Sundays at All Hallows (Sunday, July 7, 2024)

Welcome to Sundays at All Hallows.

Due to an interruption in my internet service, I was unable to post Sundays at All Hallows for this past Sunday, the Sixth Sunday after Trinity, until today. I apologize for any inconvenience its delayed posting may have caused.

It is recommended that after reading or hearing each lesson to take time to reflect on what you read or heard during the period of silence which follows each lesson. It is also recommended that you do the same thing after reading or hearing the message.

GATHERING IN GOD’S NAME

The Lord be with you.
The Lord bless you.

Eternal God, source of all blessing,
help us to worship you
with all our heart and mind and strength;
for you alone are God,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
for ever and ever. Amen.

Open this link in a new tab to hear Krystin Getty’s “Come, Let Us Sing.”

1 Come, let us sing to the One
To the Father of life,
For His light fills the earth like the sun;
Come, tell of the wonders He's done.
Great is the world He has made,
Are the mysteries untold,
Is His measureless power of old;
Come, come let us sing to our God.

To our God, who is able
To strengthen us in His grace,
Beyond all we imagine,
Be all glory and praise,
Be all praise.

2 Come, let us sing to the One,
To the Saviour of life,
Find the fullness of God in the Son;
Come, tell of the wonders He's done.
Wild is the mercy of Christ,
Is the richness of grace,
Is the unending life we embrace;
Come, come let us sing to our God.

To our God, who is able
To strengthen us in His grace,
Beyond all we imagine,
Be all glory and praise,
Be all praise.

Come, let us sing to the One,
To the Spirit of life,
Leading us in the way of the Son;
Come, tell of the wonders He's done.
Strong is the Spirit within,
Is the boldness to speak,
Is the power to run when we're weak;
Come, come let us sing to our God.

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 “Lord, Have Mercy” (Kyrie) from Marty Haugen’s Mass of Creation.

Lord, have mercy, Christ have mercy,
Lord, have mercy.

God of all creation, earth and sea and sky,
God of all eternity: hear us, hear us.

Lord, have mercy, Christ have mercy,
(Kyrie, eleison, Christe, eleison,
Lord, have mercy.
Kyrie, eleison, Kyrie, Christe.)

[Instrumental interlude]

Lord, have mercy, Christ have mercy,
(Kyrie, eleison, Christe, eleison,
Lord, have mercy.
Kyrie, eleison, Kyrie, Christe.)

God of our salvation, God of grace and peace,
God of wisdom and of love: hear us, hear us.

Lord, have mercy, Christ have mercy,
(Kyrie, eleison, Christe, eleison,
Lord, have mercy.
Kyrie, eleison, Kyrie, Christe.)

Open this link in a new tab to hear “Glory to God” from Marty Haugen’s Mass of Creation.

Glory to God in the highest,
and peace to his people on earth.

Lord God, heavenly King,
almighty God and Father,
we worship you, we give you thanks,
we praise you for your glory.

Glory to God in the highest,
and peace to his people on earth.

Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father,
Lord God, Lamb of God,
you take away the sin of the world:
have mercy on us;
you are seated at the right hand of the Father:
receive our prayer.

Glory to God in the highest,
and peace to his people on earth.

For you alone are the Holy One,
you alone are the Lord,
you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ,
with the Holy Spirit,
in the glory of God the Father,
Amen. Amen.

Glory to God in the highest,
and peace to his people on earth.

Let us pray

Silence

Merciful God,
you have prepared for those who love you
such good things as pass our understanding:
Pour into our hearts such love toward you
that we, loving you above all things,
may obtain your promises,
which exceed all that we can desire;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD

A reading from the Book of Ezekiel, Chapter 2, Verses 1-5.

He said to me: O mortal,* stand up on your feet, and I will speak with you. And when he spoke to me, a spirit entered into me and set me on my feet; and I heard him speaking to me. He said to me, Mortal, I am sending you to the people of Israel, to a nation of rebels who have rebelled against me; they and their ancestors have transgressed against me to this very day. The descendants are impudent and stubborn. I am sending you to them, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God.’ Whether they hear or refuse to hear (for they are a rebellious house), they shall know that there has been a prophet among them.

Silence

Open this link in a new tab to hear Songs in His Presence responsorial setting of Psalm 123, “Our Eyes Are Fixed on the Lord.”

Our eyes are fixed on the Lord,
pleading for his mercy,
pleading for his mercy.

Our eyes are fixed on the Lord,
pleading for his mercy,
pleading for his mercy.

1 To you I lift up my eyes
who are enthroned in heaven —
As the eyes of servants
are on the hands of their masters.

Our eyes are fixed on the Lord,
pleading for his mercy,
pleading for his mercy.

2 As the eyes of a maid
are on the hands of her mistress,
So are our eyes on the LORD, our God,
till he have pity on us.

Our eyes are fixed on the Lord,
pleading for his mercy,
pleading for his mercy.

3 Have pity on us, O LORD, have pity on us,
for we are more than sated with contempt;
our souls are more than sated
with the mockery of the arrogant,
with the contempt of the proud.

Our eyes are fixed on the Lord,
pleading for his mercy,
pleading for his mercy.

A reading from Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians, Chapter 12, Verses 2-10.

I know a person in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know; God knows. And I know that such a person—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know; God knows— was caught up into Paradise and heard things that are not to be told, that no mortal is permitted to repeat. On behalf of such a one I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses. But if I wish to boast, I will not be a fool, for I will be speaking the truth. But I refrain from it, so that no one may think better of me than what is seen in me or heard from me, even considering the exceptional character of the revelations. Therefore, to keep* me from being too elated, a thorn was given to me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me, to keep me from being too elated. Three times I appealed to the Lord about this, that it would leave me, but he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power* is made perfect in weakness.’ So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong.

Open this link in a new tab to hear Josh Blakesly’s “Cry Out with Joy (Isaiah 12).”


Cry out with joy
for the Holy One is among you.
Cry out with joy
for the Holy One is among you

1 Indeed God is my savior.
I am confident and sure.
He is my courage. I am not afraid.
My strength comes from the Lord.

Cry out with joy
for the Holy One is among you.
Cry out with joy
for the Holy One is among you

2 Give thanks and praise to the Lord.
Cry out among the nations.
With joy you will draw living water
from the fountain of salvation.

Cry out with joy
for the Holy One is among you.
Cry out with joy
for the Holy One is among you

3 Sing praise to God.
Proclaim his glorious deeds.
Zion, shout for joy and fall on your knees.
Fall on your knees.

Cry out with joy
for the Holy One is among you.
Cry out with joy
for the Holy One is among you

Cry out with joy
for the Holy One is among you.
Cry out with joy
for the Holy One is among you

A reading from the Gospel according to Mark, Chapter 6, Verses 1-13.

He left that place and came to his home town, and his disciples followed him. On the sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astounded. They said, ‘Where did this man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been given to him? What deeds of power are being done by his hands! Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?’ And they took offence at him. Then Jesus said to them, ‘Prophets are not without honour, except in their home town, and among their own kin, and in their own house.’ And he could do no deed of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them. And he was amazed at their unbelief.

Then he went about among the villages teaching. He called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. He ordered them to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts; but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics. 1He said to them, ‘Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave the place. If any place will not welcome you and they refuse to hear you, as you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.’ So they went out and proclaimed that all should repent. They cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.

Servants of God’s Grace

The twelve disciples Jesus sent out two by two were far from perfect. Judas would betray Jesus and Peter would deny him three times after he was arrested. Judas would hang himself and the remaining disciples would go into hiding. They were not exceptional people whom Jesus chose to be his inner circle of followers—fishermen, a tax collector, a Zealot, and a thief. They were not extraordinary in any way. They were people like us.

Jesus told them to take nothing with them. They were to rely on the generosity and hospitality of the people to whom they were sent and ultimately to depend upon God.

They preached repentance as well as delivered people from evil spirits and healed them from disease.

What does this mean for twenty-first century Christians in North America and other parts of the world? We can draw three conclusions from Jesus’ sending out of the twelve.

One conclusion is that to continue his mission, Jesus calls ordinary people, people of all kinds from all walks of life, imperfect people like the first disciples. As the apostle Paul wrote the church at Corinth God uses those who by the standards of the world are unimportant and insignificant to accomplish his will (1 Corinthians 1: 26-31).

A second conclusion that, like Paul, those whom Jesus calls to continue his mission, must rely on God’s grace, not their own resources. This is why Jesus instructed the first disciples to take no bread, no bag, no money, no change of clothing with them.

What we accomplish is God’s doing. God’s power is manifest in our weakness. We cannot boast except God’s strength which enables us to face the challenges that lie before us.

A third conclusion is the tasks of proclaiming repentance and alleviating suffering Jesus gives the twelve disciples are tasks Jesus entrusts to all his disciples and not just the twelve.

Although we are apt to separate the tasks and neglect the proclamation of repentance, the two tasks are connected to each other like the two Great Commandments of our Lord’s Summary of the Law. Like the first Great Commandment the first task concerns our relationship with God and like the second Great Commandment the second task concerns our relationship to our fellow human beings.

In the first century the Jewish population of what became Roman Palestine, Galilee and Judah, would have understood what the disciples were saying when they called upon them to repent. If they attended a synagogue on the Sabbath and heard the Old Testament read and explained, they would have learned that God had sent a number of prophets to the people of Israel who called upon them to turn from their evil ways and to turn to God and who warned them of the consequences of their failure to change their ways and to live lives that were pleasing to God.

In the twenty-first century, in North America, however, we would most likely get a blank look if you called upon someone to repent, even if that person had at one time or another attended a church. If we look up the word “repent” in a dictionary, we will not get much help there. We might read something like “wish you had not done something.” To repent, however, is more than to feel regret or remorse for something that we have done. It is to change our mind about something and/or somebody and consequently to change our actions too.

For example, we may recognize something about the way we live as interfering with our relationship with God and stop living that way. We may be indifferent to the suffering of others and do nothing to help them. After reading what Jesus teaches about being merciful as God is merciful, we decide to take a greater interest in other people’s suffering and do something about it. We begin to advocate for the homeless and become involved in ministry to them. The change in our attitude and the way we think leads to a change in how we behave.

Repentance and faith are like the two sides of a coin. One is the flipside of the other. We are not going to recognize our lack of compassion toward others and how it negatively impacts our relationship with God, much less do something about it, if we do not believe Jesus or what he said or care about our relationship with God. Here is where faith comes in. Faith recognizes Jesus for who he is. Faith is convinced that not only Jesus and what he said are both “trustworthy and true,” but also that believing in him and acting on what he said is the right thing to do. Faith believes that God exists and our relationship with God matters. It is not a small or inconsequential thing. Indeed, nothing is of greater consequence to us.

Jesus was amazed at the disbelief that he encountered in the people of his hometown of Nazareth. Word of the miracles that Jesus had performed and the huge crowds that had flocked to him must have reached the people of Nazareth. However, they refused to believe that he was anyone other than the person whom they had known when he lived in Nazareth and took offense at him. Consequently, only a few came to him seeking healing.

This was not the first time that Jesus encountered disbelief, nor would it be the last time. Disbelief lay behind the criticisms that the Pharisees and the teachers of the religious law leveled at him.

When the apostle Peter preached repentance to the crowd that gathered when the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus’ followers in the upper room and caused them to speak in other languages about the wonderful things God has done (Acts 2: 14-41), he was calling them to repent of their disbelief in Jesus, their failure to recognize him for whom he is.

We find disbelief in Jesus in our own time, not only among those who are not Christians but also among those who identify themselves as Christians.
This disbelief takes a variety of forms. Articles and books have been published and podcasts and videos made, denying the existence of Jesus. Skepticism has been expressed regarding his virgin birth, his miracles, and his resurrection because they do not fit with how we believe that things work, based upon our own limited knowledge and experience. More recently, we hear reports of churchgoers dismissing Jesus’ teaching as wrongheaded and valueless in today’s world because his teaching does not agree with their political views.

Like the twelve disciples Jesus sent out two by two and like the apostle Peter on the Feast of Pentecost Christians have been given the task of calling upon those in their lives, including their fellow Christians, to repent. Since our world and our culture is different from theirs, the way we go about it will differ from how they went about it.

The first step is to ask God to show us who in our lives he wants us to share our faith, praying that he will enable us to be responsive to the nudging of the Holy Spirit.

The next step is to form friendships with those whom the Holy Spirit has brought to our attention and to invest in these friendships. It is important to treat every friendship we form as a genuine friendship, treating the other person as a human being and a friend and not as a project.

We do not abandon them if we do not see the results that we are hoping for. We are guided by the truth that we may be preparing the ground for someone else to plant the seed or watering the ground where someone else has planted the seed. We may not be the one who plants the seed or harvests the grain when the seed sprouts, grows to maturity, and bears fruit. All these things are in God’s hands.

The third step is to practice active listening. We are attentive to what the other person says and reflect back to them what they said to ensure that we understand what they said and know that we are listening. We do not give into the impulse to jump in and say something.

The fourth step is to engage them in spiritual conversations when the opportunity arises, and the prompting of the Holy Spirit tells us that the time is right. Our task is to introduce them to Jesus, who Jesus is, and what Jesus taught and did. It is also to listen to any doubts that they express and to honestly answer their questions to the best of our ability and to admit that we do not have an answer to a question when we cannot answer it. It is not to judge any views that they express even though we may not agree with these views or approve of them. Our goal is to keep the conversation going and not shut it down.

The fifth step is to invite them to participate In a faith community that genuinely embraces Jesus as their Savior and Lord, and which genuinely embodies his teaching and follows his example. While this invitation may be extended in the form of an invitation to visit a Sunday gathering, some individuals may be more comfortable in visiting and subsequently joining a small group or taking part in a community project in which members of this faith community are involved.

The sixth step is help those who accept this invitation to become assimilated into the life, worship, and ministry of this faith community, introducing them to other members of the faith community, helping them to form friendships with other members of the faith community, and enabling them to find a meaningful role in the faith community.

The seventh step is to encourage them to reflect upon their own lives and how their way of life may be negatively impacting their relationship with God and to give thought to what they might do about it. It is to challenge them to make a deeper commitment to Jesus. It is also to support them when they do make changes in their life which will have a positive effect upon their relationship with God and to celebrate with them when they deepen their commitment to his Son.

All these steps should be bathed with prayer.

It is important to remember that it is God’s grace, the power of the Holy Spirit, working in the life of an individual that arouses and awakens faith and enables that person to recognize where they have gone wrong in life, to change their mind about the way that they are living, and to make the necessary changes in their life. Faithful Christians have a part to play as servants of God’s grace, instruments through which God draws people to himself, works the miracle of salvation in their lives, and transforms them into the image of his Son.

Silence

Open this link in a new tab to hear Ephrem Feeley’s arrangement of James Quinn’s “Servants of Peace.”

1 Lord, make us servants of your peace:
Where there is hate, may we sow love;
Where there is hurt, may we forgive;
Where there is strife, may we make one.

2 Where all is doubt, may we sow faith;
Where all is gloom, may we sow hope;
Where all is night, may we sow light;
Where all is tears, may we sow joy.

3 Jesus, our Lord, may we not seek
To be consoled, but to console,
Nor look to understanding hearts,
But look for hearts to understand.

4 May we not look for love's return,
But seek to love unselfishly,
For in our giving we receive,
And in forgiving are forgiven.

5 Dying, we live, and are reborn
Through death's dark night to endless day;
Lord, make us servants of your peace,
To wake at last in heaven's light.

Let us confess our faith as we say

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

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 …
bless .... our bishop, and build us up in faith and love.

Lord, hear us:
Lord, graciously hear us.

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 and all in authority]
[United States: our President, .... .... and all in authority].

Lord, hear us:
Lord, graciously hear us.

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, hear us:
Lord, graciously hear 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, hear us:
Lord, graciously hear us.

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.

Accept our prayers through Jesus Christ our Lord, who taught us to 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, and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.

Open this link in a new tab to hear Shirley Erena Murray’s “Go Gently, Go Lightly.”

1 Go gently, go lightly,
go safe in the Spirit,
live simply, don't carry
much more than you need:
go trusting God's goodness,
go spreading God's kindness,
stay centered on Jesus
and where he will lead.

2 Go singing, go bringing
the gifts of the Spirit,
go hopefully searching
for things that are true:
in living, in loving,
whatever befalls you,
God keep you, God bless you
in all that you do.

[Instrumental interlude]

3 Go gently, go lightly,
go safe in the Spirit,
live simply, don't carry
much more than you need:
go trusting God's goodness,
go spreading God's kindness,
stay centered on Jesus
and where he will lead.

THE SENDING OUT 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.

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.