Thursday Evenings at All Hallows (Thursday, March 16, 2023)

Welcome to Thursday Evenings at All Hallows. The best description of All Hallows Murray is an online gathering place for Christians and those exploring the Christian faith. The services of praise, proclamation, and prayer that are offered on this blogsite are not intended to replace those of a local church but are offered for the benefit of those who are unable to attend a local church for any reason, who may be traveling, or who wish to test the water before taking the plunge, or who otherwise may benefit from them.

DRAWING NEAR TO GOD

Call to Worship:
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

Song of Praise:
Open this link in a new tab to hear George Romanacce, Nathan Stiff, and Kevin Winebarger’s “Who is Like the Lord (Psalm 113).”

1 Saints and servants, hosts of heaven, all creation
Praise the name of the Lord!
Night and morning, sing His glory, now and forevermore

2 Earthly kingdoms, all dominions, bow before Him
Praise the name of the Lord!
None as holy, none as worthy, now and forevermore

Crowned with adoration, He is high above the nations
Who is like the Lord our God?
Who is like the Lord our God?

3 Our Lord Jesus wore our weakness to redeem us
Praise the name of the Lord!
In His kindness He will keep us now and forevermore

Crowned with adoration, He is high above the nations
Who is like the Lord our God?
Raised us from the ashes, He has turned our grief to gladness
Who is like the Lord our God?
Who is like the Lord our God?

Bridge
High and holy, meek and lowly
There is no one like You
Our Messiah, here beside us
There is no one like You

High and holy, meek and lowly
There is no one like You
Our Messiah, here beside us
There is no one like You

Crowned with adoration, He is high above the nations
Who is like the Lord our God?
Raised us from the ashes, He has turned our grief to gladness
Who is like the Lord our God?
Who is like the Lord our God?

Coda
There is no one like our God
There is no one like our God

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us; but if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Let us humbly confess our sins to Almighty God.

Silence

O God, our Father, we have sinned against you in thought, word and deed; we have not love you with all our heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves, Have mercy upon us, we beseech you; cleanse us from our sins; and help us to overcome our faults; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Merciful God, grant to your faithful people pardon and peace, that they may be cleansed from all their sins, and serve you with a quiet mind, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Triasgion:
Open this link in a new tab Fernado Ortaga’s setting of the Trisagion, “Holy God.”

Holy God,
holy and mighty,
holy immortal one
have mercy
have mercy on us.

Holy God,
holy and mighty,
holy immortal one
have mercy
have mercy on us.

Holy God,
holy and mighty,
holy immortal one
have mercy
have mercy
have mercy
have mercy
have mercy on us.

The Lord be with you.
The Lord bless you.

Let us pray.

Silence

Give us grace and courage to hope, and to risk disappointment. Teach us to pray expectantly, and when our prayers seem to fail, bring us to pray again and again; for you are our God, who acts, and will act again. Hear this prayer for your love’s sake. Amen.

HEARING GOD’S WORD

Scripture Reading
A reading from the Old Testament (Genesis 49: 33; 50:1-26)

When Jacob had finished giving instructions to his sons, he lay back down and died.

Joseph threw himself on his father, crying and kissing his face. Then Joseph gave orders to embalm his father's body. It took forty days, the normal time for embalming. The Egyptians mourned for him seventy days.

When the time of mourning was over, Joseph said to the king's officials, “Please take this message to the king: ‘When my father was about to die, he made me promise him that I would bury him in the tomb which he had prepared in the land of Canaan. So please let me go and bury my father, and then I will come back.’”

The king answered, “Go and bury your father, as you promised you would.”

So Joseph went to bury his father. All the king's officials, the senior men of his court, and all the leading men of Egypt went with Joseph. His family, his brothers, and the rest of his father's family all went with him. Only their small children and their sheep, goats, and cattle stayed in the region of Goshen. Men in chariots and men on horseback also went with him; it was a huge group.

When they came to the threshing place at Atad east of the Jordan, they mourned loudly for a long time, and Joseph performed mourning ceremonies for seven days. When the citizens of Canaan saw those people mourning at Atad, they said, “What a solemn ceremony of mourning the Egyptians are holding!” That is why the place was named Abel Mizraim.

So Jacob's sons did as he had commanded them; they carried his body to Canaan and buried it in the cave at Machpelah east of Mamre in the field which Abraham had bought from Ephron the Hittite for a burial ground. After Joseph had buried his father, he returned to Egypt with his brothers and all who had gone with him for the funeral.

After the death of their father, Joseph's brothers said, “What if Joseph still hates us and plans to pay us back for all the harm we did to him?” So they sent a message to Joseph: “Before our father died, he told us to ask you, ‘Please forgive the crime your brothers committed when they wronged you.’ Now please forgive us the wrong that we, the servants of your father's God, have done.” Joseph cried when he received this message.

Then his brothers themselves came and bowed down before him. “Here we are before you as your slaves,” they said.

But Joseph said to them, “Don't be afraid; I can't put myself in the place of God. You plotted evil against me, but God turned it into good, in order to preserve the lives of many people who are alive today because of what happened. You have nothing to fear. I will take care of you and your children.” So he reassured them with kind words that touched their hearts.

Joseph continued to live in Egypt with his father's family; he was a hundred and ten years old when he died. He lived to see Ephraim's children and grandchildren. He also lived to receive the children of Machir son of Manasseh into the family. He said to his brothers, “I am about to die, but God will certainly take care of you and lead you out of this land to the land he solemnly promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” Then Joseph asked his people to make a vow. “Promise me,” he said, “that when God leads you to that land, you will take my body with you.” So Joseph died in Egypt at the age of a hundred and ten. They embalmed his body and put it in a coffin.

Silence

This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Lessons about God from the Old Testament

This evening’s Scripture reading comes from the Book of Genesis, the first book of the Hebrew Bible, the Christian Old Testament, and the first book of the Christian Bible. It is the oldest book in the Bible. The reading is the closing chapter of the Old Testament’s account of how the people of Israel, the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob came to live in the region of Goshen in the land of Egypt. If you wish to read the entire account, it begins at the first verse of Chapter 37 of the Book of Genesis. I definitely recommend read it.

You may be thinking, “But how is what just read relevant to my life? What is the connection between this story and what is going on in my own life?”

Joseph’s words to his brothers after they bowed before him show its relevance.

You plotted evil against me, but God turned it into good, in order to preserve the lives of many people who are alive today because of what happened.

God took their evil deed of selling their brother into slavery and deceiving their father Jacob and made good come from it. God redeemed the situation. God restored Jacob’s son to him and brought about the reconciliation of Joseph and his brothers. He used Joseph to spare the Egyptians and Jacob and his sons’ families from the effects of seven years of poor crops.

God does have a way of turning people and situations around. God can take the harm that someone has done to us or intends to do to us and transform it into good not only for us but also for that person and for others. In the process God will transform us into a better person. As the angel Gabriel told Mary and Jesus told his disciples, “Nothing is impossible for God.”

A theme that runs throughout the Bible is that God saves. It is the meaning of Jesus’ name, “God saves.” God delivered the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt. God saved the reluctant prophet Jonah from drowning. God delivered the three young men from the fiery furnace and Daniel from the lions’ den. God freed the people of Judea from captivity in Babylon. God raised the crucified Jesus from the dead and made Jesus’ suffering and death on the cross and subsequent resurrection the linchpin of our salvation.

This evening’ reading and other passages of the Bible remind us that we can trust God’s benevolence toward us. The most important quality of God’s character is hesed—loving kindness, faithfulness, mercy.

We may not always understand what God is doing. At times we may feel like God is doing nothing at all: He has left us to suffer the results of our own actions or someone else’s actions, without offering any help to us. We may feel that God is so far away from us that we doubt God’s existence. It is at these times we must keep trusting God, keep trusting that God has our good at heart. The powers of darkness may whisper in our ears that God has abandoned us. We must on our part go on trusting God.

Abraham trusted God when God promised him that his wife Sarah who was well past child-bearing age would bear him a son and provide him with a heir. God kept his promise. Abraham trusted God when God told him take his son Isaac and offer him as a sacrifice. God would provide Abraham with ram for the sacrifice. Abraham’ trust in God, his faith in God, would counted to him as righteousness, and God would make him the father of a great nation but not in the way that he imagined. The members of that great nation would be his descendants because they, like Abraham, trust God.

When we examine Jesus’ teaching. One thing features prominently in what he taught. Trust God. Trust the Father and the Son whom he sent. Trust Jesus.

We may be going through a rough patch in our lives. We may be experiencing lots of problems. Whatever may be the circumstances, I believe that the right thing to do is to keep on trusting God. Abraham did. Joseph did. Jesus did. The outcome may not be what we hoped for. It may be more than we hoped for. Some good in some way will come from what we are experiencing.

Look at what happened to the people of Israel. They were repeatedly faithless to God and consequently bad things happened to them. But God did not abandon them. And eventually good came out of their faithlessness. God sent the promised Messiah who it turned out was not just the savior of Israel but the savior of the world. God himself was in Jesus, reconciling all humanity to himself.

How do we keep trusting God? We maintain a positive attitude toward God. We show our faith in him by trusting Jesus’ words and following his teaching and example. We take an active part in the life, worship, and ministry of a local church. We keep praying. We share our faith with others. And we step forward in faith when circumstances require that we make a leap of faith. We do not let our doubts and fears come between us and God. We fix our eyes on Jesus and neither turn to the right nor to the left. But walk humbly with our God.

Silence

Open this link in a new tab to hear Ben Fielding and Reuben Morgan’s “Mighty to Save.”

Everyone needs compassion
A love that's never failing
Let mercy fall on me
Everyone needs forgiveness
The kindness of a Savior
The Hope of nations

Savior, He can move the mountains
For my God is mighty to save
He is mighty to save
Forever, author of Salvation
He rose and conquered the grave
Jesus conquered the grave

So take me as You find me
All my fears and failures
And fill my life again
I give my life to follow
Everything I believe in
And now I surrender (I surrender)

Savior, He can move the mountains
My God is mighty to save
He is mighty to save
Forever, author of Salvation
He rose and conquered the grave
Jesus conquered the grave

Savior, He can move the mountains
My God is mighty to save
He is mighty to save
Forever, author of Salvation
He rose and conquered the grave
Jesus conquered the grave

Shine Your light and let the whole world see
We're singing for the glory of the risen King, Jesus
Shine Your light and let the whole world see
We're singing for the glory of the risen King

Savior, He can move the mountains
My God is mighty to save
He is mighty to save
Forever, author of Salvation
He rose and conquered the grave
Jesus conquered the grave

Savior, He can move the mountains
My God is mighty to save
He is mighty to save
Forever, author of Salvation
He rose and conquered the grave
Jesus conquered the grave

Shine Your light and let the whole world see
We're singing for the glory of the risen King, Jesus
Shine Your light and let the whole world see
We're singing for the glory of the risen King, Jesus
Shine Your light and let the whole world see
We're singing for the glory of the risen King, Jesus

Shine Your light and let the whole world see
We're singing for the glory of the risen King

Shine Your light and let the whole world see
We're singing for the glory of the risen King, Jesus
Shine Your light and let the whole world see
We're singing for the glory of the risen King

PRAYING FOR GOD’S WORLD

Concerns and Prayers:
A short pause for silent prayer may be made after each response. The bidding in brackets [ ] may be omitted.

Let us implore the all-holy and ever-blessed Trinity to show mercy and grace to us and to all people.

O God the Father, have mercy upon us:
O God the Father, have mercy upon us.
O God the Son, have mercy upon us:
O God the Son, have mercy upon us.
O God the Holy Spirit, have mercy upon us:
O God the Holy Spirit, have mercy upon us.

Stretch forth your hand upon us, O Lord, and save us; raise us up and defend us.

Lord, have mercy.

Let us pray for the peace that comes from above, and for the salvation of our souls.

Lord, have mercy.

Let us pray for the peace of the whole world, and for the welfare and unity of the Church of God.

Lord, have mercy.

Let us pray for the conversion of those who do not yet believe or have fallen into error.

Lord, have mercy.

Let us pray for our country, for this place [or city], for this district, and for all that live in it.

Lord, have mercy.

Let us pray for all Christian people throughout the world.

Lord, have mercy.

[Let us pray for all Christian princes and governors, especially our Sovereign Lord, King Charles.]

Lord, have mercy.

Let us pray for all in authority in this land, especially those in this county [or city or place].

Lord, have mercy.

Let us pray for all who minister in Christ's Church, especially for N. our pastor.

Lord, have mercy.

Let us pray for all who are traveling by land, sea, or air.

Lord, have mercy.

Let us pray for steadfastness in the faith for our brothers and sisters in other lands.

Lord, have mercy.

Let us pray for all who are sick or suffering, in mind, body, or state of life.

Lord, have mercy.

Let us pray for quiet, peaceful lives, free from temptation and sin, and for a joyful reunion with all our loved ones in heaven at life’s end.

Lord, have mercy.

Let us pray that we may faithfully represent Christ in the world and to the world.

Lord, have mercy.

Let us pray for the faithful departed.

Lord, have mercy.

(Other biddings may be added here.)

Lord, you have given us grace to agree in these prayers, and you have promised that when two or three ask together in your name you will grant their requests. Fulfil now, Lord, our desires and prayers as may be best for us. Grant us in this life, knowledge of your truth and in the age to come, life eternal. Amen.

And now as our Savior Christ 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, and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.

GOING OUT TO SERVE

Closing Song:
Open this link in a new tab to hear David Haas “We Are Called.”

1 Come, live in the light
Shine with the joy and the love of the Lord
We are called to be light for the kingdom
To live in the freedom of the city of God

We are called to act with justice
We are called to love tenderly
We are called to serve one another
To walk humbly with God

2 Come, open your heart
Show your mercy to all those in fear
We are called to be hope for the hopeless
So all hatred and blindness will be no more

We are called to act with justice
We are called to love tenderly
We are called to serve one another
To walk humbly with God

3 Sing, sing a new song
Sing of that great day when all will be one
God will reign and we'll walk with each other
As sisters and brothers united in love

We are called to act with justice
We are called to love tenderly
We are called to serve one another
To walk humbly with God

We are called to act with justice
We are called to love tenderly
We are called to serve one another
To walk humbly with God

Benediction:
May the Lord bless us and keep us,
May the Lord make his face to shine on us and be gracious to us,
May the Lord look on us with kindness and give us peace. Amen.