Thursday Evenings at All Hallows (Thursday, April 4, 2024)
The Octave of Easter is a period of eight days that begins on Easter Sunday and ends with Second Sunday of Easter. It marks the beginning of Eastertide, the Season of Easter. The first seven days of the octave are also collectively known as Easter Week. During Eastertide Christians not only celebrate the Jesus’ resurrection from the dead but also the spread of the gospel.
GATHER IN GOD’S NAME
Christ is risen!
The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia!
Open this link in a new tab to hear Margaret Becker’s “Let Your Glory Be Ever Known.”
1 Hail to the gladdening light of pure glory
We come rejoicing in You
Hail to the worthiest Holy of Holies
Let Your glory be ever known
2 Now in the comp'ny of all heav'ns angels
We join creation in song
To You who have covered the mountains with water
Let Your glory be ever known
With our mouths we bless You
With our lives confess You
Christ hallowed on high
Hosanna evermore
3 Come for Your Spirit has filled us with longing
That only You satisfy
Great are You Lord and Your wonders are countless
Let Your glory be ever known
With our mouths we bless You
With our lives confess You
Christ hallowed on high
Hosanna evermore
[Instrumental interlude]
4 Joy of the morning and life everlasting
Let Your love fill us afresh
For all we can give You is what You have given
Let Your Glory be ever known
With our mouths we bless You
With our lives confess You
Christ hallowed on high
Hosanna evermore
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
Almighty and merciful God
we have sinned against you,
in thought, word and deed.
We have not loved you with all our heart.
We have not loved others as our Saviour Christ loves us.
We are truly sorry.
In your mercy forgive what we have been,
help us to amend what we are,
and direct what we shall be;
that we may delight in your will
and walk in your ways;
through Jesus Christ our Saviour. 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 Liam Lawson’s “Canticle.”
Oo_____ oo_____ oo_____ oo_____
Great and wonderful are your deed, O Lord God, the Almighty.
Just and true are your ways, O King of the ages.
1 Who shall not fear and glorify your name,
for you alone are holy?
For you alone are holy.
Great and wonderful are your deed, O Lord God, the Almighty.
Just and true are your ways, O King of the ages.
All nations shall come and worship you,
for your judgments have been revealed.
For your judgments have been revealed.
Great and wonderful are your deed, O Lord God, the Almighty.
Just and true are your ways, O King of the ages.
Oo_____ oo_____ oo_____ oo_____
Let us pray.
Silence
Almighty God,
through your only-begotten Son Jesus Christ
you have overcome death
and opened to us the gate of everlasting life:
Grant that, as by your grace going before us
you put into our minds good desires,
so by your continual help we may bring them to good effect;
through Jesus Christ our risen Lord
who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.
THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD
A reading from the New Testament (1 Peter 2:11-25).
I appeal to you, my friends, as strangers and refugees in this world! Do not give in to bodily passions, which are always at war against the soul. Your conduct among the heathen should be so good that when they accuse you of being evildoers, they will have to recognize your good deeds and so praise God on the Day of his coming.
For the sake of the Lord submit yourselves to every human authority: to the Emperor, who is the supreme authority, and to the governors, who have been appointed by him to punish the evildoers and to praise those who do good. For God wants you to silence the ignorant talk of foolish people by the good things you do. Live as free people; do not, however, use your freedom to cover up any evil, but live as God's slaves. Respect everyone, love other believers, honor God, and respect the Emperor.
You servants must submit yourselves to your masters and show them complete respect, not only to those who are kind and considerate, but also to those who are harsh. God will bless you for this, if you endure the pain of undeserved suffering because you are conscious of his will. For what credit is there if you endure the beatings you deserve for having done wrong? But if you endure suffering even when you have done right, God will bless you for it. It was to this that God called you, for Christ himself suffered for you and left you an example, so that you would follow in his steps. He committed no sin, and no one ever heard a lie come from his lips. When he was insulted, he did not answer back with an insult; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but placed his hopes in God, the righteous Judge. Christ himself carried our sins in his body to the cross, so that we might die to sin and live for righteousness. It is by his wounds that you have been healed. You were like sheep that had lost their way, but now you have been brought back to follow the Shepherd and Keeper of your souls.
Silence
Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church.
Thanks be to God.
A Method for Searching the Scriptures
Among the means of grace that John Wesley identifies in his sermons and writings is “searching the Scriptures,” reading, studying, and reflecting upon the Scriptures. The means of grace may be defined as “regular ways or channels through which God’s grace reaches us to convict us of sin, turn us to a saving faith, and to help us live a holy life.” They “are ways God meets us and works in us.”
Everytime we spend time with God in worship, in "searching the Scriptures," in receiving communion, in listening to the reading and preaching of God's word, in prayer, in fasting, in acts of mercy, in and spiritual conversations with others, God renews and transforms us.
In his article, “4 Powerful Questions to Engage Your Small Group in Any Bible Passage”, John Egli shares four questions that he believes “will guide your group to encounter and respond to God’s word no matter what Bible passage you are studying.” These four questions can also be used for that purpose when reading and studying the Bible by ourselves. Egli recommends asking the questions in several different ways as well as taking our time in answering the questions.
The four questions are:
“What stands out to you in this passage?”
“What do you think the main point is?”
“What would it look like if Christ-followers totally applied this lesson (or obeyed this principle) in their lives today?”
”What is one way you can apply this truth to your life this week?”
You can read the entire article at https://jimegli.com/4-powerful-questions-to-engage-your-small-group-in-any-bible-passage/.
After you have familiarized yourself with these questions and how to use them, reread this evening’s reading and use the questions to guide you in encountering and responding to God’s word. Complete your study of the passage by choosing a truth or principle found in the passage you can apply to your own life this week and praying for the Holy Spirit’s help in applying it.
We will be looking at other ways we can search the Scriptures in the near future.
Silence
Open this link in a new tab to hear Keith Getty and Phil Madeira’s “O Breath of God (The Risen Christ Doxology).
1 O Breath of God come fill this place
Revive our hearts to know Your grace
And from our slumber make us rise
That we may know the risen Christ
2 O Word of God so clear and true
Renew our minds to trust in You
And give to us the Bread of Life
That we may know the risen Christ
3 O love of God so unrestrained
Refresh our souls we ask again
Remind us of Your sacrifice
That we may know the risen Christ
4 May God the Father God the Son
And God the Spirit make us one
In holiness let us unite
That we may know the risen Christ
In holiness let us unite
That we may know the risen Christ
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 for the Church and the world.
Almighty God, our heavenly Father,
you promised through your Son Jesus Christ
to hear the prayers of those who ask in faith.
Lord of your people:
strengthen your Church in all the world …
renew the life of this [diocese] [annual conference] …
bless .... our bishop, and build us up in faith and love.
Lord of creation:
look with favour on the world you have made,
guide the nations in the ways of justice and of peace,
and bless [ Canada: Charles our King, the leaders of the nations,
and all in authority] [United States: our President, .... .... ,
the leaders of the nations, and all in authority].
Lord of our relationships:
comfort and sustain the communities in which we live and work …
help us to love our neighbours as ourselves,
Enable us to serve our families and friends
and to love one another as you love us.
Lord of all healing:
relieve and protect those who are sick or suffering,
be with those who have any special need …
and deliver all who know danger, violence or oppression.
Lord of eternity:
bind us together by your Holy Spirit,
in communion with .... and all who, having confessed the Faith,
have died in the peace of Christ, that we may entrust ourselves,
and one another, and our whole life to you, Lord God,
and come with all your saints to the joys of your eternal kingdom.
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.”
1 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.
2 My hope sustains me as I strive
And strain towards the goal;
Though still I stumble into sin,
His death paid for it all;
His death paid for it all.
3 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.
[Instrumental Interlude]
4 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.
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