Thursday Evenings at All Hallows (Thursday, May 23, 2024)

 

Welcome to Thursday evenings at All Hallows.

This week is the first week in the season of the church year known as “the Season after Pentecost.” The Season after Pentecost lasts from Pentecost to Advent. In some Christian traditions, the period after Trinity Sunday, the Sunday after Pentecost, is known as Trinitytide. It lasts from Trinity Sunday to Advent. With the Season after Epiphany, or Epiphanytide, the Season after Pentecost comprises what is called “ordinary time” because it is not a festive or penitential season.

This evening’s message is an invitation to walk more closely with God.

GATHER IN GOD’S NAME

Open this link in a new tab to hear the piano arrangement of WAIRUA TAPU.

Open this link in a new tab to hear F. Bland Tucker’s translation of the Phos hilaron, “O Gracious Light.”

O Gracious Light, Lord Jesus Christ,
In you the Father’s glory shone.
Immortal, holy, blest is he,
And blest are you, his holy Son.

Now sunset comes, but light shines forth,
the lamps are lit to pierce the night.
Praise Father, Son, and Spirit: God
Who dwells in the eternal light.

Worthy are you of endless praise,
O Son of God, Life-giving Lord;
Wherefore you are through all the earth
And in the highest heaven adored.

O Gracious Light!

The Lord be with you.
The Lord bless you.

As we recall our disobedience to God's commandments and our failure to do his will; let us confess our sins to God our Father.

Silence.

Almighty God, our heavenly Father,
we have sinned in thought and word and deed,
through negligence, through weakness,
through our own deliberate fault.
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 Eric Becker’s responsorial setting of “Daniel 3 - Glory and Praise.”

Glory and praise for ever! For ever!
Glory and praise for ever! For ever!

Blessed are you, O Lord God our Father,
praiseworthy and exalted for ever;
blessed and holy and glorious your name,
exalted for all ages.

Glory and praise for ever! For ever!
Glory and praise for ever! For ever!

Blessed are you in the temple of your glory,
praiseworthy, glorious, your name for ever.
Blessed are you on the throne of your kingdom,
above all for ever.

Glory and praise for ever! For ever!
Glory and praise for ever! For ever!

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

Glory and praise for ever! For ever!
Glory and praise for ever! For ever!

Let us pray.

Silence.

O Lord, from whom all good things come:
Grant to us your humble servants,
that, by your holy inspiration
we may think those things that be good,
and by your merciful guiding may perform the same;
through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD

A reading from the Old Testament (Isaiah 1: 1-4, 16-20)

These are the visions that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. He saw these visions during the years when Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah were kings of Judah.

Listen, O heavens! Pay attention, earth!
This is what the Lord says:
“The children I raised and cared for
have rebelled against me.
Even an ox knows its owner,
and a donkey recognizes its master’s care—
but Israel doesn’t know its master.
My people don’t recognize my care for them.”
Oh, what a sinful nation they are—
loaded down with a burden of guilt.
They are evil people,
corrupt children who have rejected the Lord.
They have despised the Holy One of Israel
and turned their backs on him.

Wash yourselves and be clean!
Get your sins out of my sight.
Give up your evil ways.
Learn to do good.
Seek justice.
Help the oppressed.
Defend the cause of orphans.
Fight for the rights of widows.

“Come now, let’s settle this,”
says the Lord.
“Though your sins are like scarlet,
I will make them as white as snow.
Though they are red like crimson,
I will make them as white as wool.
If you will only obey me,
you will have plenty to eat.
But if you turn away and refuse to listen,
you will be devoured by the sword of your enemies.
I, the Lord, have spoken!”

Silence.

A reading from the New Testament (Romans 8: 1-8)

So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.

Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.

Silence.

In many and various ways God has spoken to us in the past through the prophets.
But in these last days, God has spoken to us in Jesus, the Son.

Open this link in a new tab to hear Timothy Dudley Smith’s “Heavenly Hosts in Ceaseless Worship.”

Heavenly hosts in ceaseless worship
`Holy, holy, holy' cry;
`he who is, who was and will be,
God Almighty, Lord most high.'
Praise and honour, power and glory,
be to him who reigns alone!
We, with all his hands have fashioned,
fall before the Father's throne.

All creation, all redemption,
join to sing the Saviour's worth;
Lamb of God, whose blood has bought us,
kings and priests, to reign on earth.
Wealth and wisdom, power and glory,
honour, might, dominion, praise,
now be his from all his creatures
and to everlasting days!

How Is Your Walk with God?

The thrust of this evening’s readings is that they challenge those to whom they were addressed and us to examine our present way of living. Are we living in a way that is pleasing to God? Do we need to make changes in how we live? What changes do we need to make?

Do we need to treat others as we would wish to be treated? Do we need to let go of the anger and resentment that we harbor toward others? Do we need to forgive them?

Take some time in the next few days to reflect on what you need to change in your life. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you where you need to change and to help you make the needed changes. Ask God to enable you to walk more closely with him. 

Silence.

Open this link in a new tab to hear Claude Frayssé’s “Praise, I Will Praise You, Lord (Je louerai l'Eterne).”

Praise, I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart
O God, I will tell the wonders of your ways
and glorify your name
Praise, I will praise you Lord, with all my heart
In you I will find the source of all my joy
Alleluia

Love, I will love you, Lord, with all my heart
O God, I will tell the wonders of your ways
and glorify your name
Love, I will love you Lord, with all my heart
In you I will find the source of all my joy
Alleluia

Serve, I will serve you, Lord, with all my heart
O God, I will tell the wonders of your ways
and glorify your name
Serve, I will serve you Lord, with all my heart
In you I will find the source of all my joy
Alleluia

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

As God’s people called to love one another,
let us pray us pray for the whole people of God in Christ Jesus,
and for all people according to their needs.

Gracious and loving God,
we thank you for giving us power, through your Spirit, to reveal your life to the world: strengthen, bless and guide us to make you known by word and example ....

We are your Church, O God:
Guide us in your grace.

We thank you for your creation, and pray for the earth which you have given us to cherish and protect: nourish us in your love for all that you have made........

We are your stewards, O God:
Guide us in your grace.

Guide and bless us in our work and in our play, and shape the patterns of our country's political and economic life, that all may share in the fulfilment of your creative work...........

We are your servants, O God:
Guide us in your grace.

Awaken our hearts to your presence in all people: in those we love; in those whom we find it difficult to love, in those who differ from us and in those who are familiar to us........

We are all made in your image, O God:
Guide us in your grace.

We thank you for the gift of life with its blessings and its sorrows. Shield the joyous, comfort and strengthen those in any need or trouble, especially ....... Bless those who will be born today and those who will die, joining in the company of all your saints, that we may rejoice in one unending song of praise......

In you alone we have eternal life, O God:
Guide us in your grace.

Through Jesus Christ our Lord we offer these our prayers and thanksgivings to you, O God, source of all that is true and holy, now and for ever. Amen.

Heavenly Father,
in darkness and in light,
in trouble or in joy,
help us to trust your love,
to serve your purpose,
and to praise your name,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Let us sum up our prayers and praises in the words our Saviour Christ has taught us and say:

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.

Open this link in a new tab to hear Les Petites Soers de Jésus and L'Arche Community’s “Lord Jesus, You Shall Be My Song as I Journey.”

Lord Jesus, you shall be my song as I journey;
I'll tell everybody about you wherever I go:
you alone are our life and our peace and our love.
Lord Jesus, you shall be my song as I journey.

Lord Jesus, I'll praise you as long as I journey;
May all of my joy be a faithful reflection of you.
May the earth and the sea and the sky join my song.
Lord Jesus, I'll praise you as long as I journey.

As long as I live, Jesus, make me your servant,
to carry your cross and to share all your burdens and tears.
For you saved me by giving your body and blood.
As long as I live, Jesus, make me your servant.

I fear in the dark and the doubt of my journey;
but courage will come with the sound of your steps by my side.
And will all of the family you saved by your love,
we'll sing to your dawn at the end of our journey.

THE SENDING FORTH OF GOD”S PEOPLE

Grant, O Lord,
that wherever we are
we may always be in your presence:
Be ever near us and keep us close to you
now and for ever. Amen.

Open this link to hear Jay Walker’s arrangement of “The Lord, Bless You and Keep You.”

Verse 1
The Lord bless you and keep you
The Lord make His face to shine upon you
Shine upon you and be gracious unto you

Verse 2
The Lord bless you and keep you
The Lord make His face to shine upon you
Shine upon you and be gracious unto you

Bridge
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you
And give you peace, and give you peace
And give you peace, and give you peace
And give you peace, and give you peace
And give you peace, and give you peace

Outro
The Lord bless you and keep you
The Lord make His face to shine upon you
Shine upon you and be gracious unto you

Those present may exchange a gesture of peace, using these or similar words:
The peace of the Lord be with you always.
And also with you.