All Hallows Evening Prayer for Wednesday Evening (November 16, 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 Susan Briehl’s “Let Evening Fall.”
1 Let evening fall on field and forest,
on desert mesa, canyon deep;
let coyote prowl and night hawk circle
while solemn owl her wise watch keeps.
*2 Let mountain now resound with chanting,
and meadow echo antiphon;
let dusky breezes rustle aspen
while lake and land join even-song.
3 Let those who labor in the daylight
now bring their working to an end;
let others rise to keep the vigil,
the weak to guard, the sick to tend.
4 Let every heart that harbors hatred
(Let every heart that harbors hatred)
release its hold, receive your grace;
(release its hold, receive your grace;)
let every mouth that spoke in anger
(let every mouth that spoke in anger)
seek pardon’s peace, then sing your praise.
(seek pardon’s peace, then sing your praise.)
5 Let daylight fade and shadows lengthen
when those we love draw near to death;
Attend our prayers, our weak faith strengthen
as you receive their final breath.
6 O Maker of creation’s choir,
O Song of love sung out for all,
O Spirit, breath of all our singing,
Let praise arise, let evening fall.
*Omitted on the video.
As Psalm 141 — A Song of the Evening Sacrifice, is sung, incense may be burned.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Tony Alonso’s responsorial setting of the evening psalm, “Psalm 141—Like Burning Incense, O Lord.”
Like burning incense, O Lord,
let my rise to you.
Like burning incense, O Lord,
let my prayer rise to you.
1 I call out to you,
Come quickly to my aid.
My song cries out to you,
O listen to me now.
I raise my hands in off’ring to you.
Like burning incense, O Lord,
(Like burning incense, O Lord,)
let my prayer rise to you.
(let my prayer rise to you.)
Like burning incense, O Lord,
(Like burning incense, O Lord,)
let my prayer rise to you.
(let my prayer rise to you.)
2 Let me speak your truth;
watch over all I say.
Keep my thoughts on you;
let goodness rule my heart.
Keep me far from those who do harm.
Like burning incense, O Lord,
(Like burning incense, O Lord,)
let my prayer rise to you.
(let my prayer rise to you.)
Like burning incense, O Lord,
(Like burning incense, O Lord,)
let my prayer rise to you.
(let my prayer rise to you.)
3 Never let me dine
with those who seek to harm.
Keep your holy ones
always at my side.
Plant your wisdom deep in my soul.
Like burning incense, O Lord,
(Like burning incense, O Lord,)
let my prayer rise to you.
(let my prayer rise to you.)
Like burning incense, O Lord,
(Like burning incense, O Lord,)
let my prayer rise to you.
(let my prayer rise to you.)
4 I look to you for help;
I seek your loving eyes.
Guard my life for you;
Spare me from all wrong.
Keep all evil far from my heart.
Like burning incense, O Lord,
(Like burning incense, O Lord,)
let my prayer rise to you.
(let my prayer rise to you.)
Like burning incense, O Lord,
(Like burning incense, O Lord,)
let my prayer rise to you.
(let my prayer rise to you.)
5 Glory be to God
and to God’s only Son,
glory to the Spirit,
three in one,
now and for ever. Amen.
Like burning incense, O Lord,
(Like burning incense, O Lord,)
let my prayer rise to you.
(let my prayer rise to you.)
Like burning incense, O Lord,
(Like burning incense, O Lord,)
let my prayer rise to you.
(let my prayer rise to you.)
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 Marty Haugen’s responsorial setting of Psalm 91, “Be With Me.”
Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble,
be with me, Lord, I pray.
1 You who dwell in the shelter of the Lord Most High.
who abide in the shadow of our God.
Say to the Lord, “My refuge and fortress,
the God in whom I trust.”
Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble,
be with me, Lord, I pray.
2 No evil shall befall you, no pain come near,
for the angels stand close by your side,
Guarding you always and bearing you gently,
Watching over your life.
Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble,
be with me, Lord, I pray.
3 Those who cling to the Lord live secure in God’s love
Lifted high those who trusted in God’s name.
Call on the Lord, who will never forsake you;
God will bring you salvation and joy.
Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble,
be with me, Lord, I pray.
Silence is kept.
Keep us, good Lord,
under the shadow of your mercy
and, as you have bound us to yourself in love,
leave us not who call upon your name,
but grant us your salvation,
made known in the cross of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
HYMN
Open this link in a new tab to hear the Dakota hymn, “Many and Great.”
1 Many and great, O God, are thy things,
Maker of earth and sky.
Thy hands have set the heavens with stars,
Thy fingers spread the mountains and plains.
Lo, at thy word the waters were formed;
Deep seas obey thy voice.
2 Grant unto us communion with thee,
Thou star abiding One;
Come unto us and dwell with us,
With thee are found the gifts of life.
Bless us with life that has no end,
Eternal life with thee.
Silence may be kept.
SCRIPTURE READING
Matthew 8:1-13 Jesus Heals a Man with Leprosy; the Faith of a Roman Officer
Large crowds followed Jesus as he came down the mountainside. Suddenly, a man with leprosy approached him and knelt before him. “Lord,” the man said, “if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.”
Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” And instantly the leprosy disappeared. Then Jesus said to him, “Don’t tell anyone about this. Instead, go to the priest and let him examine you. Take along the offering required in the law of Moses for those who have been healed of leprosy. This will be a public testimony that you have been cleansed.”
When Jesus returned to Capernaum, a Roman officer came and pleaded with him, “Lord, my young servant lies in bed, paralyzed and in terrible pain.”
Jesus said, “I will come and heal him.”
But the officer said, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come into my home. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed. I know this because I am under the authority of my superior officers, and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say, ‘Go,’ and they go, or ‘Come,’ and they come. And if I say to my slaves, ‘Do this,’ they do it.”
When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to those who were following him, he said, “I tell you the truth, I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel! And I tell you this, that many Gentiles will come from all over the world—from east and west—and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the feast in the Kingdom of Heaven. But many Israelites—those for whom the Kingdom was prepared—will be thrown into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Then Jesus said to the Roman officer, “Go back home. Because you believed, it has happened.” And the young servant was healed that same hour.
Silence is kept.
May your word live in us
and bear much fruit to your glory
HOMILY
Two Healings and a Prophetic Word
When Jesus healed the leper and the Roman officer’s young slave in this evening reading, Matthew 8: 1-13, he had already gained a reputation as a healer which is the main reason that the crowds were following him. His reputation as a healer had reached social outcasts like the leper and Gentiles, non-Jews, like the Roman officer.
Among the things that are remarkable about these healings is that Jesus touched the leper. Both the leper and the Roman officer were not welcome in Jewish society of Jesus’ day. Lepers in Jesus’ time were required to keep their distance from other people and if anyone approached them, they were required to shout aloud, “Unclean! Unclean!” Anyone who came into contact with a leper not only risked becoming infected with the leper’s disease, but they also would be regarded as ritually unclean and therefore not able to participate in the worship of the Temple or attend the services of their local synagogue. They would have to avoid other people lest they made them unclean too.
The Roman officer was a persona non grata because he was not only a Gentile and a pagan but also he was an officer of foreign power which had control of what once had been their own territory and to which the Jews were forced to pay tribute. While the soldiers of the Roman legions stationed in Palestine of Jesus’ time were recruited from the local Gentile population, their officers came from Italy. Jesus, however, shows willingness to go with the officer and heal his slave. What is also remarkable is the respect the officer shows for Jesus. The Romans generally looked down on the Jews. What else is remarkable is what Jesus points to the attention of those following him—the officer’s faith. Even he is amazed. Jesus then prophesizes—
“And I tell you this, that many Gentiles will come from all over the world—from east and west—and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the feast in the Kingdom of Heaven. But many Israelites—those for whom the Kingdom was prepared—will be thrown into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Jesus’ prophesy that many Gentiles will come from the far corners of the earth and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the feast in the Kingdom of Heaven while many Israelites for whom the Kingdom was prepared will be ejected is remarkable too. It is good news for non-Jews. Those following Jesus, however, may have not regarded it as good news for them.
“And I tell you this, that many Gentiles will come from all over the world—from east and west—and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the feast in the Kingdom of Heaven. But many Israelites—those for whom the Kingdom was prepared—will be thrown into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Jesus’ prophesy that many Gentiles will come from the far corners of the earth and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the feast in the Kingdom of Heaven while many Israelites for whom the Kingdom was prepared will be ejected is remarkable too. It is good news for non-Jews. Those following Jesus, however, may have not regarded it as good news for them.
When Jesus in the synagogue at Nazareth declared that it was the year of jubilee but God would be showing his favor not to the Jews but to the Gentiles, the congregation tried to kill him. It was statements like this one, the large crowds that he was attracting, and his criticism of their teachings and practices that angered the Pharisees and the teachers of the religious law. They craved the attention and adulation of their fellow Jews and Jesus was costing them what they valued the most.
What do Jesus’ words and actions mean for us today—in the twenty-first century as the Christian Church in North America shrinks in size and influence and at least one religion writer has posted an article about the coming church catastrophe in the United States on the internet?
What do Jesus’ words and actions mean for us today—in the twenty-first century as the Christian Church in North America shrinks in size and influence and at least one religion writer has posted an article about the coming church catastrophe in the United States on the internet?
Things may not be quite as dire as that writer appears to believe. On the other hand, Jesus said that Gentiles from all parts of the world would be coming to the feast in God’s Kingdom, not Gentiles largely from the United States.
Doing away with the separation of church and state in the United States as some propose will not arrest the declining size and influence of the Church in this country. Ancient Israel and later Israel and Judah were religious states, but this did not keep their people from being faithless to God. England and a number of other Europeans countries have established churches, but the size and influence of the Christian Church began shrinking in those countries long before they began to shrink in the United States. What Jesus say about the Roman officer and the Gentiles at the feast in God’s Kingdom is the key—faith!
As the apostle Paul writes in his letter to the Romans, “faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.” The Roman officer had heard reports about Jesus. He had heard the Good News. He responded to that new with faith and he sought out Jesus on the behalf of his slave. The gospel narrative does not tell us how far he traveled, whether he was with one of the Roman legions stationed in Palestine. What we do know is what matters most.
Now faith is not entirely our doing. Faith certainly cannot be legislated. No one can have faith without God enabling them to have faith, without God’s grace working in them. Ultimately faith is a gift from God.
We are most likely to witness faith when those who identify themselves as Christians are genuinely living the life of a disciple of Jesus, not only trusting in Jesus and his suffering and death on the cross for their salvation but also obeying his teaching and following his example. They take Jesus at his word. They believe what they have heard about him. The Roman officer did.
Here is where Jesus’ actions come in. Jesus recognized Iin the leper someone in need and he responded to the leper’s need. He did not shrink away from the leper. Jesus could have healed the leper in any number of ways. But Jesus touched him. I don’t think that we can imagine what that must’ve meant to a leper labeled unclean and untouchable by the society on whose fringes that he lived. I believe that we are safe in assuming that Jesus touched the leper intentionally. It was not a random act.
Jesus not only recognized the leper’s need but also that God’s grace had brought the leper to him. The leper, like the Roman officer, had also heard the reports about Jesus. He may have witnessed the healing of others. The gospel narrative does not tell us. The leper, like the Roman officer, believed. God’s grace working in the leper enabled him to have faith.
It is tempting to come up with a theory about which comes first and what makes the most difference—grace, the Good News, faith. We like things tidy in our minds. But what is really important is not the order in which these three things occur or how large our part is in their coming together but that they do come together.
When they do come together, the person in whom they come together, experiences salvation, healing, and more. Their feet are set on a new path. We describe this path as the path which leads to eternal life, but it is eternal life itself. As Jesus himself said, eternal life is knowing him and the Father who sent him. We begin to know Jesus the moment we believe and the more we know Jesus, the more we know the Father who sent him.
Jesus also did not shrink away from the Roman officer. He expressed his willingness to go with the officer and to heal his slave. Christians who are genuinely a disciple of Jesus not only tell others about Jesus, but they also do not avoid people who are today’s equivalent of the leper and the Roman office, people from whom others in the circles in which they move may avoid. They do not shrink away from people different from themselves. This shows that knowing Jesus and the Father who sent him has had an impact upon their life. It is making a difference in their lives. This in turn makes what they tell others about Jesus more credible. Like Jesus, they also recognize the needs of others and do what they can to meet these needs.
We as a local church as well as individual Christians can be a community of healing in our neighborhood, town, village, or district. We may not be able to heal someone with a touch, but we can pray for them. We can lay hands on them and anoint them with oil as a gesture of goodwill toward them. We can take them to doctors’ appointments. We can visit them when they are hospitalized or in a care facility. We can help their family if their family needs help. We can show them the kindness that Jesus showed the leper and the Roman officer and his slave.
In our time what matters the most is not so much arresting the declining size and influence of the Christian Church as being faithful to our Lord— being faithful in putting our trust in him, being faithful in sharing the Good News about Christ with others, being faithful in living our lives according to Jesus’ teaching and example, being faithful in being salt, light, and yeast in the world. They are what is most important.
When the Church is faithful to her Lord, she may grow in numbers and influence, but these things are not what will be motivating her. What will be motivating her is a desire to please her Lord, to honor him, and to make him known.
Silence is kept.
GOSPEL CANTICLE
Open this link in a new tab to hear Owen Alstott’s setting of the Magnificat, “My Soul Proclaims the Greatness of the Lord.”
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord
My spirit sings to God, my saving God,
Who on this day above all others favored me
And raised me up, a light for all to see.
Through me great deeds will God make manifest,
And all the earth will come to call me blest.
Unbounded love and mercy sure will I proclaim
For all who know and praise God's holy name.
God's mighty arm, protector of the just,
Will guard the weak and raise them from the dust.
But mighty kings will swiftly fall from thrones corrupt.
The strong brought low, the lowly lifted up.
Soon will the poor and hungry of the earth
Be richly blest, be given greater worth.
And Israel, as once foretold to Abraham,
Will live in peace throughout the promised land.
All glory be to God, Creator blest,
To Jesus Christ, God's love made manifest,
And to the Holy Spirit, gentle Comforter,
All glory be, both now and ever more.
Silence may be kept.
PRAYERS
Particular intercessions and thanksgivings may be offered before any section.
Periods of silence may be kept.
Blessed are you eternal God,
to be praised and glorified for ever.
Heavenly Father, hear us as we pray for the unity of the Church.
May we all be one that the world may believe.
Grant that every member of the Church
may truly and humbly serve you,
that the life of Christ may be revealed in us.
We remember those who have died.
Father, into your hands we commend them.
(Remembering N)
We praise you for all your saints
who have entered your eternal glory.
May we also come to share your heavenly kingdom.
Have compassion on those who suffer from sickness,
grief or trouble.
In your presence may they find strength.
Look with your kindness on our homes and families.
Grant that your love may grow in our hearts.
Make us alive to the needs of our community.
Help us to share one another’s joys and burdens.
Inspire and lead those who hold authority
in the nations of the world.
Guide us and all people in the way of justice and peace.
Strengthen all who minister in Christ’s name.
Give us courage to proclaim your Gospel.
We pray in silence for our own needs and the needs of others...
Silence is kept.
Praise to you, abundant God,
for when we ask, you give;
when we seek, you show the way.
When we knock, you answer.
Praise to you for your unfailing grace.
Make us now your faithful people.
Amen.
THE COLLECTS
Almighty God,
you alone can bring order
to our unruly wills and affections;
give us grace to love what you command
and desire what you promise,
that in all the changes and chances
of this uncertain world,
our hearts may surely there be fixed
where true joys are to be found;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Gracious God,
you have given us much today;
grant us also a thankful spirit.
Into your hands we commend ourselves
and those we love.
Be with us still, and when we take our rest
renew us for the service of your Son Jesus Christ.
Amen.
In darkness and in light,
in trouble and in joy,
help us, heavenly Father,
to trust your love,
to serve your purpose,
and to praise your name,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
THE LORD’S PRAYER
As Christ teaches us, 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
Opening this link in a new tab to hear David Haas’ Prayer for Peace.
1 Peace before us,
peace behind us,
peace under our feet.
Peace within us,
peace over us,
let all around us be peace.
2 Love before us,
love behind us,
love under our feet.
Love within us,
love over us,
let all around us be love.
3 Light before us,
light behind us,
light under our feet.
Light within us,
light over us,
let all around us be light.
4 Christ before us,
Christ behind us,
Christ under our feet.
Christ within us,
Christ over us,
let all around us be Christ.
5 Alleluia.
Alleluia.
Alleluia.
Alleluia.
Alleluia.
Alleluia.
6 Peace before us,
peace behind us,
peace under our feet.
Peace within us,
peace over us,
let all around us be peace.
THE CONCLUSION
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
The almighty and merciful God bless us
and keep us now and for ever. Amen.
As the apostle Paul writes in his letter to the Romans, “faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.” The Roman officer had heard reports about Jesus. He had heard the Good News. He responded to that new with faith and he sought out Jesus on the behalf of his slave. The gospel narrative does not tell us how far he traveled, whether he was with one of the Roman legions stationed in Palestine. What we do know is what matters most.
Now faith is not entirely our doing. Faith certainly cannot be legislated. No one can have faith without God enabling them to have faith, without God’s grace working in them. Ultimately faith is a gift from God.
We are most likely to witness faith when those who identify themselves as Christians are genuinely living the life of a disciple of Jesus, not only trusting in Jesus and his suffering and death on the cross for their salvation but also obeying his teaching and following his example. They take Jesus at his word. They believe what they have heard about him. The Roman officer did.
Here is where Jesus’ actions come in. Jesus recognized Iin the leper someone in need and he responded to the leper’s need. He did not shrink away from the leper. Jesus could have healed the leper in any number of ways. But Jesus touched him. I don’t think that we can imagine what that must’ve meant to a leper labeled unclean and untouchable by the society on whose fringes that he lived. I believe that we are safe in assuming that Jesus touched the leper intentionally. It was not a random act.
Jesus not only recognized the leper’s need but also that God’s grace had brought the leper to him. The leper, like the Roman officer, had also heard the reports about Jesus. He may have witnessed the healing of others. The gospel narrative does not tell us. The leper, like the Roman officer, believed. God’s grace working in the leper enabled him to have faith.
It is tempting to come up with a theory about which comes first and what makes the most difference—grace, the Good News, faith. We like things tidy in our minds. But what is really important is not the order in which these three things occur or how large our part is in their coming together but that they do come together.
When they do come together, the person in whom they come together, experiences salvation, healing, and more. Their feet are set on a new path. We describe this path as the path which leads to eternal life, but it is eternal life itself. As Jesus himself said, eternal life is knowing him and the Father who sent him. We begin to know Jesus the moment we believe and the more we know Jesus, the more we know the Father who sent him.
Jesus also did not shrink away from the Roman officer. He expressed his willingness to go with the officer and to heal his slave. Christians who are genuinely a disciple of Jesus not only tell others about Jesus, but they also do not avoid people who are today’s equivalent of the leper and the Roman office, people from whom others in the circles in which they move may avoid. They do not shrink away from people different from themselves. This shows that knowing Jesus and the Father who sent him has had an impact upon their life. It is making a difference in their lives. This in turn makes what they tell others about Jesus more credible. Like Jesus, they also recognize the needs of others and do what they can to meet these needs.
We as a local church as well as individual Christians can be a community of healing in our neighborhood, town, village, or district. We may not be able to heal someone with a touch, but we can pray for them. We can lay hands on them and anoint them with oil as a gesture of goodwill toward them. We can take them to doctors’ appointments. We can visit them when they are hospitalized or in a care facility. We can help their family if their family needs help. We can show them the kindness that Jesus showed the leper and the Roman officer and his slave.
In our time what matters the most is not so much arresting the declining size and influence of the Christian Church as being faithful to our Lord— being faithful in putting our trust in him, being faithful in sharing the Good News about Christ with others, being faithful in living our lives according to Jesus’ teaching and example, being faithful in being salt, light, and yeast in the world. They are what is most important.
When the Church is faithful to her Lord, she may grow in numbers and influence, but these things are not what will be motivating her. What will be motivating her is a desire to please her Lord, to honor him, and to make him known.
Silence is kept.
GOSPEL CANTICLE
Open this link in a new tab to hear Owen Alstott’s setting of the Magnificat, “My Soul Proclaims the Greatness of the Lord.”
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord
My spirit sings to God, my saving God,
Who on this day above all others favored me
And raised me up, a light for all to see.
Through me great deeds will God make manifest,
And all the earth will come to call me blest.
Unbounded love and mercy sure will I proclaim
For all who know and praise God's holy name.
God's mighty arm, protector of the just,
Will guard the weak and raise them from the dust.
But mighty kings will swiftly fall from thrones corrupt.
The strong brought low, the lowly lifted up.
Soon will the poor and hungry of the earth
Be richly blest, be given greater worth.
And Israel, as once foretold to Abraham,
Will live in peace throughout the promised land.
All glory be to God, Creator blest,
To Jesus Christ, God's love made manifest,
And to the Holy Spirit, gentle Comforter,
All glory be, both now and ever more.
Silence may be kept.
PRAYERS
Particular intercessions and thanksgivings may be offered before any section.
Periods of silence may be kept.
Blessed are you eternal God,
to be praised and glorified for ever.
Heavenly Father, hear us as we pray for the unity of the Church.
May we all be one that the world may believe.
Grant that every member of the Church
may truly and humbly serve you,
that the life of Christ may be revealed in us.
We remember those who have died.
Father, into your hands we commend them.
(Remembering N)
We praise you for all your saints
who have entered your eternal glory.
May we also come to share your heavenly kingdom.
Have compassion on those who suffer from sickness,
grief or trouble.
In your presence may they find strength.
Look with your kindness on our homes and families.
Grant that your love may grow in our hearts.
Make us alive to the needs of our community.
Help us to share one another’s joys and burdens.
Inspire and lead those who hold authority
in the nations of the world.
Guide us and all people in the way of justice and peace.
Strengthen all who minister in Christ’s name.
Give us courage to proclaim your Gospel.
We pray in silence for our own needs and the needs of others...
Silence is kept.
Praise to you, abundant God,
for when we ask, you give;
when we seek, you show the way.
When we knock, you answer.
Praise to you for your unfailing grace.
Make us now your faithful people.
Amen.
THE COLLECTS
Almighty God,
you alone can bring order
to our unruly wills and affections;
give us grace to love what you command
and desire what you promise,
that in all the changes and chances
of this uncertain world,
our hearts may surely there be fixed
where true joys are to be found;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Gracious God,
you have given us much today;
grant us also a thankful spirit.
Into your hands we commend ourselves
and those we love.
Be with us still, and when we take our rest
renew us for the service of your Son Jesus Christ.
Amen.
In darkness and in light,
in trouble and in joy,
help us, heavenly Father,
to trust your love,
to serve your purpose,
and to praise your name,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
THE LORD’S PRAYER
As Christ teaches us, 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
Opening this link in a new tab to hear David Haas’ Prayer for Peace.
1 Peace before us,
peace behind us,
peace under our feet.
Peace within us,
peace over us,
let all around us be peace.
2 Love before us,
love behind us,
love under our feet.
Love within us,
love over us,
let all around us be love.
3 Light before us,
light behind us,
light under our feet.
Light within us,
light over us,
let all around us be light.
4 Christ before us,
Christ behind us,
Christ under our feet.
Christ within us,
Christ over us,
let all around us be Christ.
5 Alleluia.
Alleluia.
Alleluia.
Alleluia.
Alleluia.
Alleluia.
6 Peace before us,
peace behind us,
peace under our feet.
Peace within us,
peace over us,
let all around us be peace.
THE CONCLUSION
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
The almighty and merciful God bless us
and keep us now and for ever. Amen.
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