Sundays at All Hallows (Sunday, December 10, 2023)

Welcome to Sundays at All Hallows.

Christmas has a way of overshadowing Advent, which is not only a time of preparation for the celebration of the birth of our Lord but also a time of preparation for his second coming. We may prefer the celebration of his birth over his coming again. Our Lord taught that he will be returning, and we do need to be ready for his return. While the first time he came as a savior, the second time, however, he will come as a judge, and everything that we have thought, said, and done will be made known, all the things that we have hidden from others and those we may have hidden from ourselves.

GATHERING IN GOD’S NAME

Open this link to hear Bobby Fisher’s arrangement of FOREST GREEN for guitar and flute.

Seek the Lord while he wills to be found, call upon him when he draws near; let the wicked forsake their ways, and the evil ones their thoughts; and let them return to the Lord, and he will have compassion, and to our God, for he will richly pardon. Isaiah 55.6, 7

Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor.

Silence

Most merciful God,
we confess that we have sinned against you
in thought, word, and deed,
by what we have done
and by what we have left undone.
We have not loved you with our whole heart;
we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.
We are truly sorry and we humbly repent.
For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ,
have mercy on us and forgive us,
that we may delight in your will,
and walk in your ways,
to the glory of your name. Amen.

Almighty God have mercy upon us,
pardon and deliver you from all your sins,
confirm and strengthen us in all goodness,
and keep us in eternal life;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth shall declare your praise.

Glory to God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit:
as in the beginning, so now, and for ever. Amen.

Open a link in a new tab to hear Dale A. Witte’s arrangement of the Venite, “Come, O Come, Let Us Sing to the Lord Our Savior!”

Come, O come, let us sing to the Lord our Savior!
Come, O come, let us sing to the Lord!

1 Let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving.
Let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise.

Come, O come, let us sing to the Lord our Savior!
Come, O come, let us sing to the Lord!

2 For the Lord is a great God and great King above all gods.
The deep places of the earth are in his hands.
The heights of the hills are his also.
The sea is his, for he made it,
and his and formed the dry land.

Come, O come, let us sing to the Lord our Savior!
Come, O come, let us sing to the Lord!

3 Oh, come let us worship and bow down;
let us kneel before our Maker.
For he is our God, and we are his people,
the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand.

Come, O come, let us sing to the Lord our Savior!
Come, O come, let us sing to the Lord!

Open this link i a new tab to hear Christopher Idle’s “When the King Shall Come Again.”

1 When the King shall come again
all his power revealing,
splendour shall announce his reign,
life and joy and healing:
earth no longer in decay,
hope no more frustrated;
this is God's redemption day
longingly awaited.

2 In the desert trees take root
fresh from God’s creation;
plants and flowers and sweetest fruit
join the celebration.
Rivers spring up from the earth,
barren lands adorning;
valleys, this is your new birth,
mountains, greet the morning!

3 Strengthen feeble hands and knees,
fainting hearts, be cheerful!
God who comes for such as these
seeks and saves the fearful.
Deaf ears hear the silent tongues
sing away their weeping;
blind eyes see the lifeless ones
walking, running, leaping.

4 There God's highway shall be seen
where no roaring lion,
nothing evil or unclean
walks the road to Zion:
ransomed people homeward bound
all your praises voicing,
see your Lord with glory crowned,
share in his rejoicing!

Opening this link in a new tab to hear Arlo Duba’s paraphrase of Psalm 84, “How Lovely, Lord, How Lovely.”

1 How lovely, Lord, how lovely
is your abiding place;
my soul is longing, fainting
to feast upon your grace.
The sparrow finds a shelter,
a place to build her nest:
and so your temple calls us
within its walls to rest.

2 In your blest courts to worship,
O God, a single day
is better than a thousand
if I from you should stray.
I'd rather keep the entrance
and claim you as my Lord
then revel in the riches
the ways of sin afford.

3 A sun and shield forever
are you, O Lord Most High;
you shower us with blessings;
no good will you deny.
The saints, your grace receiving,
from strength to strength shall go,
and from their life shall rivers
of blessing over flow.

THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD

A reading from the Old Testament (Isaiah 40:1–11)

“Comfort, comfort my people,”
says your God.
“Speak tenderly to Jerusalem.
Tell her that her sad days are gone
and her sins are pardoned.
Yes, the Lord has punished her twice over
for all her sins.”
Listen! It’s the voice of someone shouting,
“Clear the way through the wilderness
for the Lord!
Make a straight highway through the wasteland
for our God!
Fill in the valleys,
and level the mountains and hills.
Straighten the curves,
and smooth out the rough places.
Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed,
and all people will see it together.
The Lord has spoken!”*
A voice said, “Shout!”
I asked, “What should I shout?”
“Shout that people are like the grass.
Their beauty fades as quickly
as the flowers in a field.
The grass withers and the flowers fade
beneath the breath of the Lord.
And so it is with people.
The grass withers and the flowers fade,
but the word of our God stands for ever.”
O Zion, messenger of good news,
shout from the mountain tops!
Shout it louder, O Jerusalem.*
Shout, and do not be afraid.
Tell the towns of Judah,
“Your God is coming!”
Yes, the Sovereign Lord is coming in power.
He will rule with a powerful arm.
See, he brings his reward with him as he comes.
He will feed his flock like a shepherd.
He will carry the lambs in his arms,
holding them close to his heart.
He will gently lead the mother sheep with their young.

Silence

This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Open this link in a new tab to hear Carl P. Daw Jr.’s paraphrase of the Benedicite Omnia Opera (Song of Creation), “Let All Creation Bless the Lord.”

1 Let all creation bless the Lord,
till heav'n with praise is ringing.
Sun, moon, and stars, peal out a chord,
stir up the angels' singing.
Sing, wind and rain! Sing snow and sleet!
Make music, day, night, cold, and heat:
exalt the God who made you,
exalt the God who made you!

2 All living things upon the earth,
green fertile hills and mountains,
sing to the God who gave you birth;
be joyful, springs and fountains.
Lithe waterlife, bright airborne birds,
wild roving beasts, tame flocks and herds;
exalt the God who made you,
exalt the God who made you!.

3 O men and women ev'rywhere,
lift up a hymn of glory:
all you who know God's steadfast care,
tell out salvation's story.
No tongue be mute; all sing your part,
you humble souls and meek of heart:
exalt the God who made you,
exalt the God who made you!

A reading from the New Testament (2 Peter 3:8–15)

But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgement.

Since everything around us is going to be destroyed like this, what holy and godly lives you should live, looking forward to the day of God and hurrying it along. On that day, he will set the heavens on fire, and the elements will melt away in the flames. But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world filled with God’s righteousness.

And so, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in his sight.

And remember, our Lord’s patience gives people time to be saved. This is what our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you with the wisdom God gave him—

Silence

This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Open this link in a new tab to hear Ruth Duck’s paraphrase of the Benedictus Dominus Deus, “Now Bless the God of Israel.”

1 Now bless the God of Israel,
Who comes in love and pow'r,
Who raises from the royal house
Deliv'rance in this hour.
Through holy prophets God has sworn
To free us from alarm,
To save us from the heavy hand
Of all who wish us harm.

2 Remembering the covenant,
God rescues us from fear,
That we might serve in holiness
And peace from year to year;
And you, my child, shall go before
To preach, to prophesy,
That all may know the tender love,
The grace of God most high.

3 In tender mercy God will send
The dayspring from on high,
Our rising sun, the light of life
For those who sit and sigh.
God comes to guide our way to peace,
That death shall reign no more.
Sing praises to the Holy One!
O worship and adore!

A Poky Slow God or a Patient God?

Waiting for someone or something is common human experience. May be we have asked a friend to meet us, and they have agreed. We and the friend have agreed on a time and place. We had gone to that place, and they were a no show. We waited well past the time, they agreed to meet us. We texted them and they did not respond to our texts. We the called them and they did not respond to our phone call. We finally decide to go home, feeling very disappointed. On the way home we passed a café which we sometime patronize. Through the window we see the friend chatting with someone else. We had been stood up.

May be we have had a flat tire on our car late at night and discovered that the spare was flat too, or something else has gone wrong with our car. We call a wrecker for a tow and then wait for the wrecker to arrive. It seems like an interminable time before the wrecker arrived. In the meantime, all kinds of thoughts go through our head. We imagine the worst possible things happening.

Waiting often is not a pleasant experience. We are apt to dwell in our minds on all kinds of bad things that have happened or might happen. Time passes slowly. I imagine this is how the people whom the apostle Peter tells us had come to think that our Lord was slow in fulfilling his promise to return may have felt.

Peter points to the attention of his readers that God desires that all repent, turn away from their present way of life and turn to him. God is allowing us time to do that.What some regarded slowness on God's part was really God's mercifulness.  As Jesus himself said, he would not return until the gospel had been proclaimed to all the peoples of the earth, until every people group had been told about him and their need to repent from sin and to believe in him.

Peter goes on to urge his readers, including ourselves, to live a holy life and to spread the good news while we await the Lord’s return. Jesus will come again but it will be in God’s time and God’s time is not like ours. Peter reminds them that the apostle Paul had written them the same things as he is writing them.

While Jesus did not know when he would return, he did make very clear what his disciples were expected to do in the meantime. They were to be his faithful witnesses in both word and deed: They were to tell others about him and share his message, and his teaching with others and they were to live their lives according to his message and his teaching. They were not to get involved in anything that could distract them from faithfully being his witnesses. What he said about no one serving two masters applies to more than money. It applies to everything that crowds Jesus out of our lives.

Silence

THE MINISTRY OF PRAYER

Let us bow our heads as we make prayers and supplications before the throne of grace.

God, the creator and preserver of all humankind, we humbly implore you for people everywhere, that you would be pleased to make your way known to them, your saving power to all nations.
Lord, in your mercy
Hear us.

Especially we pray for your holy Church that it may be so guided and governed by your Holy Spirit, that all who call themselves Christians may be led into the way of truth and hold the faith in unity of spirit, in the bond of peace, and in righteousness of life.
Lord, in your mercy
Hear us.

We ask that you inspire and direct the leaders of this nation to seek first your kingdom and righteousness, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.
Lord, in your mercy
Hear us.

Finally, we commend to your fatherly goodness all those who are in any way afflicted or distressed in body, mind, or circumstances, especially those known to us, or for whom our prayers are asked, that it may please you to comfort and deliver them according to their different needs, giving them patience in their sufferings, and a blessed end to all their troubles. All this we ask in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Blessed Lord, you have caused all holy Scriptures to be written 

for our instruction. Help us to so hear them, read, mark, learn, and 

inwardly digest them, that by the patience and comfort of your holy 

Word, we may embrace and forever hold fast the hope of everlasting 

life, which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Almighty God, you have been our guard throughout the night,
keep us in your care throughout the day;
walking in the light, bearing witness to your way,
seeking first your kingdom and seeing Christ in everyone;
guide us in the footsteps of your Son,
and lead us on the path to your everlasting day;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Joining our prayers to those of Christians in every time and every place, we 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.

THE SENDING OUT OF GOD’S PEOPLE

Let us praise the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

May God almighty, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, bless and keep us now and aways. Amen.

Open this link in a new tab to hear Richard Proulx’s arrangement of Johannes G. Olearius and Louis Bourgeois’ “Comfort, Comfort Now My People.”

1 "Comfort, comfort now my people;
tell of peace!" so says our God.
Comfort those who sit in darkness
mourning under sorrow's load.
To God's people now proclaim
that God's pardon waits for them!
Tell them that their war is over;
God will reign in peace forever!

2 For the herald's voice is crying
in the desert far and near,
calling us to true repentance
since the Kingdom now is here.
Oh, that warning cry obey!
Now prepare for God a way!
Let the valleys rise to meet him,
and the hills bow down to greet him!

3 Straight shall be what long was crooked,
and the rougher places plain!
Let your hearts be true and humble,
as befits his holy reign!
For the glory of the Lord
now on earth is shed abroad,
and all flesh shall see the token
that God's word is never broken.

Those present may share a sign of peace with these words.

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