Thursday Evenings at All Hallows (Thursday, December 14, 2023)
Welcome to Thursday Evenings at All Hallows.
In the opening dialogue of this evening’ service we pray, “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.” But are we ready to meet him when he does come again in glory?GATHERING IN GOD’S NAME
A lamp or a candle may be lit.
The Spirit and the church cry out:
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
All those who await his appearance pray:
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
The whole creation pleads:
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
As this evening hymn is sung, more lamps and candles may be lit.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Keith Duke’s “Sun of Our Night.”
Light of the world in grace and beauty
Mirror of God’s eternal face
Transparent flame of love’s free duty
You bring salvation to our race
Now as we see the lights of evening
We raise our voice in hymns of praise
Worthy are you of endless blessing
Sun of our night, lamp of our day
[Instrumental interlude]
Light of the world in grace and beauty
Mirror of God’s eternal face
Transparent flame of love’s free duty
You bring salvation to our race
Now as we see the lights of evening
We raise our voice in hymns of praise
Worthy are you of endless blessing
Sun of our night, lamp of our day
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, Sovereign God, creator of light and darkness!
As evening falls, you renew your promise
to reveal among us the light of your presence.
May your word be a lantern to our feet
and a light upon our path,
that we may behold your glory coming among us.
Strengthen us in our stumbling weakness
and free our tongues to sing your praise,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Blessed be God for ever!
Open this link in a new to hear Timothy Dudley-Smith’s “Come Quickly, Lord (Psalm 141).”
1 Come quickly, Lord, and hear the cries
my heart and hands uplifted raise;
and let my prayer as incense rise,
an evening sacrifice of praise.
Guard now the lips that speak your Name,
lest they, and I, be put to shame.
2 And if my steps should go astray
and from the path of truth I move,
restore me to your narrow way
and in your mercy, Lord, reprove;
from love of self my soul defend,
and wound me as a faithful friend.
*3 When at the last, O Lord our God,
we look to you alone to save,
the plough of judgment breaks the clod,
and bones are scattered from the grave:
our Rock, our Refuge and our Tower,
protect us in the final hour.
4 We fix our eyes upon you, Lord,
and tune our ears to hear your voice;
our hearts by faith receive your word
and in your promises rejoice.
Till morning breaks and night is gone,
in God we trust, and journey on.
*Omitted in the video.
Silence
Lord God, our protector and guide,
who made us knowing both good and evil:
receive our prayer and, by your wisdom,
help us to discern and desire all that is good,
that the offering of our lives may be acceptable to you;
through Jesus Christ,
who suffered the darkness of torment and trial
and now is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
for ever and ever. Amen.
Open this link to hear It’s About the Word’s adaptation of Psalm 143, “Show Me the Way."
O Lord, hear my pray
Listen to my cry for mercy
In your faithfulness
Come to my relief
As your servant Lord
Save me from your judgement
For no one is righteous before you
Show me the way that I should go
Only to you I lift my soul
Your unfailing Love and mercy fill my days
Teach me to do your will much more
Than I ever have before
Let me hide myself in you
For your name sake
Show me the way
I consider the past
And the ways you have shown your mercy
I'm amazed most of all
By what your hands have done
In your steadfast Love
You shelter me from evil
For I am here to serve you, Lord
Show me the way that I should go
Only to you I lift my soul
Your unfailing Love and mercy fill my days
Teach me to do your will much more
Than I ever have before
Let me hide myself in you
For your name sake
Show me the way
Silence
God of justice,
we fail to act justly
and depend upon the power of righteousness:
look with compassion upon those surrounded by danger
and guide us all along the path of life;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Charles Coffin and John Chandlers’ “The Advent of Our King.”
1 The advent of our King
our prayers must now employ,
and we must hymns of welcome sing
in strains of holy joy.
2 The everlasting Son
incarnate deigns to be;
himself a servant's form puts on
to set his servants free.
3 O Zion’s Daughter, rise
to meet your lowly King,
nor let your faithless heart despise
the peace he comes to bring.
4 As Judge, on clouds of light,
he soon will come again,
and his true members all unite
with him in heaven to reign.
5 Before the dawning day
let sin's dark deeds be gone;
the sinful self be put away,
the new self all put on.
6 All glory to the Son
who comes to set us free,
with Father, Spirit, ever One,
through all eternity.
THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD
A reading from the Old Testament (Isaiah 55: 6-11)
Seek the Lord while you can find him.
Call on him now while he is near.
Let the wicked change their ways
and banish the very thought of doing wrong.
Let them turn to the Lord that he may have mercy on them.
Yes, turn to our God, for he will forgive generously.
“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord.
“And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.
For just as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so my ways are higher than your ways
and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.
“The rain and snow come down from the heavens
and stay on the ground to water the earth.
They cause the grain to grow,
producing seed for the farmer
and bread for the hungry.
It is the same with my word.
I send it out, and it always produces fruit.
It will accomplish all I want it to,
and it will prosper everywhere I send it.
Silence
May your word live in us
and bear much fruit to your glory.
Open this link in a new tab to hear David Haas’ “Holy Is His Name (Magnificat).”
My soul is filled with joy
as I sing to God my savior;
you have looked upon your servant,
you have visited your people.
And holy is your name.
through all generations!
Everlasting is your mercy
to the people you have chosen,
and holy is your name!
I am lowly as a child,
but I know from this day forward
that my name will be remembered,
for all will call me blessed.
And holy is your name.
through all generations!
Everlasting is your mercy
to the people you have chosen,
and holy is your name!
I proclaim the pow’r of God,
you do marvels for your servants;
though you scatter the proud hearted
and destroy the might of princes.
And holy is your name.
through all generations!
Everlasting is your mercy
to the people you have chosen,
and holy is your name!
To the hungry you give food,
Send the rich away empty;
In your mercy you are mindful
of the people you have chosen.
And holy is your name.
through all generations!
Everlasting is your mercy
to the people you have chosen,
and holy is your name!
In your love you now fulfill
what you promised to your people
I will praise you, Lord my savior
everlasting is your mercy.
And holy is your name.
through all generations!
Everlasting is your mercy
to the people you have chosen,
and holy is your name!
The call to repentance resounds throughout the Bible. Jesus himself preached, “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near” (Matthew 4:17, Mark 1:15; Luke 13:3; 5, Luke 15:7; 10). When he sent out his disciples, they preached the same message (Mark 6:12).
How did Jesus answer the Pharisees when they complained bitterly to his disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with such scum?” referring to the tax collectors and sinners with whom Jesus dined. Jesus’ response was “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent” (Luke 5:31-32).
Repentance and turning to God was the message that the apostles preached after Jesus rose from the dead and ascended into heaven and the promised Holy Spirit fell upon them in the upper room at the Feast of Pentecost (Acts 2:38, Acts 3:19; Acts 8:22). The apostle Paul’s words recorded in Acts 20:21and Acts 26: 20 summarize the message that he preached. He preached the same message to Jews and non-Jews; they must repent of their sins and turn to God, have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and proved that they have changed by the good things they do. Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians, the Letter to the Hebrews, and the Revelation to John all stress the importance of repentance and turning to God.
What then does repentance mean? To repent in the biblical sense is to change one’s mind. We begin to doubt the opinion which we hold about God and the choices we are making and the way we are living. We eventually change our opinion altogether, recognizing that the choices we are making and the way we are living is setting up barriers between us and God and creating problems in our relationship with God. When we truly repent, we do more than feel sorry for something bad we did in the past and wish that we had not done it. We not only change our mind, but we also change what we are doing. This change in our actions is accompanied by changes in our attitudes and our ways of thinking. We turn over a new leaf.
The Holy Spirit draws our attention to those things in our lives, which come between us and God and which harm our relationship with God. Our consciences may also draw our attention to them, that part of us that judges how moral or ethical our actions are and makes us feel guilty about the bad things that we have done or things for which we feel responsible. Scripture also may point to our attention things which have in the past come between other people and God and harmed their relationship with God and which may also affect us.
Let us look at one example which we find in Luke’s Acts of the Apostles, Acts, Acts 2: 14-40. In this passage the apostle Paul calls upon those showed indifference to Jesus or rejected him to repent, to change their minds about Jesus, to admit that they were wrong and to believe that Jesus was indeed the Messiah, God’s Promised One, and believing, to be baptized and to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus himself pointed to the attention of his disciples and others who came to hear him that those who showed indifference to him or rejected him were also showing indifference to God or rejecting God. As Jesus put it, “anyone who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him” (John 5:23). Jesus also made a connection between loving him and heeding his message and obeying his teaching (John 14: 19-21; 23-24).It includes responding to Jesus’ call to repent from our sins, those things that come between us and God and harm our relationship with God, and turning to God.
Repentance is not a one-time occurrence. Repentance is ongoing and continues throughout our lifetime. Our turning away from the things that form barriers between us and God and which impair our relationship with God and our turning to God is a constant turning.
Repentance is not something that we can do on our own. We need the help of God’s grace, the power of the Holy Spirit, working in our lives. It is the Holy Spirit that frees us to change our mind and to change our actions. It is the Holy Spirit that nudges us to make the needed changes.
The season of preparation, which is Advent, is a good time of the year to humbly ask the Holy Spirit to show us where we need to change, how we need to think differently, and what new attitudes we need to adopt. It is a good time of the year to also ask the Holy Spirit to help us make those changes in our behavior, our way of thinking, and our attitudes. What better way to prepare for the celebration of Jesus’s birth and his coming again in glory.
Silence
Open this link to hear Ryan Flannigan’s setting of our Lord’s Summary of the Law, “Jesus Creed.”
Jesus said
The first commandment is this:
Hear O Israel
The Lord our God is the only Lord.
Love the Lord your God
with all your heart,
with all your soul,
with all your mind,
and with all your strength.
The second is this:
Love your neighbor as yourself.
There is no other commandment greater than these.
Amen.
THE MINISTRY OF PRAYER
United in the company of all the faithful and looking for the
coming of the kingdom, let us offer our prayers to God.
Merciful Lord, strengthen all Christian people by your Holy Spirit, that we may live as a royal priesthood and a holy nation to the praise of Christ Jesus our Saviour.
Lord, have mercy.
Bless..…. our pastor, and all ministers, of your Church, that by
faithful proclamation of your word we may be built on the
foundation of the apostles and prophets into a holy temple in
the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
Empower us by the gift of your Holy and Life-giving Spirit that
we may be transformed into the likeness of Christ from glory
to glory.
Lord, have mercy.
Give to the world and its peoples the peace that comes from
above, that they may find Christ’s way of freedom and life.
Lord, have mercy.
Hold in your embrace all who witness to your love in the
service of the poor and needy; all those who minister to the sick
and dying; and all who bring light to those in darkness.
Lord, have mercy.
Touch and heal all those whose lives are scarred by sin
or disfigured by pain, that, raised from death to life in Christ, their
sorrow may be turned to eternal joy.
Lord, have mercy.
Remember in your mercy those who have gone before us
who have been well-pleasing to you; preserve us who live here
in your faith, guide us to your kingdom and grant us your
peace at all times.
Lord, have mercy.
Hasten the day when those who fear you in every nation will
come from east and west, from north and south, and sit at table
in your kingdom.
Lord, have mercy.
And so we give you thanks for……and for the whole company of
your saints in glory, with whom in fellowship we join our prayers and praises; by your grace may we, like them, be made
perfect in your love.
Blessing and glory and wisdom,
Thanksgiving and honour and power,
Be to our God for ever and ever. 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.
Lighten our darkness, we beseech you, O Lord,
and in your great mercy defend us
from all perils and dangers of this night;
for the love of your only Son, our Savior Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Joining our prayers with those of Christians in every time and every place,
let us 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,
the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.
THE SENDING FORTH OF GOD’S PEOPLE
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God
May almighty God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, bless and keep us now and for ever more. Amen.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Fernando Ortega’s “Come, Oh Redeemer, Come.”
Father enthroned on high, holy, holy;
ancient, eternal Light hear our prayer.
Come, oh Redeemer, come; grant us mercy.
Come, oh Redeemer, come; grant us peace.
Lord, save us from the dark
of our striving
Faithless and troubled hearts weighed down.
Come, oh Redeemer, come; grant us mercy.
Come, oh Redeemer, come; grant us peace.
Look now upon our need,
Lord, be with us.
Heal us and make us free from our sin.
Come, oh Redeemer, come; grant us mercy.
Come, oh Redeemer, come; grant us peace.
Come, oh Redeemer, come; grant us mercy.
Come, oh Redeemer, come; grant us peace.
Father enthroned on high, holy, holy;
ancient, eternal Light hear our prayer.
Those present may share a sign of peace.
The peace of the Lord be always with you.
And also with you.
We raise our voice in hymns of praise
Worthy are you of endless blessing
Sun of our night, lamp of our day
[Instrumental interlude]
Light of the world in grace and beauty
Mirror of God’s eternal face
Transparent flame of love’s free duty
You bring salvation to our race
Now as we see the lights of evening
We raise our voice in hymns of praise
Worthy are you of endless blessing
Sun of our night, lamp of our day
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, Sovereign God, creator of light and darkness!
As evening falls, you renew your promise
to reveal among us the light of your presence.
May your word be a lantern to our feet
and a light upon our path,
that we may behold your glory coming among us.
Strengthen us in our stumbling weakness
and free our tongues to sing your praise,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Blessed be God for ever!
Open this link in a new to hear Timothy Dudley-Smith’s “Come Quickly, Lord (Psalm 141).”
1 Come quickly, Lord, and hear the cries
my heart and hands uplifted raise;
and let my prayer as incense rise,
an evening sacrifice of praise.
Guard now the lips that speak your Name,
lest they, and I, be put to shame.
2 And if my steps should go astray
and from the path of truth I move,
restore me to your narrow way
and in your mercy, Lord, reprove;
from love of self my soul defend,
and wound me as a faithful friend.
*3 When at the last, O Lord our God,
we look to you alone to save,
the plough of judgment breaks the clod,
and bones are scattered from the grave:
our Rock, our Refuge and our Tower,
protect us in the final hour.
4 We fix our eyes upon you, Lord,
and tune our ears to hear your voice;
our hearts by faith receive your word
and in your promises rejoice.
Till morning breaks and night is gone,
in God we trust, and journey on.
*Omitted in the video.
Silence
Lord God, our protector and guide,
who made us knowing both good and evil:
receive our prayer and, by your wisdom,
help us to discern and desire all that is good,
that the offering of our lives may be acceptable to you;
through Jesus Christ,
who suffered the darkness of torment and trial
and now is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
for ever and ever. Amen.
Open this link to hear It’s About the Word’s adaptation of Psalm 143, “Show Me the Way."
O Lord, hear my pray
Listen to my cry for mercy
In your faithfulness
Come to my relief
As your servant Lord
Save me from your judgement
For no one is righteous before you
Show me the way that I should go
Only to you I lift my soul
Your unfailing Love and mercy fill my days
Teach me to do your will much more
Than I ever have before
Let me hide myself in you
For your name sake
Show me the way
I consider the past
And the ways you have shown your mercy
I'm amazed most of all
By what your hands have done
In your steadfast Love
You shelter me from evil
For I am here to serve you, Lord
Show me the way that I should go
Only to you I lift my soul
Your unfailing Love and mercy fill my days
Teach me to do your will much more
Than I ever have before
Let me hide myself in you
For your name sake
Show me the way
Silence
God of justice,
we fail to act justly
and depend upon the power of righteousness:
look with compassion upon those surrounded by danger
and guide us all along the path of life;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Charles Coffin and John Chandlers’ “The Advent of Our King.”
1 The advent of our King
our prayers must now employ,
and we must hymns of welcome sing
in strains of holy joy.
2 The everlasting Son
incarnate deigns to be;
himself a servant's form puts on
to set his servants free.
3 O Zion’s Daughter, rise
to meet your lowly King,
nor let your faithless heart despise
the peace he comes to bring.
4 As Judge, on clouds of light,
he soon will come again,
and his true members all unite
with him in heaven to reign.
5 Before the dawning day
let sin's dark deeds be gone;
the sinful self be put away,
the new self all put on.
6 All glory to the Son
who comes to set us free,
with Father, Spirit, ever One,
through all eternity.
THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD
A reading from the Old Testament (Isaiah 55: 6-11)
Seek the Lord while you can find him.
Call on him now while he is near.
Let the wicked change their ways
and banish the very thought of doing wrong.
Let them turn to the Lord that he may have mercy on them.
Yes, turn to our God, for he will forgive generously.
“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord.
“And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.
For just as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so my ways are higher than your ways
and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.
“The rain and snow come down from the heavens
and stay on the ground to water the earth.
They cause the grain to grow,
producing seed for the farmer
and bread for the hungry.
It is the same with my word.
I send it out, and it always produces fruit.
It will accomplish all I want it to,
and it will prosper everywhere I send it.
Silence
May your word live in us
and bear much fruit to your glory.
Open this link in a new tab to hear David Haas’ “Holy Is His Name (Magnificat).”
My soul is filled with joy
as I sing to God my savior;
you have looked upon your servant,
you have visited your people.
And holy is your name.
through all generations!
Everlasting is your mercy
to the people you have chosen,
and holy is your name!
I am lowly as a child,
but I know from this day forward
that my name will be remembered,
for all will call me blessed.
And holy is your name.
through all generations!
Everlasting is your mercy
to the people you have chosen,
and holy is your name!
I proclaim the pow’r of God,
you do marvels for your servants;
though you scatter the proud hearted
and destroy the might of princes.
And holy is your name.
through all generations!
Everlasting is your mercy
to the people you have chosen,
and holy is your name!
To the hungry you give food,
Send the rich away empty;
In your mercy you are mindful
of the people you have chosen.
And holy is your name.
through all generations!
Everlasting is your mercy
to the people you have chosen,
and holy is your name!
In your love you now fulfill
what you promised to your people
I will praise you, Lord my savior
everlasting is your mercy.
And holy is your name.
through all generations!
Everlasting is your mercy
to the people you have chosen,
and holy is your name!
Repent!
The call to repentance resounds throughout the Bible. Jesus himself preached, “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near” (Matthew 4:17, Mark 1:15; Luke 13:3; 5, Luke 15:7; 10). When he sent out his disciples, they preached the same message (Mark 6:12).
How did Jesus answer the Pharisees when they complained bitterly to his disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with such scum?” referring to the tax collectors and sinners with whom Jesus dined. Jesus’ response was “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent” (Luke 5:31-32).
Repentance and turning to God was the message that the apostles preached after Jesus rose from the dead and ascended into heaven and the promised Holy Spirit fell upon them in the upper room at the Feast of Pentecost (Acts 2:38, Acts 3:19; Acts 8:22). The apostle Paul’s words recorded in Acts 20:21and Acts 26: 20 summarize the message that he preached. He preached the same message to Jews and non-Jews; they must repent of their sins and turn to God, have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and proved that they have changed by the good things they do. Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians, the Letter to the Hebrews, and the Revelation to John all stress the importance of repentance and turning to God.
What then does repentance mean? To repent in the biblical sense is to change one’s mind. We begin to doubt the opinion which we hold about God and the choices we are making and the way we are living. We eventually change our opinion altogether, recognizing that the choices we are making and the way we are living is setting up barriers between us and God and creating problems in our relationship with God. When we truly repent, we do more than feel sorry for something bad we did in the past and wish that we had not done it. We not only change our mind, but we also change what we are doing. This change in our actions is accompanied by changes in our attitudes and our ways of thinking. We turn over a new leaf.
The Holy Spirit draws our attention to those things in our lives, which come between us and God and which harm our relationship with God. Our consciences may also draw our attention to them, that part of us that judges how moral or ethical our actions are and makes us feel guilty about the bad things that we have done or things for which we feel responsible. Scripture also may point to our attention things which have in the past come between other people and God and harmed their relationship with God and which may also affect us.
Let us look at one example which we find in Luke’s Acts of the Apostles, Acts, Acts 2: 14-40. In this passage the apostle Paul calls upon those showed indifference to Jesus or rejected him to repent, to change their minds about Jesus, to admit that they were wrong and to believe that Jesus was indeed the Messiah, God’s Promised One, and believing, to be baptized and to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus himself pointed to the attention of his disciples and others who came to hear him that those who showed indifference to him or rejected him were also showing indifference to God or rejecting God. As Jesus put it, “anyone who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him” (John 5:23). Jesus also made a connection between loving him and heeding his message and obeying his teaching (John 14: 19-21; 23-24).It includes responding to Jesus’ call to repent from our sins, those things that come between us and God and harm our relationship with God, and turning to God.
Repentance is not a one-time occurrence. Repentance is ongoing and continues throughout our lifetime. Our turning away from the things that form barriers between us and God and which impair our relationship with God and our turning to God is a constant turning.
Repentance is not something that we can do on our own. We need the help of God’s grace, the power of the Holy Spirit, working in our lives. It is the Holy Spirit that frees us to change our mind and to change our actions. It is the Holy Spirit that nudges us to make the needed changes.
The season of preparation, which is Advent, is a good time of the year to humbly ask the Holy Spirit to show us where we need to change, how we need to think differently, and what new attitudes we need to adopt. It is a good time of the year to also ask the Holy Spirit to help us make those changes in our behavior, our way of thinking, and our attitudes. What better way to prepare for the celebration of Jesus’s birth and his coming again in glory.
Silence
Open this link to hear Ryan Flannigan’s setting of our Lord’s Summary of the Law, “Jesus Creed.”
Jesus said
The first commandment is this:
Hear O Israel
The Lord our God is the only Lord.
Love the Lord your God
with all your heart,
with all your soul,
with all your mind,
and with all your strength.
The second is this:
Love your neighbor as yourself.
There is no other commandment greater than these.
Amen.
THE MINISTRY OF PRAYER
United in the company of all the faithful and looking for the
coming of the kingdom, let us offer our prayers to God.
Merciful Lord, strengthen all Christian people by your Holy Spirit, that we may live as a royal priesthood and a holy nation to the praise of Christ Jesus our Saviour.
Lord, have mercy.
Bless..…. our pastor, and all ministers, of your Church, that by
faithful proclamation of your word we may be built on the
foundation of the apostles and prophets into a holy temple in
the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
Empower us by the gift of your Holy and Life-giving Spirit that
we may be transformed into the likeness of Christ from glory
to glory.
Lord, have mercy.
Give to the world and its peoples the peace that comes from
above, that they may find Christ’s way of freedom and life.
Lord, have mercy.
Hold in your embrace all who witness to your love in the
service of the poor and needy; all those who minister to the sick
and dying; and all who bring light to those in darkness.
Lord, have mercy.
Touch and heal all those whose lives are scarred by sin
or disfigured by pain, that, raised from death to life in Christ, their
sorrow may be turned to eternal joy.
Lord, have mercy.
Remember in your mercy those who have gone before us
who have been well-pleasing to you; preserve us who live here
in your faith, guide us to your kingdom and grant us your
peace at all times.
Lord, have mercy.
Hasten the day when those who fear you in every nation will
come from east and west, from north and south, and sit at table
in your kingdom.
Lord, have mercy.
And so we give you thanks for……and for the whole company of
your saints in glory, with whom in fellowship we join our prayers and praises; by your grace may we, like them, be made
perfect in your love.
Blessing and glory and wisdom,
Thanksgiving and honour and power,
Be to our God for ever and ever. 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.
Lighten our darkness, we beseech you, O Lord,
and in your great mercy defend us
from all perils and dangers of this night;
for the love of your only Son, our Savior Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Joining our prayers with those of Christians in every time and every place,
let us 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,
the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.
THE SENDING FORTH OF GOD’S PEOPLE
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God
May almighty God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, bless and keep us now and for ever more. Amen.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Fernando Ortega’s “Come, Oh Redeemer, Come.”
Father enthroned on high, holy, holy;
ancient, eternal Light hear our prayer.
Come, oh Redeemer, come; grant us mercy.
Come, oh Redeemer, come; grant us peace.
Lord, save us from the dark
of our striving
Faithless and troubled hearts weighed down.
Come, oh Redeemer, come; grant us mercy.
Come, oh Redeemer, come; grant us peace.
Look now upon our need,
Lord, be with us.
Heal us and make us free from our sin.
Come, oh Redeemer, come; grant us mercy.
Come, oh Redeemer, come; grant us peace.
Come, oh Redeemer, come; grant us mercy.
Come, oh Redeemer, come; grant us peace.
Father enthroned on high, holy, holy;
ancient, eternal Light hear our prayer.
Those present may share a sign of peace.
The peace of the Lord be always with you.
And also with you.
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