Thursday Evenings at All Hallows (Thursday, May 16, 2024)

Welcome to Thursday evenings at All Hallows.

Many churches conduct baptisms and confirmations, professions of faith with laying on of hands and prayer, on this coming Sunday, which is the Feast of Pentecost. It is also known as Whitsunday or Whitsun, so named after the white robes the newly baptized donned after they were baptized.

Today’s message takes a look at one of the principal ways Christians as disciples of Jesus are to differ from other people. Today’s prayers include intercessions for those who will be baptized or confirmed or both this coming Sunday, for all new believers, and those who do not yet believe.

The section in brackets [ ] may be omitted.

GATHER IN GOD’S NAME

Open this link in a new tab to hear a piano and violin arrangement of Bob Kauflin’s “O Great God.”

Open this link in a new tab to hear Timothy R. Smith’s “Glory and Praise for Ever” (Daniel 3).

Glory and praise, glory and praise,
glory and praise for ever!

Glory and praise, glory and praise,
glory and praise for ever!

Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever;
And blessed is your holy and glorious name,
praiseworthy and exalted above all for all ages.

Glory and praise, glory and praise,
glory and praise for ever!

Blessed are you in the temple of your holy glory,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.

Glory and praise, glory and praise,
glory and praise for ever!

Blessed are you on the throne of your kingdom,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.

Glory and praise, glory and praise,
glory and praise for ever!

Blessed are you who look into the depths
from your throne upon the cherubim,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.

Glory and praise, glory and praise,
glory and praise for ever!

The Lord be with you
The Lord bless you.

The word is near you,
on your lips and in your heart.

If you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord,
and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead,
you will be saved.

Faith comes from what is heard,
and what is heard comes through the word of Christ.

Open this link in a new tab to Jim Cooper and Brian Wooten’s “Song Of Moses” (Revelation 15:3-4).

Great and marvelous are Your deeds
Oh, Lord God almighty
Great and marvelous are Your deeds
Oh, Lord God almighty
Just and true are Your ways, oh, King of the ages
Who shall not fear, oh Lord, and glorify Your name?

For You alone, You alone are holy
All nations will come and worship before You, Lord
For You alone, You alone are holy
All nations will come and worship before You, Lord
You alone are holy

Great and marvelous are Your deeds
Oh, Lord God almighty
Great and marvelous are Your deeds
Oh, Lord God almighty
Just and true are Your ways, oh, King of the ages
Who shall not fear, oh Lord, and glorify Your name?

For You alone, You alone are holy
All nations will come and worship before You, Lord
For You alone, You alone are holy
All nations will come and worship before You, Lord
You alone are holy
Holy

Let us pray.

Silence.

O God the King of Glory,
you have exalted your only Son Jesus Christ
with great triumph to your kingdom in heaven:
Mercifully give us faith to know
that, as he promised,
he abides with us on earth to the end of time;
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 (Ephesians 4:17-32)

With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused. Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him. They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity.

But that isn’t what you learned about Christ. Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.

So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body. And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil.

If you are a thief, quit stealing. Instead, use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need. Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.

And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.

Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.

Silence.

The word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

How Christians Are to Differ from Everyone Else

As Paul draws to the attention of the church at Ephesus in today’s reading, the lives of Christians are to be different from the lives of other people, those who make no pretense of believing in Jesus, much less of following him as their Lord. They are to live sanctified lives, lives that are transformed by the Holy Spirit and which embody Jesus’ teaching, lives that are righteous and holy. This is a point that Jesus himself made and which the apostles reiterated.

Jesus instructed his disciples to be perfect as God is perfect (Matthew 5: 48). By “perfect,” he meant holy. He warned them, “…unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven!” (Matthew 5: 20). He further warned them, “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate…” (Matthew 7: 13).

In his first letter the apostle Peter writes—

So prepare your minds for action and exercise self-control. Put all your hope in the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.” (1 Peter 1: 13-16)

Later on in the same letter he writes—

But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. (1 Peter 2:9)

Today’s reading is filled with godly wisdom and good counsel, and we can learn a great deal from it about how to live a Christian life, a holy, righteous life. What Paul writes about not letting anger get the better of us and using unkind words is especially relevant to our time which has been dubbed “the Age of Outrage.” These words particularly stood out to me.

…be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.

When Jesus talks about holiness and righteousness, he is not talking about being legalistic or judgmental, that is giving too much attention to rules and the minutiae or feeling morally superior to other people and being quick to criticize them. He is talking about a holiness and righteousness that is patient, open-handed, merciful, gentle, and caring, a holiness and righteousness which is characterized by what Paul calls the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). It is a holiness and righteousness that emulates Jesus’ own humility.

Take some time to reflect upon today’s reading and how it applies to your own life. In what ways do you need to change? What steps are you going to take to that end? Then pray for the help of the Holy Spirit to make the changes that you need to make and step forward in faith, trusting that God will supply you with the grace that you need to make them.

Silence.

Open this link in a new tab to hear Jubilate Hymn’s modernized version of Henry W. Baker’s “O Holy Spirit, come to bless (O Holy Ghost, thy people bless).”

1 O Holy Spirit, come to bless
your waiting church, we pray:
we long to grow in holiness
as children of the day.

2 Great Gift of our ascended king,
his saving truth reveal,
our tongues inspire his praise to sing,
our hearts his love to feel.

3 O come, creator Spirit, move
as on the formless deep;
give life and order, light and love,
where now is death or sleep.

4 We offer up to you, O Lord,
ourselves to be your throne,
our every thought and deed and word
to make your glory known.

5 O Holy Spirit, Lord of might,
through you all grace is given:
grant us to know and serve aright
one God in earth and heaven.

Living together in trust and hope, we confess our faith.

I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit
and born of the virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to hell.
The third day he rose again from the dead.
He ascended to heaven
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.
From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.

THE MINISTRY OF PRAYER

God has given us the ministry of reconciliation.
Therefore. Let us be reconciled to God and to one another.

Silence for reflection and self-examination.

Gracious God,
Have mercy on us. In your compassion forgive us our sins.
known and unknown, things done and left undone.
Uphold us by your Spirit so that we may liv and serve you I the newness of life,
to the honor and glory of your holy name, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The almighty and merciful Lord grant us pardon, forgiveness, and remission of our sins. Amen.

[Sisters and brothers, rejoice. Mend your ways, encourage one another, agree with one another, live in peace.

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

Those present may greet one another with a gesture of peace, using these or similar words: Peace be with you.]

As God’s people called to love one another,
let us pray for the needs of the Church, the human family, and all the world.

We pray for the Church throughout the world, for all who serve Christ.

Silence.

God of mercy,
hear our prayer.

We pray all who will be baptized or confirmed or both on the Feast of Pentecost, for all new believers, for those who do not yet believe.

Silence.

God of mercy,
hear our prayer.

We pray for all the nations on the Earth, for their leaders, for those in authority in every land.

Silence.

God of mercy,
hear our prayer.

We pray for those in sorrow, need, sickness or any other trouble.

Silence.

God of mercy,
hear our prayer.

We pray for our community, our families and friends, and ourselves.

Silence.

God of mercy,
hear our prayer.

Those present may offer their own petitions.

Silence.

God of mercy,
hear our prayer.

We give thanks for the faithful departed, especially for those who recently have died.

Silence.

God of mercy,
hear our prayer.

All these things and whatever else you see that we need grant us, O God,
for the sake of Christ who died and rose again, and now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. Amen.

Let us pray with confidence in the words our Savior gave us.

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 FORTH OF GOD’S PEOPLE

Open this link in a new tab to hear Chris Kipling’s “May God’s Bless Be Upon You Now.”

May God’s blessing be upon you now
May you know of his great love for you
May God’s blessing be upon you now
Right where you are

May God’s blessing be upon you now
May you know of his great love for you
May God’s blessing be upon you now
Right where you are

[Instrumental interlude]

May God’s blessing be upon you now
May you know of his great love for you
May God’s blessing be upon you now
Right where you are
Right where you are

Open this link in a new tab to hear Francis Havergal’s “Take My Life, and Let It Be.”

Verse 1
Take my life, and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee;
Take my hands, and let them move
At the impulse of Thy love;
At the impulse of Thy love.

Verse 2
Take my feet, and let them be
Swift and beautiful for Thee.
Take my voice, and let me sing
Always, only, for my King;
Always, only, for my King.

Verse 3
Take my lips, and let them be
Filled with messages from Thee.
Take my silver and my gold:
Not a mite would I withhold;
Not a mite would I withhold.

Verse 4
Take my will, and make it Thine,
It shall be no longer mine;
Take my heart, it is Thine own,
It shall be Thy royal throne.
It shall be Thy royal throne.

Verse 5
Take my love, my Lord, I pour
At Thy feet its treasure store;

Take myself, and I will be,
Ever, only, all for Thee.
Ever, only, all for Thee.

Coda
Take my heart, it is Thine own,
It shall be Thy royal throne.
It shall be Thy royal throne.

Let us go in peace. Let us serve the Lord.
Thanks be to God.