Thursday Evenings at All Hallows (Thursday, February 29, 2024)

Welcome to Thursday evenings at All Hallows.

In the Bible the phrase “Kingdom of God” is used in three different senses. While all three senses hold importance for followers of Jesus, the sense that may be most important for those who seek to follow Jesus in this day and age is the sense of the phrase as Jesus used it in the Gospels.

GATHER IN GOD’S NAME

The Lord be with you.
The Lord bless you.

Open this link in a new tab to hear Keath and Kristyn Getty Stuart Townend’s “Hear the Call of the Kingdom.”

Verse 1
Hear the call of the kingdom
Lift your eyes to the King
Let His song rise within you
As a fragrant offering
Of how God rich in mercy
Came in Christ to redeem
All who trust in His unfailing grace

Verse 2
Hear the call of the Kingdom
To be children of light
With the mercy of heaven
The humility of Christ
Walking justly before Him
Loving all that is right
That the life of Christ may shine through us

Chorus
King of Heaven we will answer the call
We will follow bringing hope to the world
Filled with passion, filled with power to proclaim
Salvation in Jesus' name

Verse 3
Hear the call of the Kingdom
To reach out to the lost
With the Father's compassion
In the wonder of the cross
Bringing peace and forgiveness
And a hope yet to come
Let the nations put their trust in Him

Chorus
King of Heaven we will answer the call
We will follow bringing hope to the world
Filled with passion, filled with power to proclaim
Salvation in Jesus' name

[Instrumental interlude]

Final Chorus
O King of Heaven we will answer the call
We will follow bringing hope to the world
Filled with passion, filled with power to proclaim
Salvation in Jesus' name

God has promised forgiveness
to all who truly repent,
turn to Christ in faith
and are themselves forgiving.

Let us confess our sins to God our Father.

Silence

Heavenly Father,
we have sinned against you and against our neighbour
in thought and word and deed,
through negligence, through weakness,
through our own deliberate fault;
by what we have done
and by what we have failed to do.
We are truly sorry and repent of all our sins.
For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ who died for us,
forgive us all that is past;
and grant that we may serve you in newness of life
to the glory of your name. Amen.

Merciful Lord,
grant to your faithful people pardon and peace, 
that we may be cleansed from all our sins,
and serve you with a quiet mind;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Open this link in a new tab to hear Alanna Glover, Liv Chapman, and George Wade Robinson’s “Everlasting Love.”

Verse 1
Loved with everlasting love
Led by grace that love to know
Spirit breathing from above
You have taught me so
Oh this full and perfect peace
Oh this presence so divine
In a love which cannot cease
I am his and he is mine

Chorus
For his love is endless
And his grace relentless
All my hope is Christ
I am his and he is mine

Verse 2
His forever only his
With his love to never part
Granting life and hope and peace
Christ will fill my heart
My delight and my reward
Doubt and fear and self resign
Of his goodness I am sure
I am his and he is mine

Chorus
For his love is endless
And his grace relentless
All my hope is Christ
I am his and he is mine

Verse 3
Loving kindness ever shown
At the cross on which he died
There his victory made known
Saviour glorified
Seated now upon the throne
Ever close though lifted high
Interceding for his own
I am his and he is mine

Chorus
For his love is endless
And his grace relentless
All my hope is Christ
I am his and he is mine

For his love is endless
And his grace relentless
All my hope is Christ
I am his and he is mine

Verse 4
Soon my eyes will strain to see
And my lips will fail to tell
But will Jesus clearer be
For I know him well
Things of earth may fade and flee
Sun and stars will cease to shine
But forever this will be
I am his and he is mine
I am his and he is mine

Let us pray.

Silence

Almighty God,
you show to those who are in error the light of your truth
that they may return to the way of righteousness:
Grant to all those who are admitted
into the fellowship of Christ’s religion,
that they may reject those things
that are contrary to their profession,
and follow all such things
as are agreeable to the same;
through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD

A reading from the New Testament (Matthew 13: 31-35; 44-46)

Here is another illustration Jesus used: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed planted in a field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but it becomes the largest of garden plants; it grows into a tree, and birds come and make nests in its branches.”

Jesus also used this illustration: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like the yeast a woman used in making bread. Even though she put only a little yeast in three measures of flour, it permeated every part of the dough.”

Jesus always used stories and illustrations like these when speaking to the crowds. In fact, he never spoke to them without using such parables. This fulfilled what God had spoken through the prophet:

“I will speak to you in parables.
I will explain things hidden since the creation of the world.”

“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field.

“Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant on the lookout for choice pearls. When he discovered a pearl of great value, he sold everything he owned and bought it!

Silence

Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church.
Thanks be to God.

The Kingdom of God

Jesus used parables like the ones in this evening’ reading to teach his disciples and the multitude about the Kingdom of Heaven, as Matthew calls the Kingdom of God in his Gospel. In the Gospels it is clear that Jesus is not taking about an earthly kingdom. The Pharisees presumed that the Kingdom would be an earthly kingdom like the kingdom of Israel in the days of Saul, David, and Solomon. They questioned Jesus regarding when it would come. They did not get the response that they may have been hoping for.

One day the Pharisees asked Jesus, “When will the Kingdom of God come?”

Jesus replied, “The Kingdom of God can’t be detected by visible signs. You won’t be able to say, ‘Here it is!’ or ‘It’s over there!’ For the Kingdom of God is already among you. (Luke 17: 20-21 NLT)

When Jesus appeared before the Roman governor of Judaea, Pontus Pilate asked him if he was a king. This is Jesus’ response.

Jesus answered, “My Kingdom is not an earthly kingdom. If it were, my followers would fight to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish leaders. But my Kingdom is not of this world.” (John 18:36 NLT)

What then does Jesus mean when he talks about the Kingdom of God?

When Jesus talks about the Kingdom of God, he appears to be talking about the rule of a king, his exercise of sovereignty, that is, supreme power or controlling influence, not about the realm, or geographic territory, over which the king rules or the people who inhabit the realm.

Jesus preaches that repentance is all-important to being a part of the Kingdom of God.

“From then on Jesus began to preach, “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near” (Matthew 4:17)

As well as having a change of heart, Jesus also teaches that experiencing the new birth is a requisite to entering the Kingdom of God.

“Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again” (John 3:5-7 NLT).

So is being a true disciple.

“Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter” (Matthew 7: 21).

Jesus teaches his disciples to make the Kingdom of God their number one priority.

"Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need" (Matthew 6:33 NLT).

Jesus also teaches his disciples to pray for God’s will to be done on earth in conjunction with praying for God’s Kingdom to come.

"Pray like this:

Our Father in heaven,
may your name be kept holy.
May your Kingdom come soon.
May your will be done on earth,
as it is in heaven.
Give us today the food we need,
and forgive us our sins,
as we have forgiven those who sin against us.
And don’t let us yield to temptation,
but rescue us from the evil one” (Matthew 6:9-13 NLT).

When the disciples questioned the risen Jesus about the restoration of Israel as a free kingdom, something which they, like the Pharisees, believed that the Messiah would do, his response was:

“The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:7-8).

What Jesus did not do was give his disciples instructions to establish an earthly kingdom in Judaea or elsewhere in the world in preparation for his return. He did not direct them to form themselves into a political movement and to acquire political power. The task that he did entrust to his disciples and to future generations of his disciples until his return was to make disciples of all peoples.

The sense that Jesus uses the Kingdom of God in the Gospels then is that of God’s manifestation of his presence and power in the world and of God’s rule over the hearts and lives of those who willing submit to that rule.

As disciples of Jesus, we can have a positive impact upon those around us and the larger world by living our lives according to Jesus’ teaching and example and by making more disciples. We can be an embodiment of God’s love and grace. We can seek to better the lives of the disadvantaged. We can oppose evil and uphold justice.

It is through faithfulness to Jesus as Lord and obedience to his words that the presence and power of God is made known, and his rule is established in hearts and lives.

Silence

Open this link in a new tab to hear Abi Marthinet-Glover, Jake Marthinet-Glover and Alanna Glover’s “You Have Called a People.”

Verse 1
You have called a people to be your hands and feet
You have called a people and healed our unbelief
From every tribe and nation, all corners of the earth
You have called a people to sing your endless worth

Verse 2
Called to be made like you, in Christ to be made whole
Called to be a witness to the hope we hold
Before the powers in heaven your wisdom is made known
That you have built a people on Christ the cornerstone

Chorus
We sing, “Holy, holy”
Yours is glory, glory
With myriads and myriads declaring round your throne
We sing, “Worthy is the lamb!”

Verse 3
How will all men know us, oh saints of God above?
How will all men know us, if not by our great love?
Not hungry for dominion, but servants of the least
Our treasure is in heaven: there waits a wedding feast!

Let us affirm with Christians across the ages what we believe about God
and his love for us.

We believe in one God,
who made us and loves all that is.
We believe in Jesus Christ,
God’s only Son, our Lord,
who was born, lived, died and rose again,
and is coming to call all to account.
We believe in the Holy Spirit,
who calls, equips and sends out God’s people,
and brings all things to their true end.

This is our faith, the faith of the Church:

We believe in one God,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

THE MINISTRY OF PRAYER

Let us pray to the Lord with all our heart and with all our soul.
Lord, have mercy.

Let us pray for all Christian people, that they may live in love and truth.
Lord, have mercy.

Let us pray for all ministers of the Church, and for our brothers and
sisters in Christ.
Lord, have mercy.

Let us pray for peace throughout the world, and for all governments.
Lord, have mercy.

Let us pray for our neighbours and for all our friends.
Lord, have mercy.

Let us pray for those who hate us as we pray for those who love us.
Lord, have mercy.

Let us pray for refugees and prisoners, and for all who are exposed to the
dangers of travel.
Lord, have mercy.

Let us pray for all sick people, for the sorrowful and the dying.
Lord, have mercy.

Let us pray for the abundance of the fruits of the earth, and that the
poor and hungry may receive a just share.
Lord, have mercy.

Let us remember our brothers and sisters who have entered into eternal
rest.
Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord.

Let us continue praying in a time of open prayer.

A period of open prayer follows.

The leader brings the period of open prayer to an end saying

Lord, in your mercy
hear our prayer.

Heavenly Father,
you have promised to hear
what we ask in the name of your Son:
we pray you to accept and answer our prayers,
not as we ask in our ignorance,
nor as we deserve in our sinfulness,
but as you know and love us in your Son,
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

As our Savior taught his disciples, 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,
the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.

THE SENDING FORTH OF GOD’S PEOPLE

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 bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

May the almighty and merciful God,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
bless us and keep us
now and forever. Amen.

Open this link in a new tab to hear Christy Nockels’ “By Our Love.”

Verse 1
Brothers, let us come together
Walking in the Spirit, there's much to be done
We will come reaching, out from our comforts
And they will know us by our love

Verse 2
Sisters, we were made for kindness
We can pierce the darkness as He shines through us
We will come reaching, with a song of healing
And they will know us by our love

Chorus
The time is now
Come Church arise
Love with His hands
See with His eyes
Bind it around you,
Let it never leave you,
And they will know us by our love

Verse 3
Children, You are hope for justice,
Stand firm in the Truth now, set your hearts above
You will be reaching, long after we're gone,
And they will know you by your love

Chorus
The time is now
Come Church arise
Love with His hands
See with His eyes
Bind it around you,
Let it never leave you,
And they will know us by our love

The time is now
Come Church arise
Love with His hands
See with His eyes
Bind it around you,
Let it never leave you,
And they will know us by our love

Those present may exchange a sign of peace.

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