Thursday Evenings at All Hallows (Thursday, July 13, 2023)
Welcome to Thursday Evenings at All Hallows. This evening we will be taking a look at one of Jesus' more challenging teachings. Following this teaching is one of the things that set Jesus' disciples apart from the rest of the world. It is not the only thing but it is an important one.
WE GATHER IN GOD’S NAME Open this link in a new tab to hear F. Bland Tucker’s translation of the evening hymn Phos hlaron, “O Gracious Light.”
1 O Gracious Light, Lord Jesus Christ,
In you the Father’s glory shone.
Immortal, holy, blest is he,
And blest are you, his holy Son.
2 Now sunset comes, but light shines forth,
the lamps are lit to pierce the night.
Praise Father, Son, and Spirit: God
Who dwells in the eternal light.
3 Worthy are you of endless praise,
O Son of God, Life-giving Lord;
Wherefore you are through all the earth
And in the highest heaven adored.
O Gracious Light.
The Lord be with you.
The Lord bless you.
Let us pray.
Silence
Lord,
give your people grace to withstand
the temptations of the world, the flesh, and the devil,
and with pure hearts and minds
to follow you the only God;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Tom Mills and Tom Elowson’s “Song of the Lamb.”
1 Great and miraculous are Your deeds
And righteousness is Your way, Lord
You are the almighty King of kings
And Lord of all the age
O who will not fear You O Lord
And glorify Your holy name
When Your righteousness is revealed
Every knee shall bow, every tongue confess
You alone are holy
You alone are holy
All nations come and worship You
We'll sing praise to the song of the Lamb
You alone are holy
You alone are holy
All nations come and worship You
We'll sing praise with the song of the Lamb
2 All glory be to You, God and King
The heavens declare all Your greatness
So bright and beautiful in the skies
Their message rings to the earth
O who will not fear You O Lord
And glorify Your holy name
When Your righteousness is revealed
Every knee shall bow, every tongue confess
You alone are holy
You alone are holy
All nations come and worship You
We'll sing praise to the song of the Lamb
You alone are holy
You alone are holy
All nations come and worship You
We'll sing praise with the song of the Lamb
3 One day we'll all sing around Your throne
Praising Your holy name, Lord
Like the waves of a hundred oceans
Thundering on the shore
Singing
O who will not fear You O Lord
And glorify Your holy name
When Your righteousness is revealed
Every knee shall bow, every tongue confess
You alone are holy
You alone are holy
All nations come and worship You
We'll sing praise to the song of the Lamb
You alone are holy
You alone are holy
All nations come and worship You
We'll sing praise with the song of the Lamb
WE HEAR GOD’S WORD
Almighty God,
we thank you for the gift of your holy word.
May it be a lantern to our feet,
a light to our paths
and strength to our lives,
in the name of your Son,
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
A reading from the New Testament (Matthew 5: 43-48)
“You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Bless those who curse you. Do good to those who hate you. Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.
Silence
May your word live in us
and bear much fruit to your glory
What Does Jesus Teach about How We Should Treat Our Enemies?
What they said or did does not have to actually be harmful to us. It only has to seem harmful to us in our mind. We misunderstood what they said or misinterpreted what they did. We may have exaggerated the seriousness of their words and actions and made a mountain out of a molehill. We may have gotten the wrong end of the stick and not understood the situation correctly. We may have mistaken their motives and intentions. This kind of thing is likely to happen when we do not know the other person very well, we have made a number of assumptions about them, and we have not checked out the accuracy of the conclusions that we have drawn. It happens more often than we might realize.
Their words and actions may trigger feelings that have noting to do with them but are related to experiences that we had in the past. We may not recognize what is happening and we may attribute what we are feeling to them.
On the other hand, we may also sense that they have ulterior motives, motives that they are keeping hidden or secret, and they do not have our best interests at heart. They are not really concerned about our wellbeing and are seeking to take advantage of us. While we may not be able to pinpoint it, something about them keeps us from trusting them and feeling comfortable around them. They may remind us of someone whom we knew in the past, someone with whom we had a traumatic experience. The social image that they present to the public is different from their real or private character and we sense that this image, or persona, is not who they really are.
These cognitive and behavioral dynamics, ways of thinking and acting, explain in part why Jesus’ commandment to love our enemies is one of the hardest of his sayings. This saying is even harder due to a number of developments in our time, developments to which the internet and social media have contributed.
Among these developments is the increasing polarization of our society. The population shows a pronounced inclination to divide into opposing groups over a wide range of issues. These groups display little or no tolerance for opinions of those who disagree with theirs, demonize groups that do not share their opinions, and stir up unfriendly or hostile feelings toward these groups. Some groups go as far as fomenting violent opposition to the groups whose opinions they object to. A few have committed acts of violence against groups to which they have taken a strong dislike.
A second development is what is described as the cancel culture. What is observable on the internet and social media is growing intolerance to opinions that differ from one’s own and a willingness to take punitive measures against those who hold such opinions. These punitive measures take various forms. The person against whom these measures are taken is not given any warning. They are not given an opportunity to explain what they said or did. Nor are they given a second chance. The action taken against them is often arbitrary, akin to the thumbs down of a crowd at a gladiatorial match in ancient Rome thirsting for the blood. The crowds that frequented the Colosseum became addicted to the bloodshed and killing. We are witnessing a similar phenomenon on the internet. This phenomenon is not confined to those on the internet who make no pretense of being Christian but also affects those who profess to be Christians. It might be described as an internet form of lynching. The victims receive no fair hearing. The accuser gathers a mob who acts as judge, jury, and executioner. The accuser’s ability to gather and sway the mob determines the outcome.
Daphne Byamukama identifies a third development in an article, “The Ways Social Media Makes Harsh Speech Easier,” posted on the Gospel Coalition website. She writes:
“While I don’t doubt that we can have meaningful discussions on these platforms, social media undoubtedly encourages us to callously speak anything negative about and to others, without worrying about its effects. It has never been easier to belittle, embarrass and shame people. We’re unapologetically critical. Moreover, under its clout of interconnectedness, social media has trained us to constantly mind everyone’s business. We’re all presiding judges and juries, ready to pass sentences. We’re waiting for someone to ‘transgress the line’ of our tribe.”
She goes on to say:
“What began as intimate platforms for sharing memories have become polarised spaces for word fights. Places where insults are a norm. There, we rally around commo hatred more than common loves.”
The entire article can be read at https://africa.thegospelcoalition.org/article/the-ways-social-media-makes-harsh-speech-easier/.
In today’s reading Jesus refers to an Old Testament passage, Leviticus 19:18“Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against a fellow Israelite, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.” “Love your neighbor as yourself” Jesus describes as the second greatest commandment next to the commandment to love God with the entirety of our being. In today’s reading Jesus equates neighbor not just with a fellow Israelite but with one’s enemies. For those who had gathered to hear Jesus, the Samaritans and a number of ancient Mid-Eastern people would have come to mind as well as the Greeks and the Romans. So would their personal enemies, the grain seller who cheated them and the tax collector who took their best livestock and a good part of their harvest. I suspect that a number of them could not believe what they were hearing, “love your enemies?!”
Jesus not only told them to love their enemies but also to ask God’s blessing on them, pray for them, and to do good to them. A few must have had second thoughts about following Jesus. “Does he know what he is saying?” they may have thought.
Jesus, however, meant every word of what he said. He gave no exceptions to this commandment.
If our Christian profession is genuine, we seriously need to reappraise how we conduct ourselves not only on the internet, on social media, but off the internet, in our day to day interactions with other people. We need to take a hard look at how we see other people and how that affects the way we relate to them. When Jesus talks about loving our enemies, he is talking about not only our behavior toward other people but also our attitudes and our ways of thinking.
Regardless of the circumstances, contempt, hatred, ill-will, malice, spite, unforgiveness, and vengeance have no place in the life of a disciple of Jesus. We are to love our “neighbors,” whoever they may be, showing them compassion, forgiveness, generosity, kindness, patience, and respect even though they make no effort to conceal their dislike of us or their desire to hurt us or do us harm.
Jesus would not have told his disciples to live that way if he had not intended to help us to do so. He provides us with the gift of the Holy Spirit, an abundance of grace, and the fellowship of other Christians committed to living Jesus’ way. We can teach each other, set an example for each other, encourage each other, and when needed, admonish each other.
The life to which Jesus calls us may appear radical when compared with the way the world encourages us to live. However, it is a life that is pleasing to God. It shows the world that we are truly disciples of Jesus.
WE RESPOND
Open this link to hear Keith Getty and Stuart Townend’s “Hoy Spirit, Living Breath of God.”
1 Holy Spirit, living Breath of God,
Breathe new life into my willing soul.
Bring the presence of the risen Lord
To renew my heart and make me whole.
Cause Your Word to come alive in me;
Give me faith for what I cannot see;
Give me passion for Your purity.
Holy Spirit, breathe new life in me.
2 Holy Spirit, come abide within;
May Your joy be seen in all I do—
Love enough to cover ev’ry sin
In each thought and deed and attitude,
Kindness to the greatest and the least,
Gentleness that sows the path of peace.
Turn my striving into works of grace.
Breath of God, show Christ in all I do.
3 Holy Spirit, from creation’s birth,
Giving life to all that God has made,
Show Your power once again on earth;
Cause Your church to hunger for Your ways.
Let the fragrance of our prayers arise.
Lead us on the road of sacrifice
That in unity the face of Christ
Will be clear for all the world to see.
WE PRAY FOR GOD’S WORLD
Let us pray for God’ people throughout the world; for our pastor; for this gathering; and for all ministers and people. Let us pray for the Church.
(Any person may offer a brief spoken prayer of intercession or petition.)
God of grace,
hear our prayer.
Let us pray for peace, for goodwill among nations, and for the well-being of all people. Let us pray for justice and peace.
God of grace,
hear our prayer.
Let us pray for the poor, the sick, the hungry, the oppressed, and those in prison. Let us pray for those in any need or trouble.
God of grace,
hear our prayer.
Let us pray for all who seek God, or a deeper knowledge of God. Let us pray that they may find and be found by God.
God of grace,
hear our prayer.
(Any person may ask the prayers or thanksgivings of those present.)
Let us pray for……….
Let us give thanks for……..
God of grace,
hear our prayer.
Let us praise God for those in every generation in whom Christ has bee honored [especially…….. whom we remember today. Let us pray that we have grace to glorify Christ in our own day.
God of grace,
hear our prayer.
Accept our prayers, most gracious God, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who taught us to 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.
WE GO FORTH TO SERVE
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.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Kathleen Thomerson’s “I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light.”
1 I want to walk as a child of the light
I want to follow Jesus
God sent the stars to give light to the world
The star of my life is Jesus
In Him, there is no darkness at all
The night and the day are both alike
The Lamb is the light of the city of God
Shine in my heart, Lord Jesus
2 I want to see the brightness of God
I want to look at Jesus
Clear sun of righteousness, shine on my path
And show me the way to the Father
In Him, there is no darkness at all
The night and the day are both alike
The Lamb is the light of the city of God
Shine in my heart, Lord Jesus
3 I'm looking for the coming of Christ
I want to be with Jesus
When we have run with patience the race
We shall know the joy of Jesus
In Him, there is no darkness at all
The night and the day are both alike
The Lamb is the light of the city of God
Shine in my heart, Lord Jesus
Those present may exchange a sign of peace with these words.
The peace of the Lord be always with you.
And also with you.
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