Sundays at All Hallows (Sunday, April 30, 2023)
Welcome to Sundays at All Hallows. This Sunday, the third Sunday after Easter Sunday, or the Fourth Sunday of Eastertide, is called “Good Shepherd Sunday” because of the Scripture readings appointed for the day in the lectionary.
DRAWING NEAR TO GODAlleluia! Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
Gathering Song:
Open this link in a new tab to hear Richard Bruxvoort Colligan’s “Hallelujah (Psalm 150).”
1 Come praise our God with flute and harp Hallelujah!
Piano, drums and loud guitars Hallelujah!
Hallelujah Hallelujah!
Hallelujah Hallelujah!
Hallelujah Hallelujah!
2 Come praise our God with voice and dance Hallelujah!
for all God's great and mighty acts Hallelujah!
Hallelujah Hallelujah!
Hallelujah Hallelujah!
Hallelujah Hallelujah!
3 We praise our God with all we are Hallelujah!
with body, mind and will and heart Hallelujah!
Hallelujah Hallelujah!
Hallelujah Hallelujah!
Hallelujah Hallelujah!
4 Let everything with breath proclaim Hallelujah!
the One who draws our highest praise Hallelujah!
Hallelujah Hallelujah!
Hallelujah Hallelujah!
Hallelujah Hallelujah!
Song of Praise:
Open this link in a new tab to hear Jesse Manibusan’s “Glory to God Most High.”
Glory! Glory to God! Glory— in the highest!
Glory! Glory to God! Glory to God Most High!
Glory! Glory to God! Glory— in the highest!
Glory! Glory to God! Glory to God Most High!
1 O God, Holy One, almighty God and Father,
we worship you, we give you thanks,
we praise you for your glory!
Glory! Glory to God! Glory— in the highest!
Glory! Glory to God! Glory to God Most High!
2 O Lord Jesus Christ, Holy One, Redeemer,
Lord God, Lamb of God,
you take away the sin of the world.
Glory! Glory to God! Glory— in the highest!
Glory! Glory to God! Glory to God Most High!
You alone are the Holy One,
you alone are the Lord,
you alone are the Most High God,
with the Spirit in the glory of God!
Glory! Glory to God! Glory— in the highest!
Glory! Glory to God! Glory to God Most High!
Glory! Glory to God! Glory— in the highest!
Glory! Glory to God! Glory to God Most High!
Glory to God Most High!
Glory to God Most High!
The Lord be with you.
The Lord bless you.
Let us pray.
Silence
Good shepherd of the sheep,
by whom the lost are sought
and guided into the fold;
feed us and we shall be satisfied,
heal us and we shall be whole,
and lead us that we may be with you,
with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
where you reign one God for ever.
Amen.
HEARING GOD’S WORD
Lord, open our hearts and minds
by the power of your Holy Spirit,
that, as the Scriptures are read
and your Word proclaimed,
we may hear with joy
what you say to us today. Amen.
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 2:42–47)
All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer.
A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. They worshipped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity —all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.
Silence
This is the word of the Lord
Thanks be to God.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Marty Haugen’s adaptation of Psalm 23, “Shepherd Me, O God”
Shepherd me, O God, beyond my wants,
beyond my fears, from death into life.
1 God is my shepherd, so nothing shall I want,
I rest in the meadows of faithfulness and love,
I walk by the quiet waters of peace.
Shepherd me, O God, beyond my wants,
beyond my fears, from death into life.
2 Gently you raise me and heal my weary soul,
you lead me by pathways of righteousness and truth,
my spirit shall sing the music of your name.
Shepherd me, O God, beyond my wants,
beyond my fears, from death into life.
3 Though I should wander the valley of death,
I fear no evil, for you are at my side,
your rod and your staff, my comfort and my hope.
Shepherd me, O God, beyond my wants,
beyond my fears, from death into life.
4 You have set me a banquet of love
in the face of hatred,
crowning me with love beyond my power to hold.
Shepherd me, O God, beyond my wants,
beyond my fears, from death into life.
5 Surely your kindness and mercy
follow me all the days of my life;
I will dwell in the house of my God forevermore.
Shepherd me, O God, beyond my wants,
beyond my fears, from death into life.
Silence
A reading from the First Letter of Peter (1 Peter 2:19–25)
For God is pleased when, conscious of his will, you patiently endure unjust treatment. Of course, you get no credit for being patient if you are beaten for doing wrong. But if you suffer for doing good and endure it patiently, God is pleased with you.
For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps.
He never sinned,
nor ever deceived anyone.
He did not retaliate when he was insulted,
nor threaten revenge when he suffered.
He left his case in the hands of God,
who always judges fairly.
He personally carried our sins
in his body on the cross
so that we can be dead to sin
and live for what is right.
By his wounds
you are healed.
Once you were like sheep
who wandered away.
But now you have turned to your Shepherd,
the Guardian of your souls.
Silence
This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Richard Bruxvoort Corrigan’s “Hallelujah Words of Life (A Gospel Acclamation).”
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 2:42–47)
All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer.
A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. They worshipped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity —all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.
Silence
This is the word of the Lord
Thanks be to God.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Marty Haugen’s adaptation of Psalm 23, “Shepherd Me, O God”
Shepherd me, O God, beyond my wants,
beyond my fears, from death into life.
1 God is my shepherd, so nothing shall I want,
I rest in the meadows of faithfulness and love,
I walk by the quiet waters of peace.
Shepherd me, O God, beyond my wants,
beyond my fears, from death into life.
2 Gently you raise me and heal my weary soul,
you lead me by pathways of righteousness and truth,
my spirit shall sing the music of your name.
Shepherd me, O God, beyond my wants,
beyond my fears, from death into life.
3 Though I should wander the valley of death,
I fear no evil, for you are at my side,
your rod and your staff, my comfort and my hope.
Shepherd me, O God, beyond my wants,
beyond my fears, from death into life.
4 You have set me a banquet of love
in the face of hatred,
crowning me with love beyond my power to hold.
Shepherd me, O God, beyond my wants,
beyond my fears, from death into life.
5 Surely your kindness and mercy
follow me all the days of my life;
I will dwell in the house of my God forevermore.
Shepherd me, O God, beyond my wants,
beyond my fears, from death into life.
Silence
A reading from the First Letter of Peter (1 Peter 2:19–25)
For God is pleased when, conscious of his will, you patiently endure unjust treatment. Of course, you get no credit for being patient if you are beaten for doing wrong. But if you suffer for doing good and endure it patiently, God is pleased with you.
For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps.
He never sinned,
nor ever deceived anyone.
He did not retaliate when he was insulted,
nor threaten revenge when he suffered.
He left his case in the hands of God,
who always judges fairly.
He personally carried our sins
in his body on the cross
so that we can be dead to sin
and live for what is right.
By his wounds
you are healed.
Once you were like sheep
who wandered away.
But now you have turned to your Shepherd,
the Guardian of your souls.
Silence
This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Richard Bruxvoort Corrigan’s “Hallelujah Words of Life (A Gospel Acclamation).”
Hallelujah! Words of life!
Hallelujah! Where else would we go?
Hallelujah! Words of life!
Hallelujah! Words of life!
Hallelujah! Where else would we go?
Hallelujah! Words of life!
Hallelujah! Where else would we go?
Hallelujah! Words of life!
Hallelujah! Words of life!
A reading from the Gospel according to John (John 10:1-10)
Alleluia! Hear the Gospel of Christ.
Glory to Christ our Saviour. Alleluia!
“I tell you the truth, anyone who sneaks over the wall of a sheepfold, rather than going through the gate, must surely be a thief and a robber! But the one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice. They won’t follow a stranger; they will run from him because they don’t know his voice.”
Those who heard Jesus use this illustration didn’t understand what he meant, so he explained it to them: “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me were thieves and robbers. But the true sheep did not listen to them. Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures. The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.
Silence
Alleluia! This is the Gospel of Christ.
Praise to Christ our Lord. Alleluia!
The Voice of Jesus
How different are our lives from those of the early believers described in today’s reading from the Acts of the Apostles. How many of us devote ourselves to the apostles’ teachings, to fellowship, to sharing meals, including the Lord’s Supper, and to prayer? How many of us share everything we have with our fellow believers? How many of us sold our property and possessions when we became believers and shared the money with those in need? How many of us worship together in church each day, meet in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and share meals? Do we exhibit the kind of devotion that they exhibited?
Are we doing good as God has called us to do? Do we see Jesus as our exemplar and follow in his footsteps?
Having heard the voice of our Shepherd, the voice of Jesus, are we obediently trotting behind him? Or are we taking our time, stopping to sample the grass along the way and even wandering off when we spy what looks like greener grass from a distance? I grew up with tales of sheep that drowned in bogs and fell into quarries, lured by the grass growing at the edges of the bog or quarry. These stories were based on the very real mishaps that befall straying sheep.
We live in a world that is full of many voices, all of whom are demanding our attention, voices which may be seeking to take advantage of the proclivity of sheep to go astray. Amidst all these voices is the voice of Jesus calling us to keep following him, to keep walking in his ways.
Some voices may tell you that Jesus would not call someone like you. You are not good enough. You are not the kind of person that Jesus would call. You have the wrong pedigree. You don’t act the way a would-be disciple of Jesus should act. You do not look like us. You have the wrong skin color. You speak funny. You have kids but no husband and your kids have different fathers. You do not live in our part of town, on our side of the tracks. You live in a barrio, in public housing.
None of that matters to Jesus. He calls all kinds of people; rich and poor; old and young; people from all walks of life; white, brown, and black. Jesus spreads his net wide. “Come, follow me.” “I am the gate. If you enter by me, you will have new life,”
Listen. He is calling you.
Silence
Anthem:
Open this link in a new tab to hear John L. Bell’s “Gathered for God.”
1 You could have chosen better people
Who showed much less diversity
Who would not compromise your gospel
Or question your integrity.
Instead you picked a random harvest
Whose pedigree was scarcely known
Believing that, through these companions,
The love of God could yet be shown.
Gathered by God, gathered by God,
caught in the net cast by the Lord
Gathered by God, gathered by God,
caught in the net cast by the Lord,
cast by the Lord.
2 You could have chosen safer subjects
And caused less upset and offense,
Or made innocuous pronouncements,
Which would not undermine pretense.
But you decided to be diff’rent,
To speak of money, tax, and food,
And how the priv’leged can be loveless,
And how the poor show God is good.
Gathered by God, gathered by God,
caught in the net cast by the Lord
Gathered by God, gathered by God,
caught in the net cast by the Lord,
cast by the Lord.
3 You could have honored better singers
Than children shouting in the street.
You could have sat with safer diners
Than those with whom you chose to eat.
You could have kept a tighter circle
And made far fewer foreign friends.
Indeed you could have done our bidding
And used your means to serve our ends.
Gathered by God, gathered by God,
caught in the net cast by the Lord
Gathered by God, gathered by God,
caught in the net cast by the Lord,
cast by the Lord.
4 But Jesus, you came, contradicting
How we believed God ought to be,
And took our flesh for your own body
To liberate humanity.
For all you are and do and promise,
We gladly worship and applaud,
Grateful that, in your net, you caught us,
Gathered for freedom and for God.
Gathered by God, gathered by God,
caught in the net cast by the Lord
Gathered by God, gathered by God,
caught in the net cast by the Lord,
cast by the Lord.
PRAYING FOR GOD’S WORLD
Concerns and Prayers:
Any person may offer a brief prayer of intercession, petition, or thanksgiving after each bidding.
After each prayer, the leader may conclude: God of mercy and all may respond: Hear our prayer.
Let us pray for all people and the Church throughout the world.
Let us pray for the preservation of the earth…
Let us pray for peace and shared prosperity…
Let us pray for our nation…
Let us pray for the Church and its mission…
Let us pray for ourselves and our community…
Let us pray for those in need…
Let us give thanks for the faithfully departed…
Other biddings may be added.
Eternal God and Father,
you have promised to hear those who pray
in the name of your Son.
Grant that what we have asked in faith
we may obtain according your will;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
As our Saviour taught his disciples, 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, and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.
GOING OUT TO SERVE
Let us pray.
Lord our God, we give you thanks
because you have delivered us from the
power of darkness
and brought us into the kingdom of
your Son.
Grant that, as by his resurrection
we are brought to new life,
so by his continued reign in us
we may be brought to eternal joy;
through the same Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Closing Song:
Open this link in a new tab to hear Sydney Carter’s “One More Step Along the Way I Go.”
One more step along the world I go,
one more step along the world I go,
from the old things to the new,
keep me traveling along with you:
And it's from the old I travel to the new;
keep me traveling along with you.
Round the corner of the world I turn,
more and more about the world I learn;
all the new things that I see,
you'll be looking at along with me:
And it's from the old I travel to the new;
keep me traveling along with you.
As I travel through the bad and good,
keep me traveling the way I should;
Where I see no way to go
you'll be telling me the way I know:
And it's from the old I travel to the new;
keep me traveling along with you.
Give me courage when the world is rough,
keep me loving though the world is tough,
leap and sing in all I do,
keep me traveling along with you:
And it's from the old I travel to the new;
keep me traveling along with you.
You are older than the world can be,
you are younger than the life in me,
ever old and ever new,
keep me traveling along with you:
And it's from the old I travel to the new;
keep me traveling along with you.
May the God of hope fill us
with all joy and peace in believing
through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Amen. Amen.
Choral Benediction:
Open this link to hear Lee Fisher’s Go in Peace, Go in Love.”
Go in peace, go in love
May the Lord be at your side
Go in peace, go in love
May he ever be your guide
May his grace overflow
And his mercy be upon you
Go in peace, go in love
Now and evermore
Go in peace, go in love
May the Lord be at your side
Go in peace, go in love
May he ever be your guide
May his grace overflow
And his mercy be upon you
Go in peace, go in love
Now and evermore
Amen
Amen
Amen
Amen
Amen
Amen
Amen
Silence
Anthem:
Open this link in a new tab to hear John L. Bell’s “Gathered for God.”
1 You could have chosen better people
Who showed much less diversity
Who would not compromise your gospel
Or question your integrity.
Instead you picked a random harvest
Whose pedigree was scarcely known
Believing that, through these companions,
The love of God could yet be shown.
Gathered by God, gathered by God,
caught in the net cast by the Lord
Gathered by God, gathered by God,
caught in the net cast by the Lord,
cast by the Lord.
2 You could have chosen safer subjects
And caused less upset and offense,
Or made innocuous pronouncements,
Which would not undermine pretense.
But you decided to be diff’rent,
To speak of money, tax, and food,
And how the priv’leged can be loveless,
And how the poor show God is good.
Gathered by God, gathered by God,
caught in the net cast by the Lord
Gathered by God, gathered by God,
caught in the net cast by the Lord,
cast by the Lord.
3 You could have honored better singers
Than children shouting in the street.
You could have sat with safer diners
Than those with whom you chose to eat.
You could have kept a tighter circle
And made far fewer foreign friends.
Indeed you could have done our bidding
And used your means to serve our ends.
Gathered by God, gathered by God,
caught in the net cast by the Lord
Gathered by God, gathered by God,
caught in the net cast by the Lord,
cast by the Lord.
4 But Jesus, you came, contradicting
How we believed God ought to be,
And took our flesh for your own body
To liberate humanity.
For all you are and do and promise,
We gladly worship and applaud,
Grateful that, in your net, you caught us,
Gathered for freedom and for God.
Gathered by God, gathered by God,
caught in the net cast by the Lord
Gathered by God, gathered by God,
caught in the net cast by the Lord,
cast by the Lord.
PRAYING FOR GOD’S WORLD
Concerns and Prayers:
Any person may offer a brief prayer of intercession, petition, or thanksgiving after each bidding.
After each prayer, the leader may conclude: God of mercy and all may respond: Hear our prayer.
Let us pray for all people and the Church throughout the world.
Let us pray for the preservation of the earth…
Let us pray for peace and shared prosperity…
Let us pray for our nation…
Let us pray for the Church and its mission…
Let us pray for ourselves and our community…
Let us pray for those in need…
Let us give thanks for the faithfully departed…
Other biddings may be added.
Eternal God and Father,
you have promised to hear those who pray
in the name of your Son.
Grant that what we have asked in faith
we may obtain according your will;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
As our Saviour taught his disciples, 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, and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.
GOING OUT TO SERVE
Let us pray.
Lord our God, we give you thanks
because you have delivered us from the
power of darkness
and brought us into the kingdom of
your Son.
Grant that, as by his resurrection
we are brought to new life,
so by his continued reign in us
we may be brought to eternal joy;
through the same Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Closing Song:
Open this link in a new tab to hear Sydney Carter’s “One More Step Along the Way I Go.”
One more step along the world I go,
one more step along the world I go,
from the old things to the new,
keep me traveling along with you:
And it's from the old I travel to the new;
keep me traveling along with you.
Round the corner of the world I turn,
more and more about the world I learn;
all the new things that I see,
you'll be looking at along with me:
And it's from the old I travel to the new;
keep me traveling along with you.
As I travel through the bad and good,
keep me traveling the way I should;
Where I see no way to go
you'll be telling me the way I know:
And it's from the old I travel to the new;
keep me traveling along with you.
Give me courage when the world is rough,
keep me loving though the world is tough,
leap and sing in all I do,
keep me traveling along with you:
And it's from the old I travel to the new;
keep me traveling along with you.
You are older than the world can be,
you are younger than the life in me,
ever old and ever new,
keep me traveling along with you:
And it's from the old I travel to the new;
keep me traveling along with you.
May the God of hope fill us
with all joy and peace in believing
through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Amen. Amen.
Choral Benediction:
Open this link to hear Lee Fisher’s Go in Peace, Go in Love.”
Go in peace, go in love
May the Lord be at your side
Go in peace, go in love
May he ever be your guide
May his grace overflow
And his mercy be upon you
Go in peace, go in love
Now and evermore
Go in peace, go in love
May the Lord be at your side
Go in peace, go in love
May he ever be your guide
May his grace overflow
And his mercy be upon you
Go in peace, go in love
Now and evermore
Amen
Amen
Amen
Amen
Amen
Amen
Amen
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