Sundays at All Hallows (Sunday, June 2, 2024)
We are glad that you are able to join us. All Hallows is a digital church and online worship ministry that provides two services each week, one on Thursday evenings and the other on Sundays, for those who for a variety of reasons are not able to attend a church in their locality, for those who are traveling, and for those who wish to learn more about the Christian faith and way of life.
In this Sunday’s message we unpack the three readings appointed for this particular Sunday, the First Sunday after Trinity, what they mean, and how they affect the followers of Jesus Christ.
GATHERING IN GOD’S NAME
The Lord is here.
His Spirit is with us.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Jim and Jean Strathdee’s “God, We Praise You for the Morning.”
1 God, we praise you for the morning;
hope springs forth with each new day,
new beginning, prayer and promise,
joy in work and in play.
2 God, we praise you for creation,
mountains, seas and prairie land.
Waking souls find joy and healing
in your bountiful hand.
3 God, we praise you for compassion,
all the loving that you show;
human touching, tears and laughter,
help your children to grow.
4 God, we praise you for your Spirit,
Comforter and daily friend;
restless searcher, gentle teacher,
strength and courage you send.
5 God, we praise you for the Saviour,
come that we may know your ways.
In his loving, dying, rising,
Christ is Lord of our days.
6 Hallelujah, hallelujah,
Hallelujah, hallelujah!
Hallelujah, hallelujah!
Christ is Lord of our days!
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 Songs for the Masses Songs from the Scriptures’ “Who Will Not Fear You – Revelation 15.”
Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty.
Just and true are your ways, King of the ages.
Who will not fear you?
Who will not fear you,
O Lord?
And bring glory to your name
You alone are holy.
All nations will come
and worship before you
your judgments made known.
Who will not fear you?
Who will not fear you,
O Lord?
Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty.
Just and true are your ways, King of the ages.
Who will not fear you?
Who will not fear you,
O Lord?
Who will not fear you?
Who will not fear you,
O Lord?
Let us pray.
Silence
God,
the strength of all those who put their trust in you:
Mercifully accept our prayers
and, because through the weakness of our mortal nature
we can do no good thing without you, grant us the help of your grace,
that in the keeping of your commandments
we may please you, both in will and deed;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD
A reading from the First Book of Samuel, Chapter 3, Verses 1through 20.
Meanwhile, the boy Samuel served the Lord by assisting Eli. Now in those days messages from the Lord were very rare, and visions were quite uncommon.
One night Eli, who was almost blind by now, had gone to bed. The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was sleeping in the Tabernacle near the Ark of God. Suddenly the Lord called out, “Samuel!”
“Yes?” Samuel replied. “What is it?” 5He got up and ran to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?”
“I didn’t call you,” Eli replied. “Go back to bed.” So he did.
Then the Lord called out again, “Samuel!”
Again Samuel got up and went to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?”
“I didn’t call you, my son,” Eli said. “Go back to bed.”
Samuel did not yet know the Lord because he had never had a message from the Lord before. So the Lord called a third time, and once more Samuel got up and went to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?”
Then Eli realised it was the Lord who was calling the boy. So he said to Samuel, “Go and lie down again, and if someone calls again, say, ‘Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went back to bed.
And the Lord came and called as before, “Samuel! Samuel!”
And Samuel replied, “Speak, your servant is listening.”
Then the Lord said to Samuel, “I am about to do a shocking thing in Israel. I am going to carry out all my threats against Eli and his family, from beginning to end. I have warned him that judgement is coming upon his family for ever, because his sons are blaspheming God and he hasn’t disciplined them. So I have vowed that the sins of Eli and his sons will never be forgiven by sacrifices or offerings.”
Samuel stayed in bed until morning, then got up and opened the doors of the Tabernacle as usual. He was afraid to tell Eli what the Lord had said to him. But Eli called out to him, “Samuel, my son.”
“Here I am,” Samuel replied.
“What did the Lord say to you? Tell me everything. And may God strike you and even kill you if you hide anything from me!” So Samuel told Eli everything; he didn’t hold anything back. “It is the Lord’s will,” Eli replied. “Let him do what he thinks best.”
As Samuel grew up, the Lord was with him, and everything Samuel said proved to be reliable. And all Israel, from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south, knew that Samuel was confirmed as a prophet of the Lord.
Silence
Open this link in a new tab to hear Bernadette Farrell’s paraphrase of Psalm 139, “O God, You Search Me, and You Know Me.”
1 O God, you search me, and you know me
All my thoughts lie open to your gaze
When I walk or lie down, you are before me
Ever the maker and keeper of my days.
2 You know my resting and my rising
You discern my purpose from afar
And with love everlasting, you besiege me
In ev'ry moment of life or death, you are.
3 Before a word is on my tongue, Lord
You have known its meaning through and through
You are with me beyond my understanding
God of my present, my past and future, too.
4 Although your Spirit is upon me
Still I search for shelter from your light
There is nowhere on Earth I can escape you
Even the darkness is radiant in your sight.
5 For you created me and shaped me
Gave me life within my mother’s womb
For the wonder of who I am, I praise you.
Safe in your hands, all creation is made new.
A reading from Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians, Chapter 4, Verses 5 through 12.
You see, we don’t go around preaching about ourselves. We preach that Jesus Christ is Lord, and we ourselves are your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.
We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.
We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.
Yes, we live under constant danger of death because we serve Jesus, so that the life of Jesus will be evident in our dying bodies. So we live in the face of death, but this has resulted in eternal life for you.
Silence
Open this link in a new tab to hear Joesph Condor and Charles Price’s “In Your Mercy, Lord, You Called Me.”
1 In your mercy, Lord, you called me,
taught my sin-filled heart and mind,
else this world had still enthralled me,
and to glory kept me blind.
2 Lord, I did not freely choose you
till by grace you set me free;
for my heart would still refuse you
had your love not chosen me.
3 Now my heart sets none above you,
for your grace alone I thirst,
knowing well, that if I love you,
you, O Lord, have loved me first.
A reading from the Gospel according to Mark, Chapter 2, Verse 23 through Chapter 3, Verse 6.
One Sabbath day as Jesus was walking through some grainfields, his disciples began breaking off heads of grain to eat. But the Pharisees said to Jesus, “Look, why are they breaking the law by harvesting grain on the Sabbath?”
Jesus said to them, “Haven’t you ever read in the Scriptures what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He went into the house of God (during the days when Abiathar was high priest) and broke the law by eating the sacred loaves of bread that only the priests are allowed to eat. He also gave some to his companions.”
Then Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord, even over the Sabbath!”
Jesus went into the synagogue again and noticed a man with a deformed hand. Since it was the Sabbath, Jesus’ enemies watched him closely. If he healed the man’s hand, they planned to accuse him of working on the Sabbath.
Jesus said to the man with the deformed hand, “Come and stand in front of everyone.” Then he turned to his critics and asked, “Does the law permit good deeds on the Sabbath, or is it a day for doing evil? Is this a day to save life or to destroy it?” But they wouldn’t answer him.
He looked around at them angrily and was deeply saddened by their hard hearts. Then he said to the man, “Hold out your hand.” So the man held out his hand, and it was restored! At once the Pharisees went away and met with the supporters of Herod to plot how to kill Jesus.
Silence
Called to Serve God
The Old Testament reading for the First Sunday after Trinity is the account of the calling of the prophet Samuel. It is one of several accounts of the calling of the prophets through whom God spoke to the people of Israel and through the books of the prophets like the two Books of Samuel God speaks to us.
Note the young age at which God calls Samuel and how he did not recognize that it was God who was calling him. He needed the help of someone else to recognize whose voice he was hearing. It was not a saintly person who helped him but the very sinner for whom God gave Samuel a message.
What we learn from this account is that someone does not have to reach certain age or degree of maturity for God to call them to serve him nor do those who help them to recognize God’s call have to be perfect. We also learn that God will persist in calling a person until that person responds.
From this Sunday’s reading from the New Testament, from Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians that what those whom God calls to his service accomplish is not their own doing but God’s. It is the power of God working through them. They are not only God’s servants but servants to those to whom they minister. They can expect to experience suffering since they serve Jesus, and the threat of an untimely death may hang over them. They face this threat of a premature and even unpleasant death so that others may have eternal life.
We learn from this Sunday’s Gospel reading from the Gospel of Mark that the Pharisees’ opposition to Jesus and their hatred of him stemmed from his rejection of their interpretation of the Law which God had give to Moses. They were very rigid in their interpretation of its demands. They were incensed when Jesus questioned their interpretation of the Law’s requirements and drew to their attention the mistakes in their thinking. They thought of themselves as pious and righteous and were invested in their co-religionists seeing them that way. Jesus’s words and actions, however, exposed their failings. Rather than recognize and admit that they were wrong, they plotted to get rid of him.
From these readings we can gather, that God call us to serve him at any time in our life. Whatever we accomplish in God’s service will be God’s doing. In serving God we may not only experience suffering but also risk death. Like Jesus, we may face opposition, opposition which may come from those who purport to be Christians like us. This may come about because we are faithful to Jesus’ teaching and example. We choose to follow Jesus and love others while they choose to ignore him and hate those to whom Jesus would have us show compassion, kindness, forgiveness, generosity, and patience. In other words, we choose to be merciful just as God is merciful (Luke 6:36).
Yes, we can learn a lot from the readings appointed for a particular Sunday and in the process see the connection between them. What is more is that God will use these readings as a means of grace to us to give new energy and strength to our faith and to enable us to walk more closely with him.
Silence
Open this link in a new tab to hear Daniel L. Schute’s “I, the Lord of Sea and Sky” (Here I Am, Lord).
1 I, the Lord of sea and sky,
I have heard my people cry.
All who dwell in dark and sin
my hand will save.
I, who made the stars of night,
I will make their darkness bright.
Who will bear my light to them?
Whom shall I send?
Here I am, Lord. Is it I, Lord?
I have heard you calling in the night.
I will go, Lord, if you lead me.
I will hold your people in my heart.
2 I, the Lord of snow and rain.
I have borne my people’s pain.
I have wept for love of them.
They turn away.
I will break their hearts of stone,
give them hearts for love alone
I will speak my words to them.
Whom shall I send?
Here I am, Lord. Is it I, Lord?
I have heard you calling in the night.
I will go, Lord, if you lead me.
I will hold your people in my heart.
Let us confess the faith of the Church.
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,
born of the virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again from the dead;
he ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of the Father;
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
Let us pray for all people everywhere
according to their need.
Let us pray
for the Church of Christ throughout the world
for its unity in Christ
for the fulfilment of its mission
for all ministers of the gospel
for all Christians here in . . .
Silence
Strengthen your Church
in the service of Christ;
that we and all who confess your name
may be united in your truth,
live together in your love,
and reveal your glory in the world.
Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
Let us pray
for all the nations and peoples of the world
for all who serve the common good
for our own country and government
for all in authority
for all those involved in . . .
Silence
Give wisdom to all in authority;
direct this and every nation
in the ways of justice and of peace;
that we may honour one another,
and seek the common good.
Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
Let us pray
for those we know and love
for the local community
for our families and friends
for. . .
Silence
Give grace to us,
to our families and friends,
and to all our neighbours,
that we may serve Christ in one another,
and love as he loves us.
Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
Let us pray
for all who suffer
for the sick
for those who mourn
for those without faith
for those who serve the needy
for . . .
Silence
Comfort and heal all those who suffer
in body, mind or spirit;
give them courage and hope in their troubles;
and bring them the joy of your salvation.
Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
Let us remember all who have died,
giving thanks especially
for those who have died in the faith of Christ.
Silence
We commend all people to your unfailing love,
that in them your will may be fulfilled;
and we rejoice at the faithful witness
of your saints in every age,
praying that we may share with them
in your eternal kingdom.
Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
Merciful Father,
accept these prayers for the sake of your Son,
our Saviour Jesus Christ. 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.
THE SENDING FORTH OF GOD’S PEOPLE
Holy and everliving God,
by your power we are created
and by your love we are redeemed;
guide and strengthen us by your Spirit,
that we may give ourselves to your service,
and live each day in love to one another and to you,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
May the Lord bless us and keep us,
May the Lord make his face to shine on us and be gracious to us,
May the Lord look on us with kindness and give us peace. Amen.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Bernadette Farrell’s “You Have Called Us by Our Name.”
You have called us by our name,
we belong to you.
You have called us by our name
and we are yours.
You have called us by our name,
we belong to you.
You have called us by our name
and we are yours.
1 You have chosen us
to be members of your family.
In your love you have created
us to live in unity.
You have called us by our name,
we belong to you.
You have called us by our name
and we are yours.
2 You will lead us to your light,
walk before us through the night.
You will guide us on our journey.
You will keep our vision bright.
You have called us by our name,
we belong to you.
You have called us by our name
and we are yours.
3 You will hold us when we fall,
give new strength to hear your call.
You will never be beyond us,
for your love is all in all.
You have called us by our name,
we belong to you.
You have called us by our name
and we are yours.
4 You will nourish, you will lead,
giving ev'ry gift we need,
for your reign will be established
from the smallest of all seeds.
You have called us by our name,
we belong to you.
You have called us by our name
and we are yours.
5 Through our sharing here today
may our faith and life convey.
Christ our light and Christ our vision,
Christ our purpose, Christ our way.
You have called us by our name,
we belong to you.
You have called us by our name
and we are yours.
The peace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you always.
And also with you.
Those present may exchange a gesture of peace with these or similar words:
Peace be with you.
From this Sunday’s reading from the New Testament, from Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians that what those whom God calls to his service accomplish is not their own doing but God’s. It is the power of God working through them. They are not only God’s servants but servants to those to whom they minister. They can expect to experience suffering since they serve Jesus, and the threat of an untimely death may hang over them. They face this threat of a premature and even unpleasant death so that others may have eternal life.
We learn from this Sunday’s Gospel reading from the Gospel of Mark that the Pharisees’ opposition to Jesus and their hatred of him stemmed from his rejection of their interpretation of the Law which God had give to Moses. They were very rigid in their interpretation of its demands. They were incensed when Jesus questioned their interpretation of the Law’s requirements and drew to their attention the mistakes in their thinking. They thought of themselves as pious and righteous and were invested in their co-religionists seeing them that way. Jesus’s words and actions, however, exposed their failings. Rather than recognize and admit that they were wrong, they plotted to get rid of him.
From these readings we can gather, that God call us to serve him at any time in our life. Whatever we accomplish in God’s service will be God’s doing. In serving God we may not only experience suffering but also risk death. Like Jesus, we may face opposition, opposition which may come from those who purport to be Christians like us. This may come about because we are faithful to Jesus’ teaching and example. We choose to follow Jesus and love others while they choose to ignore him and hate those to whom Jesus would have us show compassion, kindness, forgiveness, generosity, and patience. In other words, we choose to be merciful just as God is merciful (Luke 6:36).
Yes, we can learn a lot from the readings appointed for a particular Sunday and in the process see the connection between them. What is more is that God will use these readings as a means of grace to us to give new energy and strength to our faith and to enable us to walk more closely with him.
Silence
Open this link in a new tab to hear Daniel L. Schute’s “I, the Lord of Sea and Sky” (Here I Am, Lord).
1 I, the Lord of sea and sky,
I have heard my people cry.
All who dwell in dark and sin
my hand will save.
I, who made the stars of night,
I will make their darkness bright.
Who will bear my light to them?
Whom shall I send?
Here I am, Lord. Is it I, Lord?
I have heard you calling in the night.
I will go, Lord, if you lead me.
I will hold your people in my heart.
2 I, the Lord of snow and rain.
I have borne my people’s pain.
I have wept for love of them.
They turn away.
I will break their hearts of stone,
give them hearts for love alone
I will speak my words to them.
Whom shall I send?
Here I am, Lord. Is it I, Lord?
I have heard you calling in the night.
I will go, Lord, if you lead me.
I will hold your people in my heart.
3 I, the Lord of wind and flame,
I will tend the poor and lame.
I will set a feast for them.
My hand will save.
Finest bread I will provide
till their hearts be satisfied.
I will give my life to them.
Whom shall I send?
I have heard you calling in the night.
I will go, Lord, if you lead me.
I will hold your people in my heart.
3 I, the Lord of wind and flame,
I will tend the poor and lame.
I will set a feast for them.
My hand will save.
Finest bread I will provide
till their hearts be satisfied.
I will give my life to them.
Whom shall I send?
Here I am, Lord. Is it I, Lord?
I have heard you calling in the night.
I will go, Lord, if you lead me.
I will hold your people in my heart.
Let us confess the faith of the Church.
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,
born of the virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again from the dead;
he ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of the Father;
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
Let us pray for all people everywhere
according to their need.
Let us pray
for the Church of Christ throughout the world
for its unity in Christ
for the fulfilment of its mission
for all ministers of the gospel
for all Christians here in . . .
Silence
Strengthen your Church
in the service of Christ;
that we and all who confess your name
may be united in your truth,
live together in your love,
and reveal your glory in the world.
Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
Let us pray
for all the nations and peoples of the world
for all who serve the common good
for our own country and government
for all in authority
for all those involved in . . .
Silence
Give wisdom to all in authority;
direct this and every nation
in the ways of justice and of peace;
that we may honour one another,
and seek the common good.
Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
Let us pray
for those we know and love
for the local community
for our families and friends
for. . .
Silence
Give grace to us,
to our families and friends,
and to all our neighbours,
that we may serve Christ in one another,
and love as he loves us.
Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
Let us pray
for all who suffer
for the sick
for those who mourn
for those without faith
for those who serve the needy
for . . .
Silence
Comfort and heal all those who suffer
in body, mind or spirit;
give them courage and hope in their troubles;
and bring them the joy of your salvation.
Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
Let us remember all who have died,
giving thanks especially
for those who have died in the faith of Christ.
Silence
We commend all people to your unfailing love,
that in them your will may be fulfilled;
and we rejoice at the faithful witness
of your saints in every age,
praying that we may share with them
in your eternal kingdom.
Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
Merciful Father,
accept these prayers for the sake of your Son,
our Saviour Jesus Christ. 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.
THE SENDING FORTH OF GOD’S PEOPLE
Holy and everliving God,
by your power we are created
and by your love we are redeemed;
guide and strengthen us by your Spirit,
that we may give ourselves to your service,
and live each day in love to one another and to you,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
May the Lord bless us and keep us,
May the Lord make his face to shine on us and be gracious to us,
May the Lord look on us with kindness and give us peace. Amen.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Bernadette Farrell’s “You Have Called Us by Our Name.”
You have called us by our name,
we belong to you.
You have called us by our name
and we are yours.
You have called us by our name,
we belong to you.
You have called us by our name
and we are yours.
1 You have chosen us
to be members of your family.
In your love you have created
us to live in unity.
You have called us by our name,
we belong to you.
You have called us by our name
and we are yours.
2 You will lead us to your light,
walk before us through the night.
You will guide us on our journey.
You will keep our vision bright.
You have called us by our name,
we belong to you.
You have called us by our name
and we are yours.
3 You will hold us when we fall,
give new strength to hear your call.
You will never be beyond us,
for your love is all in all.
You have called us by our name,
we belong to you.
You have called us by our name
and we are yours.
4 You will nourish, you will lead,
giving ev'ry gift we need,
for your reign will be established
from the smallest of all seeds.
You have called us by our name,
we belong to you.
You have called us by our name
and we are yours.
5 Through our sharing here today
may our faith and life convey.
Christ our light and Christ our vision,
Christ our purpose, Christ our way.
You have called us by our name,
we belong to you.
You have called us by our name
and we are yours.
The peace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you always.
And also with you.
Those present may exchange a gesture of peace with these or similar words:
Peace be with you.
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