Thursday Evenings at All Hallows (Thursday, November 16, 2023)

 

Welcome to Thursday Evenings at All Hallows.

An autumn evening, the rustle of falling leaves, the flickering of candlelight, the fragrance of spiced apple cider. Time to conclude a busy day with prayer. 

WE GATHER IN GOD’S NAME

A lamp or a candle may be lit.

Jesus Christ, you are the light of the world;

the light no darkness can overome.

Stay with us now, for it is evening,

and the day is almost over.

Let your light scatter the darkness,

and shine within your people here.

As this evening hymn is sung, more lamps and candles may be lit.

Open this link to hear Carl P. Daw Jr.’s paraphrase of the Phos hilaron, “O Light Whose Splendor Thrills and Gladdens.”

O Light whose splendor thrills and gladdens
with radiance brighter than the sun,
pure gleam of God's unending glory,
Jesus, blest Anointed One;

as twilight hovers near at sunset,
and lamps are lit, and children nod,
in evening hymns we lift our voices
to Father, Spirit, Son: one God.

In all life's brilliant, timeless moments,
let faithful voices sing your praise,
O Son of God, our Life-bestower,
whose glory lightens endless days.

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.

Blessed are you, Lord God, creator of day and night:
to you be praise and glory for ever.
As darkness falls you renew your promise
to reveal among us the light of your presence.
By the light of Christ, your living Word,
dispel the darkness of our hearts
that we may walk as children of light
and sing your praise throughout the world.
Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit:
Blessed be God for ever.

Open this link in a new tab to hear The Braeded Chord’s setting of Psalm 141, “Let My Prayer Rise Before You as Incense.”

Let my prayer rise before you as incense
The lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice

Let my prayer rise before you as incense
The lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice

O Lord I call to you come to me quickly;
hear my voice when I cry to you

Let my prayer rise before you as incense
The lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice

Set a watch before my mouth O Lord
and guard the door of my lips
Let not my heart incline to any evil thing
Let me not be occupied in wickedness with evil doers

Let my prayer rise before you as incense
The lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice

But my eyes are turned to you
Yes, my eyes are turned to you
O my eyes are turned to you, Lord God
in you I take refuge strip me not of my life

Let my prayer rise before you as incense

Silence

Lord God, our protector and guide,
who made us knowing both good and evil,
help us to desire all that is good,
that the offering of our lives may be acceptable to you;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.


Open this link in a new tab to hear Bernadette Farrell’s paraphrase of Psalm 139, “O God, You Search Me, and You Know Me.”

1 O God, you search me, and you know me
All my thoughts lie open to your gaze
When I walk or lie down, you are before me
Ever the maker and keeper of my days.

2 You know my resting and my rising
You discern my purpose from afar
And with love everlasting, you besiege me
In ev'ry moment of life or death, you are.

3 Before a word is on my tongue, Lord
You have known its meaning through and through
You are with me beyond my understanding
God of my present, my past and future, too.

4 Although your Spirit is upon me
Still I search for shelter from your light
There is nowhere on Earth I can escape you
Even the darkness is radiant in your sight.

5 For you created me and shaped me
Gave me life within my mother’s womb
For the wonder of who I am, I praise you.
Safe in your hands, all creation is made new.

Creator God,
may every breath we take be for your glory,
may every footstep show you as our way,
that, trusting in your presence in this world,
we may, beyond this life, still be with you
where you are alive and reign
for ever and ever. Amen.

THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD

A reading from the New Testament (Matthew 25: 14-30)

“Again, the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. He called together his servants and entrusted his money to them while he was gone. He gave five bags of silver to one, two bags of silver to another, and one bag of silver to the last—dividing it in proportion to their abilities. He then left on his trip.

“The servant who received the five bags of silver began to invest the money and earned five more. The servant with two bags of silver also went to work and earned two more. But the servant who received the one bag of silver dug a hole in the ground and hid the master’s money.

“After a long time their master returned from his trip and called them to give an account of how they had used his money. The servant to whom he had entrusted the five bags of silver came forward with five more and said, ‘Master, you gave me five bags of silver to invest, and I have earned five more.’

“The master was full of praise. ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!

“The servant who had received the two bags of silver came forward and said, ‘Master, you gave me two bags of silver to invest, and I have earned two more.’

“The master said, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’

“Then the servant with the one bag of silver came and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a harsh man, harvesting crops you didn’t plant and gathering crops you didn’t cultivate. I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth. Look, here is your money back.’

“But the master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! If you knew I harvested crops I didn’t plant and gathered crops I didn’t cultivate, why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.’

“Then he ordered, ‘Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one with the ten bags of silver. To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away. Now throw this useless servant into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

Silence

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

Open this link in a new tab to hear Kate Bluett’s paraphrase of the Magnificat, “Mary’s Hymn of Praise.”

1 My soul proclaims God’s greatness,
rejoicing in the Lord
who looks upon my meekness,
as ages will behold.
Now God does great things for me,
and holy is God’s name.
My spirit sings God’s wonders,
and oh! my soul proclaims!

2 In every generation
God pours such mercy down,
shows might before the nations,
and scatters all the proud.
God lifts up all the humble,
casts princes down in shame.
My spirit sings God’s wonders,
and oh! my soul proclaims!

3 Rejoice now in God’s promise
to Sarah and Abraham
and all of their descendants,
to keep us in God’s hand.
God fills the poor and hungry
and sends the rich away.
My spirit sings God’s wonders,
and oh! my soul proclaims!

Good and Faithful Servants

As well as giving direct instruction to his disciples, Jesus told stories to make a point or, as in the case of this evening’s reading to further illustrate what he had been telling the disciples. In this evening reading Jesus tells what is known as the Parable of the Talents. A talent is an ancient unit of weight, used in measuring the weight of precious metals like gold and silver.

What the parable is not inferring is that if we are generous in our giving to a particular church or parachurch ministry God will return the favor and give us more money or reward us in other ways. Jesus is not suggesting that we will receive a quid pro quo for our financial support. This is not to say that we should not be generous in supporting a church or parachurch ministry , but it is to say that we should not expect to gain materially or in any other way as a consequence of our generosity.

In the story the master commends the first two servants for their faithful stewardship of what he had entrusted to them, putting it to good use in his absence. He promises to give them more responsibilities. On the other hand, the master has harsh words for the third servant who has done nothing with what was given him. What he was given is taken from him and he is cast “into outer darkness.”

Jesus uses the phrase, “outer darkness” three times in Matthew’s Gospel. He appears to be referring to a place of judgment and a state of eternal separation from God, in other words, hell. The inference is a lack of faithfulness in our stewardship of what God has given us has serious consequences.

In the parable the first two servants use the portion of their master’s money that was entrusted to them to multiply his money. What is expected from Jesus’ disciples, from us, is that we use what God has given us—not just our personal wealth but our natural abilities, our learned skills, our spiritual gifts, our life experiences, our interests and passions, our relationships, our walk of life, and our time to advance God’s kingdom. We advance his kingdom by multiplying disciples, by adding to the number of people in whose hearts and lives Jesus is King.

We may be getting on in years, and we may have physical limitations. However, we can continue to serve God, using well what God has given us and striving to be good and faithful servants in our generation. A place to start is to humbly ask God to show us how we can best use what he has give us at this particular stage in our life.

Silence

Open this link in a new tab to hear Michael Perry’s “I Believe in God the Father.”

I believe in God the Father
who created heaven and earth,
holding all things in his power,
bringing light and life to birth.

I believe in God the Savior,
Son of Man and Lord most high,
crucified to be redeemer,
raised to life that death may die.

I believe in God the Spirit,
wind of heaven and flame of fire,
pledge of all that we inherit,
sent to comfort and inspire.

Honor, glory, might and merit
be to God, and God alone!
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
One-in-Three and Three-in-One.

THE MINISTRY OF PRAYER

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.

Lighten our darkness, Lord, we pray,

and in your great mercy defend us from 

all dangers and perils of thi night; for

the love of yur only Son our aviour Jesus

Christ. 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.

THE SENDING FORTH OF GOD’S PEOPLE

Let us praise the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

May God, Creator, bless us and keep us,
may Christ be ever light for our lives,
may the Spirit of Love be our guide and path,
for all our days. Amen.

Open this link in a new tab to hear Adrea Ramsey’s choral arrangement of “God Be in My Head” from the Sarum Primer.

God be in my head, and in my understanding,
God be in my eyes, and in my looking.
God be in my mouth, and in my speaking,
God be in my heart, and in my thinking.
God be at my end and my beginning,
and all days in between

Those present may share a sign of peace.

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