Thursday Evenings at All Hallows (Thursday, September 28, 2023)

 

Welcome to Thursday Evenings at All Hallows.

As summer gives way to fall, we continue our examination of the teaching and example of Jesus as found in the Gospel of Matthew. Matthew’s Gospel is the first book of the New Testament and one of the three synoptic Gospels, the other two being Mark and Luke’s. It is believed to be the second oldest Gospel next to Mark’s. It appears to contain material from Mark’s Gospel and two other sources. A Gospel is a unique form of literature intended to give an account of Jesus’ life and teaching.

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 to hear Carl P. Schalk’s choral arrangement “Joyous Light of Glory.”

Joyous light ,
joyous light, of glory
of the immortal Father,
Heavenly, holy, blessed Jesus Christ,
We have come to the setting of the Sun
And we look to the evening light.
We sing to God,
we sing to God,
we sing to God,
we sing to God
the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
You, you are worthy of being praised,
of being praised with pure voices forever.
O Son of God,
O Son of God,
O Son of God,
O Son of God
O Giver of life,
The universe proclaims your glory.

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.

Indeed, it is a good and joyful thing to give you thanks and praise, Holy Father, creator of the heavens and the earth and the seas and all that is therein. The day has passed, night has fallen, and everything is hidden in darkness. But to you the night shines bright as day. Darkness and light are the same to you. We are always in your watchful care. Give us grace, we pray, to offer you praise and thanksgiving not only with our lips but also with our hearts and minds, and grant that when this time of worship is ended, we may continue to glorify you in our lives, to the honor of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Open this link in a new tab to hear Andrea Sandefur’s setting of Psalm 134, “Come, All Your Servants of the Lord.”

Come all you servants of the Lord (bless the Lord)
Who stand by night in the house of the Lord
Come all you servants of the Lord (bless the Lord)
Who stand by night in the house of the Lord

Lift up your hands to the Holy Place
Lift up your hands, and bless the Lord
Lift up your hands to the Holy Place
Lift up your hands, and bless the Lord, bless the Lord

May the Lord bless you from Zion
He who made heaven and earth (heaven and earth)
May the Lord bless you from Zion
He who made heaven and earth (heaven and earth)

Lift up your hands to the Holy Place
Lift up your hands, and bless the Lord
Lift up your hands to the Holy Place
Lift up your hands, and bless the Lord

Lift up your hands to the Holy Place
Lift up your hands, and bless the Lord

Lift up your hands to the Holy Place
Lift up your hands, and bless the Lord, bless the Lord

Silence

Guard all your household, Lord,
through the dark night of faith,
and purify the hearts of those who wait on you,
until your kingdom dawns with the
rising of your Son,
Christ, the morning star.
Praise to you our God;
You answer prayer. Amen.

Open this link in a new tab to hear Marty Haugen’s responsorial setting of Psalm 113, “Blessed Be the Name.”

Blessed be the name,
Blessed be the name,
Blessed be the name of the LORD
for ever!

Praise, O servants of the LORD,
praise the name of the LORD!
May the name of the LORD be blest
both now and forevermore!

Blessed be the name,
Blessed be the name,
Blessed be the name of the LORD
for ever!

From the rising of the sun to its setting,
praised be the name of the LORD!
High above all nations is the LORD,
above the heavens his glory.

Blessed be the name,
Blessed be the name,
Blessed be the name of the LORD
for ever!

Who is like the LORD, our God,
who dwells on high,
who lowers himself to look down
upon heaven and earth?

Blessed be the name,
Blessed be the name,
Blessed be the name of the LORD
for ever!

From the dust he lifts up the lowly,
from the ash heap he raises the poor,
to set them in the company of princes,
yes, with the princes of his people.

Blessed be the name,
Blessed be the name,
Blessed be the name of the LORD
for ever!

Silence

From the rising of the sun to its setting
we praise your name, O Lord;
may your promise to raise the poor from the dust
and turn the fortunes of the needy upside down
be fulfilled in our time also,
as it was in your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Open this link in a new tab to hear Christopher Idle’s “Eternal Light, Shine in My Heart.”

1 Eternal light, shine in my heart;
eternal hope, lift up my eyes:
eternal power, be my support;
eternal wisdom, make me wise.

2 Eternal life, raise me from death;
eternal brightness, help me see:
eternal Spirit, give me breath;
eternal Saviour, come to me:

3 Until by your most costly grace,
invited by your holy word,
at last I come before your face
to know you, my eternal God,
to know you, my eternal God.

WE HEAR GOD’S WORD

A reading from the New Testament (Matthew 10: 40-42)

“Anyone who receives you receives me, and anyone who receives me receives the Father who sent me. If you receive a prophet as one who speaks for God, you will be given the same reward as a prophet. And if you receive righteous people because of their righteousness, you will be given a reward like theirs. And if you give even a cup of cold water to one of the least of my followers, you will surely be rewarded.”

Silence

May your word live in us
and bear much fruit to your glory.

How Christans Treat Others Matters

This evening’s reading comes at the end of a series of instructions that Jesus gave the twelve disciples before he sent them out to proclaim the good news of God’s Kingdom to the people of Israel. Jesus draws to the disciples’ attention that anyone who receives them also receives him and the Father who sent him. This passage has parallels elsewhere in Matthew’s Gospel. For example—

“Jesus called a little child to him and put the child among them….anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf[a] is welcoming me.” Matthew 18 2;5 NLT

Jesus goes on to warn his followers against looking down on “any of these little ones.”

A second parallel is found in Matthew 25: 31-46.

“But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left.

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’

“Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’

“And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’

“Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, ‘Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons.For I was hungry, and you didn’t feed me. I was thirsty, and you didn’t give me a drink. I was a stranger, and you didn’t invite me into your home. I was naked, and you didn’t give me clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’

“Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?’

“And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’

“And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life.”

Each passage ties how we act toward a particular group of people with the acceptance or rejection of Jesus. These groups have one thing in common. They all are stand-ins for Jesus. They are his representatives.

We can conclude from these passages that it is important for those who profess to be Christians, to be followers of Jesus, to be mindful of how they treat others, including their fellow believers. The way we treat others is also the way we treat Jesus and consequently God.

Both in his teaching and by his example Jesus gives his disciples and those who would be his disciples, those who have heard his call to follow him, clear directions on how they are to treat others. This is evident from reading the Gospels. Those who truly seek to follow him will pattern their lives on Jesus’ teaching and example.

Among the temptations that those who profess to be Christians face today, a temptation that previous generations of believers have also faced, is the temptation to cherry-pick from what Jesus said and did the things that they like while neglecting, overlooking, and even suppressing the things that they do not like. The result is an incomplete picture of what Jesus said and did.

A second temptation is to take Jesus’ words and actions out of context and to misconstrue them to justify speaking and acting in ways that would fit the apostle Paul’s description of “works of the flesh.” They include “…hatred, quarrelling, jealousy, bad temper, rivalry, factions, party-spirit, envy…and things like that.” Jesus’ description of the Pharisees as “a brood of vipers” is given as justification for unwarranted personal attacks on the character of others and unrestrained, harsh criticism of them. His overturning of the tables of the money changers in the Temple is used to explain away explosive outbursts of anger, uncontrolled rage, and premeditated acts of violence.

A third temptation is to assume that since Jesus did not specifically mention something that he had no thoughts on the matter, or he shared our opinion in regard to the matter. In drawing a conclusion about what Jesus may have thought, we must take into consideration how those to whom he was speaking would have understood him. We must also consider what may be inferred from what else he may have said.

While Jesus may not have been as permissive as some may wish to see him, neither was he as condemnatory as others would make him. We are quite capable of projecting onto Jesus our own thoughts and feelings, wrongly imagining that he thought or felt a particular way when it is we ourselves who think or feel this way.

Jesus did not avoid those whom in the eyes of the Pharisees and teachers of religious law were open sinners and beyond redemption. Rather he sought them out, saying that they were the ones who needed him the most and not those who thought of themselves as being righteous. In doing so, he set an example for those who profess to be his disciples. We are to proclaim the good news to all people, and we are to embody the good news to all people. We are entrusted with showing to all and sharing with all God’s love, the love that God has shown us in Jesus.

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, ad 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, dorm 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.

Lord God,
we rejoice in your greatness and power,
your patience and love,
your mercy and justice.
Enable us by your Spirit
to honor you in our thoughts,
words and actions,
and to serve you in every aspect of our lives;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. 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 Holy Spirit, bless and preserve us. Amen.

Open this link in a new tab to hear Shirley Erena Murray’s “Go Gently, Go Lightly.”

Go gently, go lightly,
go safe in the Spirit,
live simply, don't carry
much more than you need:
go trusting God's goodness,
go spreading God's kindness,
stay centered on Jesus
and where he will lead.

Go singing, go bringing
the gifts of the Spirit,
go hopefully searching
for things that are true:
in living, in loving,
whatever befalls you,
God keep you, God bless you
in all that you do.

[Instrumental interlude]

Go gently, go lightly,
go safe in the Spirit,
live simply, don't carry
much more than you need:
go trusting God's goodness,
go spreading God's kindness,
stay centered on Jesus
and where he will lead.

Those present may exchange a sign of peace.

The peace of the Lord be always with you.
And also with you.