All Hallows Evening Worship for Saturday (December 17, 2022)
THE PREPARATION
The leader may greet the other participants. THE LIGHTING OF THE ADVENT WREATH
Jesus said, ‘Anyone who does what my Father in heaven wants is my brother or sister or mother.’
I am the servant of the Lord. Let it be to me according to his word.
The fourth candle is lit and this response is used
Jesus is the light of the world.
A light no darkness can ever put out.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Mark Earey’s “Advent Candles Tell Their Story.”
Advent candles tell their story
as we watch and pray,
longing for the Day of Glory,
‘Come, Lord, soon,’ we say.
Pain and sorrow, tears and sadness,
changed for gladness
on that Day.
Prophet voices loudly crying,
making pathways clear;
glimpsing glory, self-denying,
calling all to hear.
Through their message - challenged, shaken –
hearts awaken:
Trust and obey, for there's no other way
to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.
The fourth candle is lit and this response is used
Jesus is the light of the world.
A light no darkness can ever put out.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Mark Earey’s “Advent Candles Tell Their Story.”
Advent candles tell their story
as we watch and pray,
longing for the Day of Glory,
‘Come, Lord, soon,’ we say.
Pain and sorrow, tears and sadness,
changed for gladness
on that Day.
Prophet voices loudly crying,
making pathways clear;
glimpsing glory, self-denying,
calling all to hear.
Through their message - challenged, shaken –
hearts awaken:
God is near!
John the Baptist, by his preaching
and by water poured,
brought to those who heard his teaching
news of hope restored:
‘Keep your vision strong and steady,
and be ready
for the Lord.’
Mary’s gift, beyond all telling,
was to give Christ room.
She gave God a human
dwelling in a mother’s womb.
Who could guess the final story?
- cross and glory;
empty tomb!
Great is the Lord and worthy of all praise.
Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom,
thanksgiving and honor, power and might,
be to our God for ever and ever! Amen.
Open this link in a new tab to hear The Braeded Cord’s arrangement of the Lutheran Service Book’s translation of the Phos Hilaron. “Joyous Light of Glory of the Immortal Father.”
Joyous light of glory of the immortal Father.
Heavenly, holy, blessed Jesus Christ.
You are worth of being praised with pure voices
forever.
You are worth of being praised with pure voices
forever.
O Son of God, O Giver of life,
The universe declares your glory.
We have come to the setting of the sun
And we look to the evening light.
We sing to God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
You are worth of being praised with pure voices
forever.
You are worth of being praised with pure voices
forever.
O Son of God, O Giver of life,
The universe declares your glory.
The universe declares your glory.
Hear these words of scripture.
Love one another,
for love is of God,
and whoever loves is born of God and knows God.
Spirit of God, search our hearts.
Let us bow our heads and, in silence,
remember our need for God’s forgiveness.
Silence
Let us confess our sins to God.
Almighty and merciful God,
we have sinned against you,
in thought, word and deed.
We have not loved you with all our heart.
We have not loved others
as our Savior Christ loves us.
We are truly sorry.
In your mercy forgive what we have been,
help us to amend what we are,
and direct what we shall be;
that we may delight in your will
and walk in your ways,
through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
Almighty God, you pardon all who truly repent,
forgive us sins, strengthen us by the Holy Spirit,
and keep us in life eternal;
through Jesus Christ our Redeemer.
Amen.
THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD
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
Open this link to hear It’s About the Word’s adaptation of Psalm 143, “Show Me the Way."
O Lord, hear my pray
Listen to my cry for mercy
In your faithfulness
Come to my relief
As your servant Lord
Save me from your judgement
For no one is righteous before you
Show me the way that I should go
Only to you I lift my soul
Your unfailing love and mercy fill my days
Teach me to do your will much more
Than I ever have before
Let me hide myself in you
For your name sake
Show me the way
I consider the past
And the ways you have shown your mercy
I'm amazed most of all
By what your hands have done
In your steadfast Love
You shelter me from evil
For I am here to serve you, Lord
Show me the way that I should go
Only to you I lift my soul
Your unfailing love and mercy fill my days
Teach me to do your will much more
Than I ever have before
Let me hide myself in you
For your name sake
Show me the way
John the Baptist, by his preaching
and by water poured,
brought to those who heard his teaching
news of hope restored:
‘Keep your vision strong and steady,
and be ready
for the Lord.’
Mary’s gift, beyond all telling,
was to give Christ room.
She gave God a human
dwelling in a mother’s womb.
Who could guess the final story?
- cross and glory;
empty tomb!
Great is the Lord and worthy of all praise.
Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom,
thanksgiving and honor, power and might,
be to our God for ever and ever! Amen.
Open this link in a new tab to hear The Braeded Cord’s arrangement of the Lutheran Service Book’s translation of the Phos Hilaron. “Joyous Light of Glory of the Immortal Father.”
Joyous light of glory of the immortal Father.
Heavenly, holy, blessed Jesus Christ.
You are worth of being praised with pure voices
forever.
You are worth of being praised with pure voices
forever.
O Son of God, O Giver of life,
The universe declares your glory.
We have come to the setting of the sun
And we look to the evening light.
We sing to God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
You are worth of being praised with pure voices
forever.
You are worth of being praised with pure voices
forever.
O Son of God, O Giver of life,
The universe declares your glory.
The universe declares your glory.
Hear these words of scripture.
Love one another,
for love is of God,
and whoever loves is born of God and knows God.
Spirit of God, search our hearts.
Let us bow our heads and, in silence,
remember our need for God’s forgiveness.
Silence
Let us confess our sins to God.
Almighty and merciful God,
we have sinned against you,
in thought, word and deed.
We have not loved you with all our heart.
We have not loved others
as our Savior Christ loves us.
We are truly sorry.
In your mercy forgive what we have been,
help us to amend what we are,
and direct what we shall be;
that we may delight in your will
and walk in your ways,
through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
Almighty God, you pardon all who truly repent,
forgive us sins, strengthen us by the Holy Spirit,
and keep us in life eternal;
through Jesus Christ our Redeemer.
Amen.
THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD
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
Open this link to hear It’s About the Word’s adaptation of Psalm 143, “Show Me the Way."
O Lord, hear my pray
Listen to my cry for mercy
In your faithfulness
Come to my relief
As your servant Lord
Save me from your judgement
For no one is righteous before you
Show me the way that I should go
Only to you I lift my soul
Your unfailing love and mercy fill my days
Teach me to do your will much more
Than I ever have before
Let me hide myself in you
For your name sake
Show me the way
I consider the past
And the ways you have shown your mercy
I'm amazed most of all
By what your hands have done
In your steadfast Love
You shelter me from evil
For I am here to serve you, Lord
Show me the way that I should go
Only to you I lift my soul
Your unfailing love and mercy fill my days
Teach me to do your will much more
Than I ever have before
Let me hide myself in you
For your name sake
Show me the way
The Reading from the New Testament: Matthew 18: 21-35
Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?”
“No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven!
“Therefore, the Kingdom of Heaven can be compared to a king who decided to bring his accounts up to date with servants who had borrowed money from him. In the process, one of his debtors was brought in who owed him millions of dollars. He couldn’t pay, so his master ordered that he be sold—along with his wife, his children, and everything he owned—to pay the debt.
“But the man fell down before his master and begged him, ‘Please, be patient with me, and I will pay it all.’ Then his master was filled with pity for him, and he released him and forgave his debt.
“But when the man left the king, he went to a fellow servant who owed him a few thousand dollars. He grabbed him by the throat and demanded instant payment.
“His fellow servant fell down before him and begged for a little more time. ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it,’ he pleaded. But his creditor wouldn’t wait. He had the man arrested and put in prison until the debt could be paid in full.
“When some of the other servants saw this, they were very upset. They went to the king and told him everything that had happened. Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, ‘You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me. Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?’ Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt.
“That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart.”
Silence follows the reading.
Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church.
Thanks be to God.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Josh Blakesly’s “Cry Out with Joy (Isaiah 12).”
Cry out with joy
for the Holy One is among you.
Cry out with joy
for the Holy One is among you
1 Indeed God is my savior.
I am confident and sure.
He is my courage. I am not afraid.
My strength comes from the Lord.
Cry out with joy
for the Holy One is among you.
Cry out with joy
for the Holy One is among you
2 Give thanks and praise to the Lord.
Cry out among the nations.
With joy you will draw living water
from the fountain of salvation.
Cry out with joy
for the Holy One is among you.
Cry out with joy
for the Holy One is among you
Sing praise to God.
Proclaim his glorious deeds.
Zion, shout for joy and fall on your knees.
Fall on your knees.
Cry out with joy
for the Holy One is among you.
Cry out with joy
for the Holy One is among you
Cry out with joy
for the Holy One is among you.
Cry out with joy
for the Holy One is among you
We live in a society that is becoming highly polarized and in which there appears to be little or no middle ground. This polarization is not limited to politics. It seems to affect just about everything. On the internet, on social media, it is increasingly common for people to show a very low tolerance for opinions that differ from their own. There is also a growing tendency to depict as evil any person and any group that does not share our particular opinion and to completely reject a person or group and not support them because they have said something that offends us. There is a corresponding lack of civility.
What is noticeable too is the growing prevalence of distorted and illogical thinking. This may not be a new development. It may simply be more noticeable due to the particular medium.
Among the more common kinds of distorted thinking are filtering, to pay no attention to the positives in a situation and to keep thinking about its negatives; polarization or all-or-nothing thinking, seeing ourselves or the world in black or white, with no shades of gray; overgeneralization, drawing negative conclusions from one or two occurrences or events; jumping to conclusions or “mind-reading,” interpreting a situation negatively without any evidence to support that conclusion; catastrophizing, jumping to the worst possible conclusion in every scenario, no matter how improbable it may be; personalization, believing we are responsible for events that, in reality, completely or partially out of our control; blaming, making others’ responsible for how we feel; emotional reasoning, believing how we feel is a reflection of reality; and always being right. These and other common forms of cognitive distortion are very evident on social media.
They may form the tip of an iceberg, metaphorically speaking. An iceberg is a huge block of ice which breaks off a glacier or one of the polar icecaps and floats off into the nearby sea. Most of the iceberg is submerged, out of sight. We see only the iceberg’s tip, not what lies below the surface of the water. What we observe on social media is just a small part of the distorted or illogical thing that is occurring in our society.
What is increasingly lacking on social media is a willingness to forgive. This unwillingness to forgive is evident among many people who identify themselves as Christians, as are the other characteristics and patterns of thinking, which I have just described.
In this evening’s reading, Matthew 18: 21-35, Jesus teaches his disciples about the importance of forgiveness and tells the disciples the Parable of the Unforgiving Debtor. When he tells Peter to forgive someone seventy-times-seven, he is not telling Peter to keep count of the number of times that he forgives that person until he has forgiven the person 490 times, after which he can stop forgiving the person. Telling Peter to forgive the person seventy-times-seven is Jesus’ way of telling Peter to keep on forgiving the person without keeping track of the number of times that he forgave the person. In other words, Peter should set no limit on his forgiveness of others.
To drive home what he is saying, Jesus tells the Parable of the Unforgiving Debtor. The point of the parable is that those who are unforgiving cannot expect forgiveness from God. Indeed, elsewhere in the gospels, Jesus teaches his disciples to ask God to forgive the wrongdoings they have committed as they forgive the wrongdoings that others have committed against them. Jesus clearly ties being forgiven to being forgiving.
In his teaching Jesus emphasizes imitating God’s mercifulness and in doing so showing that we are indeed God’s children. Children act like their parents. They internalize their parents’ good qualities. They also may internalize their parents’ bad characteristics. In Jesus’ teaching God is goodness itself. From his viewpoint we can only internalize good qualities from God since God has no bad qualities to make a part of our character. .
According to the Cambridge Dictionary, “someone who is merciful is willing to be kind to and forgive people who are in their power.” When we are kind to someone, we are generous, helpful, and caring toward them. We are considerate of their feelings, and we do them no harm. When we forgive someone, we stop blaming or being mad at that person for something that they have done or which we have imagined them to have done, or we do not punish them for something. We do not hold against them whatever they have done, or we imagined them to have done. We let go of any anger and resentment and the desire to get even, to pay them back.
Forgiving someone may not always be easy to do, but God does provide us with grace to enable us to forgive them.
Forgiveness is a critical step toward reconciliation, the restoration of friendly relations between two or more people between whom a rift has formed.
When we believe in Jesus, we accept the forgiveness that Jesus obtained for us through his suffering and death on the cross. If, however, we are unwilling to forgive others, what Jesus says in this evening’s reading, we create a barrier to receiving the full benefit of that forgiveness. The unforgiving debtor was thrown into prison where he was tortured until he paid the debt which he owed his master. His own unwillingness to forgive prevented him from enjoying the mercy that his master had shown him.
Jesus told his disciples that he would not acknowledge everyone who called him Lord, only those who did the Father’s will. What is the Father’s will? It is to listen to the Son in whom the Father is well-pleased and to follow his teaching. We honor the Father by honoring the Son whom he sent. By the Father Jesus was referring to God; by the Son, to himself. Jesus claimed a unique relationship with God, that is, he was one with God and what he spoke were not his words but what the Father had told him to speak. They were God’s words.
According to the apostle James, a faith that is living and vital, the kind of faith by which we are put right with God, manifests itself in our actions, in what we do. The apostle Paul took a similar view. He wrote that faith works through love. It is evident in the love that we show for others. Both would agree that in following Jesus’ teaching to forgive the failings of others, we are showing our faith in Jesus. We believe what he said, and we act on our belief.
As a Christian, there will be times when we may struggle to forgive someone. But the path of forgiving the failings of others is the path that we are expected to take if we are to be true disciples of our Lord, leading lives that embody his teaching and example and reflect our faith in him. The world may encourage us to be unforgiving and even vengeful.
However, when Jesus called us to follow him and we responded to his call, we chose a different path. We chose the path of forgiveness. We chose the path of reconciliation. They may at times be a difficult path to tread but that in calling us to be his disciple Jesus has called us to tread that path. He has called us to give up doing things the way the world does them, to give up our old patterns of thinking, and to live according to the principles he taught and the example he set.
We are not expected to walk this path alone. Jesus has given us companions to tread the path with us. He has given us the Holy Spirit to be our helper and guide. His grace, the power of the Holy Spirit, is actively working in our lives. What is expected from us, John Sammis so aptly put into words in the refrain of his hymn, "Trust and Obey," Hymn 467 in The United Methodist Hymnal:
Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?”
“No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven!
“Therefore, the Kingdom of Heaven can be compared to a king who decided to bring his accounts up to date with servants who had borrowed money from him. In the process, one of his debtors was brought in who owed him millions of dollars. He couldn’t pay, so his master ordered that he be sold—along with his wife, his children, and everything he owned—to pay the debt.
“But the man fell down before his master and begged him, ‘Please, be patient with me, and I will pay it all.’ Then his master was filled with pity for him, and he released him and forgave his debt.
“But when the man left the king, he went to a fellow servant who owed him a few thousand dollars. He grabbed him by the throat and demanded instant payment.
“His fellow servant fell down before him and begged for a little more time. ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it,’ he pleaded. But his creditor wouldn’t wait. He had the man arrested and put in prison until the debt could be paid in full.
“When some of the other servants saw this, they were very upset. They went to the king and told him everything that had happened. Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, ‘You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me. Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?’ Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt.
“That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart.”
Silence follows the reading.
Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church.
Thanks be to God.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Josh Blakesly’s “Cry Out with Joy (Isaiah 12).”
Cry out with joy
for the Holy One is among you.
Cry out with joy
for the Holy One is among you
1 Indeed God is my savior.
I am confident and sure.
He is my courage. I am not afraid.
My strength comes from the Lord.
Cry out with joy
for the Holy One is among you.
Cry out with joy
for the Holy One is among you
2 Give thanks and praise to the Lord.
Cry out among the nations.
With joy you will draw living water
from the fountain of salvation.
Cry out with joy
for the Holy One is among you.
Cry out with joy
for the Holy One is among you
Sing praise to God.
Proclaim his glorious deeds.
Zion, shout for joy and fall on your knees.
Fall on your knees.
Cry out with joy
for the Holy One is among you.
Cry out with joy
for the Holy One is among you
Cry out with joy
for the Holy One is among you.
Cry out with joy
for the Holy One is among you
The Path of Forgiveness
We live in a society that is becoming highly polarized and in which there appears to be little or no middle ground. This polarization is not limited to politics. It seems to affect just about everything. On the internet, on social media, it is increasingly common for people to show a very low tolerance for opinions that differ from their own. There is also a growing tendency to depict as evil any person and any group that does not share our particular opinion and to completely reject a person or group and not support them because they have said something that offends us. There is a corresponding lack of civility.
What is noticeable too is the growing prevalence of distorted and illogical thinking. This may not be a new development. It may simply be more noticeable due to the particular medium.
Among the more common kinds of distorted thinking are filtering, to pay no attention to the positives in a situation and to keep thinking about its negatives; polarization or all-or-nothing thinking, seeing ourselves or the world in black or white, with no shades of gray; overgeneralization, drawing negative conclusions from one or two occurrences or events; jumping to conclusions or “mind-reading,” interpreting a situation negatively without any evidence to support that conclusion; catastrophizing, jumping to the worst possible conclusion in every scenario, no matter how improbable it may be; personalization, believing we are responsible for events that, in reality, completely or partially out of our control; blaming, making others’ responsible for how we feel; emotional reasoning, believing how we feel is a reflection of reality; and always being right. These and other common forms of cognitive distortion are very evident on social media.
They may form the tip of an iceberg, metaphorically speaking. An iceberg is a huge block of ice which breaks off a glacier or one of the polar icecaps and floats off into the nearby sea. Most of the iceberg is submerged, out of sight. We see only the iceberg’s tip, not what lies below the surface of the water. What we observe on social media is just a small part of the distorted or illogical thing that is occurring in our society.
What is increasingly lacking on social media is a willingness to forgive. This unwillingness to forgive is evident among many people who identify themselves as Christians, as are the other characteristics and patterns of thinking, which I have just described.
In this evening’s reading, Matthew 18: 21-35, Jesus teaches his disciples about the importance of forgiveness and tells the disciples the Parable of the Unforgiving Debtor. When he tells Peter to forgive someone seventy-times-seven, he is not telling Peter to keep count of the number of times that he forgives that person until he has forgiven the person 490 times, after which he can stop forgiving the person. Telling Peter to forgive the person seventy-times-seven is Jesus’ way of telling Peter to keep on forgiving the person without keeping track of the number of times that he forgave the person. In other words, Peter should set no limit on his forgiveness of others.
To drive home what he is saying, Jesus tells the Parable of the Unforgiving Debtor. The point of the parable is that those who are unforgiving cannot expect forgiveness from God. Indeed, elsewhere in the gospels, Jesus teaches his disciples to ask God to forgive the wrongdoings they have committed as they forgive the wrongdoings that others have committed against them. Jesus clearly ties being forgiven to being forgiving.
In his teaching Jesus emphasizes imitating God’s mercifulness and in doing so showing that we are indeed God’s children. Children act like their parents. They internalize their parents’ good qualities. They also may internalize their parents’ bad characteristics. In Jesus’ teaching God is goodness itself. From his viewpoint we can only internalize good qualities from God since God has no bad qualities to make a part of our character. .
According to the Cambridge Dictionary, “someone who is merciful is willing to be kind to and forgive people who are in their power.” When we are kind to someone, we are generous, helpful, and caring toward them. We are considerate of their feelings, and we do them no harm. When we forgive someone, we stop blaming or being mad at that person for something that they have done or which we have imagined them to have done, or we do not punish them for something. We do not hold against them whatever they have done, or we imagined them to have done. We let go of any anger and resentment and the desire to get even, to pay them back.
Forgiving someone may not always be easy to do, but God does provide us with grace to enable us to forgive them.
Forgiveness is a critical step toward reconciliation, the restoration of friendly relations between two or more people between whom a rift has formed.
When we believe in Jesus, we accept the forgiveness that Jesus obtained for us through his suffering and death on the cross. If, however, we are unwilling to forgive others, what Jesus says in this evening’s reading, we create a barrier to receiving the full benefit of that forgiveness. The unforgiving debtor was thrown into prison where he was tortured until he paid the debt which he owed his master. His own unwillingness to forgive prevented him from enjoying the mercy that his master had shown him.
Jesus told his disciples that he would not acknowledge everyone who called him Lord, only those who did the Father’s will. What is the Father’s will? It is to listen to the Son in whom the Father is well-pleased and to follow his teaching. We honor the Father by honoring the Son whom he sent. By the Father Jesus was referring to God; by the Son, to himself. Jesus claimed a unique relationship with God, that is, he was one with God and what he spoke were not his words but what the Father had told him to speak. They were God’s words.
According to the apostle James, a faith that is living and vital, the kind of faith by which we are put right with God, manifests itself in our actions, in what we do. The apostle Paul took a similar view. He wrote that faith works through love. It is evident in the love that we show for others. Both would agree that in following Jesus’ teaching to forgive the failings of others, we are showing our faith in Jesus. We believe what he said, and we act on our belief.
As a Christian, there will be times when we may struggle to forgive someone. But the path of forgiving the failings of others is the path that we are expected to take if we are to be true disciples of our Lord, leading lives that embody his teaching and example and reflect our faith in him. The world may encourage us to be unforgiving and even vengeful.
However, when Jesus called us to follow him and we responded to his call, we chose a different path. We chose the path of forgiveness. We chose the path of reconciliation. They may at times be a difficult path to tread but that in calling us to be his disciple Jesus has called us to tread that path. He has called us to give up doing things the way the world does them, to give up our old patterns of thinking, and to live according to the principles he taught and the example he set.
We are not expected to walk this path alone. Jesus has given us companions to tread the path with us. He has given us the Holy Spirit to be our helper and guide. His grace, the power of the Holy Spirit, is actively working in our lives. What is expected from us, John Sammis so aptly put into words in the refrain of his hymn, "Trust and Obey," Hymn 467 in The United Methodist Hymnal:
Trust and obey, for there's no other way
to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.
It is in trust and obedience that we tread the path of love and forgiveness, the path of a true disciple, the path which leads to eternal life.
Silence
Make your ways known upon earth, O God,
your saving power among all peoples.
Renew your Church in holiness,
and help us to serve you with joy.
Guide the leaders of this and every nation,
that justice may prevail throughout the world.
Let not the needy, O God, be forgotten,
nor the hope of the poor be taken away.
Make us instruments of your peace,
and let your glory be over all the earth.
Heavenly Father,
you have promised to hear when we pray
in the name of your Son.
Therefore in confidence and trust
we pray for the Church:
(Particular intercessions/thanksgivings may be offered.)
Father, enliven the Church for its mission
that we may be salt of the earth and light to the world.
Breathe fresh life into your people.
Give us power to reveal Christ in word and action.
We pray for the world:
(Particular intercessions/thanksgivings may be offered.)
Creator of all,
lead us and every people into ways of justice and peace.
That we may respect one another in freedom and truth.
Awaken in us a sense of wonder for the earth and all that is in it.
Teach us to care creatively for its resources.
We pray for the community:
(Particular intercessions/thanksgivings may be offered.)
God of truth, inspire with your wisdom
those whose decisions affect the lives of others
that all may act with integrity and courage.
Give grace to all whose lives are linked with ours.
May we serve Christ in one another, and love as he loves us.
We pray for those in need:
(Particular intercessions/thanksgivings may be offered.)
God of hope, comfort and restore
all who suffer in body, mind or spirit.
May they know the power of your healing love.
Make us willing agents of your compassion.
Strengthen us as we share in making people whole.
We remember those who have died and those who mourn:
(Particular intercessions/thanksgivings may be offered.)
We remember with thanksgiving those who have died in the faith
of Christ, and those whose faith is known to you alone.
Father, into your hands we commend them.
Give comfort to those who mourn.
Bring them peace in their time of loss.
We praise you for (N and) all your saints
who have entered your eternal glory.
May their example inspire and encourage us.
We pray for ourselves and our ministries:
(Particular intercessions/thanksgivings may be offered and the prayers
conclude with the following.)
Lord, you have called us to serve you.
Grant that we may walk in your presence:
your love in our hearts,
your truth in our minds,
your strength in our wills;
until, at the end of our journey,
we know the joy of our homecoming
and the welcome of your embrace,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Living God, you called your people out of Egypt
and gave them the covenant;
prepare our hearts to hear your call,
so that we may receive with joy the gospel of your Son
and be your faithful people, now and for ever.
Amen.
Silence
Make your ways known upon earth, O God,
your saving power among all peoples.
Renew your Church in holiness,
and help us to serve you with joy.
Guide the leaders of this and every nation,
that justice may prevail throughout the world.
Let not the needy, O God, be forgotten,
nor the hope of the poor be taken away.
Make us instruments of your peace,
and let your glory be over all the earth.
Heavenly Father,
you have promised to hear when we pray
in the name of your Son.
Therefore in confidence and trust
we pray for the Church:
(Particular intercessions/thanksgivings may be offered.)
Father, enliven the Church for its mission
that we may be salt of the earth and light to the world.
Breathe fresh life into your people.
Give us power to reveal Christ in word and action.
We pray for the world:
(Particular intercessions/thanksgivings may be offered.)
Creator of all,
lead us and every people into ways of justice and peace.
That we may respect one another in freedom and truth.
Awaken in us a sense of wonder for the earth and all that is in it.
Teach us to care creatively for its resources.
We pray for the community:
(Particular intercessions/thanksgivings may be offered.)
God of truth, inspire with your wisdom
those whose decisions affect the lives of others
that all may act with integrity and courage.
Give grace to all whose lives are linked with ours.
May we serve Christ in one another, and love as he loves us.
We pray for those in need:
(Particular intercessions/thanksgivings may be offered.)
God of hope, comfort and restore
all who suffer in body, mind or spirit.
May they know the power of your healing love.
Make us willing agents of your compassion.
Strengthen us as we share in making people whole.
We remember those who have died and those who mourn:
(Particular intercessions/thanksgivings may be offered.)
We remember with thanksgiving those who have died in the faith
of Christ, and those whose faith is known to you alone.
Father, into your hands we commend them.
Give comfort to those who mourn.
Bring them peace in their time of loss.
We praise you for (N and) all your saints
who have entered your eternal glory.
May their example inspire and encourage us.
We pray for ourselves and our ministries:
(Particular intercessions/thanksgivings may be offered and the prayers
conclude with the following.)
Lord, you have called us to serve you.
Grant that we may walk in your presence:
your love in our hearts,
your truth in our minds,
your strength in our wills;
until, at the end of our journey,
we know the joy of our homecoming
and the welcome of your embrace,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Living God, you called your people out of Egypt
and gave them the covenant;
prepare our hearts to hear your call,
so that we may receive with joy the gospel of your Son
and be your faithful people, now and for ever.
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 be with you.
The Lord bless you.
As our Savior Christ has taught 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.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Thomas Troeger’s “As Servants Working an Estate.
1 As servants working an estate,
whose owner is away,
And whose return they all await
though no one knows the day,
So none of us can name the hour,
the season, or the year
When Christ with all the heaven’s power
will suddenly appear.
2 Our task is not to calculate
what angels do not know,
But faithfully to watch and wait
and Christ’s compassion show.
Not loading fragile human schemes
with hopes they cannot bear,
We trust the promise that redeems
the present from despair.
For Christ the Lord will surely come,
the king whom kings will fear,
And with God’s perfect justice plumb
the justice we do here,
Revealing that the present age
and every age that’s past
Are not the final moral gauge
that judges us at last.
So guide, Lord Christ, our every choice
that when our hearts shall hear
Your step, your knock, your calling voice,
we will not hide in fear,
But welcome you from realms above
to your estate below,
Where justice, mercy, peace, and love,
abundantly will grow.
THE DISMISSAL
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
The almighty and merciful God bless us
and keep us now and for ever. Amen.
Go now to love and serve the Lord. Go in peace.
Amen. We go in the name of Christ.
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 be with you.
The Lord bless you.
As our Savior Christ has taught 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.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Thomas Troeger’s “As Servants Working an Estate.
1 As servants working an estate,
whose owner is away,
And whose return they all await
though no one knows the day,
So none of us can name the hour,
the season, or the year
When Christ with all the heaven’s power
will suddenly appear.
2 Our task is not to calculate
what angels do not know,
But faithfully to watch and wait
and Christ’s compassion show.
Not loading fragile human schemes
with hopes they cannot bear,
We trust the promise that redeems
the present from despair.
For Christ the Lord will surely come,
the king whom kings will fear,
And with God’s perfect justice plumb
the justice we do here,
Revealing that the present age
and every age that’s past
Are not the final moral gauge
that judges us at last.
So guide, Lord Christ, our every choice
that when our hearts shall hear
Your step, your knock, your calling voice,
we will not hide in fear,
But welcome you from realms above
to your estate below,
Where justice, mercy, peace, and love,
abundantly will grow.
THE DISMISSAL
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
The almighty and merciful God bless us
and keep us now and for ever. Amen.
Go now to love and serve the Lord. Go in peace.
Amen. We go in the name of Christ.
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