Thursday Evenings at All Hallows (Thursday, February 8, 2024)

 

Welcome to Thursday Evenings at All Hallows.

Next Tuesday is Shrove Tuesday. Lent begins the following day with Ash Wednesday. The name of “Shrove Tuesday” comes from the word shrive. To “shrive” someone refers to the practice of a priest listening to their confession about what they have done wrong, offering them assurance of God’s forgiveness, and giving them necessary spiritual advice. In medieval England everyone was summoned to church on Shrove Tuesday to be shriven before the start of Lent on the following day. Shrove Tuesday is a day on which Christians may wish to “make a special point of self-examination, of considering what wrongs they need to repent, and what amendments of life or areas of spiritual growth they especially need to ask God's help in dealing with.” They may also wish to consult on these matters with a spiritual counselor. They may wish to attend an Ash Wednesday service the next day and receive the imposition of ashes on their forehead as a visible sign of their repentance and a reminder of their mortality.

GATHER IN GOD’S NAME

The Lord be with you.
The Lord bless you.

Open this link in a new tab to hear Margaret Becker’s “Hear All Creation.”

Hear all creation lift its voice
Hear mountains sing and rivers rejoice
For the name of Jesus, for His name

And we His people saved by grace
We bow our hearts and we bring our praise
To the sweet redeemer, for His name

So with everything we are
And everything we have
We pour out our offerings
And if ever we should fail
The rocks will rise up
And crown Him the King of Kings

He mends our hearts, He keeps our ways
He lights our nights and He leads our days
All for His glory, for His name

There's nothing greater than to be His
To bring Him glory and to fully live
For the name of Jesus, for His name

So with everything we are
And everything we have
We pour out our offerings
And if ever we should fail
The rocks will rise up
And crown Him the King of Kings

[Instrumental interlude]

So with everything we are
And everything we have
We pour out our offerings
And if ever we should fail
The rocks will rise up
And crown Him the King of Kings

So with everything we are
And everything we have
We pour out our offerings
And if ever we should fail
The rocks will rise up
And crown Him the King of Kings

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, t
hat 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 Trevor Hodge’s “No Other Name.”

There is no other name
In heaven can be found
Through whom we are redeemed
Through whom your grace abounds
No other name can save
But Jesus Christ our Lord

There is no other name
In heaven can be found
Through whom we are redeemed
Through whom your grace abounds
No other name can save
But Jesus Christ our Lord

My joy in sorrow’s tears
My strength to cast out fears
No other name but Jesus, Jesus
My hope in darkest night
My broken soul’s delight
No other name but Jesus, Jesus

There is no victory
But Jesus crucified
No other cure for sin
But that our Saviour died
No other hope we have
But that he rose again
He rose again

My joy in sorrow’s tears
My strength to cast out fears
No other name but Jesus, Jesus
My hope in darkest night
My broken soul’s delight
No other name but Jesus, Jesus
No other name

No other throne endures
No other song remains
But ‘Worthy is the Lamb
Who was for sinners slain’
When every knee shall bow
And tongue confess you are Lord
You are Lord

My joy in sorrow’s tears
My strength to cast out fears
No other name but Jesus, Jesus
My hope in darkest night
My broken soul’s delight
No other name but Jesus, Jesus

Let us pray.

Silence

Almighty God,
you have called us to serve you,
yet without your grace
we are not able to please you;
mercifully grant that your Holy Spirit
may in all things direct and rule our hearts;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD

A reading from the New Testament (1 Corinthians 15: 1-11).

Let me now remind you, dear brothers and sisters, of the Good News I preached to you before. You welcomed it then, and you still stand firm in it. It is this Good News that saves you if you continue to believe the message I told you—unless, of course, you believed something that was never true in the first place.

I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve. After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles. Last of all, as though I had been born at the wrong time, I also saw him. For I am the least of all the apostles. In fact, I’m not even worthy to be called an apostle after the way I persecuted God’s church.

But whatever I am now, it is all because God poured out his special favor on me—and not without results. For I have worked harder than any of the other apostles; yet it was not I but God who was working through me by his grace. So it makes no difference whether I preach or they preach, for we all preach the same message you have already believed.

Silence

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

The Best News of All

In this evening’s reading from his first letter to the Corinthians, the apostle Paul summarizes the gospel that he preached to the church at Corinth. This is the gospel in which Paul was instructed at the time he became a disciple of Jesus.

The reason that Paul gave this summary of the gospel in his first letter to the Corinthians was that some members of the Corinthian Church were expressing doubt in the resurrection of the dead and by inference Jesus’ resurrection.

Four points are included in this summary:

Jesus is the Christ, God’s Anointed, the Messiah.

Jesus died for our sins, as written in the Scriptures.

Jesus was buried and that he was raised to life three days later, as written in the Scriptures.

Jesus appeared to numerous witnesses, including Paul himself.

One point is missing: Jesus will return again in glory. However, Paul preaches Jesus’s second coming elsewhere in his letters.

These points are key Christian beliefs that form the heart of the gospel.

Jesus is the Messiah. His death had a purpose—to put things right with God. Jesus was dead when they took him down from the cross and put him Joseph of Arimathea’s tomb. And most importantly, Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to a long list of witnesses.



Along with these truths—Jesus is Lord, Jesus will come again, God will set things to rights when he does, and we are put right with God by faith in Jesus, they are the good news that Christians believe and share.

Since Jesus is Lord, it is only right and proper that we follow his teaching and example. What does Jesus instruct us? “Be perfect as God is perfect.”

No, we cannot become faultless like God is. However, we can strive to be holy as God is holy, We can strive to be kind and forgiving as God is kind and forgiving.

God grants us grace to will and to do these things and more. God enables us to trust in Jesus, and having faith in Jesus, he enables us to grow in maturity of character and in our love of him, our God and Father. He makes it possible for us to become like Jesus.

That is the best news of all. We have a generous, loving God.

Silence

Open this link in a new tab to hear Tim Chester, Liv Chapman, Philip Percival, James McDonald, and Alanna Glover’s “Apostles’ Creed.”

I believe in God the Father, mighty and eternal Lord
He alone is the creator, forming all things by his word
I believe in our Lord Jesus, God’s own Son who came to earth
Born a man, by the Spirit, by a virgin given birth

Sing praise to the Father, to the Spirit and the Son
Sing praise to our holy God, forever three in one

I believe that Jesus suffered, on the cross he bore my shame
I believe that he was buried, then triumphant rose again
Glorified, he has ascended, seated at the Father’s side
He will come again in judgement, justice will be satisfied

Sing praise to the Father, to the Spirit and the Son
Sing praise to our holy God, forever three in one

I believe the Holy Spirit comes to us from Christ above
I believe the church is holy, one communion in God's love
I believe I am forgiven through the sacrifice of Christ
I believe in resurrection and in everlasting life

Sing praise to the Father, to the Spirit and the Son
Sing praise to our holy God, forever three in one

Sing praise to the Father, to the Spirit and the Son
Sing praise to our holy God, forever three in one

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 Richard Creighton’s “My Hope.”

My hope rests firm on Jesus Christ:
he is my only plea.
Though all the world should point and scorn,
his ransom leaves me free,
his ransom leaves me free.

My hope sustains me as I strive
and strain towards the goal.
Though I still stumble into sin
his death paid for it all,
his death paid for it all.

My hope provides me with a spur
to help me run this race.
I know my tears will turn to joy
the day I see his face,
the day I see his face.

My hope is to be with my Lord,
to know as I am known,
to serve him gladly all my days
in praise before his throne,
in praise before his throne.

Those present may exchange a sign of peace.

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