Thursday Evenings at All Hallows (Thursday, September 21, 2023)
This coming Saturday, September 23, is the first day of Fall. It is the time of year for pumpkins, apple picking, and Fall festivals. All Hallows Eve and Hallowmas, the Feast of All Hallows, are only weeks away and Thanksgiving follows closely on their heels. The smoke from the tobacco barns is in the air here in western Kentucky. For the Christian all these things are a reminder of the far-flung fields and those closer to home in which God calls his Church to work and God’s bounty ripening there, ready for harvest.
WE GATHER IN GOD’S NAME
A lamp or a candle may be lit.
God is our light and our salvation,
Our refuge and our stronghold.
From the rising of the sun to its setting,
we praise your name, O God.
For with you is the fountain of life,
and in your light we see light.
As this evening hymn is sung, more lamps and candles may be lit.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Robert G. Farrell’s choral arrangement of the ancient lamp lighting hymn, “O Gladsome Light.”
O Light gladsome of the holy glory of the Immortal Father,
the Heavenly, the Holy, the Blessed, O Jesus Christ,
having come upon the setting of the sun, having seen the light of the evening,
we praise the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit: God.
Worthy it is at all times to praise Thee in joyful voices,
O Son of God, Giver of Life, for which the world glorifies Thee.
The Lord be with you.
The Lord bless you.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
We give you thanks, O God, for calling us out of darkness
into your marvelous light that we might make known your goodness
and steadfast love to all the peoples of the earth. Grant us grace
that we may always be faithful to our calling and by our words and
deeds bring honor to your name. With your holy Church in every time
and every place we give you glory through your Son, Jesus Christ,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Peter Inwood’s setting of Psalm 141, “O Lord, Let My Prayer Rise Before You Like Incense.”
O Lord, let my prayer rise before you like incense,
my hands like an evening offering.
1. Lord, I am calling:
hasten to help me.
Listen to me as I cry to you.
Let my prayer rise before you like incense,
my hands like an evening offering.
O Lord, let my prayer rise before you like incense,
my hands like an evening offering.
2. Lord, set a guard at my mouth,
keep watch at the gate of my lips.
Let my heart not turn to things that are wrong,
to sharing the evil deeds done by the sinful.
No, I will never taste their delights.
O Lord, let my prayer rise before you like incense,
my hands like an evening offering.
3. The good may reprove me,
in kindness chastise me,
but the wicked shall never anoint my head.
Ev’ry day I counter their malice with prayer.
O Lord, let my prayer rise before you like incense,
my hands like an evening offering.
4 To you, Lord, my God, my eyes are turned:
in you I take refuge;
do not forsake me.
Keep me from the traps they have set for me,
from the snares of those who do evil.
O Lord, let my prayer rise before you like incense,
my hands like an evening offering.
5 Praise to the Father, praise to the Son,
all praise to the life-giving Spirit.
As it was, is now and shall always be
for ages unending. Amen.
O Lord, let my prayer rise before you as incense,
my hands like an evening offering.
Silence
Open this link in a new tab to hear Michael Joncas’ setting of Psalm 84, “How Lovely Is Your Dwelling Place.”
How lovely is your dwelling place,
O Lord God of Hosts!
How lovely is your dwelling place,
O Lord God of Hosts!
My soul yearns and pines for the courts of the Lord,
My heart and my flesh cry out;
Even the sparrow may find a home,
The swallow a nest for her young;
Your altars, my king and my God.
How lovely is your dwelling place,
O Lord God of Hosts!
How happy are they who may dwell in your courts,
How happy when you are their strength;
Though they might go through the valley of death,
They make it a place of springs.
Your first rain will bring it to life.
How lovely is your dwelling place,
O Lord God of Hosts!
O Lord of Hosts hear my cry,
And harken, O God of Jacob;
One day in your house is worth much more to me
Than ten thousand anywhere else.
The Lord is my sun and my shield.
How lovely is your dwelling place,
O Lord God of Hosts!
Silence
Open this link in a new tab to hear Jonathan Kohr’s choral arrangement of William Walsham How’s “Jesus! Name of Wondrous Love.”
1 Jesus! Name of wondrous love,
name all other names above,
unto which must ev'ry knee
bow in deep humility.
Jesus! Name of wondrous love,
name all other names above.
2 Jesus! Name decreed of old,
to the maiden mother told,
kneeling in her lowly cell,
by the angel Gabriel.
Jesus! Name of wondrous love,
name all other names above.
3 Jesus! Name of priceless worth
to the fallen on the earth
for the promise that it gave,
"Jesus shall his people save."
Jesus! Name of wondrous love,
name all other names above.
4 Jesus! Name of mercy mild,
given to the Holy Child
when the cup of human woe
first he tasted here below.
Jesus! Name of wondrous love,
name all other names above.
5 Jesus! Only name that's giv'n
under all the mighty heav'n
whereby those to sin enslaved
burst their fetters and are saved.
Jesus! Name of wondrous love,
name all other names above.
6 Jesus! Name of wondrous love,
human name of God above;
pleading only this, we flee
helpless, O our God, to thee.
Jesus! Name of wondrous love,
name all other names above.
WE HEAR GOD’S WORD
A reading from the New Testament (Matthew 9: 35-38)
Jesus went around visiting all the towns and villages. He taught in the synagogues, preached the Good News about the Kingdom, and healed people with every kind of disease and sickness. As he saw the crowds, his heart was filled with pity for them, because they were worried and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. So he said to his disciples, “The harvest is large, but there are few workers to gather it in. Pray to the owner of the harvest that he will send out workers to gather in his harvest.”
Silence
May your word live in us
and bear much fruit to your glory.
This evening’s reading is a short one. It tells us about the compassion that Jesus felt for the crowds of people who flocked to him wherever he went and his concern for their wellbeing. It also records an instruction that he gave to his disciples, an instruction which has implications for us today. It was not just a one-time instruction limited to his followers during his earthly ministry. Throughout the ages the Church has understood it to be an instruction given to his disciples in every place and in every time, “Pray to the owner of the harvest that he will send out workers to gather in his harvest.”
Who is the owner of the harvest? God himself. To whom do the fields where these workers for which we are to prayer will labor belong? Whether in our backyard or in a foreign land, they belong to God.
We may have come to think of this prayer, those of us who are believers and who have heard or read this passage on other occasions, as a prayer to God to call more workers to labor in harvest, to call specific individuals and to send them to some particular part of the harvest, to some place in our own land or some other land where they are needed.
It is that but it is also more. It is also a prayer that God will move us to feel the compassion and the concern that Jesus felt for the crowds that flocked to him but for the people of our own time, that God will enable us to carry out the mission that Jesus entrusted to his disciples before he ascended into heaven—to tell people about him, help those who believe in him become disciples, baptize them, and instruct them in what he taught so they can pattern their lives on his teaching.
It is a prayer that God will provide his Church with people to equip its members for this task and to lead and encourage them in carrying it out. It is a prayer that God will show us how those whose circumstances may limit what they can do, for example, those who are homebound, can also take part. It is a prayer that God will mobilize his Church to reach and engage the shepherd-less people of the twenty-first century and enfold them in new churches, into new communities of faith under the Lordship of Jesus Christ, proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ, and witnessing to Jesus Christ and serving Jesus Christ in the world.
It is a prayer that brings with it the realization that all believers have work to do in God’s fields, in God’s harvest. It is a prayer to begin and conclude every day until God calls us home. In many parts of the world to this day as in ancient times the whole community lends a hand when harvest time arrives. God has the same expectation of his Church. Most of all it is a prayer that we live up to this expectation.
Silence
WE RESPOND
Open this link in a new tab to hear Bernadette Farrell’s paraphrase of the Magnificat, “My Soul Proclaims the Greatness of the Lord.”
1 My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord
my spirit sings to God, my saving God,
who on this day above all others favored me
and raised me up, a light for all to see.
2 Through me great deeds will God make manifest,
and all the earth will come to call me blest.
Unbounded love and mercy sure will I proclaim
for all who know and praise God´s holy name.
3 God´s mighty arm, protector of the just,
will guard the weak and raise them from the dust.
But mighty kings will swiftly fall from thrones corrupt.
The strong brought low, the lowly lifted up.
4 Soon will the poor and hungry of the earth
be richly blest, be given greater worth.
And Israel, as once foretold to Abraham,
will live in peace throughout the promised land.
5 All glory be to God, Creator blest,
to Jesus Christ, God´s love made manifest,
and to the Holy Spirit, gentle Comforter,
all glory be, both now and ever more.
WE PRAY FOR GOD’S WORLD
For the peace from above, and for our salvation, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For the peace of the whole world, for the well-being of the church of God,
and for the unity of all, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For this dwelling (house, apartment, condo, common room, etc.), and for all who offer here their worship and praise.
Lord, have mercy.
For the health of the creation, for abundant harvests that all may share,
and for peaceful times, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For public servants, for government, and those who protect us;
for those who work to bring peace, justice, healing and protection
In this and every place, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For those who travel, for those who are sick and suffering,
and for those who are in captivity, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For deliverance in times of affliction, wrath, danger, and need,
let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For …… and all servants of the church, for this gathering,
and for all people who await from the Lord great and abundant mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Other petitions may be added.
Help, save, comfort, and defend us, gracious Lord.
Silence
Giving thanks for all who have gone before us and are at rest, rejoicing in the communion of …… and all the saints, we commend ourselves, one another, and our whole life to you; through Christ our Lord.
To you, O Lord.
O God,
you call your Church to witness
that in Christ we are reconciled to you:
help us so to proclaim the good news of your love,
that all who hear it may turn to you;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.
In darkness and in light,
in trouble and in joy,
help us, heavenly Father,
to trust your love,
to serve your purpose,
and to praise your name,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Let us join together in the prayer Jesus gave us.
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
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Almighty God, the Father, the Son, and the Hoy Spirit, bless and preserve us. Amen.
Open this link in a new tab to hear James Seddon’s “Tell All the World of Jesus.”
1 Tell all the world of Jesus,
our Saviour, Lord and King;
and let the whole creation
of his salvation sing:
proclaim his glorious greatness,
in nature and in grace,
creator and redeemer,
the Lord of time and space.
2 Tell all the world of Jesus,
that everyone may find
the joy of his forgiveness
true peace of heart and mind.
Proclaim his perfect goodness,
his deep, unfailing care,
his love so rich in mercy,
a love beyond compare.
3 Tell all the world of Jesus,
that everyone may know
of his almighty triumph
defeating every foe.
Proclaim his coming glory,
when sin is overthrown,
and he shall reign in splendour
the King upon his throne!
Those present may exchange a sign of peace.
The peace of the Lord be always with you.
And also with you.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Peter Inwood’s setting of Psalm 141, “O Lord, Let My Prayer Rise Before You Like Incense.”
O Lord, let my prayer rise before you like incense,
my hands like an evening offering.
1. Lord, I am calling:
hasten to help me.
Listen to me as I cry to you.
Let my prayer rise before you like incense,
my hands like an evening offering.
O Lord, let my prayer rise before you like incense,
my hands like an evening offering.
2. Lord, set a guard at my mouth,
keep watch at the gate of my lips.
Let my heart not turn to things that are wrong,
to sharing the evil deeds done by the sinful.
No, I will never taste their delights.
O Lord, let my prayer rise before you like incense,
my hands like an evening offering.
3. The good may reprove me,
in kindness chastise me,
but the wicked shall never anoint my head.
Ev’ry day I counter their malice with prayer.
O Lord, let my prayer rise before you like incense,
my hands like an evening offering.
4 To you, Lord, my God, my eyes are turned:
in you I take refuge;
do not forsake me.
Keep me from the traps they have set for me,
from the snares of those who do evil.
O Lord, let my prayer rise before you like incense,
my hands like an evening offering.
5 Praise to the Father, praise to the Son,
all praise to the life-giving Spirit.
As it was, is now and shall always be
for ages unending. Amen.
O Lord, let my prayer rise before you as incense,
my hands like an evening offering.
Silence
Open this link in a new tab to hear Michael Joncas’ setting of Psalm 84, “How Lovely Is Your Dwelling Place.”
How lovely is your dwelling place,
O Lord God of Hosts!
How lovely is your dwelling place,
O Lord God of Hosts!
My soul yearns and pines for the courts of the Lord,
My heart and my flesh cry out;
Even the sparrow may find a home,
The swallow a nest for her young;
Your altars, my king and my God.
How lovely is your dwelling place,
O Lord God of Hosts!
How happy are they who may dwell in your courts,
How happy when you are their strength;
Though they might go through the valley of death,
They make it a place of springs.
Your first rain will bring it to life.
How lovely is your dwelling place,
O Lord God of Hosts!
O Lord of Hosts hear my cry,
And harken, O God of Jacob;
One day in your house is worth much more to me
Than ten thousand anywhere else.
The Lord is my sun and my shield.
How lovely is your dwelling place,
O Lord God of Hosts!
Silence
Open this link in a new tab to hear Jonathan Kohr’s choral arrangement of William Walsham How’s “Jesus! Name of Wondrous Love.”
1 Jesus! Name of wondrous love,
name all other names above,
unto which must ev'ry knee
bow in deep humility.
Jesus! Name of wondrous love,
name all other names above.
2 Jesus! Name decreed of old,
to the maiden mother told,
kneeling in her lowly cell,
by the angel Gabriel.
Jesus! Name of wondrous love,
name all other names above.
3 Jesus! Name of priceless worth
to the fallen on the earth
for the promise that it gave,
"Jesus shall his people save."
Jesus! Name of wondrous love,
name all other names above.
4 Jesus! Name of mercy mild,
given to the Holy Child
when the cup of human woe
first he tasted here below.
Jesus! Name of wondrous love,
name all other names above.
5 Jesus! Only name that's giv'n
under all the mighty heav'n
whereby those to sin enslaved
burst their fetters and are saved.
Jesus! Name of wondrous love,
name all other names above.
6 Jesus! Name of wondrous love,
human name of God above;
pleading only this, we flee
helpless, O our God, to thee.
Jesus! Name of wondrous love,
name all other names above.
WE HEAR GOD’S WORD
A reading from the New Testament (Matthew 9: 35-38)
Jesus went around visiting all the towns and villages. He taught in the synagogues, preached the Good News about the Kingdom, and healed people with every kind of disease and sickness. As he saw the crowds, his heart was filled with pity for them, because they were worried and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. So he said to his disciples, “The harvest is large, but there are few workers to gather it in. Pray to the owner of the harvest that he will send out workers to gather in his harvest.”
Silence
May your word live in us
and bear much fruit to your glory.
A Prayer for Harvest Workers
This evening’s reading is a short one. It tells us about the compassion that Jesus felt for the crowds of people who flocked to him wherever he went and his concern for their wellbeing. It also records an instruction that he gave to his disciples, an instruction which has implications for us today. It was not just a one-time instruction limited to his followers during his earthly ministry. Throughout the ages the Church has understood it to be an instruction given to his disciples in every place and in every time, “Pray to the owner of the harvest that he will send out workers to gather in his harvest.”
Who is the owner of the harvest? God himself. To whom do the fields where these workers for which we are to prayer will labor belong? Whether in our backyard or in a foreign land, they belong to God.
We may have come to think of this prayer, those of us who are believers and who have heard or read this passage on other occasions, as a prayer to God to call more workers to labor in harvest, to call specific individuals and to send them to some particular part of the harvest, to some place in our own land or some other land where they are needed.
It is that but it is also more. It is also a prayer that God will move us to feel the compassion and the concern that Jesus felt for the crowds that flocked to him but for the people of our own time, that God will enable us to carry out the mission that Jesus entrusted to his disciples before he ascended into heaven—to tell people about him, help those who believe in him become disciples, baptize them, and instruct them in what he taught so they can pattern their lives on his teaching.
It is a prayer that God will provide his Church with people to equip its members for this task and to lead and encourage them in carrying it out. It is a prayer that God will show us how those whose circumstances may limit what they can do, for example, those who are homebound, can also take part. It is a prayer that God will mobilize his Church to reach and engage the shepherd-less people of the twenty-first century and enfold them in new churches, into new communities of faith under the Lordship of Jesus Christ, proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ, and witnessing to Jesus Christ and serving Jesus Christ in the world.
It is a prayer that brings with it the realization that all believers have work to do in God’s fields, in God’s harvest. It is a prayer to begin and conclude every day until God calls us home. In many parts of the world to this day as in ancient times the whole community lends a hand when harvest time arrives. God has the same expectation of his Church. Most of all it is a prayer that we live up to this expectation.
Silence
WE RESPOND
Open this link in a new tab to hear Bernadette Farrell’s paraphrase of the Magnificat, “My Soul Proclaims the Greatness of the Lord.”
1 My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord
my spirit sings to God, my saving God,
who on this day above all others favored me
and raised me up, a light for all to see.
2 Through me great deeds will God make manifest,
and all the earth will come to call me blest.
Unbounded love and mercy sure will I proclaim
for all who know and praise God´s holy name.
3 God´s mighty arm, protector of the just,
will guard the weak and raise them from the dust.
But mighty kings will swiftly fall from thrones corrupt.
The strong brought low, the lowly lifted up.
4 Soon will the poor and hungry of the earth
be richly blest, be given greater worth.
And Israel, as once foretold to Abraham,
will live in peace throughout the promised land.
5 All glory be to God, Creator blest,
to Jesus Christ, God´s love made manifest,
and to the Holy Spirit, gentle Comforter,
all glory be, both now and ever more.
WE PRAY FOR GOD’S WORLD
For the peace from above, and for our salvation, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For the peace of the whole world, for the well-being of the church of God,
and for the unity of all, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For this dwelling (house, apartment, condo, common room, etc.), and for all who offer here their worship and praise.
Lord, have mercy.
For the health of the creation, for abundant harvests that all may share,
and for peaceful times, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For public servants, for government, and those who protect us;
for those who work to bring peace, justice, healing and protection
In this and every place, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For those who travel, for those who are sick and suffering,
and for those who are in captivity, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For deliverance in times of affliction, wrath, danger, and need,
let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For …… and all servants of the church, for this gathering,
and for all people who await from the Lord great and abundant mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Other petitions may be added.
Help, save, comfort, and defend us, gracious Lord.
Silence
Giving thanks for all who have gone before us and are at rest, rejoicing in the communion of …… and all the saints, we commend ourselves, one another, and our whole life to you; through Christ our Lord.
To you, O Lord.
O God,
you call your Church to witness
that in Christ we are reconciled to you:
help us so to proclaim the good news of your love,
that all who hear it may turn to you;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.
In darkness and in light,
in trouble and in joy,
help us, heavenly Father,
to trust your love,
to serve your purpose,
and to praise your name,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Let us join together in the prayer Jesus gave us.
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
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Almighty God, the Father, the Son, and the Hoy Spirit, bless and preserve us. Amen.
Open this link in a new tab to hear James Seddon’s “Tell All the World of Jesus.”
1 Tell all the world of Jesus,
our Saviour, Lord and King;
and let the whole creation
of his salvation sing:
proclaim his glorious greatness,
in nature and in grace,
creator and redeemer,
the Lord of time and space.
2 Tell all the world of Jesus,
that everyone may find
the joy of his forgiveness
true peace of heart and mind.
Proclaim his perfect goodness,
his deep, unfailing care,
his love so rich in mercy,
a love beyond compare.
3 Tell all the world of Jesus,
that everyone may know
of his almighty triumph
defeating every foe.
Proclaim his coming glory,
when sin is overthrown,
and he shall reign in splendour
the King upon his throne!
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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