All Hallows Evening Prayer for Saturday Evening (October 15, 2022)

THE BLESSING OF THE LIGHT

A lamp or candle may be lit.

The Lord is my light and my salvation:
my God shall make my darkness to be bright.

The light and peace of Jesus Christ be with you
and also with you.

Blessed are you, Lord God, creator of day and night:
to you be praise and glory for ever.
As darkness falls you renew your promise
to reveal among us the light of your presence.
By the light of Christ, your living Word,
dispel the darkness of our hearts
that we may walk as children of light
and sing your praise throughout the world.
Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit:
Blessed be God for ever.

Other candles may be lit as the following is sung.

Open this link in a new tab to hear Owen Park’s composition of the ancient Phos hilaron, “Hail Gladdening Ligh.”

Hail, gladdening Light, of His pure glory poured
Who is the immortal Father, heavenly, blest,
Holiest of Holies, Jesus Christ our Lord!

Now we are come to the sun’s hour of rest;
The lights of evening round us shine;
We hymn the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit divine!

Worthiest art Thou at all times to be sung
With undefiled tongue, Son of our God, Giver of life, alone:
Therefore in all the world Thy glories, Lord, they own.

As Psalm 141 — A Song of the Evening Sacrifice, is sung, incense may be burned.

Open this link in a new tab to hear Peter Inwood’s setting of Psalm 141, “O Lord, Let My Prayer Rise Before You Like Incense.”

O Lord, let my prayer rise before you like incense,
my hands like an evening offering.

1. Lord, I am calling:
hasten to help me.
Listen to me as I cry to you.
Let my prayer rise before you like incense,
my hands like an evening offering.

O Lord, let my prayer rise before you like incense,
my hands like an evening offering.

2. Lord, set a guard at my mouth,
keep watch at the gate of my lips.
Let my heart not turn to things that are wrong,
to sharing the evil deeds done by the sinful.
No, I will never taste their delights.

O Lord, let my prayer rise before you like incense,
my hands like an evening offering.

3. The good may reprove me,
in kindness chastise me,
but the wicked shall never anoint my head.
Ev’ry day I counter their malice with prayer.

O Lord, let my prayer rise before you like incense,
my hands like an evening offering.

4 To you, Lord, my God, my eyes are turned:
in you I take refuge;
do not forsake me.
Keep me from the traps they have set for me,
from the snares of those who do evil.

O Lord, let my prayer rise before you like incense,
my hands like an evening offering.

5 Praise to the Father, praise to the Son,
all praise to the life-giving Spirit.
As it was, is now and shall always be
for ages unending. Amen.

O Lord, let my prayer rise before you as incense,
my hands like an evening offering.

This opening prayer is said.

That this evening may be holy, good and peaceful,
let us pray with one heart and mind.

Silence is kept.

As our evening prayer rises before you, O God,
so may your mercy come down upon us
to cleanse our hearts
and set us free to sing your praise
now and for ever.
Amen.

THE WORD OF GOD

PSALMODY

Open this link in a new tab to hear Thomas Pavlechko’s setting of Psalm 119: 97-99, 101, 103-104, “Teach Me, O Lord.”

Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes.

Oh, how I / love your law.
I mediate on it / all day long.
Your commands are always / with me
and make me wiser than my / enemies.
I have more insight than all my / teachers,
for I meditate on your / statutes.

Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes.

I have kept my feet from every / evil path
so that I might o- / bey your word.
How sweet are your words / to my taste,
sweeter than honey / to my mouth!
I gain understanding from your / precepts;
therefore I hate every / wrong path.

Glory be to the Father and / to the Son
and to the Holy / Spirit,
as it was in the be- / ginning,
is now and will be forever. / Amen.

Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes.

Silence is kept.

Lord Christ,
as we sit at your feet,
teach us your living way;
for you are our Word and Wisdom,
one God with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
now and for ever. Amen.

CANTICLE

Open this link in a new tab to hear Donald Pearson's setting of the Dignus est, “Splendor and Honor.”

Splendor and honor and kingly power
are yours by right, O Lord our God.

For you created everything that is,
and by your will they were created
and have their being;

Splendor and honor and kingly power
are yours by right, O Lord our God.

And yours by right, O Lamb that was slain,
for with your blood you have redeemed for God,
From every family, language, people, and nation,
a kingdom of priests to serve our God.

Splendor and honor and kingly power
are yours by right, O Lord our God.

And so, to him who sits upon the throne,
and to Christ the Lamb,
Be worship and praise, dominion and splendor,
for ever more and for evermore.

Splendor and honor and kingly power
are yours by right, O Lord our God.
For ever more and for evermore.

Silence is kept.

SCRIPTURE READING

2 Timothy 3:14–4:5 Paul's charge to Timothy

But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you. You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.

I solemnly urge you in the presence of God and Christ Jesus, who will some day judge the living and the dead when he comes to set up his Kingdom: Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching.

For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. They will reject the truth and chase after myths.

But you should keep a clear mind in every situation. Don’t be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at telling others the Good News, and fully carry out the ministry God has given you.

Silence is kept.

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

HOMILY

How We Benefit from “Searching the Scriptures”

Among the means of grace, the ways God shows us his friendship; gives us his help; provides us with support and encouragement; gives us advantages that others do not receive; offers us guidance and direction; instils new feelings, ideas, and principles in our minds, so that they have a strong influence on the way we think and behave; motivates and energizes us; and ultimately transforms us into the likeness of our Lord Jesus Christ is through hearing, reading, and meditating upon Scripture, "searching the Scriptures," as John Wesley put it in his third General Rule. In today’s reading, 2 Timothy 3:14–4:5, the apostle Paul list three benefits of hearing, reading, and mediating upon Scripture. Let’s take a look at them.

First, the Scriptures give us wisdom. They provide us with knowledge and understanding that enables us to make good decisions and judgments, decisions and judgments that affect not only our spiritual wellbeing but also the spiritual wellbeing of others.

Second, the Scriptures help us to discern what is right and wrong and how we should behave. They are far more dependable than our natural feelings as a compass and a guide in this life. As previous generations have before us, we can learn from much from the stories, the poetry, the prophecies, the proverbs, and teachings that form the collection of books we call the Holy Scriptures, or the Bible. We can learn about God, about Jesus, and about ourselves. We can learn how to live harmoniously with God and in a friendly and peaceful way with our fellow human beings and our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Third, God uses the Scriptures to prepare and equip us to do good works. When God put things right between himself and us through the actions of Jesus, it was to restore his image in us, an image in which we had been created but which had become damaged by our rebelliousness, our putting of ourselves before everything and everyone else, including God. It was free us to become all that we were created to be. God’s aim in putting thing right between himself and us was not only to spare us from the consequences of our rebelliousness but also to enable us to embody God’s character and goodness in the world.

As well as putting things right between us and himself, God gives us the gift of himself. He lives inside us, inside our innermost being. From there he urges us to think, feel, speak, and act in ways that honor him. He also enables us to do these things. The more we grow in our knowledge and understanding of God, the more we grow in our desire to please God. The result of this growing desire to please God is what we call “good works.”

Good works as the Anglican Church’s Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion and John Wesley’s abridgement of the Articles for Methodists in the newly formed United States of America, tell us “spring … from a true and vital faith and are indeed the evidence of a vital faith, just as a tree is recognized by its fruit.” They are expressions of our faith in actions and deeds. “Faith working through love,” as the apostle Paul put it. Without them our profession of faith is empty words. 

We can talk all day about going for a ride on our bicycle. But unless we take our bicycle out of the shed, get on it, and peddle into the street, we are engaging in meaningless chatter. A dead faith is the same way. We say that we believe in Jesus but our actions do not support what we say. We do not act any differently from those who make no claim to be his disciples. A vital faith will lead to a changed life. It will also result in actions and deeds that honor God. 

Silence is kept.

GOSPEL CANTICLE

Open this link in a new tab to hear Lucien Deiss' setting of the Magnificat, "My Soul Proclaims the Greatness of God."

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.

And from this day all generations will call me blessed: *
the Almighty has done great things for me,
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.

He has filled the hungry with good things, *
and sent the rich away empty handed.

He has come to the help of his servant Israel, *
for he remembered his promise of mercy,

The promise he made to our fathers, *
to Abraham and his children for ever.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

PRAYERS

(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 loving kindness to all.
Lord, hear our prayer.

We pray for those who are in 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

Mighty God,
strong, loving and wise,
help us to depend upon your goodness
and to place our trust in your Son;
who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God for ever.
Amen.

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.

CLOSING SONG

Open this link in a new tab to hear Richard Irwin’s version of “Spirit of God, Unseen as the Wind."

Spirit of God, unseen as the wind,
Gentle as is the dove;
touch with truth and teach us to sing
joy to you Lord above.

Your voice the sound, heard in the wind,
o’er fields and woods you sing;
now I can hear the joy, my Lord,
the peace your song will bring.

Spirit of God, unseen as the wind,
Gentle as is the dove;
touch with truth and teach us to sing
joy to you Lord above.

Love in our hearts, praise in our prayers,
we follow on your way;
Lord of the sky, Lord of the earth,
answer us when we pray.

Spirit of God, unseen as the wind,
Gentle as is the dove;
touch with truth and teach us to sing
joy to you Lord above.

THE CONCLUSION

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the fellowship of the Holy Spirit,
and the love of God the Father
be with us all. Amen.