people of Israel with a choice. Their fate hangs in the balance. They can love the Lord their God, obeying him, and committing themselves firmly to him. Or they can turn away from God and serve and worship other gods. They cannot love God and obey his commandments and serve and worship other gods at the same time. They must do one or the other. If they love and obey God, they will choose life. If they choose to serve and worship other gods, they will choose destruction. God will not bless and protect them if they turn away from him to other gods.
Joshua, when he becomes the leader of the people of Israel upon Moses’ death, confronts them with the same choice before they cross the Jordan Rive and enter the land that God has promised them. While the people of Israel pledged their loyalty to God, they proved unfaithful as they had in the wilderness. Indeed, a large part of the Old Testament is the story of God’s faithfulness and the people of Israel’s unfaithfulness. They would serve and worship other gods such as the Canaanite god and goddess Baal and Asherah and the Moabite god Moloch. They would suffer the consequences of their unfaithfulness.
The people of Israel would reject God for an earthly king. Solomon who ascended the throne upon the death of his father King David would build a temple to God but then permit the worship of other gods in the temple. Upon his death the Kingdom of Israel was divided into two kingdoms, Israel in the north and Judah in the south. Israel would fall to the Assyrians and later on Judah and Jerusalem to the Babylonians. While King Cyrus would free the Jews from captivity in Babylon and permit them to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem, Judah was in turn invaded by the Greeks and the Romans. The Jews expelled the Greeks, but they were unable to defeat the Romans. When the Jews rebelled against them, the Romans would destroy the temple, raze Jerusalem, and forbid the Jews from even approaching the former site of Jerusalem. The Jews would be scattered throughout the Roman Empire and Judah would become a Roman province.
The story of the people of Israel’s unfaithfulness to the one true God offers a lesson for us. Although they pursued a faithless, idolatrous desire for other gods, the people of Israel and the later on the people of Judah continued to offer sacrifices to God, to keep the major religious festivals, and to observe the new moons. They went through the motions of honoring and reverencing God, but their hearts were far from God as God through a succession of prophets drew to their attention. They were outwardly pious as the were the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law in the time of Jesus’ earthly ministry, but inwardly, where it really mattered, they were something else. There is particularly a lesson here for those who want to make some form of Christianity the official religion of the United States and make the United States a Christian nation as they believe the founding fathers intended. Faith cannot be legislated!
The worship of God was the official religion of the people of Israel and Judah. But this did not prevent them from whoring after other gods and from mistreating the poor, widows, and orphans, and doing what else was evil in God’s sight. The bad things that happened to the people of Israel and Judah did not happen because they were failing to observe their official religion’s ceremonial law. They were not keeping faith with God in what mattered most to God.
We are no better in our generation. Neither is the generation that proceeded us and those generations who are alive today and will succeed us.
We may like to believe that we are but let us be honest with ourselves. We may not believe in the God of the Bible and the God of Jesus, but we worship and serve a god. Rory Cooney’s song “We Will Serve the Lord,” points to three gods that people worship and serve—wealth, pleasure, and power—whether or not they recognize it. They are really one god—the god of self. We are appalled by those who glaringly worship and serve themselves, but we in our own way worship and serve the same god.
Those who claim to be Christians and to love and obey God upon close examination we discover often as not are worshiping and serving the god of self too. This includes us. We live in a culture that encourages us to put self first, to raise self on the throne of our hearts.
When we become so embroiled in politics that it overshadows our relationship with God, we are worshiping and serving the god of self. When we subscribe to a particular brand of politics or put our trust in particular politician, no matter what we may tell ourselves, we are not showing our love and obedience to God. We are making the same mistake that the people of Israel and the people of Judah made.
"Don’t put your confidence in powerful people;
there is no help for you there.
When they breathe their last, they return to the earth,
and all their plans die with them.
But joyful are those who have the God of Israel as their helper,
whose hope is in the Lord their God." (Psalm 146: 3-5 NLT)
There is an unfortunate proclivity for authoritarianism among some Americans who describe themselves as Christians.
Christians have only one Lord. Their Lord is Jesus. Their loyalty is to Jesus above all else. When they let someone else take his place in their hearts, minds, and lives, they are no longer Christians whatever they may call themselves.
Jesus tells us to deny ourselves, to take up our cross, and to follow him if we want to be his disciples (Matthew 16: 24).
In the Gospel of John, Jesus says:
“Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.” (John 14: 21 NLT)
Jesus goes on to say:
“Jesus replied, ‘All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them. Anyone who doesn’t love me will not obey me. And remember, my words are not my own. What I am telling you is from the Father who sent me.’” (John 14: 23-24 NLT)
Jesus equates loving him with following his teaching. Jesus does not promise us a land of our own, many descendants, bountiful harvests, or abundant flocks. But he does promise us a different relationship with God to those who love him and obey him, a relationship in which God will inwardly dwell in them.
Like the people of Israel, we are confronted with a choice. Whatever decision we make will have consequences for us. If we take Jesus at his word, we will come to know God In a way that we would otherwise never know him and live our lives in harmony with God. We will grow in holiness and godliness and become like Jesus himself. Or we can lose all that—a loss that we will regret for all eternity. The choice is ours.
Here is the choice that Joshua presented to the people of Israel:
“’So fear the Lord and serve him wholeheartedly. Put away forever the idols your ancestors worshiped when they lived beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord alone. But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.’” (Joshua 24:14-15)
Who will you serve?
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 David Haas’ adaptation of the Magnificat, “Holy Is His Name.”
My soul is filled with joy
as I sing to God my savior;
you have looked upon your servant,
you have visited your people.
And holy is your name.
through all generations!
Everlasting is your mercy
to the people you have chosen,
and holy is your name!
I am lowly as a child,
but I know from this day forward
that my name will be remembered,
for all will call me blessed.
And holy is your name.
through all generations!
Everlasting is your mercy
to the people you have chosen,
and holy is your name!
I proclaim the pow’r of God,
you do marvels for your servants;
though you scatter the proud hearted
and destroy the might of princes.
And holy is your name.
through all generations!
Everlasting is your mercy
to the people you have chosen,
and holy is your name!
To the hungry you give food,
Send the rich away empty;
In your mercy you are mindful
of the people you have chosen.
And holy is your name.
through all generations!
Everlasting is your mercy
to the people you have chosen,
and holy is your name!
In your love you now fulfill
what you promised to your people
I will praise you, Lord my savior
everlasting is your mercy.
And holy is your name.
through all generations!
Everlasting is your mercy
to the people you have chosen,
and holy is your name!
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
(Let us offer our prayers to the source of all love and all life, saying, “Lord, hear our prayer.”)
Merciful Lord, we pray for all who call themselves Christians: that we may be faithful disciples of your Son Jesus Christ.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray for N our pastor, for all pastors, and for all who serve Christ in his Church: that they may remain faithful to their calling and rightly proclaim the word of truth. Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray for the leaders of the nations, and all in authority: that your people may lead quiet and peaceable lives.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray for our community and those who live here, the poor and the rich, the elderly and the young, men and women: that you will show your favor and goodwill to all.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray for those who are in any kind of trouble or need that you will deliver them from their distress.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray for _______________________.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We give thanks for all the saints who have found favor in your sight from earliest times, prophets, apostles, martyrs, and those whose names are known to you alone: and we pray that we too may be counted among your faithful witnesses.
Lord, hear our prayer.
Free Prayer
In silent or spontaneous prayer all bring before God the concerns of the day.
The Collect
Servant God,
grant us opportunity,
give us willingness
to serve you day by day;
that what we do
and how we bear each other’s burdens,
may be our sacrifice to you.
Hear this prayer for your love’s sake.
Amen.
RESPONSE
Open this link in a new tab Fernado Ortaga’s setting of the Trisagion, “Holy God.”
Holy God,
holy and mighty,
holy immortal one
have mercy
have mercy on us.
Holy God,
holy and mighty,
holy immortal one
have mercy
have mercy on us.
Holy God,
holy and mighty,
holy immortal one
have mercy
have mercy
have mercy
have mercy
have mercy on us.
THE LORD’S PRAYER
The Lord be with you.
The Lord bless you.
As our Savior 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.
Those who claim to be Christians and to love and obey God upon close examination we discover often as not are worshiping and serving the god of self too. This includes us. We live in a culture that encourages us to put self first, to raise self on the throne of our hearts.
When we become so embroiled in politics that it overshadows our relationship with God, we are worshiping and serving the god of self. When we subscribe to a particular brand of politics or put our trust in particular politician, no matter what we may tell ourselves, we are not showing our love and obedience to God. We are making the same mistake that the people of Israel and the people of Judah made.
"Don’t put your confidence in powerful people;
there is no help for you there.
When they breathe their last, they return to the earth,
and all their plans die with them.
But joyful are those who have the God of Israel as their helper,
whose hope is in the Lord their God." (Psalm 146: 3-5 NLT)
There is an unfortunate proclivity for authoritarianism among some Americans who describe themselves as Christians.
Christians have only one Lord. Their Lord is Jesus. Their loyalty is to Jesus above all else. When they let someone else take his place in their hearts, minds, and lives, they are no longer Christians whatever they may call themselves.
Jesus tells us to deny ourselves, to take up our cross, and to follow him if we want to be his disciples (Matthew 16: 24).
In the Gospel of John, Jesus says:
“Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.” (John 14: 21 NLT)
Jesus goes on to say:
“Jesus replied, ‘All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them. Anyone who doesn’t love me will not obey me. And remember, my words are not my own. What I am telling you is from the Father who sent me.’” (John 14: 23-24 NLT)
Jesus equates loving him with following his teaching. Jesus does not promise us a land of our own, many descendants, bountiful harvests, or abundant flocks. But he does promise us a different relationship with God to those who love him and obey him, a relationship in which God will inwardly dwell in them.
Like the people of Israel, we are confronted with a choice. Whatever decision we make will have consequences for us. If we take Jesus at his word, we will come to know God In a way that we would otherwise never know him and live our lives in harmony with God. We will grow in holiness and godliness and become like Jesus himself. Or we can lose all that—a loss that we will regret for all eternity. The choice is ours.
Here is the choice that Joshua presented to the people of Israel:
“’So fear the Lord and serve him wholeheartedly. Put away forever the idols your ancestors worshiped when they lived beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord alone. But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.’” (Joshua 24:14-15)
Who will you serve?
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 David Haas’ adaptation of the Magnificat, “Holy Is His Name.”
My soul is filled with joy
as I sing to God my savior;
you have looked upon your servant,
you have visited your people.
And holy is your name.
through all generations!
Everlasting is your mercy
to the people you have chosen,
and holy is your name!
I am lowly as a child,
but I know from this day forward
that my name will be remembered,
for all will call me blessed.
And holy is your name.
through all generations!
Everlasting is your mercy
to the people you have chosen,
and holy is your name!
I proclaim the pow’r of God,
you do marvels for your servants;
though you scatter the proud hearted
and destroy the might of princes.
And holy is your name.
through all generations!
Everlasting is your mercy
to the people you have chosen,
and holy is your name!
To the hungry you give food,
Send the rich away empty;
In your mercy you are mindful
of the people you have chosen.
And holy is your name.
through all generations!
Everlasting is your mercy
to the people you have chosen,
and holy is your name!
In your love you now fulfill
what you promised to your people
I will praise you, Lord my savior
everlasting is your mercy.
And holy is your name.
through all generations!
Everlasting is your mercy
to the people you have chosen,
and holy is your name!
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
(Let us offer our prayers to the source of all love and all life, saying, “Lord, hear our prayer.”)
Merciful Lord, we pray for all who call themselves Christians: that we may be faithful disciples of your Son Jesus Christ.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray for N our pastor, for all pastors, and for all who serve Christ in his Church: that they may remain faithful to their calling and rightly proclaim the word of truth. Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray for the leaders of the nations, and all in authority: that your people may lead quiet and peaceable lives.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray for our community and those who live here, the poor and the rich, the elderly and the young, men and women: that you will show your favor and goodwill to all.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray for those who are in any kind of trouble or need that you will deliver them from their distress.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray for _______________________.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We give thanks for all the saints who have found favor in your sight from earliest times, prophets, apostles, martyrs, and those whose names are known to you alone: and we pray that we too may be counted among your faithful witnesses.
Lord, hear our prayer.
Free Prayer
In silent or spontaneous prayer all bring before God the concerns of the day.
The Collect
Servant God,
grant us opportunity,
give us willingness
to serve you day by day;
that what we do
and how we bear each other’s burdens,
may be our sacrifice to you.
Hear this prayer for your love’s sake.
Amen.
RESPONSE
Open this link in a new tab Fernado Ortaga’s setting of the Trisagion, “Holy God.”
Holy God,
holy and mighty,
holy immortal one
have mercy
have mercy on us.
Holy God,
holy and mighty,
holy immortal one
have mercy
have mercy on us.
Holy God,
holy and mighty,
holy immortal one
have mercy
have mercy
have mercy
have mercy
have mercy on us.
THE LORD’S PRAYER
The Lord be with you.
The Lord bless you.
As our Savior 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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