Thursday Evenings at All Hallows (Thursday, March 9, 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

Opening Medley:
Open this link in a new tab to hear Alexander Gondo’s “Come All You People (Uyai Mose).”

Come, all you people,
come and praise your Maker.
Come, all you people,
come and praise your Maker.
Come, all you people,
Come and praise your Maker.
Come now and worship the Lord.

Come, all you people,
come and praise your Maker.
Come, all you people,
come and praise your Maker.
Come, all you people,
come and praise your Maker.
Come now and worship the Lord.

Come, all you people,
come and praise your Maker.
Come, all you people,
come and praise your Maker.
Come, all you people,
come and praise your Maker.
Come now and worship the Lord.

Uyai mose ,
tinamate Mwari.
Uyai mose ,
tinamate Mwari.
Uyai mose ,
tinamate Mwari.
Uyai mose zvino.

Uyai mose ,
tinamate Mwari.
Uyai mose ,
tinamate Mwari.
Uyai mose ,
tinamate Mwari.
Uyai mose zvino.


Open this link in a new tab to hear Michael W. Smith and Deborah D. Smith’s “Great Is the Lord.”

Great is the Lord
He is holy and just
By His power we trust
In His love
Great is the Lord
He is faithful and true
By His mercy He proves
He is love

Great is the Lord
And worthy of glory
Great is the Lord
And worthy of praise
Great is the Lord
Now lift up your voice
Now lift up your voice
Great is the Lord
Great is the Lord

Great is the Lord,
He is holy and just
By His power we trust
In His love
Great is the Lord
He is faithful, and true
By His mercy He proves
He is love

Great is the Lord
And worthy of glory
Great is the Lord
And worthy of praise
Great is the Lord
Now lift up your voice
Now lift up your voice
Great is the Lord
Great is the Lord

Great are you Lord
And worthy of glory
Great are you Lord
And worthy of praise
Great are you Lord
I lift up my voice
I lift up my voice
Great are you Lord
Great are you Lord
Great are you Lord
Great are you Lord

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

Almighty God, we have no power of our own to help ourselves. Keep us both outwardly in our bodies and inwardly in our souls, so that we may be defended from all adversities that may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

HEARING GOD'S WORD

Scripture Reading
A reading from the New Testament (Hebrews 3: 1-6)

My Christian friends, who also have been called by God! Think of Jesus, whom God sent to be the High Priest of the faith we profess. He was faithful to God, who chose him to do this work, just as Moses was faithful in his work in God's house. A man who builds a house receives more honor than the house itself. In the same way Jesus is worthy of much greater honor than Moses. Every house, of course, is built by someone—and God is the one who has built all things. Moses was faithful in God's house as a servant, and he spoke of the things that God would say in the future. But Christ is faithful as the Son in charge of God's house. We are his house if we keep up our courage and our confidence in what we hope for.

Silence

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

God’s House Is Not a Building

While the Letter to the Hebrews is sometimes attributed to the apostle Paul, we do not know who wrote it. It was addressed to Jewish Christians, something that its frequent references to matters with which most Jews would be familiar but very few, if any, Gentiles, or non-Jews. Perhaps a Gentile convert to Judaism or a long-time God-fearer. God-fearers were pagans who had attached themselves to Hellenistic Judaism and shared beliefs and practices with the Jews to one degree or another.

In this evening’s New Testament reading, the author of Hebrews points to the attention of those to whom the letter is addressed the important difference between Moses and Jesus. The Jews highly esteemed Moses as the people of Israel’s first prophet. While God had sent a number of prophets to the people of Israel since Moses’ time, they were not viewed in quite the same light as was Moses. Moses was God’s instrument in delivering the people of Israel from captivity in Egypt and bringing hem to the promised land. Through Moses God gave the Law to the people of Israel. The Law, which is found in the Old Testament, is a set of rules that orders the way that the people of Israel were to behave toward God, toward their fellow Israelites, and toward foreigners in their midst. It specifies what religious festivals they are to observe and how they are to worship God. It also prescribes penalties for those who violate its various prohibitions.

While recognizing the importance of Moses to the people of Israel, the author of Hebrews points to attention those to whom the letter is addressed that Jesus is more important. Moses was faithful in God’s house as a servant. Christ, however is faithful as the Son in charge of God’s house.

The author of Hebrews use of the phrase “God’s house” may cause some confusion. To what is the author of Hebrews referring—a building, the Temple at Jerusalem. Moses died long before a temple was erected in Jerusalem.

The author of Hebrews goes on to point to attention of those to whom the letter is addressed that the followers of Jesus “are his house if we keep up our courage and our confidence in what we hope for.” “God’s house” then is not a building or the people occupying the building but an important family like the House of Windsor to which the British Royal family belongs. It is a family far more important in the scheme of things that the House of Windsor will ever be. The House of Windsor may eventually die out; its bloodline may cease. This has happened to royal families in the past. A king or queen dies without leaving behind them any children, legitimate or illegitimate. Queen Elizabeth I never married and died childless. The House of Tudor died with her. As a consequence, a new royal dynasty, the Stuarts, ascended the English throne, to be eventually replaced in their turn by the House of Hanover.

God’s house, on the other hand, is eternal. It cannot come to an untimely end.

How then do we become a part of God’s house, God’s family? Aren’t we all children of God? Are we born into God’s house like Charles III, who succeeded to the English throne upon the death of his mother, Elizabeth II, was born into the House of Windsor? The answer is both yes and no.

We are all children of God in the sense that we are God’s creatures. However, we may conceive the process of creation, we believe as Christians that it ultimately leads back to God. We are all wayward children of God in the sense that we are all prone to doing only what we want and do not naturally lean toward behaving in ways that are pleasing to God. Despite our waywardness God, however, has not abandoned us. God’s basic attitude toward us is one of merciful kindness.

An attitude of merciful kindness is not the same as an overindulgent attitude. When we overindulge someone, we allow them to behave in ways that are not good for them and may permit them to do harm to others or themselves. When someone is merciful, they are willing to be kind and forgiving to people who are in their power. When someone is kind, they are generous, helpful, and caring about other people. Theologians call the merciful kindness God shows us grace. We are not entitled to it. We cannot earn it or demonstrate in any way that we merit it. It is pure gift, freely given by God because of who God is. God is love.

God shows us grace in a number of ways. One of the ways that God has shown us grace is Jesus. God in the person of the Son became human. God experienced birth as we do. God experienced suffering and death as we do. Where Jesus differed from us is that he was not wayward like we are. As Jesus God not only taught us how to behave toward God, others, and our fellow Christians but also put things right between God and us.

Where our waywardness came between God and us, God provided a way by which we could be reconciled with God, be on good terms with God. The way that God provided us is to believe in Jesus, to put our faith, trust, and confidence in him, in what he taught, and what he did for us suffering and dying on the cross. In the process we become a part of God’s house, God’s family. We are born spiritually into God’ house, God’s family. Theologians call this spiritual birth the new birth or being born again. We have a new standing in our relationship with God. The new birth, like our physical birth, is just a beginning. Having enabled us to be spiritually reborn, God continues to work in our lives, transforming us into the likeness of Jesus.

No, we don’t grow a beard, wear a seamless robe and sandals and begin to speak in Aramaic. But we do orient our lives more and more to God. We grow in our love of God and those qualities of character that Jesus exhibited. We model our lives on what Jesus taught and practiced. It is very evident from our actions that Jesus is indeed the Lord of our lives, and we are the children of the most high. It is very clear to everyone who is the strongest influence in our lives.

Silence

Hymn of Response:
Open this link in a new tab to hear the American folk hymn, “What Wondrous Love Is This.”

1 What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul,
what wondrous love is this, O my soul!
What wondrous love is this that caused the Lord of bliss
to bear the dreadful curse for my soul, for my soul,
to bear the dreadful curse for my soul.

2 When I was sinking down, sinking down, sinking down,
when I was sinking down, sinking down,
when I was sinking down beneath God’s righteous frown,
Christ laid aside his crown for my soul, for my soul,
Christ laid aside his crown for my soul.

3 To God and to the Lamb I will sing, I will sing,
to God and to the Lamb, I will sing;
to God and to the Lamb who is the great I AM,
while millions join the theme I will sing, I will sing;
while millions join the theme I will sing.

4 And when from death I’m free, I’ll sing on, I’ll sing on,
and when from death I’m free, I’ll sing on;
and when from death I’m free, I’ll sing and joyful be,
and through eternity I’ll sing on, I’ll sing on,
and through eternity I’ll sing on.

Coda:
What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul,
what wondrous love is this, O my soul!

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 give us grace to agree in these prayers, and you have promised that when two or three ask together i 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 Hymn:
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…

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.

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