Sundays at All Hallows (Sunday, October 13, 2024)

Welcome to Sundays at All Hallows

We can come to know Jesus, his message, and his teaching better through reading and studying the four Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Jesus not only suffered and died on the cross for our sins and opened to us the way of salvation, he also taught his disciples and the multitudes how to live in a manner that was pleasing to God.

In this Sunday’s message we take a look at what we can learn from Mark’s account of Jesus and the rich young man.

GATHERING IN GOD’S NAME

Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts,
Who was, and is, and is to come!
Revelation 4:8

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves,
and the truth is not in us.
But if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just,
and will forgive our sins
and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:8-9

Let us now confess our sins to almighty God.

Silence

God of all mercy,
we humbly admit that we need your help.
We have wandered from your ways.
We have sinned in thought, word, and deed,
and have failed to do what is right.
You alone can save us.
Have mercy on us,
wipe out our sins and teach us to forgive others.
Bring forth in us the fruit of your Spirit that
we may live the new life to your glory.
This we ask in the name of 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 our lips, O Lord,
and we shall declare your praise.

Glory to God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit:
as in the beginning, so now, and forever. Amen.

Let us praise the Lord.
The Lord’s name be praised.

Open this link in a new tab to hear Michael Joncas’ setting of the Invitatory Psalm: Psalm 95.

1 O come and sing to God, the Lord,
To him our voices raise;
Let us in our most joyful songs,
The Lord, our Savior praise.

2 Before his presence let us come
With praise and thankful voice;
Let us sing psalms to him with joy,
With grateful hearts rejoice.

3 He is a great and mighty king,
Above all gods his throne;
The depths of earth are in his hand,
The mountains are his own.

4 To him the spacious sea belongs,
He made its waves and tides;
And by his hand the rising land
Was formed and still abides.

5 O come, and bowing down to him
Our worship let us bring;
Yes, let us kneel before the Lord,
Our Maker and our King.

Open this link in a new tab to hear Andrea Sandefur’s arrangement of “O God, You Are My God Alone (Psalm 63).”

Verse 1
O God, you are my God alone,
whom eagerly I seek,
though longing fills my soul with thirst
and leaves my body weak.
Just like a dry and barren land
awaits a freshening shower,
I long within your house to see
your glory and your power.

Verse 2
Your faithful love surpasses life,
evoking all my praise.
Through every day, to bless your name,
my hands in joy I'll raise.
My deepest needs you satisfy
as with a sumptuous feast.
So, on my lips and in my heart,
your praise will never ceased.

Chorus
Rejoice my soul, praise him,
and again I say, “Rejoice!”
Rejoice my soul, praise him,
and again I say, “Rejoice!”

Verse 3
Throughout the night I lie in bed
and call you, Lord, to mind;
in darkest hours I meditate
how God, my strength, is kind.
Beneath the shadow of your wing,
I live and feel secure;
and daily, as I follow close,
your right hand keeps me sure.

Final Chorus
Rejoice my soul, praise him,
and again I say, “Rejoice!”
Rejoice my soul, praise him,
and again I say, “Rejoice!”
Rejoice my soul, praise him,
and again I say, “Rejoice!”
Rejoice my soul, praise him,
and again I say, “Rejoice!”

Outro
Beneath the shadow of your wing,
I live and feel secure;
and daily, as I follow close,
your right hand keeps me sure.

Open this link in a new tab to ear Matt Papa and Matt Bothwell’s “Psalm 150 (Praise the Lord).”

Verse 1
You made the starry hosts
You traced the mountain peaks
You paint the evening sky with wonders
The earth, it is Your throne
From desert to the sea
All nature testifies Your splendor

Chorus
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord
Sing His greatness all creation
Praise the Lord, raise your voice
You heights and all you depths
From furthest east to west
Let everything that has breath
Praise the Lord

Verse 2
You reached into the dust
In love, Your Spirit breathed
You formed us in Your very likeness
To know Your wondrous works
To tell Your mighty deeds
To join the everlasting chorus

Chorus
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord
Sing His greatness all creation
Praise the Lord, raise your voice
You heights and all you depths
From furthest east to west
Let everything that has breath
Praise the Lord

Verse 3
Let symphonies resound
Let drums and choirs ring out
All heaven hear the sound of worship
Let every nation bring
Its honors to the King
A roar of harmonies eternal

Final Chorus
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord
Sing His greatness all creation
Praise the Lord, raise your voice
You heights and all you depths
From furthest east to west
You distant burning stars
All creatures near and far
From sky to sea to shore
Sing out forevermore
Let everything that has breath
Praise the Lord

Open this link in a new tab to hear Jaroslav J. Vajda’s “God of the Sparrow.”

1 God of the sparrow, God of the whale,
God of the swirling stars
How does the creature say Awe
How does the creature say Praise

2 God of the earthquake, God of the storm,
God of the trumpet blast
How does the creature cry Woe
How does the creature cry Save

3 God of the rainbow, God of the cross,
God of the empty grave
How does the creature say Grace
How does the creature say Thanks

[Instrumental interlude]

4 God of the hungry, God of the sick,
God of the prodigal
How does the creature say Care
How does the creature say Life

5 God of the neighbor, God of the foe
God of the pruning hook
How does the creature say Love
How does the creature say Peace

6 God of the ages, God near at hand
God of the loving heart
How do your children say Joy
How do your children say Home

THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD

A reading from the Old Testament: Amos 5:6-7, 10-15

Come back to the Lord and live!
Otherwise, he will roar through Israel like a fire,
devouring you completely.
Your gods in Bethel
won’t be able to quench the flames.
You twist justice, making it a bitter pill for the oppressed.
You treat the righteous like dirt.

How you hate honest judges!
How you despise people who tell the truth!
You trample the poor,
stealing their grain through taxes and unfair rent.
Therefore, though you build beautiful stone houses,
you will never live in them.
Though you plant lush vineyards,
you will never drink wine from them.
For I know the vast number of your sins
and the depth of your rebellions.
You oppress good people by taking bribes
and deprive the poor of justice in the courts.
So those who are smart keep their mouths shut,
for it is an evil time.

Do what is good and run from evil
so that you may live!
Then the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies will be your helper,
just as you have claimed.
Hate evil and love what is good;
turn your courts into true halls of justice.
Perhaps even yet the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies
will have mercy on the remnant of his people.

Silence

This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

A reading from the New Testament: Mark 10:17-31

As Jesus was starting out on his way to Jerusalem, a man came running up to him, knelt down, and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

“Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked. “Only God is truly good. But to answer your question, you know the commandments: ‘You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. You must not cheat anyone. Honor your father and mother.’[”

“Teacher,” the man replied, “I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was young.”

Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him. “There is still one thing you haven’t done,” he told him. “Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

At this the man’s face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.

Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God!” This amazed them. But Jesus said again, “Dear children, it is very hard to enter the Kingdom of God. In fact, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!”

The disciples were astounded. “Then who in the world can be saved?” they asked.

Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God.”

Then Peter began to speak up. “We’ve given up everything to follow you,” he said.

“Yes,” Jesus replied, “and I assure you that everyone who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or property, for my sake and for the Good News, will receive now in return a hundred times as many houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and property—along with persecution. And in the world to come that person will have eternal life. But many who are the greatest now will be least important then, and those who seem least important now will be the greatest then.”

Silence

This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Open this link in a new tab to hear Ruth Duck’s paraphrase of the Benedictus Dominus Deus, “Now Bless the God of Israel.”

1 Now bless the God of Israel who comes in love and power,
who raises from the royal house deliv’rance in this hour.
Through holy prophets God has sworn to free us from alarm,
to save us from the heavy hand of all who wish us harm.

2 Remembering the covenant, God rescues us from fear,
that we might serve in holiness and peace from year to year.
And you, my child, shall go before, to preach, to prophesy,
that all may know the tender love, the grace of God most high.

[Instrumental interlude]

3 In tender mercy, God will send the dayspring from on high,
our rising sun, the light of life for those who sit and sigh.
God comes to guide our way to peace, that death shall reign no more.
Sing praises to the Holy One, O worship and adore.

Jesus and the Rich Young Man

One of the things that is notable in this Sunday’s reading from the New Testament, the reading from Mark’s Gospel, is Jesus’ reaction when he learns that the young man has kept the commandments that Jesus listed since he was young. “Jesus felt genuine love for him,” Mark tells us. Jesus’ reaction was not how some Christians react when the subject of obedience to these commandments is raised. They dismiss expressions of concern about the moral character of an individual who repeatedly breaks these commandments as legalism. They take an attitude toward these commandments at odds to the one the Gospels tell us Jesus took toward them.

The commandments that Jesus listed--‘You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. You must not cheat anyone. Honor your father and mother….”—are what Article 7 of the Anglican Church’s Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion and Article 6 of John Wesley’s revised version of these Articles call the moral commandments. Both sets of articles recognize that no Christian at all is free from obedience to these commandments. Jesus mentions them at several places in the Gospels. They form a part of the Ten Commandments which God gave the people of Israel through Moses.

Jesus taught that an individual could break the commandment against murder by hating someone and the commandment against adultery by taking a sexual interest in the spouse of someone else (Matthew 5: 21-30). In Jesus’ eyes anyone who says hateful and unkind things about other people, who stirs up hatred and ill-will toward them, is guilty of murder. Anye who has lustful thoughts about someone else’s spouse is guilty of adultery.

Jesus also taught that what defiles an individual came from within that individual and takes the form of breaches of the moral commandments. “But the words you speak come from the heart—that’s what defiles you. For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander. These are what defile you.” (Matthew 15: 18-20)

What Jesus identified as the second greatest commandment and equally as important as the first greatest commandment is to love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22: 36-40) All the moral commandments concern our treatment of other people, those whom Jesus in the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10: 25-37) identified as our neighbors. It is not loving toward our neighbors to have evil thoughts about them, to murder them, to have sex with their spouse or partner, to steal from them, to lie to them, or to spread lies and unfounded accusations about them.

If you take time to read the Old Testament, you will discover that it looks dimly on those who murder, commit adultery and other forms of sexual immorality, cheat, steal, lie, and slander. You will also discover that the wealthy are not spoken highly of either. They are characterized as being motivated by greed, a very strong wish to continuously get more possessions and other forms of wealth, and by avarice, an extremely strong wish to keep what possessions and other forms of wealth they have amassed. They are also characterized as exploiting and oppressing the poor and living lives of ease, uncaring of the sufferings of others. The picture of the rich that the Old Testament paints is not an attractive one.

The hearts of the disciples must have sunk when Jesus told them, ““How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God!”. They, like their coreligionists, believed that only a rich person could meet all the requirements of the Law and consequently, by their reckoning, be regarded as righteous in God’s sight. However, for the rich their possessions and other forms of wealth, Jesus told them, would be a serious obstacle to their entry into the Kingdom of God. As he told them on a separate occasion, ““No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.” (Matthew 6:24).

What then should we make of what Jesus told the young man about selling all his possessions and giving the proceeds from their sale to the poor? In Matthew 16:24-26 Jesus tells his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?” Giving up our own way may entail relinquishing whatever is a serious obstacle to following Jesus for us. In the case of the young man, it was his possessions. In someone else’s case it could be an obsession with occupying a high position of power and prestige, throwing their weight around and using that position to unfairly get what they want, wreaking vengeance on their perceived enemies, and being the center of attention all the time.

What then is the good news in this Sunday’s New Testament reading? The good news is these words, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God.” In other words, we are not saved by our own efforts but by grace. Being reconciled with God, being put right with God, is a gift to us from God, an act of God’s favor and goodwill toward us. God, by the power of the Holy Spirit, enables us to recognize what is preventing us from entering God’s kingdom, to turn away from these obstacles whatever they may be and to turn to Jesus, believing in Jesus and trusting in him for our salvation. God enables us to pass through “the eye of the needle,” to enter through the narrow gate, to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Jesus. .

Silence

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

Let your requests be made know unto God,
in everything give thanks.

Prayers and thanksgivings may be offered

For the whole created order, especially…

For the nations and the peoples of the earth…

For those in authority in this land…

For the Church, its leaders and members…

For our community, families and friends…

For those who are in need…

For particular situations…

After each prayer, the following response may be used.

Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.

Faithful God,
you have promised to hear the prayers
of all who ask in Jesus’ name.
In your mercy, accept our prayers.
Give us what we have asked in faith,
according to your will,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Let us join with Christians in every place and in every time in the prayer that Jesus 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,
the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.

Open this link in a new tab to hear Richard Bruxvoort Colligan’s “O Christ, Surround Me.”

1 God be the love to search and keep me
God be the prayer to move my voice
God be the strength to now uphold me
O Christ, surround me
O Christ, surround me

2 Bind to myself the name of Holy
Great cloud of witnesses enfold
Prophets, apostles, angels witness
O Christ, surround me
O Christ, surround me

3 Brightness of sun and glow of moonlight
Flashing of lightning, strength of wind
Depth of the sea to soil of planet
O Christ, surround me
O Christ, surround me

4 Walking behind to hem my journey
Going ahead to light my way
And from beneath, above, and all ways
O Christ, surround me
O Christ, surround me

[Instrumental interlude]

5 Christ in the eyes of all who see me
Christ in the ears who hear my voice
Christ in the hearts of all who know me
O Christ, surround me
O Christ, surround me

Coda
O Christ, surround me
O Christ, surround me

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.

Those present may extend their palms toward each other in a gesture of blessing.

Almighty God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, bless and keep us. 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.