All Hallows Evening Prayer for Saturday Evening (December 31, 2022)

 

The Naming of Jesus

The Service of the Light

Jesus Christ is the light of the world.
A light no darkness can extinguish.

Open this link in a new tab to hear Mary MacDonald’s “Child in a Manger.”

1 Child in the manger,
infant of Mary;
outcast and stranger,
Lord of all;
Child who inherits
all our transgressions,
all our demerits
on Him fall.

2 Once the most holy
Child of salvation
gently and lowly
lived below;
now as our glorious
mighty Redeemer,
see Him victorious
o'er each foe.

[Instrumental interlude]

3 Prophets foretold Him,
infant of wonder;
angels behold Him
on His throne;
worthy our Savior
of all our praises;
happy forever
are His own.

Thanksgiving

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.

Blessed are you, Lord our God,
our eternal Father and David’s king.
You have made our gladness greater and increased our joy
by sending to dwell among us
the Wonderful Counsellor, the Prince of Peace.
Born of Mary,
proclaimed to the shepherds,
and acknowledged to the ends of the earth,
your unconquered Sun of righteousness
destroys our darkness and establishes us in freedom.
All glory in the highest be to you,
through Christ, the Son of your favour,
in the anointing love of his Spirit,
this night and for ever and ever. Amen.

The Psalms

Open this link in a new tab to hear Andrea Sandefur’s setting of Psalm 134, “Come, All Your Servants of the Lord.”

Come all you servants of the Lord (bless the Lord)
Who stand by night in the house of the Lord
Come all you servants of the Lord (bless the Lord)
Who stand by night in the house of the Lord

Lift up your hands to the Holy Place
Lift up your hands, and bless the Lord
Lift up your hands to the Holy Place
Lift up your hands, and bless the Lord, bless the Lord

May the Lord bless you from Zion
He who made heaven and earth (heaven and earth)
May the Lord bless you from Zion
He who made heaven and earth (heaven and earth)

Lift up your hands to the Holy Place
Lift up your hands, and bless the Lord
Lift up your hands to the Holy Place
Lift up your hands, and bless the Lord

Lift up your hands to the Holy Place
Lift up your hands, and bless the Lord

Lift up your hands to the Holy Place
Lift up your hands, and bless the Lord, bless the Lord

Silence is kept.

Guard all your household, Lord,
through the dark night of faith,
and purify the hearts of those who wait on you,
until your kingdom dawns with the
rising of your Son,
Christ, the morning star.
Praise to you our God;
You answer prayer. Amen.

Open this link in a new tab to hear Rick Modlin’s responsorial setting of Psalm 148, “Let All Praise the Name”

Let all praise the name of the Lord.
Let all praise the name of the Lord.

Let all praise the name of the Lord.
Let all praise the name of the Lord.

1 Praise the Lord from the heavens;
praise him in the heights.
Praise him all his angels;
praise him all his hosts.

Let all praise the name of the Lord.
Let all praise the name of the Lord.

2 Praise him, sun and moon;
praise him, all shining stars.
Praise him, highest heavens,
and the waters above the heavens.

Let all praise the name of the Lord.
Let all praise the name of the Lord.

3 Mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars,
beasts, both wild and tame,
creeping things and birds on the wing.

Let all praise the name of the Lord.
Let all praise the name of the Lord.

4 Kings of the earth and all peoples,
princes and all judges of the earth,
young men and maidens as well,
the old and the young together.

Let all praise the name of the Lord.
Let all praise the name of the Lord.

5 Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for his name alone is exalted.
His splendor above the heaven and earth.
He exalts the strength of his people.

Let all praise the name of the Lord.
Let all praise the name of the Lord.

Silence is kept.

O glorious God,
your whole creation sings your marvellous work;
may heaven’s praise so echo in our hearts
that we may be good stewards of the earth;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Proclamation of the Word

The Readings

A reading from the Book of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 23:1-6)

“What sorrow awaits the leaders of my people—the shepherds of my sheep—for they have destroyed and scattered the very ones they were expected to care for,” says the Lord.

Therefore, this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says to these shepherds: “Instead of caring for my flock and leading them to safety, you have deserted them and driven them to destruction. Now I will pour out judgment on you for the evil you have done to them. But I will gather together the remnant of my flock from the countries where I have driven them. I will bring them back to their own sheepfold, and they will be fruitful and increase in number. Then I will appoint responsible shepherds who will care for them, and they will never be afraid again. Not a single one will be lost or missing. I, the Lord, have spoken!

“For the time is coming,”
says the Lord,
“when I will raise up a righteous descendant
from King David’s line.
He will be a King who rules with wisdom.
He will do what is just and right throughout the land.
And this will be his name:
‘The Lord Is Our Righteousness.’
In that day Judah will be saved,
and Israel will live in safety.

Silence follows the reading

The word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Open this link in a new tab to hear Janet Whitaker’s “Magnificat.”

1 Sing out, my soul, for God has raised and blessed me
and looked on me with kindly, loving eyes.
A servant lowly yet I am beloved.
This wondrous God has done great things for me.
Forevermore O mighty God of mercy,
I will sing praise for holy is your name!

2 The proud of heart he shall make low and humble.
The gentle, poor and hungry shall be filled.
O Israel! God shall uphold the promise
made long ago to you and Abraham.
Forevermore O mighty God of mercy,
I will sing praise for holy is your name!

3 Glory to you, the God of all creation.
Glory to, O Christ, the promised one.
Glory to you, O Spirit of Compassion.
Inspire our hearts to sing our mother’s song.
Forevermore O mighty God of mercy,
I will sing praise for holy is your name!

A reading from the Letter to the Colossians (Colossians 2: 8-15)

Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ. For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.

When you came to Christ, you were “circumcised,” but not by a physical procedure. Christ performed a spiritual circumcision—the cutting away of your sinful nature. For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead.

You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.

Silence follows the reading

The word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Open a link in a new tab to hear Manoling Francisco’s “Simeon’s Canticle.”

Lord, let Your servant go in peace
For Your Word has been fulfilled.

Lord, let Your servant go in peace
For Your Word has been fulfilled.

A Child shall be born to the Virgin,
And His Name shall be called, "Emmanuel."

Lord, let Your servant go in peace
For Your Word has been fulfilled.

My own eyes have seen Your salvation
Which You have prepared for all men.

Lord, let Your servant go in peace
For Your Word has been fulfilled.

A Light shall reveal to the nations
And the glory of Your people, Israel.

Lord, let Your servant go in peace
For Your Word has been fulfilled.

Lord, let Your servant go in peace
For Your Word has been fulfilled.

Lord, let Your servant go in peace...

Homily

The Miracle and Mystery of the Incarnation

Take note of these words in this evening’s New Testament reading, Colossians 2: 8-15. “For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body.” With these words Paul affirms the deity of Jesus. 

Paul affirms that Jesus was God incarnate, God in human flesh, not just human in appearance but an actual human being, elsewhere in his letters. For example, he writes in his second letter to the Corinthians, “For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:19 NLT)

This is why the Eastern Churches honor Mary, Jesus’ mother, with the title Theotokos, a Greek word, which is usually translated into English as “Mother of God” or “God-bearer.” A better translation would be “she whose offspring is God.” The Council of Ephesus in the fifth century decreed that Mary is the Theotokos because her son Jesus is both God and a human being.

The main reason the Pharisees and the teachers of religious law opposed Jesus was that he identified himself with God. To them for anyone to identify themselves with God was blasphemy. In their eyes Jesus did not respect God or their religion. It rankled them that Jesus kept drawing their attention and the attention of their fellow Jews that they themselves did not honor God with their attitudes and practices.

For those who spent a good part of their time in studying the books of the Old Testament, the Hebrew Bible, the Law and the Prophets, they should have recognized Jesus for who he was, a point Jesus himself made. Before God gave the people of Israel a king, God himself was their King. God was also the Shepherd of Israel, and they were God’s flock.

Among the prophesies of the Old Testament, those which foretold the coming of the Messiah, God’s Promised One, was a prophesy that God himself would teach his people and make them his disciples. The Jews had come to interpret the prophesy that God would raise up a righteous descendant, a righteous branch in Hebrew, in King David’s line to be their King, to mean that he would give them a military leader like David who would restore the ancient boundaries of Israel. But the Messiah, the Christ, the Anointed One of God, of which the prophesies spoke, would be God himself, born a human baby to a teenage mother in Bethlehem.

This is both the miracle and mystery of the Incarnation. God literally became a human being, a man, and lived among us. God who created all that exists came to this world as a tiny baby. Israel’s true king, God himself, in the person of Jesus came as he had promised.

The Incarnation is a foundational truth of the Christian faith. It is a truth that we would do well to ponder this holy season of Christmas. The Jesus whose birth we celebrate this time of year is the greatest expression of his grace, his merciful kindness, that God has shown us. Jesus would take away the sins of the world and open to us the way of salvation. He taught and showed us how to live a life that is pleasing to God. He sent us the Holy Spirit to enable us to live such a life. He will one day come again to be our judge and to reign as our king, a judge and a king who can truly empathize with us, having lived as one of us.

Silence is kept.

Affirmation of Faith

Hear, O Israel,
the Lord our God, the Lord is one.

Love the Lord your God
with all your heart,
with all your soul,
with all your mind,
and with all your strength.

This is the first and the great commandment.

The second is like it:
Love your neighbour as yourself.

There is no commandment greater than these.

Intercessions and Thanksgivings

The leader or another participant leads the prayers, using the following form.

Let us join in prayer with God’s faithful people throughout the world, saying “God of Love: hear our prayer.”

We pray for the unity of your church, that our life may reflect the love you have shown us.
God of love: Hear our prayer.

We ask your grace for all pastors, elders, and deacons and for all who minister in word and in deed, that we may bear faithful witness to your good news.
God of love: Hear our prayer.

We seek your justice and peace in our world, our country, and our community, that the needy may never be forgotten.
God of love: Hear our prayer.

We ask your blessing on our homes, our friends and family, and on those who live alone, that we may know your presence ever near us.
God of love: Hear our prayer.

We name before you all whom you have given us to pray for [especially….], knowing that you are doing for them better things than we can ask or imagine.
God of love: Hear our prayer.

We commend to you all who have died [especially….], that our trust in you may deepen, knowing that you are a just and merciful God.
God of love: Hear our prayer.

We offer our thanks and praise for all you have done for us, rejoicing in the knowledge that you are with us always.
God of love: Hear our prayer.

We look for your purposes to be accomplished and ask you to fill us with the strength and vision to carry out your will.
God of love: Hear our prayer.

Additional intercessions, petitions and thanksgivings may be offered in silence or aloud.

The Collect

We thank you, Lord God, for the gift
of your Son
whom you commanded to be called
Jesus;
grant that we may so honour his
name on earth,
that others may be led to him who
alone is Lord and Saviour.
Amen

The Lord’s Prayer

And now, as our Saviour Christ has taught us,
we are bold to say,

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.

Open this link in a new tab to hear John Jacob Niles’ adaptation of the traditional Appalachian carol, “I Wonder as I Wander.”

1 I wonder as I wander, out under the sky,
how Jesus the Savior did come for to die
for poor ordinary people like you and like I;
I wonder as I wander, out under the sky.

2 When Mary birthed Jesus, 'twas in a cow's stall
with wise men and farmers and shepherd and all.
but high from God's heaven a star's light did fall,
and the promise of ages it did then recall.

3 If Jesus had wanted for any wee thing,
a star in the sky, or a bird on the wing,
or all of God's angels in heaven for to sing,
he surely could have it, 'cause he was the King.

4 I wonder as I wander, out under the sky,
how Jesus the Savior did come for to die
for poor ordinary people like you and like I;
I wonder as I wander, out under the sky.

Dismissal

Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

May God, who has called us out of darkness into his marvelous light, bless and keep us and fill us with peace. Amen.