All Hallows Evening Prayer for Saturday Evening (January 7, 2023)

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 David Sims’ arrangement of Sylvia Dunstan’s paraphrase of the Phos Hilaron, “O Laughing Light, First-Born of Creation.”

1 O laughing light, O First-born of creation,
Radiance of glory, light from light begotten,
God self-revealing, holy, bright and blessed:
You shine upon us.

2 Day’s light is fleeting; your light is eternal.
We look to you, our light within the shadow.
We sing to you, Creator, Christ, and Spirit;
You shine before us.

3 Light of the world, O Jesus Christ, we bless you!
Giver of life and Child of God, we praise you!
Hear as the universe proclaims your glory!
You shine among us.
You shine among us.

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 Songs in Presence’s responsorial setting of Psalm 97, "The Lord Is King, the Most High over All the Earth.”

The Lord is king,
the most high over all the earth.

The Lord is king,
the most high over all the earth.

The Lord is king; let the earth rejoice;
let the many islands be glad.
Clouds and darkness are round about him.
Justice and judgment are the foundation of his throne.

The Lord is king,
the most high over all the earth.

The mountains melt like wax before the Lord,
before the Lord of all the earth.
The heavens proclaim his justice,
and all peoples see his glory.

The Lord is king (the Lord is king),
the most high over all the earth.

Because you, O Lord, are the Most High over all the earth,
exalted far above all gods.

The Lord is king (the Lord is king),
the most high over all the earth.

Silence is kept.

Most high and holy God,
enthroned in fire and light,
burn away the dross of our lives
and kindle in us the fire of your love,
that our lives may reveal the light and life
we find in your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen.

The Proclamation of the Word

The Readings

A reading from the Book of Isaiah (Isaiah 49: 1-7)

Listen to me, all you in distant lands!
Pay attention, you who are far away!
The Lord called me before my birth;
from within the womb he called me by name.
He made my words of judgment as sharp as a sword.
He has hidden me in the shadow of his hand.
I am like a sharp arrow in his quiver.

He said to me, “You are my servant, Israel,
and you will bring me glory.”

I replied, “But my work seems so useless!
I have spent my strength for nothing and to no purpose.
Yet I leave it all in the Lord’s hand;
I will trust God for my reward.”

And now the Lord speaks—
the one who formed me in my mother’s womb to be his servant,
who commissioned me to bring Israel back to him.
The Lord has honored me,
and my God has given me strength.

He says, “You will do more than restore the people of Israel to me.
I will make you a light to the Gentiles,
and you will bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.”

The Lord, the Redeemer
and Holy One of Israel,
says to the one who is despised and rejected by the nations,
to the one who is the servant of rulers:
“Kings will stand at attention when you pass by.
Princes will also bow low
because of the Lord, the faithful one,
the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.”

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!

The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John (John 4:7-26).
Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Soon a Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Please give me a drink.” He was alone at the time because his disciples had gone into the village to buy some food.

The woman was surprised, for Jews refuse to have anything to do with Samaritans. She said to Jesus, “You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman. Why are you asking me for a drink?”

Jesus replied, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.”

“But sir, you don’t have a rope or a bucket,” she said, “and this well is very deep. Where would you get this living water? And besides, do you think you’re greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us this well? How can you offer better water than he and his sons and his animals enjoyed?”

Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.”

“Please, sir,” the woman said, “give me this water! Then I’ll never be thirsty again, and I won’t have to come here to get water.”

“Go and get your husband,” Jesus told her.

“I don’t have a husband,” the woman replied.

Jesus said, “You’re right! You don’t have a husband—for you have had five husbands, and you aren’t even married to the man you’re living with now. You certainly spoke the truth!”

“Sir,” the woman said, “you must be a prophet. So tell me, why is it that you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place of worship, while we Samaritans claim it is here at Mount Gerizim, where our ancestors worshiped?”

Jesus replied, “Believe me, dear woman, the time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem. You Samaritans know very little about the one you worship, while we Jews know all about him, for salvation comes through the Jews. But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.”

The woman said, “I know the Messiah is coming—the one who is called Christ. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”

Then Jesus told her, “I am the Messiah!”

Silence follows the reading

The Gospel of Christ.
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

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

How Do We Worship God "in Spirit and in Truth"?

Back in the 1980s I was involved in the planting and pioneering of a new Episcopal church in Mandeville, Louisiana. During the first few years of the new church’s existence, we held our Sunday services in a variety of settings—the parish hall of a local Disciples of Christ church, a tennis club, an office building, and a storefront. We eventually built a multi-purpose building on the property that the diocese had purchased for us and held our Sunday services in that building.

During those early years we enjoyed a steady flow of visitors who had heard about the new church and were looking for a new church home. A number of these guests would join the new church. The population of our end of St. Tammany Parish was growing and in those days a new Episcopal church had a good chance of growing with the population of the community in which it was located.

I was senior lay reader of the new church and had an active role in a number of its worship ministries, including its music ministry. I recall a conversation that I had with an older woman who had attended our Sunday services on one or more occasions. During the course of the conversation, she explained to me that how much she missed the pews, the needlepoint cushions, the stained glass windows, the organ music, the vested choir, the flickering candlelight, and the polished brass ornaments, in other words, the ambiance of the Episcopal Church which was at that time one of the main things that attracted people to the Episcopal Church, and to which cradle Episcopalians were accustomed. She did not think that she could get used to worshiping in a storefront church which lacked this ambience. I suggested to her that she visit my mother’s church which had the character and atmosphere that she missed. It was the oldest Episcopal church in the parish. 

To this older woman it mattered where she worshiped God. From comments that I have heard from other people and read on social media; she is not alone in feeling that way. To God, however, as Jesus tells the Samaritan woman at the well of Jacob in this evening’s Gospel reading, it does not matter where we worship him.

What matters to God is that we worship him in spirit and in truth. In other words, our worship is heart-felt and unfeigned. We worship God from our hearts, from our very core of our being. We genuinely worship him. We do not put on a pretense of worshiping God, a show intended to draw attention to ourselves and to win the praise and approval of our co-religionists as did the Pharisees in the days of Jesus' earthly ministry. 

The thing we need to keep in mind is that Jesus in talking about worshiping God is not just talking about what we do one day a week. He is talking about how we live our daily lives.

Worshiping God involves more than studying the Scriptures in a Sunday school class or singing hymns and worship songs, listening to the Scripture readings and a sermon, offering prayers and intercessions, and receiving Holy Communion at a Sunday service. Worshiping God involves showing God honor, respect, and obedience, not just for a couple of hours on a Sunday but for every waking hour of every day of our lives.

While the Sunday activities which I have just described form a part of our worship, believing Jesus and trusting him, obeying Jesus’ commandments and showing our love for the Son, carrying out the mission Jesus gave his disciples, and following his teaching and example are the primary ways that we show God honor, respect, and obedience. It is through our relationship with Jesus, with the Son, that we become the true worshipers that the Father seeks.

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

Eternal God,
who by a star
led wise men to the worship of your Son.
Guide by your light the nations of the earth,
that the whole world may know your glory;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who 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 Carey Landry’s “Abba Father.”

Abba, Abba Father
You are the potter,
we are the clay the work of Your hands.

Mold us, mold us and fashion us
Into the image of Jesus Your Son,
of Jesus your Son.

Abba, Abba Father
You are the potter,
we are the clay the work of Your hands.

Father, may we be one in You,
May we be one in You,
as He is in You and You are in Him.

Abba, Abba Father
You are the potter,
we are the clay the work of Your hands.

Abba, Abba, Abba, Abba!

Glory, glory and praise to You,
Glory and praise to You,
forever, amen, forever, amen.

Abba, Abba Father
You are the potter,
we are the clay the work of Your hands,
the work of Your hands.

Abba…

Dismissal

Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

May God bless and keep us. Amen.
May God’s face ever shine upon us. Amen.
May God grant us peace for all our days. Amen.