Thursday Evenings at All Hallows (Thursday, August 24, 2023)
Welcome to Thursday Evenings at All Hallows. All Hallows is a digital church and online worship ministry which was launched in June 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the temporary suspension of the services of a number of churches. A simple format was adopted, one which did not require a participant to have a mike and a web cam and the ability to navigate the Zoom platform with ease, which encouraged active participation, and which could be used by a small group for its meetings. The focus group at which All Hallows is targeted are Christians who for any reason are unable to attend a local church, those who are traveling, individuals who wish to explore the Christian faith and way of life but are not yet ready to visit a local church, and anyone else who might otherwise benefit from the services. All Hallows offers two services, one on Thursday evenings and the other on Sundays.
WE GATHER IN GOD’S NAME
A lamp or candle may be lit.
You, O Lord, are my lamp;
my God, you make my darkness bright.
The light and peace of Jesus Christ be with you
and also with you.
As this evening hymn is sung, more lamps and candles may be lit.
Open this link in a new tab to hear F. Bland Tucker’s translation of the Phos hilaron, “O Gracious Light.”
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.
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.
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!
Let us bow our heads and confess our sins to almighty God.
Silence
Almighty and most merciful God,
we acknowledge and confess that we have sinned against you
in thought, word, and deed;
that we have not loved you with all our heart and soul,
with all our mind and strength;
and that we have not loved our neighbor as ourselves.
We beseech you, O God, to be forgiving to what we have been,
to help us to amend what we are,
and of your mercy to direct what we shall be;
so that we may from now on walk in the way of your commandments,
and do those things which are pleasing in your sight;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
God is slow to anger and full of compassion. He forgives all who humbly repent and turn to his Son Jesus Christ, in whom there is no condemnation. Amen.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Kiran Young Wimberley’s “The Lord’s My Shepherd (Palm 23).”
The Lord’s my shepherd, I’ll not want
He lets me rest in pastures green
He leadeth me by waters still
He restores my soul; restores my soul
Even though I walk through the darkest vale
I will fear no evil, for you’re with me
Your rod and staff, protect and guide
You comfort me; you comfort me
You prepare a table, a feast for me
In the presence of my enemies
You anoint my head with holy oil
My cup overflows; it overflows
Surely goodness and God’s mercy great
Shall follow me all my days of life
And I’ll dwell within the house of God
My whole life long; my whole life long
The Lord be with you.
And the Lord bless you.
Let us pray.
Silence
Lord God,
you know that we cannot put our trust
in anything that we do:
help us to have faith in you alone,
and mercifully defend us
by your power against all adversity;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
WE HEAR GOD’S WORD
A reading from the New Testament (Matthew 8: 5-13)
When Jesus returned to Capernaum, a Roman officer came and pleaded with him, “Lord, my young servant lies in bed, paralyzed and in terrible pain.”
Jesus said, “I will come and heal him.”
But the officer said, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come into my home. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed. I know this because I am under the authority of my superior officers, and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say, ‘Go,’ and they go, or ‘Come,’ and they come. And if I say to my slaves, ‘Do this,’ they do it.”
When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to those who were following him, he said, “I tell you the truth, I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel! And I tell you this, that many Gentiles will come from all over the world—from east and west—and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the feast in the Kingdom of Heaven. But many Israelites—those for whom the Kingdom was prepared—will be thrown into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Then Jesus said to the Roman officer, “Go back home. Because you believed, it has happened.” And the young servant was healed that same hour.
Silence
May your word live in us
and bear much fruit to your glory.
While Jesus’ teaching took the form of instruction as in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew’s Gospel and the Sermon on the Plain in Luke’s Gospel, it also took the form of parables, or stories, which Jesus told; conversations that Jesus had; and in the case of today’s reading, remarks that he made.
We learn from today’s reading that Jesus was amazed at the faith of the Roman office, or centurion, a Gentile, who sought Jesus’ help for a young servant, or child, of his.
Jesus observes that it is their faith that will enable many Gentiles to share in the great feast in God’s Kingdom while many Jews will be thrown into outer darkness due to their lack of faith.
As we learn from what is written elsewhere in the Gospels, the Jews in question are unwilling to recognize Jesus for whom he is and refuse to accept him and his teaching. They stubbornly close their ears to the Good News of God’s Kingdom which Jesus proclaims as their ancestors had stubbornly refused to listen to the prophets, the messengers that God had sent to them. Their ejection into the outer darkness will be the consequence of the hardness of their hearts.
What Jesus is saying is that faith in him and faith in his words is critical to an individual’s salvation, and not the individual’s membership in a particular group of people. Faith is key.
What then is faith? The faith that the Roman officer evidenced, and which amazed Jesus was expressed in the form of a great trust and confidence in Jesus and his power to heal. The Roman centurion believed that Jesus was capable of healing the boy even at a distance.
This is not to say that we must have as much faith as the Roman officer had to be put right with God. Jesus does not say or imply that in today’s reading. But what he does say is the thing that will set those sharing the feast in God’s kingdom apart from everyone else is their faith. Sharing in this feast is one of the ways that Jesus describes salvation.
Good deeds that we have done in our lifetime. Adherence to the beliefs and practices of a particular religious tradition. Membership In a particular racial, ethnic, or national group. The performance of a particular rite on our behalf during infancy or early childhood or our participation in this rite as an older child, teen, or adult. None of these things will make a difference.
The only thing that will make a difference is faith—trust and confidence in Jesus, who he is, what he has done for us, what he taught and the example he set.
The kind of faith about which Jesus is talking is an active faith—what the apostle James described as living faith, as opposed to a dead faith. It is the kind of faith that is reflected not just in words but also in actions. It is far more than belief in the existence of God. It is a faith that, in the words of the apostle Paul, works through love.
We do not come by this kind of faith naturally. We do not have a deposit of faith tucked away in us. Faith is a gift from God, a work of God’s grace in us. It is the power of the Holy Spirit working in us that enables us to put our trust and confidence in Jesus. It may be a flickering flame at first but if we give room to it, it will grow stronger and deeper. God in his merciful kindness enables us to do just that. God provides us with the means of grace to quicken, strengthen, and confirm our faith.
Among the ways that God quickens, strengthens, and confirms faith are what John Wesley in his three general rules for Methodists called the “ordinances.”—worshiping God with other believers; hearing and reading sermons; reading, studying, and meditating upon the Holy Scriptures; fasting; praying with our families or a small group or by ourselves; and receiving the sacrament of Holy Communion. The witness of our fellow believers, doing good when the good we do springs from a living faith, and spiritual conversations with our fellow believers can also be a means of grace. Even in our conversations with those who have not yet come to faith can be for us as well as them a means of grace. God works in us in many different ways to enable us to will and to do God’s good pleasure—what pleases God.
With these thoughts foremost in our minds, let us pray—
Lord, increase our faith. Grant us to know in daily life something more of the faith that pleases you; the faith that removes mountains; the faith that overcomes the world; the faith that works through love; the faith that makes all things possible. So may we demonstrate more fully the truth of your own faithfulness and receive the blessedness which you have promised to those who trust in you; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Silence
WE RESPOND
Open this link in a new tab to hear Fred Kaan’s “Faith, While Trees Are Still in Blossom.”
1 Faith while trees are still in blossom,
plans that picking if the fruit;
faith can feel the thrill of harvest,
when the buds begin to sprout.
2 Long before the dawn is breaking,
faith anticipates the sun.
Faith is eager for the day-light,
for the work that must be done.
3 Long before the rains were coming,
Noah went and built an ark.
Abraham, the lonely migrant,
saw the Light beyond the dark.
4 Faith, uplifted, tamed the water
of the undivided sea and
the people of the Hebrews found
the path that made them free.
5 Faith, believes that God is faithful,
He will be who He will be.
Faith accepts His call responding:
"I am willing; Lord, Send me."
WE PRAY FOR GOD’S WORLD
Let us pray for all people and for the Church throughout the world.
Father, we pray for the universal Church;
that we all may be one in Christ.
Grant that every member of the Church may truly and
humbly serve you;
that your Name may be glorified by everyone.
We pray for all Christian pastors;
that they may be faithful ministers of your word and
sacraments.
We pray for the spread of the gospel;
that people everywhere may come to know and love you.
We pray for all who govern and exercise authority in the
nations of the world;
that there may be peace and justice among all.
Give us strength to do your will in all that we undertake;
that we may be blessed in all our works.
Have compassion on those who suffer or are in grief or
trouble;
that they may he delivered from their distress.
We praise you for all your saints who have entered into
joy;
may we also share in your heavenly kingdom.
Let us pray for our own needs and those of others.
Silence
Those present may add their own petitions.
Accept our prayers 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 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.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Alethia Worship’s arrangement of Charles Wesley’s “Let Us Plead for Faith Alone.”
1 Let us plead for faith alone,
faith which by our works is shown;
God it is who justifies,
only faith the grace applies.
2 Active faith that lives within,
conquers hell and death and sin,
hallows whom it first made whole,
forms the Savior in the soul.
Let us plead for faith alone,
faith alone
Let us plead for faith alone,
faith and Christ alone
3 Let us for this faith contend,
sure salvation is the end;
heaven already is begun,
everlasting life is won.
4 Only let us persevere
till we see our Lord appear,
never from the Rock remove,
saved by faith which works by love,
by love.
Let us plead for faith alone,
faith alone
Let us plead for faith alone,
faith and Christ alone.
Let us plead for faith alone,
faith alone
Let us plead for faith alone,
faith and Christ alone.
Let us plead for faith alone,
faith which by our works is shown.
Those present may exchange a sign of peace.
The peace of the Lord be always with you.
And also with you.
that we have not loved you with all our heart and soul,
with all our mind and strength;
and that we have not loved our neighbor as ourselves.
We beseech you, O God, to be forgiving to what we have been,
to help us to amend what we are,
and of your mercy to direct what we shall be;
so that we may from now on walk in the way of your commandments,
and do those things which are pleasing in your sight;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
God is slow to anger and full of compassion. He forgives all who humbly repent and turn to his Son Jesus Christ, in whom there is no condemnation. Amen.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Kiran Young Wimberley’s “The Lord’s My Shepherd (Palm 23).”
The Lord’s my shepherd, I’ll not want
He lets me rest in pastures green
He leadeth me by waters still
He restores my soul; restores my soul
Even though I walk through the darkest vale
I will fear no evil, for you’re with me
Your rod and staff, protect and guide
You comfort me; you comfort me
You prepare a table, a feast for me
In the presence of my enemies
You anoint my head with holy oil
My cup overflows; it overflows
Surely goodness and God’s mercy great
Shall follow me all my days of life
And I’ll dwell within the house of God
My whole life long; my whole life long
The Lord be with you.
And the Lord bless you.
Let us pray.
Silence
Lord God,
you know that we cannot put our trust
in anything that we do:
help us to have faith in you alone,
and mercifully defend us
by your power against all adversity;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
WE HEAR GOD’S WORD
A reading from the New Testament (Matthew 8: 5-13)
When Jesus returned to Capernaum, a Roman officer came and pleaded with him, “Lord, my young servant lies in bed, paralyzed and in terrible pain.”
Jesus said, “I will come and heal him.”
But the officer said, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come into my home. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed. I know this because I am under the authority of my superior officers, and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say, ‘Go,’ and they go, or ‘Come,’ and they come. And if I say to my slaves, ‘Do this,’ they do it.”
When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to those who were following him, he said, “I tell you the truth, I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel! And I tell you this, that many Gentiles will come from all over the world—from east and west—and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the feast in the Kingdom of Heaven. But many Israelites—those for whom the Kingdom was prepared—will be thrown into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Then Jesus said to the Roman officer, “Go back home. Because you believed, it has happened.” And the young servant was healed that same hour.
Silence
May your word live in us
and bear much fruit to your glory.
A Lesson from the Faith of a Roman Centurion
While Jesus’ teaching took the form of instruction as in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew’s Gospel and the Sermon on the Plain in Luke’s Gospel, it also took the form of parables, or stories, which Jesus told; conversations that Jesus had; and in the case of today’s reading, remarks that he made.
We learn from today’s reading that Jesus was amazed at the faith of the Roman office, or centurion, a Gentile, who sought Jesus’ help for a young servant, or child, of his.
Jesus observes that it is their faith that will enable many Gentiles to share in the great feast in God’s Kingdom while many Jews will be thrown into outer darkness due to their lack of faith.
As we learn from what is written elsewhere in the Gospels, the Jews in question are unwilling to recognize Jesus for whom he is and refuse to accept him and his teaching. They stubbornly close their ears to the Good News of God’s Kingdom which Jesus proclaims as their ancestors had stubbornly refused to listen to the prophets, the messengers that God had sent to them. Their ejection into the outer darkness will be the consequence of the hardness of their hearts.
What Jesus is saying is that faith in him and faith in his words is critical to an individual’s salvation, and not the individual’s membership in a particular group of people. Faith is key.
What then is faith? The faith that the Roman officer evidenced, and which amazed Jesus was expressed in the form of a great trust and confidence in Jesus and his power to heal. The Roman centurion believed that Jesus was capable of healing the boy even at a distance.
This is not to say that we must have as much faith as the Roman officer had to be put right with God. Jesus does not say or imply that in today’s reading. But what he does say is the thing that will set those sharing the feast in God’s kingdom apart from everyone else is their faith. Sharing in this feast is one of the ways that Jesus describes salvation.
Good deeds that we have done in our lifetime. Adherence to the beliefs and practices of a particular religious tradition. Membership In a particular racial, ethnic, or national group. The performance of a particular rite on our behalf during infancy or early childhood or our participation in this rite as an older child, teen, or adult. None of these things will make a difference.
The only thing that will make a difference is faith—trust and confidence in Jesus, who he is, what he has done for us, what he taught and the example he set.
The kind of faith about which Jesus is talking is an active faith—what the apostle James described as living faith, as opposed to a dead faith. It is the kind of faith that is reflected not just in words but also in actions. It is far more than belief in the existence of God. It is a faith that, in the words of the apostle Paul, works through love.
We do not come by this kind of faith naturally. We do not have a deposit of faith tucked away in us. Faith is a gift from God, a work of God’s grace in us. It is the power of the Holy Spirit working in us that enables us to put our trust and confidence in Jesus. It may be a flickering flame at first but if we give room to it, it will grow stronger and deeper. God in his merciful kindness enables us to do just that. God provides us with the means of grace to quicken, strengthen, and confirm our faith.
Among the ways that God quickens, strengthens, and confirms faith are what John Wesley in his three general rules for Methodists called the “ordinances.”—worshiping God with other believers; hearing and reading sermons; reading, studying, and meditating upon the Holy Scriptures; fasting; praying with our families or a small group or by ourselves; and receiving the sacrament of Holy Communion. The witness of our fellow believers, doing good when the good we do springs from a living faith, and spiritual conversations with our fellow believers can also be a means of grace. Even in our conversations with those who have not yet come to faith can be for us as well as them a means of grace. God works in us in many different ways to enable us to will and to do God’s good pleasure—what pleases God.
With these thoughts foremost in our minds, let us pray—
Lord, increase our faith. Grant us to know in daily life something more of the faith that pleases you; the faith that removes mountains; the faith that overcomes the world; the faith that works through love; the faith that makes all things possible. So may we demonstrate more fully the truth of your own faithfulness and receive the blessedness which you have promised to those who trust in you; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Silence
WE RESPOND
Open this link in a new tab to hear Fred Kaan’s “Faith, While Trees Are Still in Blossom.”
1 Faith while trees are still in blossom,
plans that picking if the fruit;
faith can feel the thrill of harvest,
when the buds begin to sprout.
2 Long before the dawn is breaking,
faith anticipates the sun.
Faith is eager for the day-light,
for the work that must be done.
3 Long before the rains were coming,
Noah went and built an ark.
Abraham, the lonely migrant,
saw the Light beyond the dark.
4 Faith, uplifted, tamed the water
of the undivided sea and
the people of the Hebrews found
the path that made them free.
5 Faith, believes that God is faithful,
He will be who He will be.
Faith accepts His call responding:
"I am willing; Lord, Send me."
WE PRAY FOR GOD’S WORLD
Let us pray for all people and for the Church throughout the world.
Father, we pray for the universal Church;
that we all may be one in Christ.
Grant that every member of the Church may truly and
humbly serve you;
that your Name may be glorified by everyone.
We pray for all Christian pastors;
that they may be faithful ministers of your word and
sacraments.
We pray for the spread of the gospel;
that people everywhere may come to know and love you.
We pray for all who govern and exercise authority in the
nations of the world;
that there may be peace and justice among all.
Give us strength to do your will in all that we undertake;
that we may be blessed in all our works.
Have compassion on those who suffer or are in grief or
trouble;
that they may he delivered from their distress.
We praise you for all your saints who have entered into
joy;
may we also share in your heavenly kingdom.
Let us pray for our own needs and those of others.
Silence
Those present may add their own petitions.
Accept our prayers 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 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.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Alethia Worship’s arrangement of Charles Wesley’s “Let Us Plead for Faith Alone.”
1 Let us plead for faith alone,
faith which by our works is shown;
God it is who justifies,
only faith the grace applies.
2 Active faith that lives within,
conquers hell and death and sin,
hallows whom it first made whole,
forms the Savior in the soul.
Let us plead for faith alone,
faith alone
Let us plead for faith alone,
faith and Christ alone
3 Let us for this faith contend,
sure salvation is the end;
heaven already is begun,
everlasting life is won.
4 Only let us persevere
till we see our Lord appear,
never from the Rock remove,
saved by faith which works by love,
by love.
Let us plead for faith alone,
faith alone
Let us plead for faith alone,
faith and Christ alone.
Let us plead for faith alone,
faith alone
Let us plead for faith alone,
faith and Christ alone.
Let us plead for faith alone,
faith which by our works is shown.
Those present may exchange a sign of peace.
The peace of the Lord be always with you.
And also with you.
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