All Hallows Evening Prayer for Wednesday Evening (December 28, 2022)

 

The Feast of the Holy Innocents

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 Frederick H. Martens "When Blossoms Flowered 'Mid the Snows." 

1 When blossoms flowered 'mid the snows
Upon a winter night,
Was born the Child, the Christmas Rose,
The King of Love and Light.
The angels sang, the shepherds sang,
The grateful earth rejoiced;
And at His blessed birth the stars
Their exultation voiced.

O come let us adore Him,
O come let us adore Him,
O come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.

2 Again the heart with rapture glows
To greet the holy night,
That gave the earth its Christmas Rose
It's King of Love and Light.
Let ev'ry voice acclaim His name,
The grateful chorus swell
From paradise to earth He came
That we with Him might dwell.

O come let us adore Him,
O come let us adore Him,
O come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.

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 William Ferris’ responsorial setting of Psalm 8, “O Lord, Our God, How Wonderful Your Name in All the Earth!”

O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!

When I behold your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars which you set in place -
What is man that you should be mindful of him,
or the son of man that you should care for him?

O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!

You have made him little less than the angels,
and crowned him with glory and honor.
You have given him rule over the works of your hands,
putting all things under his feet:

O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!

All sheep and oxen,
yes, and the beasts of the field,
The birds of the air, the fishes of the sea,
and whatever swims the paths of the seas.

O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!

Silence is kept.

We bless you, Master of the heavens,
for the wonderful order which enfolds this world;
grant that your whole creation
may find fulfilment in the Son of Man,
Jesus Christ our Savior.
Hear this prayer for your love’s sake. Amen.

The Proclamation of the Word

The Reading

A reading from the First Letter to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 1: 18-31)

The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God. As the Scriptures say,

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise
and discard the intelligence of the intelligent.”

So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world’s brilliant debaters? God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish. Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe. It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom. So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense.

But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God’s weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength.

Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God.

God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin. Therefore, as the Scriptures say, “If you want to boast, boast only about the Lord.”

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!

Homily

The Birth of Jesus, the Beginning of a New Life for Us

Among the peculiarities of the Christmas Season, the twelve days in which Western Christians who observe the liturgical year celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ is the Feast of St. Stephen and the Feast of the Holy Innocents. The Feast of St. Stephen, the day after Christmas Day, December 26, commemorates the martyrdom of Stephen who was one of first deacons of the Christian Church and who was known for his service to the poor and the needy. Stephen was stoned to death and some New Testament scholars believe that the apostle Paul presided over his stoning.

The Feast of the Holy Innocents is also known as Childermas or Innocents’ Day. It commemorates the massacre of young children in Bethlehem by King Herod the Great in his attempt to kill the infant Jesus. You can read about that massacre in Matthew 2: 13-18, the Gospel reading appointed for the Feast of the Holy Innocents. An angel warned Joseph of Herod’s plan and he fled with Mary and the infant Jesus into Egypt. In Western churches the feast is observed on December 28. In Eastern churches it is observed on the following day, December 29. This evening’s New Testament reading, 1 Corinthians 1:18-31, is an expanded version of the Epistle reading appointed for the feast.

Paul who persecuted the early Christians would experience a dramatic conversion on the road to Damascus. He would be baptized and become a follower of Jesus Christ himself and the apostle to the Gentiles, to the non-Jews. Paul most likely wrote the letter in 53-54 Common Era at Ephesus in Asia Minor, in what is now modern-day Turkey. Paul wrote the letter after he made a missionary visit to Corinth where he had founded a Christian community. Ancient Corinth was a city-state located on a land bridge which connects the southern part of Greece with the central part of the country. It is about halfway between Athens and Sparta. Its location is not far from that of modern-day Corinth. Paul visited the city around 50-51 Common Era.

This evening’s New Testament reading reminds us that Jesus, the man whom Christians believe is the Messiah, the Christ, the Lord, whom they also believe is God, and whose birth Western Christians celebrate during the twelfth days of Christmas, from Christmas Eve, December 24, to Twelfth Night, Epiphany Eve, which Anglicans observe on January 5, would suffer and die on a cross.

The Jews found the whole idea of a crucified Messiah offensive. They believed that only someone under God’s curse would be hung from a tree. Certainly not the Messiah, God’s Anointed, whose appearing Old Testament prophesy foretold.

To the Greeks, to the Gentiles, the non-Jews, it was utter nonsense. A piece of Roman graffiti was discovered, scratched in plaster on the wall of room near the Palatine Hill in Rome, Italy. It shows a young man worshiping a donkey-headed figure nailed to a cross. A rough translation of the Greek inscription is “Alexamenos worships … God.” It apparently was intended to mock a Christian named Alexamenos and reflects the attitude of the Gentiles, which Paul describes in his letter. It dates from a later period than Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians but the contempt in which the Romans held the early Christians is similar to that which Paul describes in his letter and is documented by various historical sources.

In the reading Paul argues that what is offensive to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles is God’s wisdom. God takes what we may view as offensive or nonsensical and uses it to accomplish his own purposes. Whatever we may think, Jesus’ suffering and death are a part of God’s plan of salvation.

Over the centuries various Christian theologians have offered their particular interpretation of the cross. While they may differ in how they interpret te cross, they do agree that it plays a significant part in our salvation.

The cross is not without its critics in our day and time. It is used to smear the character of the God of the Bible. “Only a monster and a child-abuser,” they argue, “would cause his own child to undergo such a horrible death.” What is overlooked in their criticism is that the Bible contains strong, divinely mandated prohibitions against child-sacrifice. It was God himself in the person of the Son who suffered and died on the cross. Jesus went to the cross on his own volition. He was not forced to suffer and die in this manner against his will. Jesus also rose from the dead. His resurrection is attested to by multiple witnesses.

Christians do not pattern their lives on the teaching of a long-dead sage, an itinerant teacher who had a run-in with Jewish religious authorities, which ended badly. They follow a risen, living Lord. As he promised, Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to his disciples and each succeeding generation of his followers have received this gift—God’s own indwelling presence.

The cross was not a sad ending to Jesus’ life and ministry. It was the beginning of a new life for us. For those who believe in Jesus, it is the beginning of a new life lived in harmony with God, a new life in which God by the power of the Holy Spirit restores the divine image in us, the image that has become marred by the evil things we have done and said.

When we celebrate the birth of Jesus, we are also celebrating the beginning of the new life which is ours through him. We would not have this new life apart from him. It is not something which we can attain by our efforts. It is all God’s doing, God’s grace, the power of the Holy Spirit, working in us. We play a part in it, but we would not be able to do so if God did not make it possible.

Let us celebrate the birth of Jesus this holy season of Christmas with the keen awareness that we are indeed celebrating the birth of the One who is fully capable of redeeming us and before whom everyone will kneel, and everyone confess that he is God.

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 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

Almighty God, you wonderfully created 

and yet more wonderfully restored our human nature. 

May we share the divine life of your Son Jesus Christ, 

who humbled himself to share our humanity, 

and now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, 

one God, now and for ever. 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 Hal H. Hopson’s arrangement of Geoffrey Ainger’s “Born in the Night, Mary’s Child” for SATB voices, piano, and optional C instrument.

Born in the night, Mary's Child,
a long way from your home;
coming in need, Mary's Child,
born in a borrowed room.

Clear shining light, Mary's Child,
your face lights up our way;
light of the world, Mary's Child,
dawn on our darkened day.

Truth of our life, Mary's Child,
you tell us God is good;
Yes, it is true, Mary's Child,
Shown on your cross of wood.

Hope of the world, Mary's Child,
you're coming soon to reign;
King of the earth, Mary's Child,
walk in our streets again.

Mary’s Child, the Prince of Peace is born.

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.